Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-10-21
THE CUP STAYS.
Columbia Easily Wins the
Third and Last Race.
Walks Away From the Shamrock
in a Splendid Breeze.
Sir Thomas Upton Must Come Again for the
Americas Cup.

| the dignity of a gale. the sloop Column
| bia, today. Vanquished the British chal-
| lenger Shamrock, by 6 minutes and Is
| seconds actual time, and minutes and
"a seconds corrected time. thus com
| pleting the series for the Americas cup
with magnificent rough weather duel
and glorious Yankee victory. For the
| 18th time the attempt of foreigner tC
Wrest from America the yachting SUI
| premacy Of the world has failed.
| The trophy won by the old schoon-
| CT America. As years ago, is still ours
| a monument to the superiority Of Am
crican seamanship and American naval
architecture and a perpetual challenge
| to the yachtsmen Of all nations. To
Sir Thomas Upton, whose name is now
added to the list of defeated aspirants
for the honor of carrying the cup back
across the Atlantic, failure was Il Sc
we're blow. But. as he is a true sports
man. the sting of defeat has left no
| bitterness and he intimateS that he
may be back next year with better
boat to try again.
| During his stay here Sir Thomas has
made himself more popular than any
previous challenger. and the yachtSmen
Of this country will be glad to welcome
| him back. Except for the repeated
flukes and the accident to the challen-
| ger. Tuesday the series of races has
| been unmarried by a single untoward
incident. The boats have had two fair
and square races. one in light airs and
| the other in a heavy blow and Sir
Thomas is satisfied that he was beaten
by the better boat.
Today's race was a fine test of the
rough weather qualities of the two big
sloops. There was too much freshness
in the air for comfort and it was far
TOO rough for landlubbers. The sky
was overcast with gray clouds and a
chilling wind was blowing out of the
northeast The ocean was a riot of
white caps. Some of the holiday fleet
declined to go outside and those that
did rolled and plunged in the tumbling
pillows. sending all but the old salts
below.
The prayer of Sir Thomas for wind
was answered. 1t was blowing % miles
an hour al the lightship. enough wind
and enough sea to make any racing
machine stagger. Even the pilot boats
We're under shortened sail.
The course. Is miles before the wind
south by west. carried the yachts
straight down the coast t. a point off
Long Branch. 50 that the race was sail
in in plain view of the thous inds perch
ed upon the heights of Navesink ana
along the shore from Sea Bright to AS
bury Park.
The crew of the Columbia wore oil
skins and sOuWesterS and the crew of
b1 IK-hita
was blowing too hard for clubtopsails
and both shippers contented themselves
with hoisting small working topsails
Both yachts spread across the starting
line before the 25-knot breeze wing and
wind ana with their spinnakers break
ing out.
The Shamrock was over minute AMI
| second before the defender. But this
was not due to superior seamanShip.
capt. Barr held off for that length Of
time after the Shamrock crossed in or
der that he might get the position
aStern where he could have an oppor-
tunity to blanket his rival.
The Columbia carried her spinnaker
boom at an angle of almost A. degrees. |
This allowed the big sail to belly far
out forward and draw like a locomo- |
tive. But it was rather dangerous. and |
twice an extra puff of wind carried the |
sail forward and up until it tumbled |
over the stay. But the Deer Isle sail
ors each time had it back in place in |
jiffy
The Shamrock had no such mishap |
as Hogarth carried his boom so much |
lower. The Yankee trick. however. did |
its work. lifting the head of the Column
bia out of the water until it seemed to |
be skimming over the surface.
The excursion fleet We're chasing af |
ter the yachts as fast as their steam |
would carry them. But the big slOops |
set so hot a pace that they left half |
the tugboats and small steam yachts |
astern. They We're going at 13-knot |
clip. the Yankee slowly but surely. inch |
by inch. overhauling her rival. Closer |
and closer she drew dead astern, of |
the challenger hoping with her can
vas to shut off her rivals wind. When |
the Columbia had crept to within
striking distance. the Shamrock crowd
ed on little more canvas. setting a
baby jibtopsail and for 10 minutes she |
seemed to hold the American even.
Both were going very swiftly.
As the yachts approached the outer
mark it was seen that the Columbia
was again picking up on the Shamrock.
At 1910. half mile from the mark. the
Bristol boat got alongside the challen
ger and neck and neck they boWled
down for the float. Three minutes lat
er. when they took in their spinnakers
preparatory to gybing. the Columbia
was a length in the lead and footing
like mad.
The yachts swept around the mark.
The Columbia II seconds ahead. but so
close that one chorus from the fleet
for both. The Columbia had /
gained l minutes and is seconds in the
15-mile run. AS they leaned away on
the starboard tack for the beat home,
the Columbia was TO windward and 4
about a length ahead.
With their sheets trimmed fiat aft .
they surged into the head seas, send /
ing the brine smoking high as the
enreaders. They careened until their
lee rails were awash in the waves.
CONTINUED on page 3D.