Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-08-21
TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.
The Yachts.


New York, Aug. 81. Sir Thomas
Upton will not lift the cup this year.
This, in a brief sentence, is the con-
census of opinion after the superior
showing made by Reliance yesterday.
In the early hours today there was no
betting on the races. Shamrock admirers
seemed shy, but Wall street commission
ers, who handle money for the big betters,
were of the opinion that the odds on the
Reliance should now be three to one.
Il is expected that later in the day these
odds will be freely offered. One point
stands out strongly as the result OF yes
terday's attempt to race. That Is that
Reliance, in light airs, and in drifting
match, is Shamrocks superior In adj
mittedly Shamrock weather, the
American boat, except for a few
minutes at the start, was in the
lead. She outpointed the British
boat every minute of the way, footed
faster, and in fact was the better boat
yesterday on every point of sailing
Shamrock's admirers take some consols-
ton in the fact that the American boat
had all the luck in catching stray pufis
of breeze, but Captain Bars skill had a
good deal to do with catching these pufs,
in the opinion of the American yachts
men.
Reliance and Shamrock will meet
again tomorrow in a race of fifteen miles
to windward or leeward and return.
The weather men promise favorable
weather for the race. The winds, they
say, will be light and northerly il the
early morning, shifting gradually to the
eastward and constantly freshening as
the day wears on. A fine breeze is
blowing today, and if this be any augury,
there will be rafting contest off the
Hook tomorrow.
Highlands, n. j., Aug. 21.-With a
slashing breeze, coming out of the north
west, and a lumpy sea, which would
have given the Reliance and the Sham
rock III. something like genuine test,
both racers were obliged to remain at
anchor today, drying their sails. The
shippers of the two boats simply said :
cit is the usual off day luck" and
busted themselves with preparations for
tomorrow while they earnestly hoped for a
steady breeze that would give their re-
spective craft an equal chance ofshowing
their capabilities. The showing made
Yesterday by Reliance as drifter, does
not seem to have disconnected any body
on board the Erin, least of all, Sir
Thomas Upton, who expressed him
self today as more hopeful than
ever of lifting the cup. 81 have
not lost hope in the slightest" said
Sir Thomas, when talking over
the matter today. "The conditions
Yesterday we're the worst | have ever
seen off Sandy Hook. | have been
here now since June, and we never had
anything so bad. The Shamrock got no
show from the wind. The Reliance was
getting all the wind she wanted to foot
away from us while the Shamrock was
lying without a breath. | tell you,
whenever we did get breeze, we lost
no time in getting up on the Reliance
again, but the luck never lasted with
us. As as a matter Of fact, the Sham
rock came about to come home, seeing it
was hopeless to continue, when she was
getting no wind. The Reliance's sails
were full when our sails were limp"
While Sir Thomas talked, he held in his
fingers, the rabbits foot given to him by
a lady before he left England to help
his luck, and holding it up, he said t:
81 don't believe the luck has left
me, and l only hope for a
fair breeze, when we will show what the
Shamrock can do. want a race on
even terms, the same wind for both, and
if we get it do not fear the result. To-
morrow afternoon, if we get wind like
today's, expect there will be different
story to tell. The Shamrock, while the
wind lasted, did better work yesterday
than the Reliance. Experts may say
what they like, on the matter, but this
is my positive belief. / think, too, that
the Reliance, with her higher club top
sail, was getting 'chills, aloft that we
were not able to catch. l was disap-
pointed in yesterdays work only in one
way-of counsel it was good thing for us
that there was no fnish-but then
my disappointment was because of
my friends on the Erin. | never
had such a fine party on board.
There were not more than dozen
Britishers, but there we're Ameri-
cans from every part of the States, all
the way even from San Francisco. !
was sorry for them that we had not
real race, and sorry, because of the great
kindness to me of the American people.
In Gods world there is not a kinder
people. The English might try to be
kind, but they do not know how to be
kind like the Americans"
While Sir Thomas was talking, the
Reliance, which had her mainsail and
club topsail up drying, broke out her jib
and went for a short spin in the bay so
as to get the hot air to work on the can
vas. As she passed the Erin, her sails
fitting perfectly, her maiusail fiat as a
board, Sir Thomas said "She's
beauty, and no mistake"
The Presidents Visitors.
Oyster Bay, n. Y, Aug. 2l.-Presi