Waterbury Democrat., 1901-10-04
WE WIN THE CUP.
Columbia Went Over the Line
 First To-Day.
SHAMROCK THEN TOOK LEAD.

Passed the Challenger-The Race Was a Pretty and a Close One
 The Shamrock Once More Passed the Columbia. and Both Yachts
 Were Heading for Home With All
 Sails Set.
 New York, Oct 1.-The same strong l northwester which yesterday blew the l Columbia to victory prevailed this 1 morning. A smashing wind scurried l across lower New York bay, kicking up white caps in every direction. It blew out the flags and pennants on board the fleet anchored inside the Hook as straight~as boards, and out to 1 sea sent q lot of coasters down the 1 Jersey coast at a lively rate As was 1 the case on yesterday, it increased 1 steadily after sunrise. and at o'clock was blowing from IS to 20 knots.
 Nearly all the pilot boats on the sta 1 tion off Sandy Hook were well reefed down and only the heavy laden coast 1 ing schooners Were able to carry sail. There was an added touch of frost i'll l the air. but overhead a brilliant sun 1 shone from clear autumn sky and
 wind and weather were absolutely per l feet for to-days contest. Under the ] rules to-day's race was fifteen miles to ! windward or leeward and return. and ! it was q foregone conclusion that the l course would be dead run before the wind to the first mark and if the wind l held true long beat back to the fin ish. It was in just such a race as
 this that two years ago the Columbia l gave the Shamrock 1 q decisive beat ing of over six minutes. It was again l Shamrock's weather or at least what
 the golden yacht people have been ask 1 ing for.
 1 The yachting experts looked forward With keen interest to the splendid run 1 before the wind to-day as promising
 fair test of the Shamrock's ability in l that direction. Yesterday the Amar- can boat demonstrated her superiority on both the close reach, the broad
 reach and the windward work, but as yet the two racers have not met under 1 good conditions in run square before
 the wind. While Saturdays race was l of this description the wind was so | light and uncertain that none of the l sharps considered it as decisive.
 The crews of both yachts spent the 1 early morning hours in q final and
 thorough inspection of rigging ani l sails, to make sure that nothing had been sprafned or weakened in yester- days strong wind. Both yachts got
 away from their moorfngs earlier than usual this morning, the Shamrock. in- | stead of UaifiYlQ cIa +,;I I.,
 hoisting her mainsail inside the Hook 1 The Columbia, however, went out un- 1 der tow, with bare poles and before 9 l o'clock both yachts had passed outside 1 Sandy Hook The splendid breeze still 1 held true and strong and out beyond the lightship was kicking the blue water into whitecaps.
 Thes mainsail run up on the Sham- l rock is one not before used in her
 races here. It wrinkled badly at first, | bur by the time the lightship was reached 1t was setting splendidly. I The Navigator. the committee boat, passed out at 9:25 followed shortly by I the guard boats. and the first boats tf l the excursion fleet soon after passing l through the narrows. Shortly before l 10 o'clock the Columbia hoisted har 1 mainsail and soon after dropped ner l tow.
 By quarter past 10 o'clock both boats l were standing off and on around the l lightship with mainsails and clubtop- l sails up. The wind was still going I merrily when the committee boat took l up her position to the south of the l lightship and hoisted signal, the let l ter "C" indicating that the course l would be fifteen miles south-south- I east to leeWard and return.
 Neither Captain Barr nor Captain l Sycamore seemed to fear the wind. for l both set their No 1. or largest clubtop- l sails, though yesterday Captain Syea- I more in q wind of the same strength had invited some severe criticism. IS he did not apparently make the best
 use of the cloth at his disposal He
 used a No jibtopsail, while Barr was using his No 1, and distinctly lost 1 ground in the second leg
 The excursion fleet had by this time begun to gather back of the line, and I it was fully as big as any of the pre- ceding days.
 When the preparatory gun was fired | at 10:45 both boats were to the wind ward of the line and holding away from it. as neither skipper wanted to cross 1 first. The windward position was the l coveted one. as it gave the stern boat an opportunity of blanketing the other. 4uGIG4 WdS SOn0 PIclty JONkGy HE iO- this berth and ten minutes later when
 the warning gun sounded, both were
 still holding away from the line as if l it were a reef or a sandbar. Two | minutes before the starting gun WAS fired the boats continued to hold away
 and it seemed impossible that they could cross the line before the firing
 of the handicap gun. Both shippers
 held stubbornly to their determination ont to cross first. but finally Captain Barr sent the Columbia forward, the Shamrock coming right behind him and breaking out her spinnaker to starboard. An instant later the Co., lumbia's great spinnaker broke out to starboard and as they crossed each
 broke out balloon iibtopsails. It was now evident that the handicap gun bad
 scarce been fired before the Columbia, a few seconds in the lead, went over the line. She was probably fifty yards ,l ahead of the Shamrock at this time
 and both yachts were on the starboard tack
 Il The Columbia crossed the line appar- I entity about eighteen seconds ahea1,
 but the official starting time, the han
 dicap gun gaving been fired, was 11:02 for both boats.
 l After they had crossed the line the
 British boat seemed to cut the Collnl-
 bias wind to some extent and there pnSIJpd a Iittle 1l1ffing match Captau