The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-04
Wind Died On Beat Home and
Yachts Didn't Finish.
CHANGEABLE ALL THE Time
Columbia Gained More Than Two
Minutes to the Stake.

ahamrock First Across the Line. but Golum-
bia Passed Her and Rounded the Mark
in the Lead-In the Beat Home sham
rock Had Best Luck with tho Puffy Wind
and Passed Her, to BE Again Overtakon
BY American boat Before tho Whistles
Announced That Race Was Oh-Fleet of
Excursion Boats Biggest on Record
Patrol system Was Effective and There
Was no Interference. with the Racers.
fckls wind that began in force. slackened.
bew by nts and starts. swelled and diminished
again, now dying away almost altogether and
then regaining Just enough energy to belly out
the sails Of the two big racing yachts. M de a
failure, and very iuky one. OF the first OF
the races for the Americas Cup between the
Columbia and the Shamrock. 1t left them
three miles from home when the time that
they had under the rules TO finish the course
had elapsed. After starting almost a minute
behind her rival. Columbia had overtaken
md passed her and had rounded the turn
ing mark two minutes ahead. On the
heat home Shamrock by fine handling
and much luck, overlook Columbia. gained tho
lsad and lost it again. and gained and lost IL
again. When the five and half hours within
which the rules said the boats must cover the
conrss had elapsed the two were 30 near to-
gather that an apple could have been tossed
from one 10 the other A moment before this
Columbia had poked her nose ahead to lee
ward OF Shamrock They were on almost
even terms when the whistles were blown that
announced the end OF the time. Shamrock
was perhaps a third Of length in the
lead. The yachts had failed to cover
the course in the prescribed time and
loft yide-opsn question as to which 10 the
he,,sr boat
On the whole. 1t may be said that Co
lumbia showed to better advantage Tor on
the run out over the htteen-mile course. after
a third of the distance had been covered she
gained steadily. but not without luck. and on
the beat back Shamrock had by FAR the greater
part of the luck with the tickle breezes. and
yet at the end was not much better than on
even terms with her rival. In spite OF the TACT
that the wind made nuke OF IL. tho race made
as fine days sport for the thousands who
went to see 1t. and 1t was day full OF excite
ment.
The system OF patrol arranged for the day BY
the torpedo ooats ana revenue cutters kept the
roadway Tor the yachts absolutely clear during
the run out. Completing that the discipline or
she authority gave out among the patrol. and
the excursion feet got exceedingly mixed Per-
haps the patral officers were better engiAesrs
than sailormen. and while they could steam
straight away in excellent order. when it came
10 lacking with the yachts they collapsed to
great extent. and instead OF being restrained
according to the diagrams carefully prepared
for the fleet 3 progress. the steamers strung
out ahead as well as behind the racers. not
go near as TO bother their wind much. but so
close as to restrict greatly their freedom OF
choice in the making OF long taeks or short
ones.
Sunday and .Iondav had b,ovn strono from,
the north and when Tuasday onaned with TN.
wind s,i,I holding IN yioor IN. y,cbtsm.n,.
homes rosa rigb Asa big val,ow ann rooa On
sk &c Allied with rInd crouds n seemed TIM,
tho dsy had hean made m ordar Tba
weather ernerts found efta.n tnot
br4eza that would send m. yachts .cur-
rrinp ovar the coursa IN f.ah,o, TIM,
wouII hothe, all bnt Tho fsatast e,crr.ion
boats :, lean m II wac n nortbeast ~ind
which cured the wave. merriv thougb b.ine
OF shore II raisad Ii,t,a s.o nh. hozs tb,t
hung over the Jarsex coa., w,s aoon sven,
svay Itwo chilly enough 70 m.ke ovarco,,s
pleasant ami steady enough to make every ono