Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-10-18
The il Challenger Became Disabled;
and Defender KeptHer Course.
THE IRON CLAD RULES
.GovorninE tho Races, Compel sir
Thomas Upton 30 Take tho Conse.s
auonces of she Accident to MS
Yacht-An Incident in tho 1850;
Contest Rocaiied-Americnns nadl
No,Hoart to Cr,tici.e.
lBy Telegraph to vlrglnian1pllot.Y

~ tgsss.e:E u .sttf'5lfl asAaiISa
.IBy Telegraph to vlrglnianlPllot.J
New York, Oct. 17.-The topmast OF
the cup challenger. Shamrock, carried
away twenty-five minutes after the big
single sticker had crossed the starting
line to-day and her enormous club sail (
with Its 5000 feet OF canvas, came rat-
Ting down on the deck. leaving her a
hopeless cripple. No amount Of pluck
or courage could face such a catastro- h
phe and Captain Hogarth Immediately
abandoned the race, towing back to the s
anchorage after ne had cleared away;
the wreckage ,lfS7ss;
The Columbia continued over tho J,
course alone, placing to her credit tile Z
second of the races for the AmerlcasS
cup. The accident to the Shamrock
ruined the race and caused the seenest
regret among the yachtsmen and tho IS
thousands OF s!ghtseers who were on I;
hand to witness what had promised to
be a glorious duel. Il!
a MISFORTUNE. 81
It is unfortunate that the defender
should have been tho beneficiary Of
an accident, rs there is little glory In /;
beating cripple, but the rule is irons
clad. If crippled before the start, time
for repairs is allowed, but once oven
the line, II anything carries away tho
sufferer must make such repairs as heS
can; or, II rendered hors de combat, as
the Shamrock was to-day, he must
take the consequences. There ia good
sense, and logic behind the rule. .ThaS
races are test OF construction as we'll {
| as design and seImanship. Doubt
IL Mr.. Iselin could have had his choice
In the matter, he generously would
have declined to continue in view. OF. the
crippled condition OF his rival, but the@
rules gave him no alternative. He was
In duty bound to so on. and as he fins
ished well within the time limit the
race was his. 81
Had the accident not occurred, Iow-, 4
ever, it is believed that the Yankee
boat would have repeated the beating \
she gave the challenger yesterdays.
puring the Twenty-Five minutes the
Saeht sailed she had gone through the
Shamrock's lead like streak and had Z
established lead OF more than 500
yards on the weather bow. a:
AN INCIDENT RECALLED. 5;S2
When the Puritan fouled the Gsnesta,s
on the inside course in 1887, carrying
away the challenger's bowsprit and top-g;
, .l,aSI. aithough the 7 ace was at hiS&
mercy under the rules, Lord Richard
sutton magnanimousiy refused to clairra
IL. 10 avoid just such O. contnRency
IN which the beneficiary of an accident
IS always reluctant TO claim his rights,
special clause was added to tho rec1I.
lar rules this year, leavIng, nbsoluteIy
no option in the matter. This CLAUSE
was signed by Sir Thomas Lapton md
Mr. lselin few days before the date 4
oI the hrst attempt TO race. .ss
"A DELICATE MACHINE.
me accident to-day shows what a, "
uSilcuee inacnine racing yacht is now
a adays. !, and how close to the limit OF i
light structure. weighed down by enore5$
nous ballast to carry the gigantic
spread Of canvas. Tho most delicats,t4s
ana scientific adjustment of weights is Il
atuulTed. rho simple breaking OF alA
stay to- day wrecked the Shamrock. hi RS:
The wire backstny OF the topmastJ8
which helps to support the sIenders
sparS, gave way and this support re- 6
moved, her Oregon pine topnast. as ]
DIE as telegraph pole, sixty feet long,
and fourteen inches In diameter, snaps
peu ot IKE match just above the
lower mast cap. This mast was not only
supporting the pressure of a 15-knot b
breeze, against her big Kite, but was |.
also sustaining the crushing weight OF s
the sail itself, and the two club tops u
SAIL yards, each forty feet long. Later.S3
IN the afternoon the Shamrock 8 wax &
lowed up TO the Erie Basin, in the up s.
Per Bay. A new topmast will bet set 3lip &
tomorrow and she Will be remeasured. &;
she VIII probably be taken out for zsaS
spin tomorrow to try her new stlok,s
and the third race OF tho series Will 1basss
sailed on Thursday. This race will again
be over n windward and Ieeward course. /
and if the Columbia wins the series &
VIII have been completed without gtvs8
Ing the Shamrock an opportunity to test 4
her merits In her favorite point OF saits &
ing over n triangular course.
A PROMISE BROKEN.
The day had promised a glorious con- ~ i
test There were only gray neutral q
tints in tho morning. burt a hard, strong &
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