Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-08-26
RACE NO. 2 WON
Continued from page H.


( Barr never relinquished his advan-
tage after the start, holding the chal-
| lenger under his, lee all the way to
/ the first mark.
AS the clean limbed racers got fur
Their out the weight of the enthusiastically
increased and the movements began to
/ spill forth from their bows.
Both boats with every stitch of canvas
set, smashed into the seas, heeing down
until their lee rails We're awash in the
foanling brink Their crews. piled up to
weather, were repeatedly deluged with
the showers of spray sent along by their
sharp-like bows
Slowly but surely the thousands aboard
the observation fleets saw the Reliance
was gaining. The excursion fleet did not
go to this mark in obedience to the reg
ulations laid down governing the move
ments AS soon as the Reliance rounded.
the patrol nCtilla blew their whistles and
changing bells i'll the engine rooms sent
the whole fleet at full speed to laeward of
the last leg Of the course. There the vast
iconcourse of steam craft lay wa!loWng
in the trough of the sea until the yachts,
bowling along at a terrific pace. turned
of 10 miles in So minutes ana 20 seconds.
Then the fleet started for the finish line
sjcaming a course parallel with that of
the flying yachts. This last leg was COW
4 le"ed at roaring speed. The guide boat,
sent ahead to show the course, was too
slow, although everything aboard her
was wide open, and Reliance passed her
) before the line was reached. All the ocean
going tugs and many Of the steam yachts
Were lEtcrn in the mad race Just be
fore the finish the wind Gained down, hut
; Reliance went across in ample time to
win, having covered the IL miles in -
minutes. 40 seconds. Shamrock vas
: about IL mile aStern and crossed 1 min
utes and 40 seconds later. to Il repetition
I of the riot of sound which had welcomed
Ralilncc'S victory.
Then the great observation fleet headed
l back to New York at top speed not
waiting to follow the racers in. And it
; was well that it was so. Before half the
fleet had reached the upper bay Il green
gray squat out of the northwest raising
a curtain OF spray as it came, struck the
fleet bringing grief to many excursion
lists and carrying away yacht and steamer
awnings aud top hamper generally Had
the squall found the racers and the at
t ,ndant fleet out on the ocean race course
today might have chronced Il great ma
rine disaster.
>. 1t was Il hard day for the OverWorked
newspaper reporters. There are three
recognized methods for reporting a
= yacht race-the wireless, the fleet OF
small boats carrying the news from
the course to the shore, and d line
! of shore observers along the Jersey
, | and Long Island coast. This was q
day on which all three systems proved
>. a failure. The experience of two years
: ago demonstrated the comparative I'M
!, certainty of all wireless telegraphy, but
/ no one Was prepared for the utter col
G lapse of the system which occurred
:. today. There were four competing
- systems, three of which We're mOst
| active. The atmosphere over the tri-
angular course was beaten to a hope
| less confusiCn so that the Maroon
system, with all its careful prepare
t | ton, was available for but a single
| message through the entire day. II
would not have been so exasperatine
e if the rival companies had been hon
. estly striving to send their own bulle-
= tins, but much of the Interference was
/ obviously malicious.
e Before the yachts had reached the frs
[ turn, a thick haze oversrread the cours,
and shut them entirely from the view
+ iof the shore observers.
Then some INDUCED in a guessing matcf
and one of MarConi's opponent cOmran.
= les profcssod to have received n MESA g,
. giving the hour. minute and second al
which each boat turned the first mark
> This was well enough until the oica
II time was obtained from the committc,
> boat and then it was disclosed as hat
bten supposed at the beginning. that thi.
y So called wireless company was publish
ing bulletins from shore observations anC
wild gu ssc. and no messages had beer
| Transmitted by wireless telegraph at al
When the yachts reached the start
p ing line. shortly after 10 A. NJ, the
q wind was south southeast and blow
, | ing about four knots. not enough tc
, | send them over the course within the
= time limit but there was indication
, | that there would be enough of it later
The preparatory signal was fired at
1915. the warning gun at 1885 and
] the starting gun at ! /. The Navigator
signalled that the race would be over
r n triangular course. 10 miles to a leg
the first leg south, the second north
east by east half-east. the third north
$ west by west half-West. The wind
! at that time was due south ana had
begun to freshen.
In the preliminary jockeying Cap
tain Barr of the Reliance got the wind
ward position, blanketing the Sham
rock III, and chung to it through vari-
> Gus mancuvres until the warning had
been fired. when Captain Wringe had
got clear Of the Reliance. At the sound
of the gun, Shamrock III bore off to
lceward and away from Reliance, while
Captain Barr tackled under the stern
of the Navigator as the starting gun
was fired and crossed the line only
SO seconds behind the gun The
: Shamrock III kept away from the line
: almost until the handicap gun. then
tackled and crossed it handicapped by
10 seconds, for which no allowance was
made to him. The 10 seconds was dead