The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-18

the cup challenger Shamrock carried
away, rs minutes after the big single
Sticker had crossed the starting line,
today, and her enormous club topsail
with its 5000 feet of canvas, came rat
Ting down on the deck, leaving her a
hopeless cripple. Capt. Hogarth i'm
mediately abandoned the race, towing
back to the anchorage after he had
cleared away the wreckage.
The Columbia continued over the
course alone, placing to her credit the
| second Of the races for Americas cup.
The accident to the Shamrock ruined the
race and caused the keenest regret
among the Xachtsmen and the thou
sands of sightseers, who were on hand
to witness what had promised to be a
glorious duel 1t is unfortunate that the
defender should have been the benef-
ciary of an accident, but the rule is
iron-clad. If crippled before the start,
time for repairs is allowed, but once
over the line, if anything carries away
the sufferer must make such repairs as
he can, or if rendered hors de combat,
as the Shamrock was today, he must
| take the consequences.
ISELIN HAD NO CHOICE.
| There is good sense and logic behind
| the rule. The races are test of con-
struction as well as design and seaman
| ship. Doubtless If Mr. Iselin could have
| had his choice in the matter he would
generously have declined to continue in
view of the crippled condition of his
rival, but the rules gave him no alter
native. He was in duty bound to go
on, and as he finished well within the
time limit, the race was his Had the
accident not occurred, however, itss be-
lieved the Yankee boat would have re-
peated the beating she gave the chal-
lenger yesterday.
During the Is minutes the yachts
sailed she had gone through the Sham
rocks lead Ike a streak and had estab-
lished lead of more than 800 yards on
her weather bow. When the Puritan
fouled the Gepesta on the inside course
in 1887, carrying away the challenger's
bowsprit and topmast, although the
race was at his mercy under the rules,
Lord Richard Sutton refused to claim
It, To avoid just such contingency, a
special clause was added TO the regular
rules leaving absolutely no option in
the matter This clause was signed by
Sir Thomas Upton and Mr.. Iselin a few
days before the date of the first attempt
to race. The accident today shows what
delicate machine racing yacht is
nowadays and how close to the limit of
safety it is built. The simple breaking
of a stay today wrecked the Shamrock.
ONE WIRE BROKE.
The wire which helps to support the
slender, sky scraping spars, gave way
and this support removed, her Oregon
pine topmast, so feet long and Ia inches
in diameter, snapped off like a match,
just above the lower mast cap. This
mast was not only supporting a pres
sure of 15-knot breeze against her
big kite, but was also sustaining the
crushing weight of the sail itself, and
the two club topsail yards each 40 feet
long. Later in the afternoon, the
Shamrock was towed W to the Erie
basin. A new topmast will be sent UP
tomorrow, and she will be remeasured
She will probably be taken out for a
spin tomorrow to try her new stick,
and the third race of the series will be
sailed on Thursday. This race will
again be over q windward and leeward
course, and if the Columbia wins, the
series will have been completed without
giving the Shamrock an opportunity to
test her merits III her faVorite point of
sailing over triangular course.
EARLY PROMISE GOOD
The day had promisedba glorious con-
test. There were only gray neutral
tints in the morning, but hard, strong
12-knot breeze out OF the east kicked
up the white caps. A big excursion
lleet slowed out 70 witness the second
duel between the Shamrock and the
Columbia.
Later III the daS the wind drove the
clouds away. The Shamrock went out
eager for the fray She cast off her
anchorage at the head of the swash
channel ard went the rest of the way
with light shift under her own can
vas.
1t looked like blow such as the
Shamrock is reported to have been
PRAYING for end her sailors made eva
erything snug aloft. The race was tol
be over an equilateral triangle ten miles |
to the les, which would give the chal- |
lenger chance at her faVorite point of |
sailing-reaching AS soon as the i
committee had signalled the course, the
first leg abeat to windward, east by |
south, the excursion boats lined up hack |
of the lightship to watch the jockeying |
for positions.
EXCITING START.