New-York tribune., 1903-06-15
SHAMROCKS AT TOMPKINSVILLE
CIALLENGER BEHAYED EXCELLENTLY ON TRIP
FORMIDABLE LOOKING CRAFT
Lipom Hearty WelcomeVels Go TO the Erie
Basin Today

Just as the sun red and angry looking, was
breaking through black bank of storm clouds
at dawn yesterday morning at point ten miles
off Fire Island there appeared to the watchers
on the deck of the ocean tug Charles e. Mat
thews far off on the eastern horizon. four tail,
thin strips of black, each having the motion Oh
an inverted pendulum They were the masts and
sails of Sir Thomas Lipton's challenging yacht
Shamrock III and of the steam yacht Erin, that
was towing her. and of Shamrock and her con-
vcy the British tug Cruiser
Rolling in the heavy swells as they travelled To
the westward at a speed of ten knots an hour,
and meeting the tug going at like speed, they
were not long coming together. 1t was just 4:4O
d nj. when they were sighted from the deck Of
the tug by Pilot Frank Johnson, and in twenty
eight minutes Captain Joseph Stork was whist
ling the first salute of welcome in American
waters to the third of the Shamrocks that has
braved the perils of the old Atlantic to make d
third attempt to lift" that blue ribbon of the
seas" the Americas Cup.
For two days and two nights the Matthews. in
charge of Sir Thomas Lipton's American rep
resentative H. Her Davies. had been cruising
over the troubled waters off Sandy Hook with
party of newspaper men, photographers and
artists who had strained their eyes in vain look
ing for the belated yachts. and had waited in
vain for the wireless message that never came
Flying the ensign of the Royal Ulster Yacht
Club at her taffrai and with Sir Thomas Lip
toms private signal. the shamrock on yellow
ground at hec topmast truck. the new chal-
lenger made striking picture in the gray dawn
Her skipper Bob Wringe and his of
forty men. clad in yellow oilskins stood bracing
themselves on her yel!owish deck, which
cleaned wet in the sunlight. She came rolling
along under jib set a stubby bit of a bow
spirit and d small. loose footed mainsai She
was following in the wake of the Erin, from
whose port quarter hawse trailed a stout coir
hawser. which was seldom taut. for even under
this jury rig the slippery cutter was travelling
wonderfully fast over the heaving Atlantic
swells, relics of the southeasterly gale with
which all four had battIed only few hours be-
fore.
Greetings alongside were exchanged through
the megaphone between Captain Matthews on
the Erin and Mr.. Davies on the tug One of the
first questions Matthews asked was How did
the Reliance do in her race off Sandy Hook?'
When told that she had by , minutes 81
seconds from the Constitution and by II min
utes from the Columbia he did not seem to be
much surprised and he glanced confidently at
the slippery craft lowing in the Erin's wake
IT was soon arranged that the Erin's old pilot.
Tom Conley. should be pat on board that
Yacht when the feet should arrive near the
lightshp-they were still nearly twenty miles
from it-and that the Matthews should relieve
the Erin by towing fne new yacht 10 Quar-
antine About fiye miles east OF the llghtship
two pilots from the steam ptlotboa- New-Jersey
went alongside the Erin but they We're not re-
quired.
Accordingly at 6.35 Shamrock III was taken
in toy b,, tho Matthews Pilot Coney was pat
on the Erin and Pilot Frank Johnson st NJ
Cruiser Then the fleet, still rolling hard al
times. made its way toward Sandy Hook pass
ing the old red lightship and saluting II at ':lo
a. m. Ten minutes later all hands were sur
rrised and much pleased 70 see the big schooner
Yacht Thistle. owned end sailed by Robert
+, Tod The commodore Of the Au'1''s a'ae
club, come curtseying out to the ghtshlp on ne
starboard tack and saluting the ocean voyasers