New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-04
THE SHAMROCK DANGEROUS
SHE REVEALS UNEXPECTED SWIFTNESS
IN LIGHT AIRS
RESULT or THE RACE AN EYE OPENER
FOR MANY PEOPLE-THE COLUM-
BIAS LEAD LOST N AL
MOST DEAD CALM

BIAS LEAD LOST ~ AL
MOST 4 DEAD CALM
The first race for the Americas Cup I'm which
Sir Thomas Liptons challenger the Shamrock.
sailed against the defending craft. the Columbia,
was not wholly a success from spectators
point OF view. but as affordng instruction
gardng the merits of the English challenger
and as touching the tenure Of ,he Cup it was
valuable
The popularity Of the day was this That the
race was started and sailed on a Columbia day
and that the Columbia did not win and did not
finish ahead.
Those who have taken the trouble to ascertain
the comparative merits Of the boats have gen.
orally supposed that the Coumha's best chance
lay in light airs As to this. many found their
calculations Incorrect. and also the information
that has been freely given 10 the public that the
Shamrock was slower than the Columbia in light
wind The Tribune has several times said that
this idea was wholly improved: that there had
been nothing in the Shamrock's solitary tests to
back it up and that the general opinion may
easily have proceeded from the fact that the
Columbia careened more easily 70 light winds
and thus seemed 10 be going faster than the
Shamrock. which careened little.
Yesterdays sailing fully bore ont the ideas thus
given As whole IT has not gone TO prove
that the Columbia is faster I'm light winds than
the Shamrock and tho first racing performance
Of Fifes boat showed her to be- highly danger
out even in the ughtest airs. Her sailing came
as surprise to many who have not read the
account I'm these columns which showed no"
almost Identical the centre sections OF these TWO
boats are. and the truth concerning their under
water shapes was practically proved hy the fact
that the Shamrock finished ahead ia yesterdays
uncompleted race
Sir Thomas Upton has reason 10 hold great
hopes for the ultimate success ~ his yacht X
was admitted among those chiefly Interested In
the Shamrock that the issue in case Of hght
airs was to some extent doubtful but those
who know the PAGES that the shamrock can
exhibit with fresh winds have mo- doubt as to
wha, the result will Doe if fresh winds appear In
any Of the cup races.
The Shamrock is SO much more deeply bal
lasted and possessed Of SO much more beam
power. that these qualities. combined with her
excess Of sail area and refinement of underbody
make a promise that is highly hattering 10 VIII
lam Flies skill and Sir Thomas Lipton's hopes
LUCK FOR BOTH BOATS.
All dav Yesterday the luck alternated between
the boats. and it viii Doe difficult 20 say which
had the most Of IT, When the yachts were run
ming out to the outer mark IL sometimes hap
pencd that one would oyertake the other in the
general drift without having much apparent
cause for doing SO. so EAR as one could judge at
tvo miles distance and IN the working back
against the light northeast wind the boats would
sometimes vary as much as three points In their
respective courses
The patrolling II the course by Government
boats was admitted by all 10 be a good thing
ance. When they ran out to leeward 70 the hf-
teen knot mark the course was kept open behind
them at distances varying from mile and
half TO five miles On the way back the yachts
beat partly through the fleet which they had
left behind on their way out. and consequently
the lines between the divided fleets was not at
first as clearly defined as on the run 10 lee
ward. but il may be said that the yachts were
not interferod with. and that as soon as possi-
bic the patrol boats and torpedo boats divided
a sufficient course through the waiting fleet
The attendance at the race seemed 70 be
larger than ever Tho excursion steamers
seemed 10 have been gathered all along the Az
lantic Coast from Maine 10 Virginia, and there
were some new yachts 10 be seen that were
,,eu worth the seeing. chief among these were
the Aphrodite and the Niagara owned respect
ively by Colonel oliver II. Payne ana Ho""u
Could The latter vessel ndu S"i"' N'"@ -
ortal hand Of musicians seated at the s'ern'
, Me- Could could be seen entertaining her
-. Tb. collection Of yachts was larger
-, 10 rho last races though there were not AZ
80. souipg vessels in attendance IL having
- ,o,,,d that schooner and cutter yachts
100. not suflclently speedy TO keep up with the
'.,,ooss,on Boats like the Shamrock and the
r,o,urobia are so much faster than other pleas
,,re craft that the latter cannot keep tn sight
of them.
JOCKEYING FOR THE START.
Al 1880 the Perseus WIS about three miles
from the starting point Both the competing
~ ssels could be seen 20 be carrying their club
,an topsals In the distance the neighborhood
4 the start was plainly shown by the large
leets OF steamers collected on the ocean. out
he SANDY Hook Lightshlp itselt was at that
ime totally lost 20 sight. The Riverside Yacht
clubs steamer Perseus proceeded down the
Fast Channel close 10 COney Island. on the way
,ut. and thus saved six or seven miles over the
,ther boats that went out by the ship Channel
Most OF the yachts and excursion boats went out
lose 70 Sandy Hook and by the Southwest Spit
Buoy At 1880 the Shamrock and the Columbia
could he seen man0uvring in the space allotted
to them by the torpedo boats and the patrol
boats They We're then sailing with their fore
sails IN stops the jihs being the only headsahs
used Atll:lO both boats were seen 10 break out
large tib topsais and to pay off dead before the