Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1903-09-03

Reliance Again Beats Shamrock
Off Sandy Hook.
At the End of the Fourth Race, Which
Was Not Finished Within Time
Limit, the Cup Defender Was
About Two Miles Ahead
Of Challenger.

New York, Aug, 26.-In IA glorious
breeze over a triangular course, ten
miles to a leg, the fleet-footcd cup
defender Reliance again on Tuesday
showed her heels to Sir Thomas Lip
tens challenger, taking the second
race of the cup series of 1908 by the
harrow margin of one minute ana 10
seconds. 1t was as pretty and as hard
fought contest as has ever been
sailed off Sandy Hook, an had the
wind not fallen during the last ten
minutes, the record for the course,
three hours, IL minutes aud IL sec
onds, made by Columbia two years
ago on her memorable race against
Shamrock ii, would have been
broken.
As it was, Reliance sailed the 80
miles within two minutes and 80 sec
onds of the record, which speaks
wonders for her speed in the wind
that was blowing. Reiian ,e's victory,
narrow as it was, would have been
even smaller had not Capt. Wrinee,
the skipper of the British ship, bun
gled the start, sending Ins craft over
the line 10 seconds after the last gun
and handicapped her to that extent.
At every point of sailing the defen-
der's superiority was demonstrated.
She gained one minute and 81 seconds
in windward work, 40 seconds on the
run to the second mark. and As sec
onds on the close reach for home.
New York, Aug. 2S.-IVith Reliance
less than a third of mile from the
finish and Shamrock III hull down on
the horizon, fully two miles astern
of the gallant defender, the fourth
race of the present series for the
Americas cup Thursday was declared
off because of the expiration of the
time limit of five and one-half hours.
Although officially it was no race,
the defeat administered to the chal-
lenger was so ignominious that what
ever lingering hope remained in the
breasts of the friends of Sir Thomas
boat vanished into thin air. Reli-
ance's victory was in every way more
decisive than that of last Saturday
Outsailed, outpointed and outfooted,
it was a procession from start to fin
ish
The Herreshoff wonder beat the
Shamrock hopelessly in the Is miles
of windward work, rounding the
outer mark II minutes and 80 seconds
ahead Of her, a gain in actual time
of II minutes and % seconds, and
down the wind she steadily increased
her lead. The real race of the dav
was not against Shamrock but it was
seen in the exciting struggle of ReIi-
ance in the last half hour to reach
the finish line before the regatta COM
mittee fired the gun which should
announce the expiration of the time
limit. Had the wind freshened 20
minutes earlier than it did, the cup
series would have ended yesterday
with three straight wins for the de-
fender, and Flies famous light
weather boat would have sailed back
to Albion's shores one of the most
disastrously worsted challengers in
the history of the American cup con
tests.
Fully as discouraging as the sailing
qualities displayed by the challenger
was the atrocious manner in which
the yacht was handled. She crossed
the line in the wake of Reliance with
handicap of 81 of the precious sec
onds for which Fife had sacrificed so
much in sail spread for time allow
ance. Both boats, it is true, went
over after the smoke of the handicap
gun, but where both are handicapped,
it is only the Sternmost craft which
actually suffers.