The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1901-10-04
80 SECONDS AHEAD
Neck and Neck, the Yachts
Raced, Shamrock Rounding
Outer Mark First.

Outer Mark First.
New York.-In the closest and most
stirring race ever sailed for the old
Americas cup the white flyer Colum-
bis Saturday beat the British ohal-
leneer over o windward and leeward
course Of thirty nautical miles by the
narrow margin Of thirty seconds.
A. Lipton's latest aspirant for cup
honors must allow the defender 4S
seconds on account of the extra SSS
auuare feet of canvass In her sail area
the official record, under the rules
gives her the victory by one minute
and twenty-five seconds.
As spectacle the contest was su-
perb. From the time the two sky.
scraping racers crossed the starting
line until they finished, four and a
half hours later, the result was in
poubt, and the excitement aboard the
excursion feet increased until men
became frenzied and women almost
hysterical. So evenly matched were
these two scientific racing machines
chat never after they had started
we're the rival shippers out of each
others hail, and more than three
Nuarters Of the time they were 90
close that Charlie Barr, who had the
wheel aboard the American boat,
could have tossed biscuit to Captain
Sycamore on the Shamrock. For
niles as they beat their way to the
enter mark the black shadow Of
6hamrock's 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 before the wind, they ran
almost abeam to abeam as though
they had been harnessed together.
The memory of the races between
the Genesta and the Puritan, in 1885,
end Lord Dunraven's fast valkyrie
end the vigilant, in 1898, which have
1een treasured by yachtmen up to
this time, will be forgotten after the
6Agnifcent duel of Saturday. 1t will
i've forever in the memory Of those
Who witnessed ii. In the years to
come yachtsmen Of two nations will
recount the thrilling story of the
eelebrated first race between the Co
lnmbia and the Shamrock II, sailed
"a New York harbor in the first year
q the new century.
Az . result Of Saturdays race,
though faith in the Columbia still
remains in the hearts Of the patriots,
Ill the experts admit that the British
bat il the ablest sloop ever sent to
these waters to lift the 100 guinea
cap which the old schooner America
brUught ACROSS the Atlantic fifty years
80. and that the superiority Of
American seamenship and American
avail scrhitecture as represented by
- calender remains to be estab-
&shed The quality Of q sailing ship
= measured by her ability to carve
1er way into an adverse wind, and in
~ Afteen-mile thresh to windward
~ golden challenger gained 80 Sec
enda while on the run home her lead
vas eaten mp and the Columbia
Uossed the finish line exactly 81 SEQ
I'D before the Shamrock. II must
= rsmembered, however, that the
>nallenger had the weather guage in
- beat to windward, no mean ad-
vnntags, and the nautical experts Aid
nGbsr the race that during the ont.
vaEd journey she had been sailed TO
cnsoluts perfection, while before the
ND the American yacht not only
owed . neeter pair Of heels, but, in
- opinion of the sharPs, was better
hon6led.
Disappointed by the fake Of Thur
~ the crowd which sailed down to |
nndy Hook lightship Saturday was
-omewhat smaller than on the open
day. bat even 90 the colony of
merA steam yachts, tugboats, sail
y vessels and excursion craft Of ev-
Inscription formed an angle at
- searting line ten miles long. 1t
- n ideal day for . race.
G IN nknrt was thrillin0 The vachta
1nded away across the line like .
sopls Of runaway horses, the ohal-
noor half . length ahead and to
1lndWard In the manoeuvering be-
- The start. Captain Sycamore had
~ the willy Yankee skipper .
Qine surprise, returning Roland
u he Oliver he received On Thur
Just when Barr thought he had
under his lee, the Englishman
noened his Roadway and then luned J