Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-10-08


and began To- crawl up. But she did more.
Captain HOgarth took in the shamrock
spinnaker when the mark was sighted,
Sybed the Shamrock and trimmed down
the balloon jib topsail with great rapidity
and. with eI eTything drawing splcniidly,
before the American knew II he was !uif-
ing up toward the Columbia. Captain Barr,
on the Columbia. then followed suit, but
the Shamrock had Passed him well 10
windward. Captain HoGarth then set his
spinnaker to port and Increased the lead.
follow the lead of the Englishman and
waited almost fifteen minutes. while the
Shamrock Overhauled and passed him be-
fore he followed suit. Shamrock wIS
hundred yards ahead before he had got his
sal lis trimmed to the new conditions.
The patriots did not mince words in their
criticism of Bars obstinacy.
Soon afterward the wind hauled around
still further, making ii "A broad reach TO
the mark. Both took in their spnnakers
and easeed their sheets. Then the white
now about a mile and a half from the
outer mark. Steamers, tugs and yachts
hurried across the course and lined up
TO leewsrd, waiting with eager interest TO
sec which would round first
Gallantly the American came on. II was
astonishing how fast she Siided through
| the water. She ate up the distance be-
| tween her and the green boat until, when
the mark was but quarter OF a mile
away, less than 100 yards separated them.
| Hope rose. The Shamrock was Ia wind
| ward. They were coming like horses down
the stretch A hundred feet away and
| Columbia had closed the gap. Her slender
PROV just Tapped the stern OF the green
| hull. Under the rules, they must pass the
| float with the red ball on lie starboard
| end. As the balloon jibs ratified down on
both boats preparatory to the gybe. the
| watching thousands held their breath.
| II did not seem possible that the white
ghost could squeeze in hetTe the Sham
! rock and tho mark. To ti.r oHlookcrs /;
| seemed inevitable that. unless the Yankee
| boat kept away under the stern Of the
shamrock there would be a collision or
the Columbia would foul the float. But
| @ Oliver Iselin has desperate courage in A
| tight place.
lie played the limit The man who set
| a club topsail in driving gale in the de-
! Gliding race between the Vigilaut and Val
kyrie II. would stop at nothing. On he
came. forcing the shamrock to go wide
scrspe tho foat as she wore about with
her helm hard down. Though the Sham
rock pounded first by nine seconds. she
a. both beats came up and their sails itlled
away on HE starboard tack. the Columbia
not only had the weather gauge, but wa,
| in the lead 40 more reckless piece oi
courage was ever seen in an internationa
race. .----+
IL was dcsperate game. hut it won
Had the Columbia sn much as touched tn:
noat shr would have bnrn disqualified thet
ard thrfr. The patriots chcered WILDLY
and the shippers Of the excursion feet le
off enough steam to carry thrir boats ba .
| ~
triotS broke out again a FEW minutes late
/ when. after fcw short tacks. ShamrncI
tried TO cross Colunlbia's bows, but failed
The beat TO wiHdTard was by far TN
most interesting part Of the race. whi
the Stfeeza held. Close hauled the tw
yachts slashcd straight out 30 sea through
the long. heavy swell, hccling to the brcez
in statclv fashion. with foam spurtini
from their bows and crews piled up on IN
weather rail Of the sloring docks. ThOugl
sides il swirlcd along under their counters
Their" was plenty of spray and ever,
man aboard was as Wet a. if he had bcel
under a shower bath. II was rather strang
that the Columbia. the famous liGh
weather boat. should careen less 10 tn
wind than her rival from over the sea
The old barEacles said her immense over
keprher M stiff as a church" The Sham
! rock. the famous heavy weather boat
leaned To- if Ike a queen. As the wind be
gan to die out aud the hope Of finishing
: the race began to vanish, the two boat
split iacks and did not come toGethe
again Tor q long time. keeping evcryOn
guessing which one was ahead.
During, this. funky period. everyhod
agreed that the Shamrock was the bette
2 handled. She never failed to take advsnt
age of every new slant of the wind 4
last. twenty minutes before the race wa
declared of. the Shamrock decided to tr
conclusions, and she headed across CoIuu
G bias bow. So uncertain was the rcsul
: that no one knew until the yachts wer
C within 1o0 feet nf each other which woul
have to give way. The Yankee skipper
u all had their hands on their whistle cord
g and when Shamrock put her helm up. III
able to make fl, from both sides OF III
! course came the shrieks OF thousands Z
= | whistles. the enthusiastic shouts Of tn
= multitudes and the crash of the band.
: They sailed the last twenty minutes nee
Q and neck. but with the Columbia to wind
/ | ward and perhaps 4 length ahead.
:. Disappointed but Oyerioycd that whe
: the race was declared off, the cup defend
or was in the lead. the excursion flee
O headed back for Sandy Hook as fast a
a steam and sail could carry them TIL
d sun was setting behind a bank of Grim
= son clouds az the head of the procassio
!. surged into the Narrows and the crescer
II of the new moon. with its hope Of bette
4 things. hung a narrow thread Of silver
Slyy