The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-09-05
OH, HOW THEY NHO0PED!1
In the Binding Mist the Badly Beaten
Shamrock Missed the Finish Line
and Never Crossed---An
Hours Dangerous
Rush Through
the Fog.
(By the Associated Press.)

American cup-defender, today won the
third and final race and the series for
that famous sea trophy, the America
cup. In a dense fog. which prevented
vision beyond 200 yards, She finished the
race at $4,000 amid the acclamations
of the assembled fleet. Shamrock III af
ter running for more than an hour in
the fog, missed the finish line, passed
by it and then returned to it from the
opposite direction. AS the Reliance was
then being towed through the fleet, yacht
ensigns futtering from her truck and
spreaders in celebration of her victory, |
the Shamrock III did not cross the finish !
line AS often said of the historic race
when the America won the cup, there was
no second.
This successful result was achieved
only after four futile attempts to sail
Off the final race and after the outcome
had been admitted by even Sir Thomas
Upton to be a foregone conclusion. To
days was the eighth attempt to sail a
race. After one huke the Reliance won
the two following races, one by seven
minutes and three seconds and the other
by one minute and nineteen seconds. 4
week ago today the first attempt to sail
the third race failed, and attempts have
been made every day this week On two
occasions the Reliance led the Shamrock
TO the finish line by about two miles but
failed to reach it before the expiration
OF the time limit of five and half
hours. Today's victory means that the
cup is destined to remain III America
until England is able to produce Il genius
equal to Herreshoff in yacht designing.
Rarely, ii ever, has there been more
spectacular finish than the Reliance's
today After racing for more than an
hour at terrific speed through a binding
fog, the Reliance burst through the wall
of mist upon the vision of the spectators
on the fleet assembled at the flush line.
and heeling under a great bellylng bal
loon jib topsail until her lee rail was
awash, fled across the finish line almost
before the spectators could determine for
a certainty that it was She
The duel between the shippers began
at the sound of the preparatory gun and
continued through "a series OF brilliant
manoeuvers in which Captain Barr again
proved his splendid seamanship by out
generating Captain Wringe until the
boats went across the line. He never re-
lnquished the windward position which
the Reliance held when the preparatory
gun was fred Alternately luffng and
keeping away Captain Barr prevented the
Shamrock from getting away from HIM
and across the line. but two minutes af
ter the starting gun and at the sound
of the gun indicating the expiration of
the handicap, Captain Wringe luffed the
Shamrock across the stern of the Re
hance and the two boats went across
the line together.
The official starting time was:
Reliance, 1:01:56
Shamrock. 10000.
The Shamrock III actually crossed the
line at 1:02:03 and suffered a handicap OF
three seconds.
They went off at a swift pace in a
freshening breeze. Captain Wringe at
tempted to outsail the defender by giving
his boat good full and letting her romp
away at fast clip, while Captain Barr
pinched the Reliance close to the wind
and cleverly nursed her toward the turn
irg mark. The Shamrock III at first
footed faster, but the Reliance more than
made it good by outpointing her.
For more than an hour they sailed on
that tack down past the shore off Sandy
Hook and the highlands of Navesink to
Seabright and during all that time the
Reliance steadily worked up to windward
of the beaten challenger outpointing and
outfooting her at the same time and
passing to windward of her. The Re
lance steadily gained and when at $40
both boats headed off to the mark six
miles away, the Reliance was a good mile
ahead and gaining Keeling to a fresh
ening wind and jumping into a rising sea,
which at times threw their long bows
high out of the water, to come down
with a splash that sent miniature clouds
of foam flying from under their powerful
shoulders, the boats were making
pretty spectacle OF it. The boats were
gaining in speed with every mile and the
Shamrock III was a long mile astern
when the Reliance whirled about the
mark and towering stretches Of canvas
broke and bellied out from her spinnaker
pole and over her lean bow. The home
ward stretch had begun.
The boats were timed at the turn as
follows:
Reliance, 3:40:45.
Shamrock Ill., S:51:45.
The Reliance had gained eleven minutes
and three seconds in the thresh to wind
ward, and barring accident, the victory
was hers
AS the boats started the run homeward
under spinnakers and balloon iib topsals,
split about three feet long appeared in
the foot of the Reliance's spinnaker, but
as it drew well. Captain Barr continued
to carry it. For three quarters of an
hour the only variation was slow gain
by the leading boat. The sky was clear