New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-17
ENGLISH OFFERING ODDS.
BR1TONs ELATED BY FIRST ACOoON 10
OF THE SHAMROCK FROM AMERICA
LATER PERFORMANCES OF THE CHALLENGER
LESS PROMIsING-THINGs FOR BETTlN"
MIN TO CONSIDER.
MEN TO CONSIDER.

LESS pROMISlNG-IHlNGS FUN Dr. A'-'~
MEN TO CONSIDER.
/ AS each day brings the Americas cup races
nearer the interest and excitement over the con-
tests Increase. Yesterdays news that the betting
/ IN England had taken a sudden turn In the Sham
rocks favor has not been without It's interest III
| spite Of It's having effect on the races mem
slivos The English followers OF the Shamrock are
now giving odds on their challenger against t'e
Columbia and this Is the first time that the "nseIs
have gone that way for long time. bu' 'ne ouu'
do,.t 90 TINT way among those who know both
boats best And here is point to go on. The
only people who know both boats are those who
have made them the special study Of the summer
and who have seen most Of the Columba's trials
and all Of the Shamrocks; and In this company
il would be impossible TO find single person who
would put up 10 cents worth OF odds ON the Sham-
rock This is not from patriotism. although there
IS plenty Of that II is from purely business and
speculative point Of view. because the Shamrock
has not yet shown herself 10 be worth odds
The English giving OF odds on the Shamrock may
be interesting. but II IS not Instructive II is merely
the action Of those who have been captivated by
early reports of the Shamrocks sailing or Sandy
Hook She certainly ala remarkably well. ana sur
prised everybody I'm those nrst two trials; and the
American press which has been exceedingly fair
toward the Shamrock was unit in telling the
exact truth about her 1t was then said that she
was undoubtedly a dangerous boat In the fresh
winds that were blowing at the time. and there IL
nothing now 10 deduct from that statement except
that which may come from the Shamrocks sub
seQuently shown likelihood to break down. owing
to the light construction Of her spars Her per
f0rmance I'm light weather did nothing 10 Increase
confidence in her. II IS true that the yacht was
not the first trial carrying her largest sails for
light weather. put her PAGES at that time seemed
to need good deal Of Improvement before she
would be able TO keep UP with the Columbia In
drifting match
And that Is almost as far as the experiments
with the Shamrock have shown her form When
she put on her largest racing canvas she broke
down three minutes after her start on the laid out
thirty-mile course. So it Will be seen that any
giving Of odds the visitor is merely fly in the
dark
BETTING is PURE GAMBLING NOW
Betting, the outward and visible sign Of opinion.
never came nearer to pure gambling than in the
present case. II the lines Of thought still con-
tinuod which were first suggested BY the proofs
given by the Shamrock # might have been said
that the Columbia was likely TO win in any breeze
under twelve miles an hour, and that the Sham
rock would probably win In any wind of more than
that power; hut since last Tuesday, Wednesday
and Friday. when the challenger showed such an
immense ana perfectly fitting mainsan and club
topsail. opinion became more divided as TO what
would happen in light airs. This mainsall holds
strip Of canvas that Is probably larger than the
Columbia's by say. three feet on the boom and
seven feet or more tho eaff. Tho extraordinary
lcngth Of gan-a apparently between Y and - feet
viii call for some time allowance but may DE
worth far more 20 the challenger than the extra
time allowance II Will have 10 give The club
eantopsails 10 be carried by each boat IN light
weather racing will probably not differ greatly in
size. unless the Shamrock sends mp a new topmast
which has not yet been seen here and which is
said to be ten feet higher than the present one
This last mentioned stick may he only a myth in
which case the larger topsaN which the Columbia
is 10 receive with her suit may be expected 20
compare favOrably I'm size with that now carried
by the challenger
In short. Il is safe 10 say that both boats Will
toe the mark in light weather with an the sail
they pos bly carry. and after that IL will not
be surprising n tho future resting place Of the
Americas cup is decided solely the ability Of
one boat not 20 break down.
At the present moment those who make wagcrs
are I'm effect betting on the makers Of spars as
much as on the speed OF the boats. For what IS
.norcut speed Of hull worth II the sticks don't DO
their work? The Columbia began with some break
ages. and In This way she found out what she
could trust After her mast broke another was
ordered. When she broke her topsau yard strong
er ones were made Apparently her boom, gan
bowsprit, etc, are all night The weak spots had
to be picked out. If the wind has been strong
enough in the tests 10 try all the spars as much
rs they may be- tried IN the final races. the boat
NuN ne Shlu 10 DC III EooI shape 10 60 INTO the
battle. But IL Is another thing with the Shamrock.
which is only now beginning 20 find out wha, her
spars are worth. The largest racing mainsail had
never been on the boat til last Tuesday Neither
had the gan or the boom that set It. There is a
hollow metal bowspri. stil 20 60 on which has
never been itted 70 The boat. and which no one
knows anything about in point Of strength.
THE LONG CAFE 4 FAILURE.
The new hollow metal yard and club which set
the big gaNtopsail have only been hoisted once I'm
light wind. No one knows what these may do
in a strong wind All that Is known is that the
long gan was an utter failure. When the sail was
/ being hoisted this gan worked like a long hshpO!e
when pull came on the peak halyards. ana when
/ II folded forward over the topmast shroud three
minutes after the Shamrock started on her course
u shovel a. ne fracture that II was OF the mos.
II did not look thicker than three thicknesFes al,
sheet iron. and IT was just a hollow pipe, without
internal bracing. Many wondered now It ever
hoisted the SAN without breaking And II the peak
hayards had not been distributed widely along
the spar 1t might have broken before the wind ever
strained it, That. at all events is the way it
looked on close examination after the breakagr.
When IT. broke there was no warning sound OF
cracking TIMBER. as IN the old days. The affair
simply FOLDED forward, as silently as lead gas
breeze mild, it took hfty-fOur minutes 20 get the
canvas on the boat rms length Of time was
caused ny me broken spar taxing an awkward
position, the crook " IT AT the bend sitting the
sa[Doa a iobns on |neh II nag to Tde part
in a heavy sea the story would have been different
like the letter ~" and having twelve feet on one
side OF the fracture and perhaps more than sixty
feet the other. on these boats NOWADAYS there
Is no chopping away Of a broken spar that Is made
Of steel. IN this case and when the mast OF the
Columbia broke. the spars simply folded Tx. lin
pipes. but did not break Of The dangers u these
spars which were fully pointed out by The Tribune
while the yachts under couStril0t iou
have since become manifest was expected
though happily far without loss Of life A
vessel which has bent and Jagged - loot metal
spar swinging aIoft and taking charge of every
thing Is IN Il highly uncomfortable position ana a
vessel whose steel mast folds down and sticks its
topsail In the water is I'm dangerous position.
The mast cannot be chopped away. as in the old
time can II be- lifted out Of frs step and no
assistance seems available, except that 10 be rem
dered by Il steam derrick These are not the con-
dltions that sailors hunger for and the accidents
that happen on modern racers. such falling