The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-10-01

Lead-CoIumbfa Pulls Up With Her
Running Before the Wind-Neck and
the Lead Then Comes Near Losing 1t.
New York, September 2S.-In the clos
est and most soul stirring race ever
sailed for the old Americas cup the
white flyer Columbia today beat the
British challenger over windward and
leeward course of thirty nautical miles
by the narrow, heart breaking margin
of SO seconds AS Lipton's latest as
pirant for cup hOnors must allow the
defender 43 seconds on account of the
extra S33 square feet of canvass in her
sail area, the official record, under the
rules gives her the victory by one min
uute and twenty-five seconds.
AS a spectacle the contest was su-
perb. From the time the two sky
scraping racers crossed the starting
line until they fled across the finish line
four and a half hours later the result
was in doubt and the excitement aboard
the excursion fleet increased until mea
became frenzied and women almost
hysterical. So evenly matched were
these two scientific racing machines
that never after they started were the
rival shippers out of each others hail,
and more than three quarters of the
time they were so close that Charlie
Barr, who had the tiller aboard the
American. could have tossed a biscuit
to Captain Sycamore on the Shamrock.
For miles as they beat their way to the
outer mark the black shadow of Sham
rocks huge club topsail was painted
on the big mainsail of the Columbia,
and for an hour on the run home. with
the two yachts flying like scared deer
in the following wind, they ran almost
beam to beam as if they had been har-
messed together.
AS result of tOday's race, though
faith in the Columbia still remains in
the herats of the patriots, all the eX-
perts admit that the British boat is the
ablest sloop ever sent to these waters
to lift the 100 guinea cup which the old
schooner America brought across the
Atlantic fifty years ago, and that the
superiority of American seamanship
and American naval architecture, as
represented by the Defender, remains
to be established.
The quality of a sailing ship is meas
ured by her ability to carve her way
into an adverse wind, and in the fifteen
mile thresh to windward today the
golden challenger gained SO seconds,
while on the run home her lead was
eaten up and the Columbia crossed the
finish line exactly 81 seconds before the
Shamrock. 1t must be remembered,
however. that the challenger had the
weather gauge in the beat to wind
ward, no mean advantage, and the
nautical experts said after the race
that during the outward journey she
had been sailed to absolute perfection,
while before the wind the American
yacht not only showed q f1eeter pair Of
heels. but in the opinion of the shares
was better handled.
Disappointed by the fluke of Thurs
day the crowd which sailed down 10
Sunday Hook lightshirS today WAS
somewhat smaller TIN on the opening
day. but, even so, the colony of steam
ers, steam yachts. tug boats, sailing
vessels and excursion craft of every de-
scription formed an angle at the start
ing line miles long. 1t was an ideal
day for a race.
BARR OUTWITTED.
Again today the course, east by south.
carried the yachts along the Long Is
land shore straight out to sea- The
start was thrilling. The yachts bound
ed away across the line like couple Of
runaway horses, the challenger half
length a head and to windward. In
the maneuvering before the start, Cap
tain Sycamore had given the willy Yam
kee skipper genuine surprise. return
ing a Roland for the Oliver he received
on Thursday. Just when Barr thought
he had him under his lee the English
man deadened his headway and then
luffed under the Columbia's stern into
the weather berth. This victory for the
Shamrock at the very inception of the
race the Columbia could not overcome
in the big beat to windward.
The two yachts were an inspiring
sight to the spectators as they plunged
seaward. pounding great fountains OF
spray from their bows and drenehing
the crews lined up along the weather
rail. They heeled to the wind until
their lee rails were awash in the seas