The Washington times., 1903-08-29
Race Between Reliance and
Shamrock Ill Declared Off
at an Early Hour This
Morning, Due to Weather.
Storm Which Is Now Rag
ing One of the Worst
Ever Seen on the Eastern
Coast-Life Guards Busy.

HIGHLANDS OF NAVESINK, N. J..
Aug. 2s.-There will be no race for the
Americas Cup today between Sir Thomas
Lipton's Shamrock III and the American
| sloop Reliance, because of heavy storm
which has been raging on the coast for
TWO days The two racers lay Juggling
at their mooring buoys this morning
with second anchors cast from the
/ sterns. to keep the yachts from dragging
In the easterly gale. No attempt was
made TO make sail and the crews waited
Tor the race TO be called OF oflcially.
All yesterday and last night the storm
ragged on the Jersey shore. flashing the
sea into mountainous waves which BOOM
ed up the beaches and flung themselves
against protecting bulkheads and jetties
after tearing away the beaches In front
Wind Blows a Gale
The wind blew a gale all night and at
midnight the thermometer at Sandy Hook
registered thirty-seven miles. This
morning the spinning cups on the wind
gauge showed thirty-two miles at
O'Clock The wind held TO its initial
velocity and through the night, the tug
Guiding Star lay at the dock at Sandy
Hook with steam up to be ready to go
to the assistance of the sloops should
anything happen.
The storm brought with 1t great show
ers OF rain, which fell necessarily
through the moraing Patrolling :he
shores were the solitary life guards.
who kept a keen lockout for wrecks.
The seas were high and wicked, and . n
shore old Scotland lightship angrily
wrenched at her anchor chains as she
nv
Certain destruction awaited the racing
sloop which dared round the point on
Sandy Hook. The topmast OF Shamrock
was housed early last night.
Life Savers Alert
Midsummer has rarely witnessed such
a severe storm as the one which is blow
ing over the eastern coast today. Provi-
dentially, no ships have been blown
ashore, although the life-saving service
is keeping sharp vigil all along the
shore. The advance OF the storm came
Thursday night when pu1y breezes
from out of the southeast developed into
half a gale, which brought in from the
sea heavy clouds laden with rain.
The snug little light behind Sandy
Hook Point sheltered many storm
tossed craft yesterday and today. The
stern seemed to reach its climax OF in
tensity at midnight, wheE a gale OF wind
howled and screamed across the waters
and shock the wooden cottages of sum
mer residents from the caves 10 the
foundations The placic waters Of the
sea on Thursday we're boiling and swirl
ing today. Heavy waves, with caps OF
foariy white, hurried in serried lines
without cessation toward the shore.
where they broke with cracking hooms
and roars that could be heard far behind
the highland hills. Great stretches Of
beach were washed away. The higher
parts of the beaches were lathered in
foam and spume. which were carried of
in the air by the cracking wind Pacing
their patrol OF two miles each up and
down the edge OF this seething maei-
strom walked the solitary figures Of the
Iife-sayers all through the clustering
night
Communication Cut OF.
The wind, when the tide had rstreated,
blew the sand in clouds into the air
and the fine PARTICLES snapped and slung
the eyes OF the shoregmen so full of it
until they were half blinded. The lone
" telephone line from one life-saying
station TO another carried no messages
OF reported wrecks up to 9 o'clock this
morning. In such storm as this. the
belated skipper takes his storm-tosstd
craft to sea to ride IL out as best he
may vessel beaehed today would be
destroyed within q few minutes after
grounding
The blankets Of rain made vision i'm
possible a few hundred yards from
shore.
This kind of storm will have TO blow
itself out" said a beach barnacle this
morning. nothing can turn it from its
course" Telegraph and telephone ser
vice along the Jersey shore was badly
crippled today and railroads were much
behind in their schedules.