Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-29
Columbia Shows Her Heels
to the Defender.
YACHTSMEN SATISFIED
That the Shamrock Will Not Be Able
to Win the American Cup--The
Race Yesterday Was a Most Ex-
citing One.

New London, June 2S.-In q 30-mile beat
to windward today the new yacht Co.
umbia beat the old cup champion De-
fender eight minutes, besides giving the
old champion a two-minute handicap.
Y%achtanen from New York and here
abouts are jubilant, for the yachts sterl-
ing qualities must come out in a race to
windward. The race was from Brenton's
reef to the flagship off Newport, to New
London, a good 80 miles. The Defender
was given two minutes start. Thirty-two
miles of the long stretch of water was a
beat to windward, with such a stiff
breeze blowing that neither yacht cared
to carry a working topsail, and it was in
this kind of work that the Columbia
gained such a long lead, averaging more
than a quarter Of a minute faster than
the Defender each mile. The water was
very rough. but the new boat ran very
easy and did not buffet the waves as
much as the Defender. A stiff breeze
from the southwest kicked up quite a
squat outside this morning n put
white crests on the wates in she inner
harbor.
The Defender hoisted Anchor shortly
after 10 o'clock and ran dow the east
passage undersler jib. Her mainsail was
hoisted on the way out and Capt.
Rhodes sawed down as far as Castle
Hill to get a look at@he weather outside
and knocked about the bay while waiting
for the Columbia.
The crew of the Columbia hauled an
chor at 11:15 and she was towed down as
tar as Castle Hill, where the hawser
was cast off and the yacht beat out to
sea under three lower sails. The De-
fender was inside Brenton's reef light
ship. loaflng along under jb and main
sail waiting for her rival. There was a
pretty heavy sea, n as the two yachts
plunged along clouds Of spray were
thrown into the air from under their bows
and fell away to the leeward. The Col
umbia ran w to the Defender rapidly
and continued IN the starboard tack un-
til the lightship was passed. The Column
bia was at that time 900 yards to leeward
of the Defender and half her length
ahead.
1t II o'clock both boats tackled around
the lightship. They continued along in
this stretch for about five minutes, the
Columbia luf1ing up to take a haul on the
jib halyards. At 1920 the Defender broke
out her staysail and the race was on, with
the Defender to the windward. At first
the Defender gained a trltle, but as they
continued on this stretch the Columbia
crawled up slowly and but for a shift of
wind more to the south would have
crossed the Defenders bow ON the next
tack. The shift in the wind helped the
Defender considerably and when at !
o'clock the Columbia tackled to starboard
about a mile off Point Judith whistling
buoy, she could have almost forced the
Defender about, but the latter tackled
within 100 feet of the former under her
lee bow.
The Columbia began to gain slowly or
the Defender. In 25 minutes the new boat
had yynrkpH across the Defendants how
and was to the windward of her. With
plenty Of wind the Columbia and Defend.
err held down the shore on the port tack
the former continuing to gain.
Off Moves Point, at 2:2O the Columbia
was half a mile ahead and steadily in
creased her lead, and when she finally
came about on the end of Fishers island
the distance between the two vas nearly
q mile.
AT 1928 the Columbia took her fna.