The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-17

tack. the yachts plunged seaward, heel
ing to the twelve-knot breeze. The
irat few minutes Of the race were most
interesHng. They made a beautiful
picture as they raced ike hounds. Thsis
sails, TO the nautical eye, were perfee-
tion in At. They looked q e they
might have been carved out Of alabas-
ter, 50 firm and faultleas were the lines.
1t was soon apparent that the white
flyer was forging ahead. The clear
water began to show between them.
The Columbia not only seemed to OUT
foot her rival. but the experts say that
she pointed higher It was astonish-
ing how ahe sliced her way up into the
wind. Within fifteen minutes she had
a lead OF fve lengths, and from that
time on the race was hers.
Patriots Jubllant.
The patriots were jubllant, and tho
bands, which began playing never stop
ped until the race was over. The Co
lumbia seemed more tender than TIM
foreigner, showing yards Of her bronze
underbody as she leaned away with
hec lee rail almost awash. steadi0
she continued to draw ahead until
within half an hour having unequivo-
cally demonstrated her superiority IN
windward work. It became only q
question of how far the white flyer
would beat her to the outer mark. As
the yachts got farther out the seas grew
more turbulent and the spray spurted
higher from their bows. Many excur-
sionlsts came to grief and the tug
boats plunging through the head seas
sent the spray aloft to their pilot
houses, and some of them were flooded
from stem to stern. The work of the
patrol fleet was perfect, The revenue
cutters line ahead to leeward. and the
torpedo boats line abreast astern held
the yachts in the hollow Of moving
right angle, which changed direction
with each tack. and kept the yachts as
free from interference as II they had
been sailing in the middle Of the At
lantic.
The Shamrock footed vallantly, but
neither in speed. nor in pointing could
she compare with the COLUMBIA. Then
the three skippers on the challenger
put their heads together, and tried new
tactics. The Shamrock made dozen
short boards. Evidently her skippcTs
were under the impression that she was
quicker on her heel and better at fore
reaching than the Yankee boat. but
the Columbia boat proved quite as
nimble as Shamrock. Timed by stop
watch, both boats were fifteen seconds
in stays, and when the Britishers write
home they win tell their friends that
the white beauty was fully as clever
as the challenger at fore reaching.
When the Shamrock got through with
this line OF tactics, Columbia had in-
orehsed her lead until she was half q
mile ahead. AT the end of -anet t1er hall
'hoOif az the wind continued TO fre8hen,
the Shamrock took IN her baby lib top
sail, figuring that without this light
head sail she might be able to hug
the wind closer. The Columbia held on
to hers, and as Shamrock did not im-
prove her position at the end OF ten
minutes her skippers again set the sail.
She Was n Peach.
BY / o'clock Shamrock was fully a
mile and half astern, and Columbia
was winner all over. AS the Assoc
clate Press boat, on her way to the
outer mark, passed the Manning, Cap
tain Evans. who was on the bridge,
shouted: "Aln't she peach!"
Nothing could have been prettler
than the way Columbia swept around
the outer mark, gracefully as a swan.
Both boats had edged far to the south
ward Of their course, and as the rules
required that the mark should be pass
ed on the starboard side, Columbia
tackled down to port, and came over on
the starboard tack as she approached
the float. As she neared It her spin
maker pole was like knights lance In
rest. As she swung around she eased
of her main boom, let her spinnaker
pole drop to port and breaking out the
cloud of canvas fled hOmeward like a
scared deer. Her big balloon jlb blos.
somed out forty-eight seconds later.
The few ships Of the excursion fleet at
the outer mark gave her rousing re-
hopelessly beaten. A quarter OF mile
crossed the path of the Shamrock. still
beating to windward, and robbed her Of
the wind for minute as she went
past. It was nine minutes and forty
five seconds later when the Shamrock
swung around the mark and squared
away for the finish. The excursion
boats hung on courteously until Bha
had rounded, and gave her quite an
ovation.
The Columbia was already almost
two miles away. and in the thIckening
mist could hardly be dIscerned, The
bells in the engine rooms Of the ex-
cursion bonts jingied for full speed,
and they went plowing down on either
side Of the course. TO be In at the
death. Sir Thomas Lipton's steam
yncht Erin, however remained abeAin
OF the challenger, giving what moral
support he could to his beaten boat.
Sir Thomas and his friends aboard
looked fully as disconsolate as they
felt. Some OF them seemed to have
lost all Interest in the landscape, and
were hanging over the rail, looking
down at the water. Sir Thomas. how
ever, remained on the bridge, with his
eyes glued on the boat in which his
hope had so lately centered, and a
group Of sailors forward seemed to be
trying to make out the outlines Of the
vanishing Yankee In the thick gloom.
From that time 1t was simply a pro-
cesslon.
A Soul Stirring Scene.
There was a soul.stirrlng scene rs
the Columbia approached the finish.
The excursion boats had gathered there
In seml-circle to give her welcome,
ana az she swept across the finish bed
lam broke loose. The steam whistles
Rhrleked, the sirens walled, the Cofsnlr,
the flagship OF the New York Yacht