Evening journal., 1901-09-27
YACHT RACE
WAS A FAILURE
Lack Of Wind Prevented a
Finish of the Contest
COLUMBIA WAS FAR IAHRlD
American Boats Supporters Pleased
With Her Good Work in YeSter-
DAYS Light Wind

New York, Sept. 27.-One OF the big
gest crowds that ever put to sea went
down to the Sandy Hook Lightship
yesterday to witness Sir Thomas Lip
tons second challenger, Shamrock II,
and the white flyer Columbia, which
successfully defended the old Americas
cup against his first trophy hunter two
years ago, struggle for the yachting su-
premacy Of the world in the first Of the
cup races of 1901. But the excursion
fleet returned disappointed.
The great single stickers went out in
the morning fresh for the battle, but
the sea refused them a field Of conflict.
The wind, never more than nine and
sometimes as low as three knots, was
too light and shifty to carry the con-
testants over the 30 mile course in the
time allotted by the rules. At the end
of five and a half hours, the prescribed
time, the race was officially declared
of and the yachts were towed back to
their berths inside Sandy Hook.
When the gun aboard the committee
boat was fired to call attention to the
signal declaring the race off the Amerl-
can yacht was still five miles from
the finish line The Englishman was
well astern Of her, the experts
estimating her distance behind the Co
lumbia over three-quarters of a mile.
Americans will have reason TO con-
gratulate themselves upon the result
Of the first trial The yacht which car
ried J. p. Morgan's private signal, a
black pennant with a yellow maltese
cross, to victory two years ago, was
headed but once in the 25 miles COW
cred, and then the Englishman showed
the way for only five minutes. In
windward work the Columbia beat the
foreigner Z minutes and 10 seconds to
the outer mark and increased her lead
somewhat in the broad reach for home
Columbia Supporters Now Confident.
While the test was unsatisfactory
the yachting sharps who have beer
skeptical up to this time as to the abil.
ity of the Columbia TO successfully de
fend the cup are more than confident
this morning that it will remain on
this side of the Atlantic yet a while
longer. Certainly Columbia's superior
ity in light airs appears to have been
demonstrated. Shamrock IL did not, in
fact, make as good a showing as did
Lipton's first challenger in the hall
dozen fiukes that preceded the actual
races two years ago. What Shamrock
may be able to do in heavy weather is
of course probelmatical, but Columbia
has been tried and all her admirers in.
sist that she is distinctively a heavy
weather boat.
Two years ago Sir Thomas prayed
for wind. but when he got a smashing
25-l1not gale in the last race Colum
bias victory was even more decisive
than in the first. Since then Colum
bias ability in heavy weather has
been proven again and again. The
harder it blows the faster she goes and
the better she behaves. It is not
strange therefore. that the patriotic
shippers and spectators who weni
down to Sandy Hook yesterday morn
ing with misgivings, returned last
night reassured and strongly disposed
to wager that the pretty wreath oI
Shamrock and white heather from the
oldest yacht club in the world. whicf
Sir Thomas is treasuring in the cabin
Of his champion, will prove no mascot
Barr a Master Jockey.
Five minutes before IL o'clock &
puff of smoke burst from the commit
tee boat. The blue Peter went up anC
the preparatory signal for the rae,
had been given. Then began the jock
eying behind the line, Of which Charli,
Barr. the American skipper, has proved
himself so many times a grand master
And the skill he displayed yesterday
was enough to warm the cookies o.
those who saw it. He got into the wind
ward berth, and try as the EnglishmaI
would he could not shake him off.
AS the red ball which marked tn,
warning signal was hoisted, ten min
utes later the English skipper in de
spair put up his tiller, crossed the lin,
and tackled about the lightship, bu
the Columbia hung to him as if on,
tiller were answering for both, an,
when they again raced for the line /
was like two thoroughbred horses necl
and neck. But Barr was still to wind
ward. The fascinating game the tw,
shippers we're fighting was so intens
that both miscalculated the time an,
crossed the line 80 seconds before tn
starting gun was fired.
Three blasts of the whistle soundei
the recall
The two big canvas-clouded racer
were around as if turning on thei
heels and coming up again in tn
smoke of the gun fed away across tn
line, both on the starboard tack, bu
Columbia half a length in the lead an
a length to windward Both carrie
the same sails, main, club topsail, stay
iib and baby jib. The sight mad
the pulses of the spectators tingle wit
delight Then Tor ten miles down tn
Long Island shore in plain view c
the people there. the two big singl
stickers smashed into the head sea-
sending spray smoking TO the eros
1 tronr .r tf,, ,..,..1