The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-09-30
COLUMBIA THE WINNER.
TAXES FIRST RACE FROM SHAM
 ROCK IN 4 GREAT CONTEST.

TAKES FIRST RACE FROM SHAM
 ROCK IN 4 GREAT CONTEST
 Challenger Was Never Headed UntJ
 After She Rounded the NIark-CcIum-
 bia Passed Her After the Wind Fell Of
 Winning by One Minute and Twenty | Seconds.
 | New York, Sept. 29.-The greatest yachting race in the history of ninety
 Hooters was sailed Saturday between
 the Columbia and the Shamrock, the former winning by a small margin, the narrowost, in fact, ever recorded in a cup race. It took the two boats over four hours and half to cover the thir- ty nautical miles, fifteen to windward and fifteen a 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 thir- ty-seven seconds ahead of her Irish rival. Boat for boat the defender had beaten the challenger but a bit more than half minute In thirty miles.
 It is reasonably certain that Satur- days splendid contest will go down in yachting annals as the closest ever sailed for the possession of the trophy won more than half a century ago by the schooner America. Each yacht had the lead at some part of the long jour- ney but at no stage of the contest was either boat so far ahead of her rival as to lessen for one moment the doubt as to the result or to swing the scales of victory decidedly to one side. Even when that immense fleet of tugs. steam and sailing yachts, sound boats, coast ing steamers and sailboats of every va riety had gathered at the line on 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 Q lead of four or five boat lengths half mile from home, but just then the wind, which had fall en almost to nothing, freshened percep tibly. The Shamrock was the first to feel the electric impetus, and her tow ering heaps of creamy canvass bellied before the breeze like an animated stormcloud, and swept her after the Columbia almost as if she knew that the final moment was at hand, and that the time to do or die had some. The gap that separated the two boats was rapidly diminished, but in few sec onds the Columbia, too, leaped forward as if she knew that her pursuer was making her final effort And so the race came to 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 sur boats to the side toward the finish line, until 1t seemed as if the yes sels must capsize. When the Colum- bia swept over the line there were about two lengths of open water be- .ween her and the beaten, but not dis graced Shamrock, With her time al- owance of forty three seconds, the | Columbia won by one minute and twen- y seconds.
 The race, although such a vitally | ascinating spectacle and such an in- a ,piriting contest, proves little as to the ! of either yacht The margin | If victory and defeat was so narrow | han any little accident might have turned the one into the other. Neither an it be said that the chances of either ,oat were affected in any vital way by he manner in which they were sailed. t was the verdict oe the critics that 'aptain Sycamore outgeneralled and utsailed Captain Barr in the jockeying | t the start securing by his success the much coveted windward berth, which tood the challenger in good stead all he way to the outer mark. On the ther hand, it was generally admitted " the experts that Captain Barr did a lever bit of sailing just after rounding he outer mark by which he forced the hamrock off her course. for fear of z tting the wind spilled out of her sails, nd then squared away for the run ome on much better terms than he aced just after the defender had come tout the stakeboat.
 All the sailing sharps agreed that the thing about the days extra racing was tbat the Shamrock lo1e than held her own in the wind ard work of the first leg. The Colum- la has been thought a world beater at lis kind of sailing, and it was by her ability to sail on the wind ! lat she beat the first Shamrock. It as expected, therefore, that she would nish before the Irish boat on the indward leg. Consequently there was uch amazement when it was seen ithin a few minutes after the two i pats had swept over the starting line | lat Sir Thomas boat was quite as ! fifty at beating as the Columbia. mother thing that surprised most of I le yachtsmen was the fact that in the ghter winds that prevailed after the Tn home had commenced the Colum- a appeared to the better advantage. fter the first attempt at 8 race on thursday Sir Thomas said that all he l ;ked was a strong and steady wind, . 1t the prevailing impression has been N at the challenging boat would prob , ply do better against the Columbia in yht airs. The summary:
 START. 1amrock: Columbia. ii :00:14 11:00:16. 4
 Outer Mark 1:25:12 1:25:53.
 Finish