The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-17

spray dlOlN 10 tiltlE IllOt hpGSESs anu SOlllG
of them were flooded from stem TO stern.
! The work of the patrol fleet was perfect
The revenue cutters Inc ahead to leeward
and the torpedo boats line abreast astern
held the yachts in a hollow of moving
right angie, which changed direction with
each tack and kept the yachts as free
from interference as if they had been sail
ing in the middle of the Atlantic.
The Shamrock footed valantly, but
neither in speed nor in pointing could she
compare with Columbia. Then the three
shippers on the challenger put their heads
together and tried new tactics The
Shamrock made dozen short tacks. Ev-
idently her shippers were under the i'm
preston that she was quicker on her heel
and better at forereaching than the Yam
kee boat but the Columbia proved quite
as nimble as Shamrock. Timed by a
STOP watch, both boats were fifteen seconds
in stays, and when the Britishers write
home they win tell the friends that the
white beauty was fully as clever as the
challenger at forereaching.
When the Shamrock got through with
this line of tactics. Columbia had in
creased her lead until she was half a mile
ahead. At the end of another half hour,
as the wind continued TO freshen, the
| Shamrock took in her baby j'b topsail,
| figuring that without this light head sail
she might be able 20 hug the wind closer.
| The Columbia held on to hers, and, as
Shamrock did not improve her position at
the end of ten minutes her shippers again
set the sail.
BY l o'clock Shamrock was fully mile
and half astern. and Columbia was
winner all over. AS the Associated Press
boat, on her way to the outer mark, passed
the Manning, Capt. Evans. who was on
the bridge, shouted: "Ain't she peachs"
How She Rounded the Mark.
Nothing could have been pretuer than
the way Columbia swept around the outer
mark, graceful as swan. Both boats had
edged far to the southwark of their course
aud, as the rules required thai the mark
should be passed on the starboard hand
Columbia tackled down to port and came
over on the starboard tack as she ap-
preached the float AS she neared 1t, her
spinnaker pole was like a knights lance
in rest AS she swung around she eased
off her main boom. let her spinnaker pole
drop 10 port, and, breaking out the cloud
of canvas, fled homeward like a scared
deer.
Her big balloon jib blossomed out As sec
onds later. The few ships of the excursion
| fleet at the outer mark gave her a rous-
| ing recep ion. The Shamrock was already
| hopelessly beaten. A quarter of a mile
| from the home run the Columbia crossed
the path of the Shamrock stir beating TO
| windward, and robbed her of the wind for
| a minute as she went past
1t was nine minutes and forty-nine Sec
onds later when the Shamrock swung
round the mark and squared away for the
| finish The excursion boats, however,
hung on courteously until she had rounded
| and gave her quite an ovation.
| The official time at the turn was: Column
| bia :4S19; Shamrock, 1;5S:cS.
The Columbia was already almost two
mics away and in the thickening mist
| could hardly be discerned. The bells In the
| engine rooms of the excursion boats jim
! gled for full speed, and they went plowing
| down on either side Of the course to be In
| at the death. Sir Thomas steam yacht
Erin, however. remained abeam of the
challenger, giving what moral support he
could to his beaten boat Sir Thomas and
his friends aboard looked fully as discon-
solate as they felt. Some of them seemed
to have lost all interest in the landscape
and were hanging over the rail, looking
down into the water.
Sir Thomas, however, remained on the
| bridge with his eyes glued on the boat in
| which mis- hope had so lately centeFed
| and a group of sailors forward seemed
| to be trying 90 make out the outlines OF
the vanishing Yankee in the thick gloom
From that time it was simply q process
sion.
when Columbia Finished.
There was a soul-stirring scene as the
| &OluHlDid approached the HIllSn. Inc eX-
| cursion boats had gathered there In semi
| circle to give her welcome, and as she
| swept across the finish, bedlam broke
| loose. The steam whistles shrieked the
! sirens walled, the Corsar, the flagship of
| the New York Yacht Club, and several
other yachts flung their powder into smoke
| and the multitudes on the decks of the
| sidewheelers cheered. The Corsair haul
| ed down all her private signals and set
IOld Glory at each masthead and gaff and
| taffrail
The crew of the Columbia gathered aft,
| hurrahed with barred heads, then as she
| lowered her head sails and took the tow
line from her tender, the crowd waited
over ten minutes until Shamrock had
crossed and the feet had given her stem
| torian expression of good will. Then they
turned on their heels and scampered after
Columbia, crowding about her and cheer
ing her again and again, while the band
played Hail Columbia" Yankee Doo-
die" and other patriotic airs. They es-
corted her all the way TO her anchorage
inside the Hook.
The race tomorrow will be over the tri-
angular course ten miles to the leg, and
the Shamrock will have an opportunity to
show what she can do at her favorite point