The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-09-27

bits Mirage, Howard Gould's Mag
ara, E. T. Gerry's Electric, John
Jacob Astor's Nourmahal, August
Belmont's Stout, Col. Albert Paine's
Aphodite and half a hundred others
each flying the New York Yacht
clubs pennant, at fore and private
signal of the wner at main.
The big cer had already been
towed out and when the fleet arrived
they were circling and wheering like
great gulls about the llghtship. The
polished bronze hull Of Shamrock,
cleaning in the sunlight, made her
look like a yellow breasted gull with
white pinions. Revenue cutters and
yachts of the patrol fleet, each with
the vertically striped revenue flag at
the fore peak, marshalled the excur-
sion fleet behind the line.
Shortly before IL o'clock the big
black tug flying the blue flag of the
regatta committee puffed through the
fleet, measured off a 200 yard starting
line from the light ship; let go her
anchor and hoisted signal I'D. B. w."
indicating that the course would be
east by north, Is miles straight into
eye of the wind and return. Then
another big tug started off straight
out along the Long Island shore to
set the outer mark. The log over her
taffrail which measured the distance
took no account of the tide which
was running out so that the distance
she covered before the float was drop
ped overheard measured by bottom of
the sea was probably nearer II than
Is nautical miles.
Five minutes before II o'clock a
puff of smoke burst from the commit
tee boat. Blue peter went up and the
preparatory signal for the race had
been given. Then began the jockey
ing behind the line, of which Charlie
Barr, the American skipper, has prov
ed himself SO many items grand mas
ter. And the skill he displayed today
was enough to warm the hearts of
those who saw it. He got into the
berth and try as the En-
glishman would he could not shake
him off. AS the red ball which mark
ed the warning signal was hoisted
ten minutes later the English skipper,
in despair, crossed the line and tack
ed about the lightship but Columbia
hung to him as if one tiller were an
swering for both and as they again
reached for the line it was like two
thoroughbred horses neck and neck.
But Barr was still to windward.
The fascinating game the two skip
pers were flirting was so intense that
both m~iscalculated the time and cross
ed the line 80 seconds before the
starting gun was fired. Three blasts
of the whistle sounded a recall. The
big anv clouded recers were
around as if turning On their heels
and coming up again in the smoke of
the gun fled away across the line,
both on starboard tack, but Columbia
half a length in the lead and a length
to windward. Both carried the same
sails, main, club top sail, stay, jib and
baby jib.
The sight made the pulses of the
pers were fighting was so intense that
for ten minutes down the Long Is
land shore in plain view of the peo-
pie there, the big single stickers
smashed into head seas, sending
spray smoking to the cross trees.
Strained as Shamrock vas she could
not hold her white rival even. Slowly
but Columbia went about with her each
pointing higher and footing faster.
tackled and tackled again
but Columbia went about her each
and appeared to be more nimble.
Timed again and again by experts she
was quicker in the stays by ten Sec
conds. The beat down the Long Is
land coast made a beautiful racing
spectacle. The patrol fleet under d.
rection of Captain Walker of the rev.
cutter service, maintained a per-
fectly clear field. Half a mile of
revenue cutters and yachts at an
angle of four points form each side
Of the course formed a right angle,
changing directions as the yachts
lacked. In the hollow of this angle
if in a fence corner there was no
interference with the yachts
if they had been sailing in the
middle of the Atlantic, while behind
and on either side were solid floating
moving lines Of careening, putting
steamers, rail to rail, their smoking
stacks making a black wall above
them. On into the bucking seas the
yachts went, squirting great geisers