The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-08-25
RELIANCE Defeats SHAMROCK
III. AFTER a EevAL BATTLE
E5a cu?KEMAcY.
PhT:i0Ts BECAME NERVOUS
THE cHALLENGER's WONDERFUL
wla0wARD WORK MADE OUT.
LOOK DUBIOUS.

WCIVC w HLLGCUshEOJ DIC0ZC Ot0I q
windward and lecward curse of thirty
miles, the gallant sloop Reliance Sat
urday beat Shamrock III. in command.
ing style by exactly nine minutes act
ual time, or seven minutes and three
seconds after deducting the one min
ute and fifty-seven seconds which the
defender comedies to Sir Thomas Lip
toms third challenger on account of
her larger sailing plan as at present
measured.
It was a royal water fight for the an
cient trophy which carries with it the
yachting supremacy of the world, and
by a strange coincidence the first vic
tory in the cup series of 1903 occurred
on the fifty-second anniversary of the
day on which the old schooner Ameri-
"a captured it in her famous race
around the Isle of Wight. Reliance
beat the British boat three minutes
and twenty-four seconds in the thresh
to windward and five minutes and
thirty-siX seconds in the run down the
wind.
The nautical sharps who had already
made UP their minds on Thursday that
Reliance could take the cas- of
the challenger in any kind of weather,
regard Saturdays test as conclusive,
although they hardly anticipated SO
overwhelming a victory.
Dampened Lipton's Ardor.
The race even dampened the ardor
of Sir Thomas, who insisted after
Thursdays fiuke that his confidence in
the beautiful craft designed by Fife
was greater than ever. Still, like a
true sportsman, he does not acknowl-
edge defeat and hopes for better luck
next time.
The single criticism he and his
friends make of Saturdays race was
that the only shift of the wind which
occurred was to the advantage of the
defending yacht. AS this shift of the
wind occurred on the windward beat,
even granting that it accounted for
Reliance's lead at the turn, the time
the defender gained on the run home
was more than ample to have given her
the ICE
It must be conceded, however, that
Shamrock showed herself a wonderful
boat in the beat to windward, perhaps
sent across the Atlantic on a cup
hunting expedition. For twelve miles
the great single-stickers raced like a
team Of horses, and during that por-
ton of the duel the patriots made no
attempt to conceal their
The scene at the finish was soul
| stirring.
Under her towering cloud of can
vas. rolling rhythmically in the sway,
Reliance bounded across the viewless
finish line. Excursion boats gathered
there fairly awakened the echoes with
the terrific din which they let loose.
Waited to Cheer the vanquished.
Such pandemonium can only be heard
when an American yacht is victorious
in a cup race. Then the immense
c%oncourse of vessels waited until
Shamrock, majestic even in defeat,
swept by between the stakeboats. The
reception she received was, if any
thing, more hearty than that accorded
to her successful rival. Such tribute
Americans gladly paid to the true
British sportsman who is SO valiantly
trying to win back the trophy which
the old schc~1er America captured
from a feet oF English yachts fifty-two
years ago Saturday.
There was more than ordinary bus.
IlG, loia d 0uIludy, lHSluo oduuy f1OOk
yesterday. The John Scully, one OF
the New York Yacht club boats, came
down from the city bearing the racing
committee at an early hour and the
reasons for remeasuring the Shamrock
were carefully gone over. Sir Thorn
as Upton said that Mr.. Fife had bee,
informed they need not carry chair
or anchor.
However," he said. 81 have no OBJ
lection to offer and no fault to find
and. as you see. I have sent the Sham
rock up to the dock"
This was true. for an hour before
the committee arrived. the tug Cruiser
had taken the two Shamrocks in tow
and was proceeding to the Erie basin.
1t is unlikely that the remeasure
ment will alter the time allowance in
any appreciate degree. as Sir Thomas
Upton said that should the additional
weight of anchor and chain. which will
be aboard when the tape is passed over
her, increase her sailing length. the
original figure will be restored by the
removal Of other weights.