The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-04

New York. Oct. Sat sunset, as the
great ball of fire sank behind the hills
and the sparkling stars came out into
the heavens. the biggest crowd of sight
seers and yachtsmen who ever sailed
down to Sandy Hook to witness the at
tempt Of a foreign mug hunter to wrest
from America the yachting supremacy
OF the world. returned tonight crest
fallen and disappointed The winds
from the caves of the old ocean had
proved too light and shifty and the first
of the International series of 1899 be-
tween the two greatest racing ma.
chlnes ever produced by England and.
America degenerated into a drifting
match and had to be declared off be-
cause neither could reach the finish line
in the time allotted by the rules. 70
avoid Just such winds as occurred to-
day, in which luck and not the crew and
yachts decide. the rules provide that If
one of the boats does not finish within
five and half hours the race is de-
clared off, so al the end of the time,
when the yachts were still four miles
from home, with the Shamrock leading
by something more than a quarter Of
mile. the committee officially declared
the contest no race. The yachts were
then taken in tow by their respective
tugs and brought back to their anchor
age inside Sandy Nook.
The clean-limbed racers had sailed out
this morning fresh for battle. Under
the rules the first race is now postponed
for two days, or until Thursday.
Pro,nised wnn
The day promised we'll at first. The
sky, smirched with a few dirty clouds,
but clear enough to permit the thou
sands OF spectators who lined the Jer-
sey shore to see almost every foot of
the course. The waves were crested
with white caps here and there and
fairly fresh breeze blew out of the
north and northeast but after the
Columbia and the Shamrock had
crossed the line the wind turned flukey
and the race was fiZzle almost from
the start. But the fluke gave the yacht
ing corps and spectators much to think
about and some surprises.
The Columbia is undoubtedly the
prettiest boat She is tall, stately,
with graceful lines and towering masta.
The Irish boat. with her broader beam
and longer base line, looked slower and
heavier. Perhaps her green color
makes her look clumser. as if she were
forced through the water. while the slim
Columbia pierces it like rapier
Ihough indecisive in every respect as
to the abilities of the great rivals, to-
days race indicates that the Irish boat,
with her English skipper and her
Scotch crew. is the ablest sloop ever
sent across the Atlantic in the hope of
lifting the 100 guinea cup, which the
America brought back As years ago and
which has since been successfully de-
Tended against the world.
During the five and half hours the
Shamrock was thrice ahead and twice
the Yankee boat showed the way. For
the first 10 minutes the Shamrock led
and then for five the Columbia's sraca-
full bow showed ahead of the prean
boat: for As minutes the Shamrock then
for three hours the Columbia and for
the last hour and a half it was the
Shamrock that led the way The breeze
blew as high as u knots an hour and as
low as three and shifted about through
eight points Of the compass.
Columbia SUPERIOR.
Each in turn beat the other running
before the wind and was in turn beat
against the wind at various stages of
the race, so that many of the experts
who saw the two boats sail to-day are
disinclined to believe that there is a
pin to choose between them, but when
the race Is closely analyzed it is clea riy
proven that the Columbia showed SUI
periority at every point Of sailing, run
ming, reaching and beating whenever
the wind freshened, and that it was
only in the lishtest air that the Sham
rock could make headWay against her
Both had their share of good and bad
luck. The Columbia had the better of
the shifting wind on the run down to
the mark and beat the Shamrock two
minutes and four seconds, while on the |
beat home increasing her lead to over |
mile at one time.
The Shamrock overhauled the Column |
pla and was quarter Of mile ahead |
when the time allowance expired,
Inc feature of the race which pleased |
everybody most was the perfectly clear !
held which was maintained. For The |
nist time. this year the government |
took 4 la nd tn nfl |