The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-08-21
Challenger Mile Behind When
Return Signal Sounded.
SIR THOMAS SAYS HE III
is NOT DISAPPOINTED
Confident Of Landing the Cup lf He
Can Get a Breeze-Experts Believe
the Defender Has Proved
Her Superiority to the VII
Cup Hunter.
# Gossip.
(By Associated Press. )

(By Associated Press)
NEW YORK, August 20.--One Of thA
biggest crowds Of slght-seers and yachts
men that ever sailed down Sandy Hook
to witness an attempt OF a foreign cup
hunter to wrest from America the yacht
Ing supremacy Of the world returned to
New York tonight disappointed because
the sea had refused a field Of combat to
the racers, but nevertheless jubilant in
tho conviction that Sir Thomas Lpton's
latest challenger, like the two shamfocks
which had preceded her was doomed to
return to England empty handed OF
course the race to-day was not absolutely
conclusive, owing to the light and shifting
character OF the airs but in flftaen-
milo beat to windward, , a portion OF which (
was sailed in a driving rain, the cup
defender Reliance showed her heels to-
Shamrock III. in commanding style. and
in weather conditions which were sup
posed to be to the particular liking OF the
challenger. " s5 & 5i;8a }S j S 3ii lsaS$S
fTife's latest creation has been heralded \
as a iveritable wizard in light breezes In (
Windward work. especially with a jun pyil
seh on, while the Reliance in her trials
had demons trated best reaching and run
ming In whole sail wind 4 Y ct to-day.
with d breeze varying from one to twelve
knots and against q long ground swell
the defender soutfooted and soutpointeds her.
The Sha mrock did not turn the outer
mark, and there is therefore;: n o way Of
knowing absolutely how badly she was
beaten but 1T was estimated that she was
more than a mile astern, or about sixteen 4
minutes In the existing strength OF the
,io5 xrhor "a Pa1iQnCe r0Nndad
AS a result of the trial the experts be-
lIeve blow high or low, that the Reliance
will win this, the thirteenth series. for
the Americas cup.
Miserable Day.
Tho day was miserable one tor those 9
who went down, to the ocean race course
or Sandy Hook. A mist lay over the Y
city and bay In the morning, and when
the great fleet Of excursion steamers.
steam yachts, tugs and sailing vessels
reached the starting line where the big,
single stickers were already jockeying
for a POSITION black threatening clouds
were gathering over the Jersey Highlands.
Tho dark water reflected no SHADOW. and
tho mist all about shortened the ohserva-
ton. The breeze was not over six knots.
and tho murky waves spilled no white
froth from their crests.
The course was set fifteen miles south.
vest, straight down the Jersey coast, and
return At the very start Captain Barr
clcverly outgeneraled Captain Wrtnge,
sending the Reliance over the line thirty
three seconds behind the challeng ger but
in the windward berth. In the first tWen-&
ty minutes of sailing the defender showed
oven terms with the challenger. besides
being about two hundred yards to WIND
wnrd. Then the storm broke, and for
thirty minutes the rain came down in tor-
rents, the wind indreaslng to twelve
knots.
When the storm had passed the Defend
or was seen to be firmly established on
the weather bow Of Shamrock III, ana
she was never afterwards headed.
The work OF the patrol fleet was per-
fect Moving at right angles, line ahead
and line abreat, the revenue cutters kept
tho yachts In the hollow Of a moving an
gle. MS free from interterenfe as It they
had been sailing In mld-ocean.
Under the rules. the first race, fifteen
miles to leeward or w!ndward. and re-
turn, is now postponed until Saturday.
JOCKEYING FOR POSITION,
The Reliance reached the starting ltns
at 10 A. NJ. and dropped her toW-line'
Shamrock III, arrived ten minutes later.
No sooner had Shamrock III. filled away
than the Reliance bore down upon her
from windward position and hauled on
the wind alongside OF her In position
to blanket the challenger, Captain WrlnSs
promptly wore ship, and bore away from
tho Reliance, refusing to take part N
the brush,
When the committee tug fred the
preparatory signal at 10:45 the two racers
were crossing the line for a little brush
oft to the wIndward of It, but as the
warning signal was fired at 1850 they
whired about and ran back toward tho
line, Shamrock III, Whirled En her
heel lust to leeward Of the line, and res
crossed 1t. The Reliance promptly fol-
lowed,
boat across by about fifty yards. but the
Reliance held the windward position.
The official starting time was:
Shamrock III, ll:0lI4.
Reliance, 11:ol:47.
Both boats sailed ssaward an hour ana
twenty minutes. The wind dropped to
about four knots soon after the start.
YACHTS ABEAM.
Within twenty-five minutes after start
Ing the Reliance had overhauled Sham
rock III, and was abeam OF her and two
hunded yards to windward. The RAli-
ance had not only footed faster but
pointed higher than the challenger, and Il
MAS showing that under conditions sup
posed Ia the most unfavorable sbe WAS .
better boat
Halt an hour after the start, whAn ~