The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-17

the better Of heother In manpuvTinP.
The bla was In the windward position
when the smoke Of the cannon foated of to the
west. The white boat. breaking out her stay
sail. passed to the windward OF the IiEhtship.
while the green challenger swept' under tho
lee OF the old yellow friend Of the mariners.
Tho Shamrock had set her staysail before the
yachts came together. Standing on abroad
reach the Columbia went off to the southeast.
with tho Sha nj rock in close pursuit. and while
this preliminary canter was on the warning sig
nal sounded This was at 1888 o'clock.
JocKEY1Na FOR THE START.
Can't HoQarth was the first to start the battle
which was to ensus for the next five minutes
With a sweep OF the tillsr he put the Shamrock
on the starboard tack and raced along parallel
to the starting line. The Columbia wheeled in
her wake and quickly made for the green boat
POO feet astsrn OF her. but holding the wind
ward position. As they sped along they dis
played their under bodies and cut through the
| water In the way every one had wanted to see
for so many days The Columbia broke out her
baby lib topsail with snap. 1t
seemed as II one pull had converted
the strip OF canvas rolled tightly against
the stay into a full drawing sail. SO quickly
was the feat accomplished that there was
hardly a futter before the little piece OF canvas
was sheeted fiat. The crew OF the Shamrock
tried to initiate the speed OF their Yankee
rivals but they were slow In comparison. How
ever. the real race had not started. and the
| waste OF time cut no figure In Its result except
that it cheered the hearts Of the Columbia's
sympathizsrs. The little scene seemed happy
forerunner OF what was to come.
The rival yachts rushed along. the Shamrock
In tho lead. but with the Columbia on her
weather quarter. The Yankee lufed up until
she was hardly enough behind to establish an
| and aailipp fhua fhav IN
make the start Coming up. still parallel to
| the imaginary line which stretched from the
| lghtship to the committee boat. the Sham rock
| swung close up into the wind the instant the
starting gun doomed. This action necessarily
carried the Columbia up with her and with
hardly fifty feet OF water separating them they
made for tho limo. The green boat was the
| first to cross but the white sloop was only
three seconds behind her. The official time
| was:
shamrock II VI Os
| COLUMBIA DRAWS AHEAD AT ONCE
They were st.ll on the starboari tack whom the
Anal signal, the handicap gun. doomed from
the deck OF the Luckenbach. The race began
| with both boats pinched close up into the wind
| as high as they could point without lifting their
sails Until they got fairly under way there
was no difference in speed to be noticed. Then
as the Columbia gradually settled down to her
| true racing speed she quickly wiped out that
| lead of three seconds. and before the boats had
travelled a furlong she established lead which
she never relinQushed.
| The Yankee boat heeled to the wind trifie
more than the foreigner. but that was all
right: she had the elements to her liking and
she outfooted and outpointed the green lady
| In a way that was good to see. There were no
| long. rolling waves or nasty. choppy seas to
| throw the boats off the wiad. 1t was as II they
| were sailing on Narragansett Bay or in blight
| OF Long Island Sound. The mist dampened
their sails and the canvas clutched and held
| all the wind that came their way. The breeze
was not strong enough to put their lee rails
| under. but 1t was good. brisk. steady article
that the rivals got share and share alike. The
| haze set in quite thick before they had left the
| Lightship half mile nstern. but it made tho
| scene more grimly picturesque than ever.
| Both boats threw the white spray from their
| bows and 1t splashed ovsr the weather rail into
the faces OF the men at wheel and tler. With
| every foot OF water travelled tho Columbia
showed her fraction OF an inch OF gain. The
| Captain OF the Shamrock stood the suspense
for nearly fifteen minutes before he decided to
experiment with the other board. At 10. or
after nearly fourteen minutes. on the star
board tack Capt. Hogarth threw the green boats
tiller over and the chale wheeled like a top
and filled again on tho new tack. As her sails
began to fiutter in the wind Capt Barr brought
the Columbia sharply into the wind and the
| white boat was away on the other tack almost
as soon as her rival The defender was in the
windward position and her handlers proposed
to make the other boat do all the
| leading. As soon as the rivals were
Strengthened out again the spectators on the
, excursion boats could plainly see the white
hon vua f1llV 100 v ri n viDlwarl Thav
were now heading southeast. and the Sham
rock people realizing that she had no
chance OF outpointinE the Columbia and
| at the same time holding her rival
in check. decided to try the scheme OF keeping
the sails we'll full and outfootng the white
boat with the ultimate object OF getting SO far
to windward that she could tack and cross her
bows. But this idea was found to be futile.
| The Yankee went on about her business. eating
to wndward steadily and apparently showing
Just as much speed as the other boat which was
taking the breeze fuller on her sails
PATROL FLEET VERY STRICT.
The Columbia certainly had no fault to ind
with the wind. which still held true at about ten
miles an hour. The boats tore through tho
water and at the rate they were going would
soon rip off tho fifteen mile beat to windward.
The Shamrocks experiment lasted only Ave
minutes. Then having got clear Of the Coun-
bias wind. she headed M as high as possible
But In that brief i've minutes she had lost
lot Of ground.
While all this was going on the excursion feet
had formed into huge semi-circe. The reve-
nue. cutters and torpedo boats governed them
selves according to the movements OF the
excursionists. only keeping to wndward OF tho
line. and holding all hands In check. As a
matter Of fact, there was little need OF any pa
troll Eystem yesterday. There were fewer than
thirty vessels OF all sorts following the yachts
and this year they are . well-behaved lot. In
view OF the meaGrS attendance. tho Govern
ment boats were. perhaps. a trfe too strict and
on more than ono occasion kept the pleasure
seekers so far away from the yachts that they
were hardly able to see them through the haze
There were Just twenty-nine vessels in attend
ance, and at this stage OF the race the Manning
would not let any one OF them get within two
miles OF the big sloops.
The hopes OF the Column bA adherents were at