New-York tribune., 1901-09-29
DEFENDER WINS FIRST RACE.
She Crosses the Line Only Few Seconds Ahead o.
the Challenger


An extraordinary page in yachting history was
written in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off
Sandy Hook yesterday when the Columbia de-
fender for the second time of the Americas Cup.
defeated the Shamrock by the narrowest margin
ever recorded in Cup race. 1t took the two
boats over four hours and half cover the
thirty nautical miles. fifteen to windward and
fifteen run before the wind. and at the end
when the Columbia drew over the finish line
amid the toots and roars and blasts of score
upon score of steam whistles from about every
kind Of craft that floats, she was only thirty
seven seconds ahead of her Irish rival. Boat for
boat. the defender had beaten the challenger
but bit more than half minute in thirty
miles.
1t Is reasonably certain that yesterdays splen-
did contest will go down in yachting annals as
the closest ever sailed for the possession of the
trophy more than half century ago by
the schooner America. Each yacht had the lead
at some part of the long journey but at stage
of the contest was either boat so far ahead of
her rival as to lessen for moment the doubt
to the result swing the scales of victory
decidedly to one side. Even when that immense
fleet of tugs, steam and sailing yachts sound
boats, coasting steamers and sailboats of every
variety had gathered at the line either side
of the committee boat and the Sandy Hook
Lightship to watch the flyers speed over the
line, the issue was still in doubt
The Columbia had lead of four or five boat
lengths half mile from home, but just then the
wind, which had fallen almost to nothing, fresh
ened perceptibly. The Shamrock was the first
to feel the electric impetus and her towering
heaps of creamy canvas bellied before the breeze
like animated stormcloud, and swept her
after the Columbia almost if she knew that
the final moment was at hand, and that the time
to do or die had come. The gap that separated
he vVa W. iui "A
few seconds the Columbia, too, caught the fresh
ening breeze, and she, too, leaped forward as If
she knew that her pursuer was making her final
effort And so the race came to a deafening
close amid the uproar from the steam craft and
the shouts and wavings of hats umbrellas and
handkerchiefs from the thousands of spectators
who crowded the surrounding boats to the side
toward the finish line. until it seemed if the
vessels must capsize. When the Columbia swept
over the line there were about two lengths of
open water between her and the beaten but not
disgraced. Shamrock. With her time allowance
of 43 seconds, the Columbia by minute
and 20 seconds
THE NARROW MARGIN OF VICTORY.
The race, although such a vitality fascinating
spectacle and such an inspiriting contest, proves
little as to the superiority of either yacht, The
margin of victory and defeat narrow
that any little accident might have turned the
one into the other Neither can it be said that
the chances of either boat were affected in any
vital way by the manner in which they were
sailed. 1t the verdict of the critics that
Captain Sycamore outgeneralled and outsailed
Captain Barr in the jockeying at the start. Sc
curing by his success the much coveted wind
ward berth. which stood the challenger In good
stead all the way to the outer mark On the
other hand IL was generally admitted by the
experts that Captain Barr did a clever bit OF
sailing INST after rounding the outer mark. by
which he forced the Shamrock off her course,
for fear of getting the wind spilled out OF her
sails. and then squared away for the run home
on much better terms than he faced just after
the defender had come about the stakeboat
All the sailing sharps agreed that the sur
prising thing about the days extraordinary
racing was that the Shamrock more than held
her own In the windward work OF the -4Ist Les