The Portland daily press., 1899-10-17
Magnificent Race, Well Sailed and
DecisiveIy Won.
The Columbia Made Most of Her Gain
Against the Wind.

S0on apparent that the Columbia was
forging Ahead. The clear water began to
show between them. 1he Columbia
not only seemed to outfoot the challenger,
but also pointed hightr.It was ssonish-
ing how she sliced her way mp into the
wind. Within 10 minutes she had essab.
lished lead Of i've lengths and from that
time on the race was hers. The patriots
were jubilAnt and the bands began play
ing. The Columbia seemed more tender
| than the foreigner. showing yards of her
bronze under body as she leaned away
with her lee rail almost AwGsh. Steaai-
~ she continued to draw ahead until
| within half an hour, having demonstrate
ed her superiority in windward work, it
becoming only question of how much
| the Columbia would beat the Shamrock.
to the outer mark.
As the yachts got farther out the seas
grew more turbulent ana the spray spurt-
| ed hig her from their bows. Many excur-
sionists came to grief and snms of the tug
boats. plunging through the head seas
were flooded from stem to stern The
| work of the patrol feet was perfect.
They held the yachts in the hollow OF a
| tirely free from interference. The Sham
rock footed valiantiy, but neither in
| speed nor in pointing could she compare
with the Columbia. Then the three skip
| pers on the challenger tkied new tactics
The Shamrock made dczsn short
/
as nimble rs the Shamrock Timed By
a stop watsn both boats we're 10 seconds
In stays. and the defender was fully as
clever as the challenger at fore-resching.
When the Shamrock got through with
| this line Of tctics, the Columbia had in
creased her lead until she was half q
! mile ahead. At the end of another half
hour, as the wind continued to freshen,
the Shamrock took In her baby lib top
sail. TIE Columbia held on to hers and
as the Shamrock did net improve her
position, at the end OF ten minutes, Ter
skippers again set this sail. BY one
O'Clock the Shamrock was fully mile
and half at tern and the Columbia was
q winner all over. 1t was not close
enough to he exciting. As tse Associstei
Press boat on her way back to the outer
mark passed the reEenue cutter Man
ming, Capt. Eyans. who was on the
| briuge, shouted, "Ain't she peach?" 4
Nothing could have teen prett'er than
the way the Columbia swept around the
outer mark. Both boats had eigei far
to the southwark of their course and as
the rules required that the mark should
be pastel on tse stArboard hand, the
Columbia tackled to poIt and came over
on the starboard tlck as she approached
the fioat. AS she noted 1t, her spin
maker pole was poised like lance In rest.
| AS she swung around, she eased off her
main nboom, let her spinnaker pole drop
| to port and, breaking out the cloud OF
| canvass, He'd homeward, wing and wing,
| like a scared deer. Her big balloon lib
blossonsd out 40 seconds later The few
| ships OF tie excursion fleet at the outer
mark gave her rounding reception with
| their whistles as she statted for home.
The Shamrock was already hopelessly
beaten. A quarter of mile down the
home run, the Columbia crossed the oath
of the Shamrock still teating to wind
ward, close hauled, and robbed her of the
Ixut nd faRr t.xsxf - ct.s
was nine minutes and 40 seconds later
when the Shamrock swung around the
mark and SQUARED away for thu finish.
The excursion boata, however. hung on
until she 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 excur-
sion boats went pioughing down on eth
er side Of the course to helm at the
death. Sir Thomas's yacht, Erin, how
eyer, remaiHed abeam OF the challenger.
Sir Thonas and his friends aboard,
looked disconsolate. From that time IL
was simply procession. Z
| There was q soul stirring scene as the
Columbia approached the finish, with
all her bulging balloons drawing. The
! excursion boats had gathered there and
as chs swept across the finish line steam
whistles shrieked, the sirens walled, the
Corsair and several other yachts fired
salutes and the crowds on the sidewheel-
ers cheered. Yhe Corsair hauled down
her private signals and sat Old Glory at
each masthead and gatf and teffrail. The
crew OF the Columbia gathered aft and
hurrahed. After the Columbia had low
cred her head sails and taken the tow
line from her tender, the crowd waited
over ten minutes until the Shamrock
had crossed and the feet had given her
stentorian greeting of good will. Then
the steamers scampersd after the Colum-
bia. providing about her and cheering her
again and again, while the bands played
patriotic airs. They escorted her all the
way to her anchorage inside the hook
The race tomorrow will be over the
triangular course, ten miles to the leg,
and the Shamrock win hare an oppor.
tunity to show what she can do at her
favorite point Of sailing.