The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-10-10
TIME LIMIT NOT MADE.
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Continued from First Page.)
windward. Captain Hogarth then set
his spinnaker to port n increased the
lead. Captain Barr seemed unwilling
at first to follow the lead OF the Eng
lishmen and waited almost fifteen min
utes, while the Shamrock overhauled
and passed him, before he did so.
The Shamrock was 100 yards ahead
before he had got his sails trimmed TO
the new conditions. The patriots did
not mince words in their criticism of
Bars obstinacy.
Soon afterward the wind hauled
around still further, making 1t a broad
reach to the mark. Both yachts took in
their spinnakers M eased their sheets.
Then the white flyer gained steadily.
The yachts were now about a mile
and a half ahead from the outer mark.
All the interest conferred there. Steam
ers, tugs and yachts hurried across the
course n lined up to leeward, wait
ing with eager interest to see which
would round first. Calamity the Amer
leans came on. 1t was astonishing how
fast h glided through the water. She
ate up the distance between her and
the green boat until, when the mark
was but a quarter of a mile away, less
than 100 yards separated them.
Hope rose. The Shamrock was to
"Alsa oJos AIt & III lint
horses down the stretch. A hundred
feet away the Columbia had closed the
gap. Her slender PROV just Tapped the
stern of the green hull. Under the rules
they must pass the float with the red
ball on the ~starboard end AS the bal
loon jibs ratified down on both boats,
preparatory to the gybe the watching
thousands held their breath. 1t did
not seem possible that the white ghost
could CnI1anza in hpfyVQQn the Sham
rock and the marks. To the o~n-lookers
it seemed inevitable that unless the
Yankee 0 a kept away under the stern
of the Shamrock, there would be a col
lision, or the Columbia would foul
the float.
But c. Oliver Islin had desperate
courage in a tight place. He played
the limit. The man who set a club top
sail in a driving gale in the deciding
race between the Vigilant and Valkyrie
II would stop at nothing. On he came,
forcing the Shamrock to go wide
around, while the Columbia seemed to
scrape the float as she wore about with
her helm hard down. Though the
Shamrock rounded first by nine sec
onds, she swept around so far on the
outside, that when both boats came up
and their sails filled away on the star
board tack, the Columbia not only had
the weather gauge, but was in the lead.
No more reckless piece Of courage was
ever seen in an international race. 1t
was a desperate game, but it won. Had
the Columbia 81 nue. rs ouched the
loaf she would ave been disqualified
then and there.
The official time of the rounding the
outer mark was Shamrock 1:36:25; Co
lumbia 1:36:34.
After a few short tacks the Shamrock
tried to cross the COlumbia's bows, but
failed.
The beat to the Windward was by far
the most interesting portion of the race
while the breeze held. Close hauled the
two boats slashed straight out TO sea,
through the long heavy swell, heeling
to the breeze in stately fashion, with
foam squirting from their graceful bows
n crews piled upon the weather rail
of the sloping decks. Though no solid
water came over their g~listening sides,
it swerled along under their counters.
1t was strange that the Columbia, the
famous light weather boat, should ca
reen less to the wind than her rival
from over the sea. The old barnacles
aid her immense overland, dipping
down, supported her and kept her up
stiff as a church."
The Shamrock, the famous heavy
weather boat, leaned to it like a queen.
AS the wind began to die out, and the
I1OPe VI llIlliAoIlillS lie 1oSC pNSoAlI ~ NoA
ish, the two boats split tacks and did
not come together again for a long
time, keeping every one guessing which
was ahead.
During this fuky period everybody
agreed that the Shamrock was the bet
ter handled. She never failed to take
advantage of every new slant Of the
wind.
At last, twenty minutes before the
race was declared off, the Shamrock
decided to try conclusions, and she
headed across the m bow. So
uncertain was the result that no one
knew until the yachts were within "A
hundred feet of ach other, which
would have to give way The Yankee
shippers all had their hands on their
whistle cords, and when the Shamrock
put her helm up, unable to make it,
from both sides of the course came the
shrieks of thousands of whistles, the
enthusiastic shouts of the multitude
and the crash of bands.
They sailed the last twenty minutes
neck and neck, but with the Columbia
to the windward and perhaps half a
length ahead.
Disappointed but over-joyed that
when the race was declared off, the cup
defender was in the lead, the excursion
fleet headed back for Sandy Hook as
fast as steam and sail could carry
them.