The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-28
RACE NOT FINISHED
WIND FAILED YACHTS WITH RE-
LANCE MILE FROM LINE.
SHAMROCK BADLY BEATEN.
WAS OUTGENERALED AT START
AND OUTSAILED IN RACE.

ReIinnce's Victory in Every Way
More Decisive Than That of Sat-
urday-OutsaiIed, OutpOinted ana
OutfOOted the EnsI ish Boat.
Wringe Handled Shamrock Badly
at starting Line-Blundering Work
Cost Him Handicap of 81 Seconds.
sir Thomas Continues to "HOpe."
New York, Aug 27.-With Reliance
less than a mile from the finish ana
Shamrock III, hull down on the hori-
zon, fully two miles astern of the gall
liant defender, the fourth race of the
nresent series for the Americas cup
to-day was declared off because of the
expiration of the time limit of five and
one-half hours, as happened on Thurs
day last.
Although, officially, it was no race,
the defeat administered to the challen-
ger was so ignominious that whatever
lingering hope remained in the breasts
of the friends of Sir Thomas boat,
vanished into thin air. Reliance's vic
tory was in every way more decisive
than that of last Saturday. Outsailed,
out pointed, and out footed, it was a
procession from start to finish.
The Herreshooff wonder beat the
Shamrock hopelessly in the fifteen
miles of the windward work, rounding
the outer mark twelve minutes and
thirty seconds ahead of her, gain in
actual time of IL minutes and 20 sec
I'D e.lan cfn
increased here lead.
where Real Race Was.
The real race of the day was not
against Shamrock. but it was seen In
the exciting struggle of Reliance In
the last half hour to reach the finish
line before the Regatta Committee fEed
the gun which should announce the
expirat ton of the time limit.
Had the wind freshened twenty min
utes earlier than ii did, the cup series
would have ended to-day with three
straight wins for the defender, and
Flies famous light weather boat would
have sailed back to Albion's shores one
of the most disastrously wQrsted chal-
lengers in the history of the cup con-
tests.
Fully as discouraging as the sailing
qualities displayed by the challenger
was the atrocious manner in which she
was handled. The Yankee skipper not
only out unanswered his rival in the
spectacular battle for position at The
start, as he has done every time they
have met, but worse still for the down.
hearted supporters of Shamrock, Capt.
Wringe repeated his blunder of Tues
day.
Wringe Lost gu Seconds.
He crossed the line in the wake of
Reliance, with a handicap of slXty-ohe
of the precious seconds for which Fife
had sacrificed so much in sail spread
for time allowance. Both boats, 1t IS
true. went over after the handicap gun,
but where both are handicapped, 1t IS
only the sternmost craft which actual
ly suffers.
1t was not a pleasant day on the wat
err and the observation fleet, which put
out to sea to witness the race, was
hardly mere than half as large as on
the preceding days. The dark water
of the ocean was as smooth as a floor,
and a light breeze of about four knots
blew out of the southwest. The course
was laid fifteen miles dead into the
wind and return.
Shamrock Beaten in Hour.
AT the end of the first hour, Sham
rock was beaten, and the interest
waned. After rounding the float for
the run home, and setting big bal
looners the wind which had strength
ened to six or seven knots on the beat.
died down, and the towering clouds OF
canvas drifted lazily down an ocean
lane, a mile wide, between the two
divisions of the excursion fleet.
Even in the light air, it was aston
ishng how the defender slipped through
the placid seas With the gentle
breeze distendng the surface of her
pure white sails, and her stern crowd
ed with tars to hold her head up, she
moved along as serenely, and peace
fully as if in dreamless sleep. Yet
the gap between her and the challen-
ger steadily widened until two miles
separated them.
wind Came, hut Too Late.
Half a mile from home when the
spectators had abandoned any idea
that the finish line could be reached
IN time, the wind suddenly freshened
and Reliance came bowling down at
merry clip. But the wind had come too
late, and when still few hundred
yards from home, the gun on the tug
Navigator doomed across the water.
The excursion boats held on until she
crossed the line to give her rousing
welcome, and then scampered for New
York. Sir Thomas, who, heretofore,
mas always followed his champion into
Erin, ahead at full speed, as if to
drown out the memory of the inglor-
lous licking he got To-Day
The next race, which will be like
me one attempted to-day fifteen miles
10 leeWard or windward and return,