Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-10-19
FULL OF PLUCK.
Sir Thomas Upton Eager for
the Third Race, Today.
Shamrock, by New Measurement, Will
Allow Columbia l6 Seconds.
Sir Thomas Expresses His Appreciation Of
Very Handsome Treatment.

! New York. Oct. 1S-Half an hour be
fore sunset, today, the Shamrock lay
inside Sandy Hook gently Juggling at
her moorinS buoy. An eighth of 4 mile
away the Columbia idly rocked on the
ripple within the Horseshoe. on board
the Shamrock there was activity. Her
crew We're completing the adjustment
of shrouds and stays to secure the new
topmast that had been sent IN at noon
| to replace the one carried away YES
terday. on board the Columbia there
was no activity: all were at ease. The
| crew sat on deck where everything
was ready for tomorrow's event CON
| ditions aboard the American craft in
dicated calm anticipation and serene
| confidence. Inc stress Of preparation
| aboard the British yacht well marked
| the natural anxiety there as to the
| performance Of the untricd spar and
the entire craft in tomorrow's weather
tary in the day it had been the pur-
| pose of the visitors to go outside with
| the Shamrock and test her new equip
/ ment, but, though she same down the
| harbor from her easurcmcnt. early
in the forenoon, the shortening daylight
afforded too little time after all had
| been snugged
| The yacht Erin. with Sir Thomas
| Upton on board, after coaline ut Bay
| Ridge. steamed down. at APO o'clock. to
Ter mornings within the Hook. stand
ing On the bridge. sir Thomas observed
| he last detail of the Shamrock's prep
aratiors and his hope for a spin out.
tplJN r. ,f
down near her moorings. Sir Thomas
was prcring through his glasses to-
ward the narroWs. where he sighted tn.
iiE ocean liner Oceanic bearing down.
outward bound.
Il shall 90 outside with the Oceanic"
said he, Ito bid good bye to Lord B4rcs-
ford and other friends on E1ard"
do you know" Sir Thomas remark
ed. there has come to me many cvi-
i'nccs Of good will. Here for instance
selecting one of several tclcgrams. "ie
some friends who says: Don't be dis
hoartcned; Shamrock may lose. but Sir
Thomas wins the respect and good viii
0f millions of Americans and / cum
say through The Associated Press to
my own people and to the American
people that no man ever met more
cordial greetings than | have here. No
man ever found more generous hearts.
more willing hands or more honest men
than ! have since came t. America"
and if the Shamrock should lose
now. how long before her owner may
appear here with another boat to lay
siec" Ia the trophy" was asked.
"Ah. that brings me back" said Sir
Thomas TO the greatest difficulty 4
have confronted here. | must be sure
nf a designer. | cannot design II boat
and must be certain on that point h
fore ! can talk Of another attempt
should the Shamrock lose now. You
81" | am seriously embarrassed because
Of Mr.. Fife's illness. | have not seen,
my designer in over three weeks. W.
took in over three tons Of ballast. TO-
day We suffer because Mr.. Fife is un- |
able to be about and direct those mat |
terS that none of the others Of our par |
ty are skilled in. If she is on her true |
water line-lhe lines she was designed |
10 sail on-We are not sure. Her de |
signcr would know. hut he has not seen
his boat since she was first measured |
He is sick unable to leave his room |
We do not know whether Shamrock |
true water line. She certainly is not |
now sailing on the same water line as |
when she sailed in the Solent. The |
ballast put in Shamrock. today. was |
put in on Mr.. Flies advice Has it |
been 50 placed as to serve the exact |
purpose he intended? We do not know |
to q certainty. He is sick and we have
done the best we know how to do 1t /
is a most serious handicap for us to be |
deprived of his personal direction ana /
advice.
Chevalier Martno. who is Il resident |
guest on the Erin. this evening, de-
clared his conviction that the sham
rocks powers had not yet been devel-
oped. He expressed the view that the
should have been tried ont
beside some other swift yacht. He
even declared that could it have been
the American yacht De-
fender should have been secured to try
out the Shamrock. On this point
Chevalier Martino is at one with many
American yachtsmen, who have felt
that the Shamrock had scant prelimi-
nary work and that more rigorous tun-
ing up might have so developed the
Shamrock's strength and so corrected
her shortcomings as to have insured a
better showing. if not her success.
However, these things may be there
sleeps. tonight, in the Horseshoe a
crew of dogged British sailormcn who
will so out to sea. tomorrow, to win
0r lose. and with grim pluck, however
the issue may be.