The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-13
CAUGHT IN A SQUALL
SHAMROCK III. SHOWS HER MET.
TIE WHEN THE WIND BLOWS
GREAT GUNS
sMARTLY HANDLED WITHAL
Challenger Faced a 54-MiIe Wind in
a Narrow Channel With $4,000
Feet of Canvas Up and Es-
capped Unscathed.


ten trial spins in these waters and in the
I sixteen or more on the Clyde the Sham
rock IL. and her crew never had a more
exciting experience than they had during
ten minutes this afternoon, when the
yacht was caught in a fierce SQuall that
came out of the west and blew at the
rate of hfty-four. miles an hour as re-
corded at Sandy Hook weather station
The squall came so suddenly that the
men ~had no time to shorten sail except
to take in forestay sail, SO that the yacht
had to take it with the whole mainsail
jib and working gaff topsail set This
1t was estimated, was about 90 600 square
feet of sail. She was off the Bell buoy
at Sandy Hook, bound in after a short
spin as far as the middle of Gedney
channel
Just before the squall struck her. sails
had been trimmed in so that the Sham
rock would weather the red buoys on the
north side of the channel. She had just
filled away on the port tack, when the
squall hit her on the lee side, putting
her aback and in irons The water as
far the eye could reach was feather
white, and the wind fairly screamed
through her shrouds as she gathered
sternway. Things began to look very
serious for the challenger. Capt Syca-
more never lost his head, but shifted
his helm and then, as the yacht began
to gather headway, she felt the full force
of the wind. Down she went until her
rail was out of sight and the water
was boiling up around her matches. The
tall mast was leaning at an angle of be-
tween thirty-five and forty-tive degrees,
and there was not man who watched
her but expected to see the mast go by
the board. Gradually she righted and
forged ahead, but new danger threat
ened.
The yacht was now out of the channel
and heading directly for the east point
of that dangerous shoal known as
"Flynns Knoll" where there is only tff-
teen feet of water and she draws about
twenty-one feet. Fearing that she would
strike, some Of the crew hailed the tug
Lawrence, but the tug could not have
reached the yacht in time
SMART sEAMANsHIP.
The moment she had sufficient head
way to go about Capt. Sycamore jammed
his tiller hard down, and the boat re-
sponded, staggering up into the wind un-
til the big mainsail Slated like claps
of thunder, and it looked as if the jib
would jerk the bowsprit out of her But
=, not rope yarn parted and as she filled
away, heelng down again to the danger
angle, she cleared the shoal and was
soon out in deep water again.
II had been narrow escape, but the
squall had not yet spent its force, and
the strain on the mast and gear for
the next five minutes was something ter
rible Standing on the slanting deck was
impossible without holding onto some
thing. BY the advice of Mr.. John Hyslop,
the measurer of the New York Yacht
club. and the first American who has
sailed on the Shamrock, Mr.. James went
below when the squall struck the yacht
so as to be clear of the spars and gear
if any had been carried away. The 9TH
ers remained on deck, hanging on to the
weather rail until the weight of the
squall had passed. Then a couple OF
men were sent aloft to unloosen the top
of the gaff of the main topsails from
the mast and send it down. A few min
utes later the tender Lawrence passed
the yacht a line, the mainsail was low
cred and the yacht made fast to her
mooringS at 2:30.
Before the challenger was made fast
Sir Thomas Upton was alongside in his
launch from the Erin. Springing on deck
he anxiously inquired of Mr. Watson if
anything had given way during the
sQuall. Upon being told that the yacht
was as staunch as ever he was much
pleased and complimented Capt Syca-
more on his handling of the boat
When seen few minutes later on
board the Erin by an Associated Press
reporter Sir Thomas said:
mo big sloop was ever subjected to
such am awful strain as that have
Mr. Hyslops word for it, and Capts
Walker and Hall, of the revenue cut
ters Gresham and Chase, both of whom
have been about forty years at sea, say
they never saw vessel behave so splen-
didly in such a severe blow. Why, the
yacht was nearly on her beam ends 1t
did not blow nearly as hard the day we
lost our mast on the other side. Capt
Sycamore was in very tight place in
that narrow channel, but he brought her
out of it by good handling. -