Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-10-19
Columbia is First i'm In
ternational Cup
Contest.
Shamrock DeCisively De-
feated at the Hook
Monday.
American Boat Leads by
More Than Ten
Minutes.

the old schooner America won SO com
mandingly against all corners over a
[ course around the Isle of Wight in 81
| will probably remain here another
year. In glorious breeze, over a
windward and leeward course of 80
miles, the Columbia scored against the
Shamrock Monday in the first race of
! the 80 series for the trophy She
! bounded across the finish line fully a
mile and a half ahead of the chaIlen-
ger, defeating her by 10 minutes. IA
seconds of actual time, or 10
minutes, s seconds corrected time,
after allowing sec
onds handicap which the Columbia
must concede to her challenger on ac-
count of her longer water line. 1t was
| a decisive contest a magnificent race,
magnifcently sailed and magnifcently
won. Although the preponderance of
/ expert opinion never wavered In its
/ loyalty to the wonderful speed and
ability of the white flyer, no nautical
sharp expected that the Shamrock
would be 50 overwhelmingly van
Iquished as she was in Mondays strug-
4 sic, The Yankee boat outgCneraled
her at the start, beat her hopelessly to
/ Windward work TO the outer mark ana
4 gained - seconds in the run home be-
fore the wind. There was good,
/ strong, 10 TO u knot breeze. and
il held out throughout the
race 1t is undoubtedly a bitter
blow because the English hopes of lift-
ing the cup have never been higher
since the Thistle met the Volunteer In
! 81 Like the Shamrock She was deci-
siyely defeated In the first hours sail
/ ing The regatta committee as re-
suit Of the showing made by the Col
umhia Monday Is convinced that the
cup is safe, Sir Thomas Upton, true
sportsman Chat he is, confessed after
the race that he had been fairly beaten
II was anything but comfortable day
on the water No large assemblage
was on hand to witness the start re-.
4 peated lIukes having made the public
very chary about coming out Whon
the starting gun was fred the sham
rock had run parallel with the line to
nearly the center OF It. She held 10
! her course until nearly over to the
/ lichtship before she began 10 huff 90
cross the line. Captain Barr held the
Columbia well In hand, being at this
q good length astern. with sheets fiat
aft He began to IuT the moment ilo-
garth did and shooting The Columbia
across the Shamrock's wake, sent her
across the line more than fifty yards 10
windward Of the challenger with such
q good overlap on her that. according
TO the oHcial time she was only three
seconds astcru Both yachts were now
close hauled ON starboard tack, carry
ling exactly the same sail-mainsail club
topsail jib foresail and baby lib top
sail
Shamrock is Beaten
The first ten minutes were anxious
ones for friends Of both yachts. After
that time It was all over but the shout
ing In five minutes the Columbia had
widcned the distance TO the windward
between herself and the Shamrock full
Inv length. When the Shamrock
tackled to port at 1915 and the Colnm-
bia thirty seconds later, it was seen
that Barr had so placed his boat on tbs
. weather bow Of the Shamrock as to
lspill back wind into the Shamrock
sails. Hogarth was Obliged to keel
broad off for about 30 seconds to get
out from under the Columbia's lee
3 ] ~, I Il,f4 al mo a "a ii
eighth Of mile to the windward, out.
, footing and outpointing her rival all
the tune. Captain Hogarth findina
that the Shamrock would not point NJ
high as the Columbia, lattened down
his sheets as hard as he dared and haf
I to be contented with giving her good
full AT ll.45 the Columbia was
fully quarter mile to thf
windward. Captain Hogarth was
getting desperate now and resorted tc
I short lacking In the hope that his boat
I would forereach sufficiently TO make
material gain 10 the windward The
Columbia. however, II anything was
quicker IN the stays and better fore
reacher At 1880 when the Shamrock
had settled down again 10 business on
the port tack and the Columbia. two
minutes later, came about to the same
tack. it was found that the Bristol boat
was half mile dead to the windward
In three more tacks the Columbia still
increased her windward lead Each
yacht made ~ lacks in the windward
work and in an these the Shamrock
took the initiative The wind became
lighter as they approached the turn
smartly the Columbias crew
launched her spinnaker boom out t.
port before she fairly made the turn
and squared away on Ter bomeward
! course. they were exactly IS seconds
setting the spinnaker. The sham.