The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-18
BY THE BREAKING OF A STAY
THE SHAMROCK WAS CRIPPLED
Under the Rules the Race Goes to the Columbia Cow
cred the Course in Wonderfully Fast Time and
Would Probably Have Easily Defeated
the Green Boat Shamrock Had the
Better Of the Start Next
Race Thursday.


rival. Both were ON the port tack, to
the southwark of the lightship. Finally
the Columbia wore around beautifully,
while the Shamrock simultaneously
tackled in the other direction and thus.
making two divergent circles, they
came around on the starboard tack and
headed for the line. A collision was
almost inevitable had they approached
each other at an acute angle under the
lee of the lightship. But the Shamrock
established an overlap and the Colun-
bia had to keep Oft and, almost together,
they bounded away in the smoke Of the
gun, 90 close that a sailor might have
stepped from one boat to the ether
The Shamrock was perhaps half q
length ahead and in the windWard
berth. Both had their sheets trimmed
straight aft, and as she went across the
Columbia set her baby jib topsail.
1t was broken out and sheeted in
eight seconds, but the smartness Of the
Yankee beat in setting it's sail did not
compensate the patriots for the dis
appointment they suffered on account
of the Shamrock's superior generalship
in getting the weather gauge. But their
disappointment was short lived. The
Columbia was hlanketed and the pa
triots expected to see her drop astern.
Instead she gathered headway and
went through the Shamrock's lee like
race horse.
Madly she footed and in five min
utes she was clear of her adversary.
Five minutes later the Shamrock went
about on the port tack. but the Yankee
held on for minute to be sure of the
weather gauge. AS both heelad away
on this tack it seemed that the Colum-
bia would repeat her performance of
yesterday, for she footed faster and
pointed higher. Fifteen minutes after
the start she was 300 yards well out on
the green boats weather bow, and
forging ahead at every bound. The
Shamrock did not set her handkerchief
forward, evidently believing from her
experience yesterday that 1t knocked
her off the wind. Captain Hogartn was
able to keep her closer, but he could not
hold her as high as the white boat
The Columbia's head sail lifted her
head out of the waves and made her
splash more spray as her bow went
smashing into the long swells. The ex-
perts thought this made her spill wind
out Of her sails, but they had no heart
to criticise the Bristol wonder as she
ate her way to windward
Meantime the great mass of excur-
sion boats chased after the big flyers
and the wind was freshening until It
blew to Is or 16 knots. About 20 min
utes after the yachts were started
some Of the sharpers with their glasses
glued to the two boats noticed that the
Shamrock's topmast appeared to sag
little. Several times she was luffed
up sharply. She won't carry that
club over the course" said one OF the
men aboard the associated press boat
John Nichols.
Helpless Cripple.
Suddenly at 1874 the big kite and the
whole top hamper of the green boat
tumbled over to leeward and the state
ly challenger was a helpless cripple.
Her big club topsail fell lifeless like the
wing of bird hit by the hunter and
she lay on the water helpless. No one
In the excursion fleet knew what had
happened except that the club topsail
had been carried away. and it was Il
cry of agony that went up from the
sightseers. Although the Columbia was
to be the beneficiary of the accident
never were there more sincere express
sions of regret than when the Sham
rock wore slowly around and gave up
the contest.
The Columbia went on, as she was
bound under the rules to do, but several
OF the steam yachts went over along
side the Erin as che left the line to go
to her wounded champion. Commodore
Benedict was one of the first to get
alongside and expressed his sincere re-
grets over the hard luck which had be-
fallen the challenger. Sir Thomas Lip
ton took all the expressions with the
spirit in which they We're meant and
philosophically replied that it was the
fortune of war. A large majority Of
the vessels of the excursion fleet con-
tinued over the course with the Co
lumbia, but the interest in the race
was gone. They saluted her with their
braZen throats at the two outer marks
and gathered at the finish to give iler
stentorian welcome. Her time was
little short of marvellous. She covered
the course in three hours and 81 min
utes; the beat 10 miles to windward in
one hour, 80 minutes and II seconds:
the reach to the second mark in 53
minutes and SO seconds and the last
leg in one hour. three minutes and so
seconds. AS she crossed the finish line
she let go her head sails and one Of
the Deer Isle sailors treated the specta-
tors ITO an exhibition of daring as he
climbed out over the peak halyard. 80
feet in the air, to loose the club topeaiI