The record-union., 1899-10-04

race was given up, tldL LIE excursion
boats crowded about the ends of the
patrol lines, many of them making
straight for home.
The course was laid fifteen miles
dead before the wind and back again.
The direction of the wind carried this
course south southwest from the Sandy
Hook lightship, almost straight down
the Jersey coast to point off Asbury
Park
The Columbia was admirably handled
throughout the race. Though the
Shamrock was first across the line by
forty three seconds, the Columbias
Deer Island crew of Yankees, wearing
their picturesque watch caps in Ise-
Inns colors, were so much handler than
their Scotch rivals that they had the
Columbia's spinnaker and balloon lib
set first by three minutes. The specta-
tors marveled at the clouds of canvas
the leviathians carried. Straight UP
into the air the slender yards carried
the point of the pyramids of canvass
10 feet. 1t is hard to realize that this
means the hight of an ordinary twelve
story building, and that the frail hulls
were bowling along under the pres
sure of 14,000 feet of canvas. The
twin balloons lifted the Columbia along
like great gull in the ten-knot breeze
and carried her in ten minutes past
the Shamrock. But when the wind
died to six knots, as it did within a few
minutes, the Shamrock forged steadily
ahead, until at the end of forty-fve
minutes she led by 200 yards.
Then a sudden haul of the wind to
the north northeast reached the Colum-
bia first. The big bellied splnnaker
was taken in, her sail was slightly jib-
bed, and she passed the Shamrock as
ii the latter had been moored to her
wharf. Instead of a run, the canting
of the wind now made it a reach for
the outer mark, but the Columbia
gradually edged over toward the Jer-
sey shore, with the intention of get
ting the wind astern and running
straight before it. The maneuver was
successfully accomplished after cross
ing the Shamrocks bow, but just as
the spinnaker was set aboard the Co
lumbia the wind canted back to the
north northeast, and left her with a
cloud of canvas shivering like a col
lapsed balloon.
The Shamrock had started to follow
the Columbia's tactics. Twice she low
cred her spinnaker as if to break out
the big sail, but as the wind held II srn
the northwest quarter, she jibbed her
main boom instead, and reached
straight for the mark. Although the
maneuvers of the Columbia had been
successful, it was a costly one, and
she lost several minutes by holding on
to her immense canvas in the vain
hot 1a
again. But when she did change her
sails she made up for lost time by out
footing her antagonist. She seemed to
skim over the water, scarcely making
a ripple where she entered it, and leav-
ing a wake of foam behind her.
The Shamrock made more fuss for-
ward and dragged wave aft.
The Columbia was the first to the
mark, and as she reached the stake
boat the excursion fleet gathered there
to greet her, unbottled their enthusi-
asm and gave her an ovation from a
thousand whistles. The fleet also
courteously saluted the Shamrock as
she swept around two minutes and one
second later.
On the beat home against the head
wind the Columbia showed her heels
to the Irish boat Enthusiastically while
the wind held. Time after time the
Shamrock tried for the weather gauge,
luffing, squeezing and pinching until
her head sails trembled but without
avail. The Columbia not only held
as high, but outfooted her tack after
tack.
The yachts made a beautiful specta-
Gle as they beat to windward, heeling
over to the breeze, the water sliding
swiftly back from their sharp bows.
Whenever they smashed into an un-
usually large sea the spray dashed
from either side twenty feet into the
air.
After the Columbia had gotten a mile
ahead and the yachts were way over
under the Jersey shore, the breeze
again failed, and the Shamrock drew
gradually ahead. It was marvellous
that in so light breeze boat could
Slip so swiftly through the sea. After
that the Shamrock was never headed,
but from that time to the finish the
| Columbia had nothing but bad luck. In
addition to her faster footing powers
in the extremely light air, every puff
| of the capricious wind seemed to
strike the Shamrock and leave the
Yankee boat practically becalmed.
Edge as she would toward every streak
of wind, she seemed unable to find it.
The Shamrock gained foot by foot until
she overhauled the Yankee, crossed
her bows, and when the time limit was
up was fully a quarter of mile ahead.
Taken altogether, there could not
have been a more unsatisfactory race,
and yet, as result of it, the friends
of the cup defender seemed proud of
the showing she had made, and feel
confident that the cup is safe.
Following is the official time of the
start and Of the outer mark boat: The
official time of the start was: Shamrock,
| 11:15:37; Columbia, 11:16:20. The
Shamrock had the best of the start by
43 seconds.
The time taken at the outer mark as
each yacht luffed around was: Column
bia, 1:37:5 Shamrock, 1:39:5S.
Oliver Iselin, managing owner of the
cup defender Columbia, when asked by
the Associated Press representative for
statement on to-day's race said:
II do not consider to-days race a fair
test of the two boats at all, for it was
too f1uky for anyone to see which was
doing the better work at any point of
the sailing. I have just as much con-
fdence in the Columbia now as I ever
had
| Sir Thomas Upton said to a repre-
sentative of the Associated Press: Il
want you to put me down as saying
| that there never was in all the world,
NOT even in England. as clear course q 9