The record-union., 1899-10-08

TO pack out Oh the ldIlSie. SEVERAL Sc
rious collisions were narrowly averted.
But the fleet was scattered like a flock
of wild ducks after the discharge of a
gun.
The Shamrock got the best Of the luf-
fing match, blanketing her rival and
getting to windward of her. Then,
when both had squared of in their
course and let go their spinnakers,
thousands waited and watched. Slowly,
very slowly at first, inch by inch, the
defender of the cup drew away, deS-
pite the Shamrock'S repeated and tire
less efforts to blanket her. Once clear,
the white beauty forged ahead rapidly,
her three great balloons drawing the
wind caroling from mainsail to spin
maker and from spinnaker to balloon
jib. She had established a comforta-
BILE lead, when the breeze lightened and
hauled more to the northward.
Wrinkles began to trickle down the
sides of the white yachts balloons. and
several times all their sails collapsed.
The Shamrock, as on the two former
days, profted by the seemingly light
air, and began to crawl up. But she
did more. Captain Hogarth took in
the Shamrock's soinnaker when the
mark was sighted, gybed the Sham
rock and trimmed down the balloon jib
topsail with great rapidity, and, with
everything drawing splendidly, before
the American knew it he was luffing
up toward the Columbia. Captain
Barr, on the Columbia, then followed
suit, but the Shamrock had passed him
we'll to windward. Captain Hogarth
then set his spinnaker to port and in
creased the lead.
Captain Barr seemed unwilling at
first to follow the lead of the English
man, and waited almost fifteen min
utes, while the Shamrock overhauled
and passed him before he followed suit.
The Shamrock was a hundred yards
ahead before he got his sails trimmed
to the new conditions. The patriots
did not mince words in their criticism
of Barr's obstinacy. Soon afterward
the wind hauled around still further.
making it a broad reach to the mark
Both took in their spinnakers, and
eased their sheets. Then the white
flyer gained steadily.
The yachts were now about a mile
and a half from the outer mark. The
shamrock was to Windward They
We're coming like horses down the
stretch. A hundred feet away, and
Columbia had closed the gap. Her
slender prov just Tapped the stern of
the green hull. Under the rules they
must pass the float with the red ball
on the starboard end. As the balloon
jibs ratified down in both boats, pre-
fn uho hn
sands held their breath.
1t did not seem possible that the
white ghost could squeeze in between
the Shamrock and the mark To the on
lockers it seemed inevitable that unless
the Yankee boat kept away under the
stern of the Shamrock there would be
collision, or the Columbia would foul
the float. But C. Oliver Iselin had
desperate courage in tight place. He
played the limit. The man who set a.
club topsail in a driving gale in the
deciding race between the Vigilant and
Nalkyrie Ii. would stop at nothing. On
ne came, forcing the Shamrock to go
wide around, while the Columbia. SEEM
ed to scrape the float as she wore about
with her helm hard down Though
the Shamrock rounded first by nine
seconds, she swept around so far on
the outside that as both boats came up
and their sails filled away on the
starboard tack the Columbia not only
had the weather gauge, but was in
the lead.
No more reckless piece of courage
was. ever seen in an international race
1t was a desperate game, but it won.
Had the Columbia so much as touched
the float she would have been disqual-
flied then and there.
Close hauled the two yachts slashed
straight out to sea through the long
heavy swell, heeling to the breeze in
stately fashion.
AS the wind began to die out and the
hope of finishing the race began to
vanish, the two boats split tacks. and
did not come together again for a long
time, keeping every one guessing whicn
one was ahead. During this fiuky
period everybody agreed that the
Shamrock was the better handled. She
never failed to take advantage of every
new slant of the wind
They sailed the last twenty minutes
neck and neck, but with the Columbia
to windward and perhaps a length
ahead.
D.sa ppointed but overjoyed that when
the race was declared off the cup de-
fender was in the lead, the excursion
fleet headed back for Sandy Hook as
last as steam and sail could carry them.
THE RACE IN DETAIL.
NEW YORK, Oct. There was a
spanking breeze from the northeast and
heavy swell from the eastward when
the yacht Columbia, under mainsail
and jib, filled away from a point off
the southwest spit at 9:25 to-day and
with sheets eased a trif1e, headed for
the Sandy Hook lightship at a twelve
knot clip Besides Managing Owner
lSelin and Mrs. Iselin, there were on
board her Bert Leeds, Captain Nat
Herreshoff, who when the yacht passed
the Associated Press boat John Nichols
was lying on the weather side of the
deck, watching the sails through a pair
of green goggles; Captain Woodbury.
Kane, Newbury Thorne and Hugh
Kelly, the last named representing the
Royal Ulster Yacht Club Captain Barr
had the wheel to windward, one of the
crew assisting on the leeside The rest
of the crew were distributed along the
weather rail.
The Columbia was carrying the same
mainsail as on Thursday
The Shamrock made an early start
from Sandy Hook Bay. She passed
out by the Point of the Hook at 9:O5,
carrying the same sail as Columbia,
arriving off the lightship at few min
utes before 10 o'clock. On ner deck