Evening journal., 1901-09-27

q =
ing faster. Shamrock tackled and
tackled again, hut Columbia went about
With her each time and'appeared to be
the more pimble, Timed again and
again by the experts, she was quicker
in stays by ten seconds.
Beautiful Marine Spectacle.
The beat down the Long Island coast
made a beautiful marine spectacle.
The patrol feet, under the direction
OF Captain Walker, of the revenue cut.
ter service, maintained a perfectly
clear field. Half a mile Of revenue
cutters and yachts at an angle Of four
points from each side of the course
formed a right angle, changing direc-
tion as the yachts tackled. In the hol.
low Of this angle, as If in a fence cor
ner, there was no more interference
with the yachts than IL they had been
sailing in the middle Of the Atlantic,
while behind the fence on either side
were the solid, floating, moving lines
Of careening hulls, rail TO rail. their
smoking stacks making a black wall
above them. On into the bucking seas
the yachts went, squirting great gey-
seys from their sharlk-like bows.
The American was undoubtedly the
prettier boat. Her sly-scraping club
topsail was not 50 high by eight feet
as that Of her rival, but she appeared
more stately and graceful. She seemed
a thing Of life, lifting to the seas with
less effort or piercing them with less
fuss, while the heavier-breasted sham
rock pointed and shivefed them with
the force of her impact. The slender
hulls of the racing machines looked
too frail to carry the canvas which
lowered above them. Over 100 feet
above the water line. height equal to
a modern ten-story building, the slen-
der topmast yard of the Shamrock lift
ed her pyramid of canvas, but her S33
square feet more of canvas than the
Columbia carried could not make her
overtake the white beauty.
shamroek's Brief Time In Front.
It was directly Off Long Beach Ho-
tel. with its crowded piazzas, that the
Shamrock showed in front for the first
and only time during the race. AS the
wind had hauled more to the south
ward and had died down somewhat,
Charlie Barr headed the Columbia on
shore in the hope of meeting It. In
stead he polSed his nose into a dead
calm, and for some minutes the Colum-
bia lay with her sails Tapping, while
the Shamrock, catching a slant Of wind
nearer shore, drew rapidly ahead. But
the victory was short-lived. The cant
of the wind to the southwark held and
freshened to about six knots, making
| it from this point a close-hauled reach
to the mark. The Columbia rapidly
overlook her adversary, and Captain
Sycamore In desperation concluded to
press on more canvas by trying a
larger jib topsail. While sailors were
out on the bowsprit taking in the old
and bending the larger sails, the Co
lumbia went by the Shamrock as II
she had been moOred to the dock
making two feet to her one.
From that time to the outer mark
the Columbia gained steadily. As she
approached the turning point the ex-
cursion feet. going at full speed cir
cled out and massed beyond the mark
TO witness the turn. AS she came along
side. leaving the mark on the starboard
hand. Barr put his helm hard down
and luffed around It. Then she filed
away Her great balloon jib broke out
like a puff of smoke, her boom was
eased of and she was away for home
on broad reach. The bands crashed,
the whistles blew and the crowd
aboard the excursion fleet cheered. The
feet courteously waited until the
Shamrock ended Z minutes and 10
seconds later and gave her a cordial
reception.
Columbia Forged Steadily Ahead.
From that time on it was process
sion, not a race. The Englishman
tried half a dozen head sails in the
hope of improving his position, but
the American forged steadily ahead.
Then the wind, which had been seven
knots at the stake boat, gradually
died down, and an hour before the time
limit expired it was evident that the
yachts could not finish in time. When
the committee boat finally hoisted her
signals declaring mo race" the big
excursion feet headed back for New
York as fast as steam and sail could
carry them. Only the steam yacht
Erin, with Sir Thomas and his party
aboard, remained alongside the chal.
lenger and escorted her back home.
Under the rules. the unfinished race
will be resailed on Saturday, and the
course will be again 10 miles and wind
ward or leeward and return
When seen on board the Erin after
the race, Sir Thomas Upton said: 1T
was not a satisfactory race. because
the wind was so erratic. l hope we
shall have better luck next time. A
race sailed on such a day, If it can be
finished at all, depends upon the lucky
chance position, as TO wind, of one
boat or the other. l was never more
hopeful for the Shamrock than l an
now. l am confident / shall get the
cup. have not seen any more sldllful
handling of a boat than was shown
by Captain Barr, OF the Columbia The
Shamrock, too, was we'll managed"