Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-19
All Ready for the Starting Gun.

The cup yachts have been officially meas
ured and are now all ready for tomorrow's
race the first of the series for the great
international trophy. 1t Is the opinion OF
experts that two such racers have never
before been brought together in competi-
ton Each has outsailed Its pace-makers.
representing the best that the past has
produced. and presumably worked to the
limit of their possibilities. In some respects
the dimensions establish new standards.
Both boats approach dangerously close to
the limit of loadwater line length. Sham
rock being only nineteen-hundredths OF a
foot short and Reliance thirty-four-hun-
dredths 1t is reported that Shamrock was
brought within the ninety-foot margin only
at the last moment before measurement by
means of the hasty stripping away OF
everything portable and dispensable. such
as hatch covers. gratings and partitions In
the hold. Reliance had been too closely
calculated to make this expedient neces-
sary.
Yesterdays measurements gave occasion
for some surprise. the official in charge de-
creeing as a result of his figuring that Re
lance must grant the challenger one min
ute and three-qparters on q thirty-mile
course. 1t was thought that the two yachts
would be more nearly equal in respect to
their dimensions and some even had ven
tured the opinion that Shamrock's proper
tons would throw the advantage slightly
to Reliance. But 1t appears that in every
respect save the loadwater line. Reliance
IL the bigger boat. her sail area" COM
puted on the established scale. being con-
siderably larger than Shamrock's This
term does not include literally the entire
area of the sails themselves being ma
terially less. 1t Is an established proportion
governed by the height of the mast length
Of boom. length of gan, etc.
Some criticisms of Reliance have ap-
peared in consequence of the revelations
OF the Official measurements. She Is styled
q big brute" as contrasted with the
smaller body and sail area Of her rival. 1t
Is pointed out that Defender was Of the
Shamrock type while the Valkyrie of that
year. 1895. was OF the Reliance type. In
that regatta only one race was sailed to a
finish, Defender winning that by eight min
utes. forty-nine seconds. During the Sec
ond race Valkyrie was disqualified for a
foul and Lord Dunraven refused to sail the
third one. So that there Is little reason to
regard the change from a light bodied de-
fender and a heavy bodied challenger to a
light-boded challenger and a heavy-bodied
defender sas boding Ill to the American
yacht this year. Had Defender proved the
better boat in all three races sailed to a
finish this reversal of style might be sig
nificant.
The betting continues to favor Reliance.
and last night In New York, after the time
allowance was announced. a large bet was
placed at 2h to 1 on Reliance. Certain
indications and admissions point to the fact
that Shamrock is by no means the same
boat as IN 1890 and that therefore her sue
cessive defeats by Shamrock III do not
augur the defeat of Reliance. The solitary
question now uppermost in the American
mind. however, relates not to these points,
but to the ability of Reliance to sail thirty
miles more than one minute and forty-five
seconds faster than her rival. But If she
cannot do and Is squarely beaten In
good winds. without f1ukes or accidents,
the American cheers for Sir Thomas Upton
will be hearty and sincere.