New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-04
Defeats the Shamrock Badly IN tho
Final Race.

Borne from the wet. gray arms Of a dense ses
Cog on the wings Of an eight knot breeze. the
Reliance doomed over the finish line between tbs
committee boat and the Sandy Hook Lightship.
late yesterday afternoon. victor for the third
successive time over Sir Thomas Lipton's SHAM
rock III The American yacht vanqulshed her
Irish rival by margin that viii never be
known. for the reason that the Shamrock never
crossed the finish line at all. having gone astrsy
in the fog that encompassed the racers wien
they were about half way home from the outer
mark The challenger. cropping blindly through
the mist. passed far 20 the eastward OF tho
lightship. and only found out her mistake when
she heard the sound Of the fcghorn her port
bow. When she first came within sight Of the
little fleet that Law awaiting her arrival she wa,
nearly half mile to leeward Of the line. and,
she at once came ND into the wind and lowered
her sails
As race the contest did not amount % much
Its result foregOre conclusion and was
discounted in advance The Reliance did ex-
actly what she had done before and what was
expected Of her. In the hfteen-rniIe beat she
simply walked away from the challenger from
the boom Of the starting gun eating her way
steadily 70 wfndward and rounding, the mark
IL minutes to the good. When the two flyers
we're last seen from the press boat the Reliance
was more than mile and a half IN the lead.
the Reliance came swishing out OF the fog ~
known only ~ those sboard the two yachts but
the overwhelming victory had been won long
before the fog shut IN. Everybody knew before
yesterdays race that the Cup was safe. Yes
terdays contest was merely by way OF confrma-
ton OF decision already made.
FOG WAS A DANGER.
But. despite the poor showing Of the sham.
49,,
the day provided for the few spectators who
went down the Bay one Of the most thrilling
experiences OF yachting history. II Is a matter
for general rejoicing that the observation fleet
small. for. had such a marine concourss
assembled as followed the yachts at the first
two or three races. il is extremely likely that
numerous accidents would have occurred in the
fog. AS it was. only clever and careful handling
by the various shippers kept the boats out OF
trouble
When morning dawped the conditions FOR
yacht racing were as unpromising as could bs
ina gined There little or no wind. and the
fog over the Upper Bay only less heavy
than that OF the day before The yachts how
ever left their anchorage before o o'clock and
lowed out to the lishtship. where the
revenue cutters found them when they went
down to undertake their arduous task OF keep
ing the steamer Grand Republic within bounds
graced the first few races. there left yes
terday only the Grand Republic. and she had
only about fifty persons aboard. The Corsair.
with j. Pierpont Morgan aboard: the Erin. with.
Sir Thomas Upton and his guests. Cornelius
vanderbilt's North Star. Commodore Bourne.s
Delaware. and two smaller yachts con-
stitutei the entire feet. outside the revenus
cutters and patrol boats. There were not more
than a score OF them all told. and every skip
Il stars pvhe he Hal
that there were no more.
INDIANA AT THE sTARTING POINT.
There was long wait before the regatta com.
nittee thought il prudent to send the boats
away. The interval employed by the at
tendant fleet in running alongside the battle
ship Indiana. which stopped on her way from
Annapolis to take a look at the racers. The big
fighter looking grim and deadly as she Is.
lay 70 windward OF the Hghtship until just
before the race began. and then got up steam
and moved a quarter OF mile TO the north
ward 70 be Of the way. There she lay until
the sIoops got of on their race.
Even when the COMMITTEES signalled that the
course would be fifteen miles to the south and
back there little hope that there would %
breeze enough finish. for the air was moving
not faster than three four knots an hour.
But all hands were anxious to get the races
over that they prepared with eagsrness TO fol-
low the single stickers
The preparatory gun was fred at f245 O'Clock.
and the warning gun ten minutes later. At that
time both yachts were 20 westward ot the COM
rnittee boat The Reliance 70 windward.
but 50 far in advance OF the Shamrock that 70
seemed unlikely that she could establish herself
where she would have a strategic position worth
anything Barr however. was as usual wids
awake. and by cleverIy killing the Roadway oc
his boat he brought her up 70 the line practically
OF even terms with the challenger When the
starting gun doomed the defender was about a
length ahead OF the Shamrock. who followed
over the line practically In her wake. The hand
lean gun csght Captain Wringe three seconds
behind the line. and he lost that trife on the
tournev at the very beginning.
The challenger started at once 70 get away
from the Reliance. for she was scarcely over tho
line before she took the port tack and headed
for the Jersey shore. The Reliance soon fol-
lowed her and both sioops stood IN 10 the east
ward foe more than an hour. They did not come
about until the houses on the SeabriSht coast
were plainly IN view. and the revenue cutters
attending passed close TO the fsheruen's pond
where the Navigator assisted the other day 70
rescue a boatioad OF sailors who had abandoned
sinking schooner. The Shamrock was the nrss