Arizona republican., 1899-10-17
THE DUEL AT SEA.


 New York, Oct 16-The crews of
 both yachts had breakfast early and
 when they turned to- soon after s
 o'clock it was with a will, for, in spite of rather hay weather, there was a
 good breeze from the eastward which promised to increase and give the yachts a good race at last. Jibs and staysails were sent up in stops on the
 stays. racing matches put on, boats
 Iashed and everything made snug be-
 fore o'clock
 At .9:15 the Columbia cast off from her moorfngs and was taken in tow by
 a tug. The Shamrock started in tow
 a few minutes later. Covers were on
 the mainsails and club topsails to keep
 them dry until the last moment, as
 there was just enough fine rain to dampen them. At 10 o'clock both
 yachts had reached the east end of ! Gedney's channel, and at 10:10 the Columbia's crew began hoisting the
 mainsail. It was set in five minutes.
 The Shamrock's mainsail began to go 1
 up at the same time, but it was fully fifteen minutes before the sail was set.
 At 1925 both yachts cast off their tow
 lines, broke out their jibs and mast
 headed their No. 2 club topsails. The
 Columbia also sent up her baby jib
 topsails on the stay. At the same time
 the committee boat, the Walter Luck
 enbach, anchored due south of Sandy
 Hook Iigntship and sent up the course
 signal. It was east, making it beat dead to windward of fifteen miles
 and run back if the wind held from the same quarter. The official time of the start was: Shamrock, 11:01:O3; Colum- bia, 11:O1:O6
 Both yachts were close hauled on the starboard tack and were carrying ex- actIy the same sail, mainsail. club top sail, jib, foresan and baby jib topsail. As soon as the sheets were trimmed, all hands, except the men stationed at the head sheets, jumped for the weather side and huddIed close down to the starboard rail, while the shippers { watched each other like hawks.
 There were not many yachts or eX- | cursion steamers out in time to see the ! start. Those on board the small fleet i had a splendid view of the start. The first ten minutes were anxious ones for the friends of both yachts. After that . time it was all over but the shouting. i In five minutes the Columbia had . widened the distance to windward be- tween herself and the Shamrock fully a length. She heeIed more than the other boat, but her sails were all full and she was pointing higher from the moment she started. Captain Hogarth, thinking that his boat would be able to outfoot he Columbia sufficiently to tack across her bow, a little later gave her a good rap full.
 The great boat responded nobly and f to some it appeared that she was pass ing the Columbia very fast. So she was, but she was losing outward ground every minute. When the Sham rock tackled to port at 11:15 and the Columbia thirty seconds later, it was seen that Barr had so placed his boat on the weather bow of the Shamrock as to spill back the wind into the Shamrocks sails. Hogarth was obliged to keep off broad about thirty seconds to gets out from under the Columbia's ee By 20 the Bristol boat was quite an eighth of a mile to windward and ,utfooting and outpointing her rival lil the time-
 Captain Hogarth finding that the Shamrock would not point as high as he Columbia, fiattened down his sheets IS hard as he dared and had to be , .ontented with giving her good full md letting her go at that. The Sham , -ock went about to starboard at 1 63:3O and the Columbia five seconds f ater At 11:45:30, when the Shamrock again tackled to port, the Columbia 6 vas fully Q quarter of a mile to wind f ward of her The latter tackled five seconds later. Captain HOgarth was getting desperate now and he resorted O his short tacking tactics in the hope 1 hat his boat would forereach sufti- .ientIy to make material gain to C vindward. At the conclusion of the marine duel Hogarth found himself urther to leeward than ever, the Columbia having been, if anything,