Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-09-04
DID NOT FINISH!
Like the First Big Race There
Was No Second"
Shamrock HopeIessIy Beaten by Reli'
ance inT bird and Last Race.
The Cup Is Safe, Till Herreshoff's
Match Is Found.

NEW 1Ork, sept. 3.-The Reliance
the American cup defender. today, won
the third and final race and the series
for that famous sea trophy, the Amer
lca's cup. In "a dense fog which pre-
vented vision beyond 200 yards. she
| finished the race at $4,000 amid the
Vaccinations of the assembled fleet
Shamrock III, after running for more
than an hour in the fog, missed the
finish line, passed by it and then re-
turned to it from the opposite direc-
| ton. AS the Reliance was then being
towed through the fleet, yacht ensgns
| fluttering from her truck and spread
ers 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 out
come had been admitted by even Sir
Thomas Upton to be a foregone con-
clusion. TOday'S race was the eighth
lattempt to sail a race After one fluke
| the Reliance won the two following
races, one by minutes and 80 seconds
onds.
! Today'S victory means that the cup
| is destined to remain in America until
England is able to produce a genius
equal to Herreshoff in yacht designing.
Rarely if ever. has there been a more
spectacular finish than the Reliance's,
today. After racing for more than an
hour, at terrific speed, through a blind
ing fog the Reliance burst through the
mist upon the vision of the spectators
on the fleet assembled at the finish line,
and, heeiing under Il great bellying
balloon jibtopsal until her lee rail was
awash. fled across the finish line al
most before the spectators could de-
termine for a certainty that it was she.
Once more the Yankee boat had added
to the long string of victories in con-
tests for the honorcd old silver trophy
that carries with it the blue ribbon of
the sea.
A fleet of less than 80 vessels went
down to witness this fifth effort of the
Reliance to cover the course of 80
miles within the time limit. 1t had be-
come a race of the American boat
against time instead of a contest of two
the lightship a gentle southeast wind
of five knots that barely wrinkled the
surface of the sea gave but faint prom
Use that this was to be the final day,
but a shift of the wind to the south
shortly after noon revived the despair
ing hopes of the yachtsmen, for it blew
away the misty haze which had been
hanging over the course since the east
erly storm of last week. the regatta
committee waited until the last mo-
ment to send the boats away at L
o'clock. afer which hour 1t had been
agreed that no race should be started
Signals were displayed to indicate a
windward and leeward course OF ~
miles, south and back.
The duel between the shippers began
at the sound of the preparatory gun
and continued through Il series OF Drill
liant maneuverS in which Capt. Barr
again proved his splendid seamanshlp
BY outgeneraling Captain Wrlnge I'M
iii The boats went across the line. Dur
ing the Is minutes before the starting
gun Captain Barr held the British boat
unCer his lee and for most of the time
bJankcted. He never relinquiShed the
windward position which the Reliance
held when the preparatory gun was mr.
ed. Ten minutes later, when both
boats were heading away from the line,
the Shamrock luffed and forced the Re-
lance about, whereupon both headed
for the line. On the way to 1t the Re-
lance held the challenger under hei'
lee Quarter partially blanketed. Alter
nately luffing and keeping away, Cap
tain Barr prevented the Shamrock from
getting away from him and across the
line. but two minutes after the start
ing gun and at the sound of the gun in
dicating the expiration of the handicap
Wringe luffed the Shamrock across the
stern Of the Reliance and the two boats
went across the line together. The offl-
cial starting time was:
reliance .............. .l.Vi'o"
Shamrock I.u1.oo
The Shamrock actually crossed the
| line at 1929 and suffered handicap
of three seconds. Both were heading
seward but as the Reliance from the
| lee bow of the Shamrock was back
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