The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-18

the Columbia had 10 keep off, and almost
together they bounded away in the smoke
of the gun, so close that a sailor might
have stepped from one boat 60 the other.
he Shamrock was perhaps a haif-length
ahead and in the windward berth Both
had their sheets trimmed straight aft, and
as she went across. the Columbia set her
baby jb topsail. II was broken out and
sheeted home in eight seconds But
the smartress of the Yankee boat
in setting i,s sail did not com
pensate the patriots for the dis
appointment they suffered on account
of the Shamrock $ superior generalship In
getting the weather gauge. Their disap-
pointment. however, was short-lived. The
Columbia was blanketed and the patriots
expected 70 see her drop astern. Instead
she gathered headway and went through
the Shamrock's lee like race horse.
The Columbia Sped Away.
Madly she footed, and in five minutes
she was clear of her adversary, Five min
utes later the Shamrock went about on
the port tack, but the Yankee held on for
a minute, TO be sure of the weather
gauge. As both heeled away on this tack,
it seemed that the Columbia would re-
peat her performance of yesterday, for she
footed faster and pointed higher. Fifteen
minutes after the start she was 300 yards
well out of the green boats weather bow,
and forging ahead at every bound. Capt.
IIogarth was able TO keep the Shamrock k
closer, but he could not hold her as hi sh
as the white beauty.
The Columbia's headsails lifted her head
out of the waves and made her splash more
spray as her bow went smashing into the
long swells. The experts thought this
made her spill wind out of her sails. but
they had no heart to criticise the Bristol
wonder as she ate her way to windward.
Meantime the great mass Of excurs,o
boats chased after the big flyers, and the
wind was freshening until 1t blew fifteen
to sixteen knots.
About twenty minutes after the yachts
were started some of the sharps, with their
| glasses glued on the two boats, noticed
that the Shamrock's topmast appeared to
sag a little. Several times she was luffed
up sharply. "She won't carry that club
! over the course" said one of the men
aboard the Associated Press tug, John
| Nichols
Then Came the Accident.
Suddenly, at 1924 o'clock. the big kite
| and the whole top hamper of the green
| boat tumbled over to leeward, and the
| stately challenger was helpless cripple
| a bird hit by the hunter, and she lay on
| the water helpless. No one i'm the excur-
sion fleet knew what had happened except
| that the club topsail had carried away, and
| 1t was almost a cry of agony that went up
| from the sightseers. Although the Colum-
bia was to be the beneficiary of the acci-
| dent, never were there more sincere ex-
| pressions of regret than when the Sham
| rock wore slowly around and gave up the
| contest
The Columbia went on, as she was bound
| under the rules to do, but several OF the
! steam yachts went over alongside the
| Erin as she left the line to go to her
| wounded companion. Commodore Bene-
| dict was one of the first to get alongside
| and expressed his sincere regrets over the
| hard luck which had befallen the chal-
! lenger. Sir Thomas took ell the express
sions with the spirit in which they were
meant and philosophically replied that il
| was the fortune of war.
A large majority of the vessels of the
excursion fleet continued over the course
with the Columbia, but the interest in the
race was gone. They sauted her with
their braZen throats at the two outer
marks and gathered at the finish to give
| her a stcntOrian welcome The Columbia
made fine race of It, pluckily holding or
| TO her club topsail throughout and set
! ting her balloon jib in the final race for
| home
! Her time was little short of marvellous
| She covered the course in three hours and
! thirty seven minutes: the beat ten miles
! to windward in one hour and thirty-nine
! minutes and eleven seconds; the reach tc
! the second mark in fifty-three minutes
| and fftv-nine seconds, and the last leg IN
/ one hour three minutes and fifty seconds
| As she crossed the finish line she let &c
| hcr Eeadsoils, and one of the Deer Isle
sailors treated the spectators to an cxhi,
| bition of daring, as he climbed out owes
! the peak halyard, eighty feet in the air
! to loose the club topsal