The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-10-04
THE SHAMROCK LEADING
SOMETHING OVER 4 QUARTER
OF A MILE AHEAD.
BOTH YACHTS FOUR MILES FROM HOME
Shamrock AbIest SIoop Ever Sent Here ro Race
for Americas Cop. Columbia Better
SaiIer in Good Wind. Race
Postponed TO Thursday.

oS'puleu to illulSudJr
New York, Oct. 3.-As the sun set be-
hind the Navesink Hills, the biggest
crowd of sightseers and yachtsmen who
ever sailed down to Sandy Hook to wit
ness the attempt of a foreign mug-hun-
ter to wrest from America the yatcbins
supremacy of the world returned to
New York crestfallen and disappointed
The winds had proved too light and
shifty, and the first of the International
series of 1899 between the two greatest
racing machines ever produced by Eng
land and America. degenerated into a
drifting match, and had to be declared
off because neither could reach the finish
line in the time allotted by the rules.
10 avoid just such winds as oc-
CURED today, in which luck and not the
crew and yachts win, the rules provide
that il one of the boats does not finish
within five aud 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 a quarter of Il 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 in.
side Sandy Hook.
Under the rules tine first race is now
postponed for two days or until Thurs
day. The day promised well at first.
The day was smirched with few dirty
clouds, but clear enough to permit the
flAFaN4r- fI1 - Il
Jersey shore to see almost every foot
of the course. The waves were crested
with white caps here and there, and a
fairly fresh breeze blew out of the north
northeast, but after the Columbia and
Shamrock had crossed the line, the
wind turned fiuky and variable and the
race was fiZzle almost from the start,
But the fuke today gave the yachting
sharps and the spectators much TO think
about-and some surprises. The Co
lumbia is undoubtedly the prettier boat.
She is TALL stately, with graceful lines
and towering mast. The Irish boat,
with her broader and longer base line,
looked slower and heavier. Perhaps her
green color makes her look clumsier as
if she We're forced through The water,
while the slim Columbia pieces it like a
rapier
Though indecisive in every respect as
to the abilities of the great rival single
stlckers, today's race indicates that the
Irish boat, with her English skipper and
her Scotch crew, is the ablest slOop ever
sent across the Atlantic in the hope of
lrftlng the one hundred guinea cup. which
the America brought back 4S years ago,
and which has since been successfully
defended against the world.
During the i've ana a half hours sail
the Shamrock was thrice ahead. and
twice the Yankee boat showed the way
For the first ten minutes the Shamrock
led, then for five the Columbia's grace
full bow showed ahead of the green
boats; for forty-fiye minutes following
the Shamrock then for three hours the
Columbia, and for the last hour and a
half it was the Shamrock that 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 compass. Each i'll turn beat the
other running before the wind and was
in turn beaten, beating against the wind
at various stages of the race, so that
many of the experts who saw the two
boats sail today are disinclined to be-
leye that there is pin to choose be-
tween them, but when the race is close
ly analyZed it is absolutely proven that
the Columbia showed her superiority at
every point of sailing, running, reaching
and beating whenever the wind freshen-
ed. and that it was only in the lightest
air that the Shamrock could make head
way against her. Both had their share
of good and bad luck. The Columbia
had the better of the shifting wind ON
the run down to the mark, and beat the
Shamrock two minutes and forty-fOur
seconds, while on the beat home, after
increasing her lead to over a mile ait
one time, the Shamrock overhauled the
Yankee and was a quarter of a mile
ahead when the time allowance expired.
The feature of the race which pleased
everybody most was the perfectly clear
field which was maintained. For the
first time, this year the Goyernment
took hand to prevent repetition OF the
unfortunate occuawence which marrel |
the race when the accompanying eN-
curSion boats in their frenzied eagerneSs |
to let nothing of the beautiful spectacle |
escape, crowded down upon the races
until their bacl1wash impeded their prog
ress through the water and caused Lord |
Dunrayen to file his famous protest. The |
Government was determined this year |
that the course should be protected
against unofficial trespassers. A tiotllla