The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-04
But the New Cup Challenger is u
Warm Proposition and a
Very shifty sailer.
FIRST DAYS RACE A FLUKF.
Wind Was Too Light to Allow
Either Yacht to Finish In
Time Limit.
THE SHAMROCK WAS IN LEAD
When Race was Called ofF..Amcri-
cans Confident Cup
is Still Safe.

z is Still Safe.
NEW YORK. Oct. 3.--As the sun set.
a great ball Of fire. behind the Nave
sink hills, and the sparkling stars came
out into the flawless heavens, the big
gest crowds of sight seers and yachts
men who ever sailed down to Sandy
Hook to witness the attempt OF a for
eign mug-hunter to wrest from America
the yachting supremacy OF the world,
returned to New York crestfallen and
disappointed. The winds from the
caves OF old ocean had proved too light
and shlfty, and the first of the lnterna-
tiOnal series OF 1893 between the two
greatest racing machines ever pro-
duced by England and America degen-
Grated into a drifting match, and had
to be declared of because neither could
reach the finish line In the time allot-
ted by the rules.
To avoid Just such winds which had
occurred to-day. in which luck and not
the crew and yachts win, the rules pro-
vide that II one OF the boats does not
finish within five and half hours, the
race is declared on, so at the end OF
the time this evening when the yachts
were still four miles from home, with
the Shamrock leading by something
more than a quarter OF mile the COM
mlttee officially declared that there had
been no race The yachts We're then
taken in tow by their respective tugs
and brought back to their anchorage
inside Sandy Hook.
The clean lmbed racers had sailed
out this morning fresh for battle, but
the sea had refused them field OF con-
tIict. Under the rules the first race Is
now postponed for Two days. or until
Thursday
The day promised well at first. The
sky was smIrched With L few dirty
clouds, but clear enough 10 permit the
thousands of spectators who lined the
Jersey shore TO see almost every foot
OF the course. The waves were crested
with whitecnps here and there anti u
fairly fresh breeze blew ont Of the
n0fth-northenst. but after the Coiuu-
bin and Shamrock had crossed the line.
the wind turned fiulEy and variable and
the race was flE2le almost from the
start. But the iiuke to-day gave the
Yachting shnrps and the spectators
much to think abuut-and some sur
prlses,
prettlest boat. She is tall, stately. with
graceful lines and towering mast. The
irish boat. with her broader beam and
longer base Hne, looked slower and
heavier Perhaps her green color
mnles her look clumsier as II she We're
forced through the water while the slim
columbia plerces Il like rnpier.
Though Indecislve In every respect ns
to the abilities of the great rival single
stickers, to-day's 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 one hundred guinea
cup, which the America brought back
forty-elght years ago, and which has
since been successfully defended
ngnlnst the world
During the five and half hours sail
the shamrock was thrice ahead, and
twice the Yankee boat showed the way.
For the first ten minutes the Shamrock
led. then for five the Columbla's grace-
tuI how showed ahead OF the green
boat; for forty-five minutes following
the Shamrock. then for three hours the
Columbia. and for the last hour and
half It was the Shamrock that led the
way. .,..
knots an hour and as low rs three, and
shifted about through eight points or
the compass. Each In turn beat the
other running before the wind and wns
In turn beaten. beating against the
wind Mt various stages OF the race, so
thnt many experts who saw the two
boats sail to-day are dIsincllned to be-
lIsye that there Is a pin TO choose be-
tween them, but when the race is close
iy nnalyEed. It Ia absolutely proven that
the columbia showed her superiority at
every point ut sailing, running, reach
ing and beating whenever the wind
freshened. and that It was only In the
highest air that the Shamrock 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; ana
heat the Shamrock two minutes ana
forty four seconds, while on the beat
home. after Increasing her lead to over
mile at one time. the Shamrock over
hauled the Yankee and was quarter
Of mile ahead when the time allow
ance expired
n l'ltuhlWE NFNA"N'
The feature Of the race which piensed
everybody most was the perfectly clear
field Witch was malutalued, For the
nrst time this year the government
took u hand to prevent a repetition OF
the unfortunate occurrence which mar
red the race when the accompanying
excursion bOHts In their frenZied eager
nrsa 10 let nothing ~ the beautiful
spactacle rscnpc crowded down upon
the racers until their back was lmprded
their progress through the water and
caused Lord Dunraven 10 illc hts fam
aus protest. The government was de-
iprmlned this year that the course
should be- protected against unofficial
tresspassers. A No;lla OF revenue cut
ters and swift torpedo boats, llylng rcd
barred white flags, guarded the course.
krcplnE excursion boats. ynchts and
tugs ~ q perfectly safe dlstnnc" from
thc canvass cIomard racers
on tho way down, thny maintained
two parallel Hines. q mile apnrt two
line fences. through which not one ~
tbp pughlng. cfowllng fiect of excursion
vessels wng permitted To poke her nose,
Tho broad cyuansr Of sea inside, with.
ont wash or swell was left clear and
FREQ ror the irnnoeuvrring " the rnccrs,
ON thc way h0rl, the patrol vessels
were equally efficient
II wnp only toward tho close when the
hope OF finishing the race was given up.