Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-09-27
AN ABLE DEFENDER.
Columbia 0verjoys Her Ad-
mirers, Thursday.
There Was No Wind and Race Was
Declared Off Before Finish.
Five Miles from Line Shamrock Three Quarters
OF Mile Astern.

New York, Sept. 26.-One of the big
Scst crowds that ever put to sea went
down to the Sandy Hook lightship. to-
day, to witness Sir Thomas Lipton's
second challenger, Shamrock H. anu
the white flyer Columbia struggle for
the yachting supremacy Of the world
in the first of the cup races of 1901.
But the excursion fleet returned disap-
pointed. The great single
went out, this morning, fresh for the
battle, but the sea refused them a field
Of conflict. The wind, never more than
nine and sometimes as SLOW as three
knots, was too light and shifty To
| carry the contestants over the 30-mile
course in the time allotted by the
rules. At the end of five and a half
hours-the prescribed time-thc race
was officially declared off ard the
yachts We're toWed back to their berths.
When the gun aboard the committee
boat was fired to call attention to the
signal declaring the race off, the
American boat was still five miles
from the finish line. The English boat
was we'll astern of her. the ex-
perts estimating her distance behind
the Columbia at over three-quarters of
a mile.
Americans will have reason to con-
graduate themselves upon the result
of the first trial. The Columbia 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 minutes and Is seconds to
the outer mark and increased her lead
somewhat in the broad reach for home.
While the test was unsatisfactory, the
yachting sharps who have been skcp-
tical up to this time as to the ability
of the Columbia to successfully defend
the cup are more confident, tonight,
that it will remain on this side of the
Atlantic a while longer. Certainly the
Columbia's superiority in light airs
appears to have been demonstrated,
today. Shamrock III did not, in fact.
make so good showing as did Lip
tons first challenger in the half dozen
flukes that preceded the actual races
two years ago. What Shamrock may
be able to do in heavy weather is. of
course. problematical, but Columbia
has been tried and all her admirers in
sist that she is diStinctively a heavy
weather boat.
Two years ago Sir Thomas prayer
was for wind, but when he got q
smashing 25-knot gale in the last race
Columbia'S victory was even more de-
Cisivc than in the first. Since then Co.
lumbia's ability in heavy weather has
been proven again and again.
The harder it blows the faster she
goes and the better she behaves. 1t is
not strange, therefore, that the patri-
otic shippers and spectators who went
down to Sandy Hook, this morning,
with missivings. returned, tonight, re-
assured and strongly disposed to wa
ger that the pretty wreath Of sham
rocks and white heather from the old
est yacht club in the world which Sir
Thomas is treasuring in the cabin of
his champion will prove no mascot
after all.
The day had promised well at first.
A strong northeast wind had been
blowing for two days ana the weather
prophets had offered assurance that Ii
would hold. IT had piled up what
saiIormen call q nasty lump OF sea
outside and before the race began was
whipping the foam off the crests of
the waves. A heavy haze which hung
over the bay had blown away the
bright sunlight. Magnificent steam
yachts. steamers and excursion boats
filed tier above tier with people. snub-
nosed tugs. picnic barSc5 ana sailing
craft gathered about the old yellow
Continued on page 2.)