The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-10-04
AMERICAS COLUMBIA,
SUCCESSFUL DEFENDER

s~AS~~
| by Shamrock while Barr used No. 1.
The preparatory gun was fired at
| 1O:45, and both boats were to the wind
| ward of the line and holding away from
| it as neither skipper wanted to cross
| first.
Jockeying For Position.
The windward position was the COW
eted one as it gave the stern boat an op-
portunity of blanketing the other. There
was some pretty jockeying for this berth
| and ten minutes later, when the warm
| ing gun was sounded, both boats were
| still holding away from the line, as If
| it were a reef or a sand bar.
Two minutes before the starting gun
vas 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 not
to cross first but at last Captain Barr
sent the Columbia forward, Shamrock
coming right behind and breaking out her
spinnaker to starobard. An instant later
Cclumba's spinnaker doomed out to
starboard and as they crossed each
broke out balloon top sails.
Columbia was probably fifty yards
ahead of Shamrock at this time and both
yachts were on starboard tack. Columbia
crossed the line exactly IL seconds ahead,
but the official starting time, the handi-
cap gun having been fired, was 11:02 for
both boats.
A Lufing AAatch.
After they had crossed the line the
British boat seemed to cut the Colum-
bias wind to some extent and there en-
sued a luff1ng match, Captain Barr try
ing to get his wind clear. The yachts
were sailing very rapidly, their huge
spinnakers bellying out in the fresh
breeze and their main sails drawing
beautifully. The foreigner began to inch
up on Columbia and after few minutes
of sailing she had pulled up consider
ably.
At this point, however Columbia
seemed to catch her wind and maintain
ed if she did not increase her lead for
the next two minutes. Then again the
Shamrock, her greater sail area Begin
ming to tell, drew up and it was a mag
nificent neck and neck race until at 11:17
when the bronze boat drew ahead and
in a few moments placed a good stretch
Of water behind her flying stern and
Columbia's nose.
In ten minutes more, fairly skimming
over the white crested waves, she had
reeled off a good ten lengths of lead and
at that time seemed to be able to hold it.
The Shamrock Leading.
After thirty-five minutes of sailing,
both going at terrific pace, the yachts
had sailed about half of the first leg,
and try as the American skipper would,
he did not seem to be able to lessen his
flying rivals lead, the splendid wind send
ing the great white clouded racers fairly
spinning along toward the outer mark
Every square inch of their canvas,
from their ballooners down to the very
bottom of the main sails seemed to draw
perfectly.
They We're sailing wing-a-wing, the
huge spinnakers out to starboard and
main sails to port, the enormous cloud
of canvas hiding the hull, but the En-
glish yacht was not to be overtaken.
She had more square feet of sail and
every one of these feet was telling in the
beautiful run before the wind.
It looked as If Shamrock meant TO
make up the fortythree seconds which
she had to give her rival, SO that when
the outermark had once been turned, it
would be beat home on even terms
The Wind Flattens.
w Atil tWO-tHlIuS Oh the nTSt leg naQ
been covered, it seemed certain that she
would be able to hold her own under the
weather conditions prevailing and hopes
of the patriots We're centered on Co.
lumbia's ability to outpoint the golden
boat.
About a quarter past 12, when the
boats We're nearing the outer mark, the
wind began to f1atten little which was
instantly shown in the decreased speed
Of the sloops. But they were eating up
the fifteen miles which lay before them
and the stake boat at a splendid gait
and still going like the wind.
Drawing near the outer mark, the
weather was becoming more and more
Shamrock-like. With the fattening
wind, the sea was comparatively smooth
and all conditions were absolutely ideal
for before thewind race.
At 12:45, with the outer mark almost
upon her the Shamrock's whit.-coated
sailors clipped forward nimbly and in
came the great spinnaker preparatory
for the turn. An instant later Colum-
bias men had also gotten in her great
sail, and before it had been hauled to
the deck, the Shamrock was luffing
around the stake boat. Right in her
wake came the American and right be-
hind her she turned.
Time of Turning.
Official time of turning, as given by
Marconi's wirless telegraph:
Shamrock. 12:4S:46; Columbia, 12:49:35.
After rounding, the Shamrock held off
toward the Jersey shore on the STAR
board. Columbia went off shore on
port tack. But Barr only held this for
an instant before he swung the Colum-
bia round on starboard tack and the
racers began the trip to windward which
was to decide the contest.
At l:O5 Sycamore put Shamrock on the
port tack, and crossed Columbia's bow.
She held this tack for about two min
utes. then again swung about on the
starboard tack, and both boats were
headed dead in shore towards Long
Branch. For five minutes more thew