The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-10-04
Yachts Unable to Finish Within Time Limit of
 Five and a Half Hours.
DRIFTED OVER THE COURSE
THE WINDS ALTOGETHER roo
 LIGHT AND SHIFTY.

Time Limit, Shamrock Leading by
 Quarter of a MiIe-ChaIlenger Lead
 Thrice and Columbia Twice-Clos'
 Together Most of the Time-shamrocl
 aGreat Light Weather Boat.
 New York, Oct. 3.-As the sun set
 a great ball of fire behind the Nave
 sink highlands and the sparkling stars came out into the flawless heavens, tht biggest crowd of sightseers and yachts men who ever sailed down to Sandy Hook to witness the attempt of for eign mug-hunter to wrest from Amer ica the yachting supremacy of the world, to-day returned to New York crestfallen and disappointed. The winds from the cave of old ocean had proved too light and shifty and the first of the international series of 1899 between the two greatest racing machines ever produced by England and America de- generated into drifting match, and had to be declared off because neither could reach the finish line in the time allotted by the rules.
 Race Declared Oh.
 To avoid just such winds as occur red to-day in which luck and not the crew and yachts win, the rules provide that if one of the gladiators does not finish within five and half hours, the race Is declared off So at the end of the time this evening when the yachts were still four miles from home with the Shamrock leading by something more than quarter of mile the com- mittee officially declared that there had been no race. The yachts were then taken in tow by their respective tugs and brought back to their anchorage inside Sandy Hook The clean Timber racers had sailed out this morning fresh for battle, but the sea had refused them field of conflict. Under the rules, the first race is now postponed for two days or until Thursday.
 The Day Promised We'll.
 The day promised well at first, the sea was smirched with a few dirty clouds. but 1t was clear enough so that the thousands of spectators who lined the Jersey shore could see almost every foot of the course. The waves were crested with whitcaps here and there and 1dlIIy IIGSH DiGSLS DIeW Out Dl lllt north northeast, but after the Ameri- can defender Columbi and the chal- Ienger Shamrock had crossed the line, the wind turned fuky and variable and the race was fizzle almost from the start. But the duke to-day gave the yachting sharps and the spectators much to think about and some sur prises. The Columbia is undeniably the prettier boat. with graceful lines and towering mast The Irish boat with her broader beam and longer base line, looking slower and heavier. Per haps her green color makes her look clumsier, as if she were forced through the water, while the slim Columbia pierces it like a napier.
 Shamrock Thrice Ahead
 Though indecisive in every respect as to the abilities of the beautiful single stickers to-day's race indicates that the Irish boat with her English skip per and her Scotch crew, is the ablest soop ever sent across the Atlantic in the hope of lifting the one hundred guinea cup. which the America brought back forty-eight years ago and which has since been successfully defended against the world. During the five and one-half hours sail, the Shamrock was thrice ahead and twice the Yankee boat showed the way. For the first ten the Shamrock led, then for five Columbias graceful bow showed ahead of the green boat. For forty five minutes following, the Shamrock led then for three hours the Columbia and for the last hour and half the Sham rock led the way. The breeze blew as high as twelve knots an hour and as low as three and shifted about through | eight points of the compas.
 Experts Opinions.
 Each in turn beat the other running | before the wind at the various stages | of the race, so that many of the ex- perts who saw the two boats sail to- day are disinclined to believe that there Is pin to choose between them. But | when the race is closely analysed, it | s absolutely proven that the Columbia | showed her superiority at every point of sailing, running, reaching and beat Ing whenever the wind freshened and that it was only in the lightest of airs that the Shamrock could make head way against her. Both had their shade of good and bad luck The Columbia lad the better of the shifting wind on he run down to the mark and beat the Shamrock two minutes and forty-four seconds, while on the beat home, after ncreasiong her lead to over 2 mile al me time, the Shamrock overhauled the Yankee and was a quarter of a mile ahead when the time allowance expir- d.
 Clear Field Kept.
 The fea ture of the race which pleased most was the perfectly clear field which was maintained. For the irst time this year the government took
 hand to prevent repetition of the unfortunate occurrence which marred he race when the accompanying excur- ion boats in their frenzied eagerness O let nothing of the beautiful spectacle scape, crowded down upon the racers Intil their back wash impeded the acht's progress through the water and aused Lord Dunraven to file his fa-