The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-05
CUP REMAINS HERE
COLUMBIA WINS THIRD RACE BY
NARROW MARGIN.
SHAMROCK FINISHED FIRST.
arT DEFENDERS TIME ALLOW
ANCE GAVE HER THE VICTORY.

Ior the second Time COIumbia
Time Defeating ShamrocI<-The
Race Yesterday Not n Very Excit-
ing One, Owing to the Light
winds, But 1t Was Very Closely
sailed and Only Capt. Charlie
Barr,s Brilliant Work Saved CO.
Iumbia From Defeat - Upton
Cheers the winner and AcknowI-
edges Her the Better Boat-Al-
though Defeated His Golden Yacht
Has Come Nearer Taking the Cup
Than Any That Has Come Across
the Water for the Purpose.
New York, Oct. 4.-With victory flags
Nving from her towering mastheads
and the ends of her spreaders in hon
or of her concluding triumph in the
cup races of 1901, the gallant sloop Co.
lumbia returned to her anchorage To-
night under the escort of the entire
excursion fleet. She to-day completed
her defense of the honored trophy in
another stirring race with the Sham
rock II over a leeward and windward
race of thirty miles, crossing the finish
line two seconds behind her antagon-
ist but winning on the time allowance
conceded by Lipton's boat, by forty one
seconds.
For the second time she has now sue
cessfully foiled the attempt of the Irish
knight to wrest from our possession
the cup that means the yachting su-
nremacy of the world. And plucky Sir
Thomas Upton, standing on the
bridge of the Erin. led his guests in
three hearty huzzahs for the successful
defender.
She is the better boat" he salo'
land she deserves to be cheered.
The series of races just closed will al
ways be memorable as the closest ever
sailed for the cup, and Sir IhoHhas' al
though defeated, will go home with the
satisfaction of knowing that his golden
Yacht is the ablest foreign boat that
ever crossed the western coast. Dur
ing both series of races not an unto
ward incident has occurred, and Sir
Thomas will return to England Dy 1ar
the most popular of all the foreigners
who have challenged for the Americas s
trophy.
The racers were sent away. before the
wind, each carrying a penalty for
corssing the line after the handicap
gun. No official record is kept of the
time after that gun is fired. but the ex-
perts with stop watches estimated Co.
lumbia's handicap at Is seconds and
Shamrocks at seconds. The contest
of the yachts fleeing before the wind
was picturesque, but not exciting. Their
crews were gathered aft to keep the
heads of the boats UP and thereafter
until the outer mark was reached it
was merely a question of holding on to
all the canvas and letting the wind do
the rest.
Shamrock Speedy Before the Wind.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
Columbia beat the Shamrock before
the wind last Saturday, the challenger
to-day gained slowly but steadily all
the way out, and rounded 49 seconds
before the defender, having actually
gained one minute and four seconds.
Immediately after the yachts turned
their noses into the wind for the beat
home, the breeze moderated and turned
fuky. The shippers split tacks, each
searching for wind, with the result that
first one would get a lift, and then the
other. At one time Columbia seemed a
mile ahead, when a sudden cant of
the wind allowed the Shamrock to
point nearer the mark, and a mile from
home the challenger appeared to be
leading by fully half mile.
Barr's SIeight of Hand.
The talent began to feel nervous,
but as the yachts approached the finish
the Yankee skipper, by some miracu-
lous legerdemain. showed his boat into
the light air like a phantom ship and
one hundred yards from home the two
racers were almost on even terms. 1t
was pretty sight and one seldom wit
messed, when they crossed rail to rail,
the white yachts bowsprit just tapping
the golden boats mast. The usual
pandemonium that attends the final
Yankee victory in cup contest, follow
ed. Whistles, sirens, bells, bands and
cheers united in a grand chorus of
Jublation, and J. P. Morgan's steam
yacht Corsair, added to the terrific
din by firing a national salute of 81
guns.
After the Columbia had hauled down
her sails and set her victory flag the
excursion boats crowded alongside to
cheer the Yankee sailors and the win
ming skipper. Nor did they forget either
Upton or his gallant craft. In turn the
crowded steamers ran alongside the
shamrock and Erin and the vanquished
received almost as much honor as the
victor And thus with Fluctuations all
around, the twelfth series of races for
the old cup which the schooner Amer
lca brought over fifty years ago ended
with the best of feeling.