Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-14
The Yacht Races Have Aroused
Intense Enthusiasm.
SATISFIED With ARBITRATION
Settlement of Venezuelan Dispute
Phases England.
A STATUE OF CROMWELL

| Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
| LONDON, October {. 1899
| I see that Mr.. Dunno, better known per-
| haps as Mr.. Dooley." who has just ar
! rived on your side from a European holt
| day, is quoted as saying that nothing ex-
| citing ever happens in England and that
4 1t was too quiet here for him. If he had
| been here yesterday 1 fancy that he might
have qualified his statement Our cousins
| had very busy day in the news world.
| Wars and rumors Of wars from the
Transvaal took uD and continue to occupy
| many columns in the papers, the Venezuela
award from Paris added to the war inter
est and finally the reports momentarily
! arriving from the scene of the American
cup race worked London up to a fever heat
| by nightfall.
| 1 never remember so much enthusiasm
| over yacht race nor one which was so
| well covered by all the English newspapers.
| The most elaborate arrangements had been
made on all side and from noon until 10 at
| night we were bomharded with kilograms
reporting every movement OF the yachts.
| The Daily Telegraph and some of the other
| Fleet street newspaper offices displayed
| bulletins in their windows, but it was left
! to the Evening News, the afternoon edi-
| ton of the Daily Mail, to treat the event in
the American way.
| FoftoWinS Race.
| AS it proceeded, the race was pictorially
| represented on a large screen on the en-
| bankment, which had been erected by the
| Evening News on the National Telephone
| Company's new building on the Thames
| embankment. The device was known as a
| ''cineyachtograph." and it indicated the
| varying fortunes of the race exactly as
| they were cabled from the special steamer
off Sandy Hook.
Il, 5f,,o-
| popularity. From 4 O'Clock until 10 the en-
| bankment crowded at that particular
| spot. People came and people went. but
| the crowd grew constantly larger, and from
I o'clock EDWARDS it numbered many thou
sands.
The screen was painted to represent the
New York seaboard and stretch of the
Atlantic ocean. Grooves were cut in the
screen out to the stake boat and back. and
along these grooves the boats Travelled. one
with green lights for the Shamrock, and
the other with red lights for the Columbia
The screen was lit up with electricity.
Hundreds of people stood watching be-
fore the preparations were completed
When the boats We're in position the crowd
had swelled to thousands.
The artist who designed the canvas had
his course running almost due east from
Sandy Hook, but the crowd never knew 1t
was wrong, and was satisfied. Indeed, yes
terday morning the sober Standard gravely
presented its readers with large map Of
the Brenton Reef Cup course off Newport
as the scene of the Columbia Shamrock
contest These little errors about other
countries do not count in England GeGg
raphy is not a strong point here
Cheers for Sir Thomas.
Like all London crowds the mass before
the News canvas was good-natured and
orderly. The Shamrock and her owner We're
the chief topics of conversation. Sir
Thomas was cheered whenever a change in
the boats justified an opinion. Everybody
had a good word for the yacht. Quite
number of people wore the Shamrock col
ors. The penny dealers did excellent bust
| ness in knots of green and yellow silk. On
the edge of the crowd a minstrel, with a
barrel organ Played The Wearing of the
Green and Come Back to Erin" Then
the police drove the minstrel away. ard
the crowd consoled themselves with Rule
Britannia
Still the people rolled Up. The side streets
leading to the embankment were as busy
as a fair. Even the constables, who. as a
rule, are surprised at nothing. confessed
that the crowd astonished them. They said
they had never seen so many people on The
embankment. Certainly no yacht race has
ever excited so much interest il London
before.
Disappointed in the Result.
The boats were on their last stretch ap-
parently, a few miles from home. Every
moment led to excited discussion. The
boats were creeping on, neck and neck.
Everybody said it was an urcornmonly
tight race, and everybody was keenly anx-
ious for the finish. There was a long pause,
and then printed notice appeared above
the screen. 1t stated that the time limit
was exceeded. and that therefore the race
was void.
The result disappointing such a
complete anti-climaX, that the crowd
groaned with disgust. Then they dispersed
at first in silence. But the evidence that
the Shamrock was leading at the finish re-
uri,- lNsv Hsri.
hearty cheers for the Shamrock, and
shouts of better luck on Thursday"
Handling the Crowd.
The police on duty numbered 100. They
gave another illustration of their famous
tact and good humor. In spite of the I'M
expeced difficulties of the situation, they
were as friendly and cheerful as pos
sible, and they managed the crowd with ad-
mrable skill.
British interest in the series of races is
increased, if anything, by yesterdays abor-
tive contest especially the light-weather
qualities displayed by the Shamrock sur
prise and delight them. Every one who
loves sport here-and in England that
| means everybody-is glad that the time
| limit prevented a drifting match They
want square race and now have better
hopes of getting the cup.
The Venezuelan Affair.
1t is hard to realize that the boundary be-
tween British Guiana and Venezuela was
once burning question, which very nearly
landed two great nations in war. The con-
trast between the excitement caused by
President Cleveland's famous message to
Congress at the end of 1895, and the inter-
est now in the settlement of the dispute
which at that time assumed such an acute
form, is very remarkable. There are prob
ably not many people who are aware that
the arbitration court to which. after more
than half a century of negotiations the
Venezuela boundary dispute was ultimately
referred for settlement, has been sitting re-
Gently in Paris, and certainly there are but
few here who remember with any distinct
| ness what the dispute was about.
Yesterdays decision was in the nature of
a compromise, and this morning the Brit
ish papers declare that England is satisfied
md a xl,1s.