The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-07-15
TO Win
ResOlute Broke Halyard at Half
Way Mark.
Contest Was Drifting Match Be-
tween Yachts.
IRISH BOAT IN POOR START
Had to RecrOss Line After Sig
nal Was Given.
With Big Lead ReSolute Was
Almost Certain Victor.


rock ", challenger for the Americas
Cup. kept on for the finish in the first
race Of 1920 after Resolute had with
drawn because OF broken halyards.
The Shamrock " crossed the finish
line at 4:25:30. Sir Thomas Liptor,
owner of the challenger, has fire.
quently declared that if any accident
occurred, he would not accept a vic
tory.
Resolute led Shamrock across the
starting line today in the first Amer
ica's Cup race of 1920.
The yachts moved at fair speed in
ton behind the starting line. The two
sloopS stood in-shore on the port tack
Resolute to windward.
They came about and stood on the
line. AT 1885 the warning signal was
blown and a white ball hoisted.
Handicap Six Minutes.
The official starting time given from
the race committees boat was: Res
olute 12:0O:4O. Shamrock 12:O1:sS.
1t was also announced officially that
the time allowance would be six min
utes and forty seconds, due to
change in measuring the Shamrock's
sails.
From the shore it was apparent that
| the Shamrock had made a poor start.
not crossing the line until after the
handicap whistle had been blown at
1902 o'clock. The yachts crossed the
line on the starboard path.
Made Two Starts.
Shamrock was over the line at the
starting signal and her skipper, Capt.
! William B. Burton. had to recross
Meanwhile Resolute slipped over in
/ first place. Shamrock recrossed about
40 seconds after Resolute and imme-
diately stood after the American boat
! 200 yards astern.
According to yachtsmen, Shamrock's
start today was the worst ever made
/ by a Upton boat.
The advantage of the start lay dis
! tinctly with the American boat be-
cause of the faulty timing on the Lip
ton craft which resulted in her cross
! ing the line few seconds before the
Starting signal. Shamrock at 12.05
was seemingly unable to catch .Reso-
lutte. AT 1910, rain squaI drenched
both yachts and nearly killed the
breeze. Resolute pointed higher but
Shamrock footed a trifle faster.
Raced Thru Rain.
The rain squall hid the yachts from
sight from the shore a few minutes
after the start.
One downpour succeeded another.
/ flattening out the sea so that it was
as smooth as a mill pond. The yachts
apparently were making poor time.
Vivid lightning flashed in the sky
and the torrential rains drove passen-
lgers from the decks of excursion boats
to the cabins below. At l o'clock rain
was falling with the intensity of a
cloudburst and visibility at sea was
limited to a few cable lengths.
With the last downfall came a
heavy squa1l of wind from the west,
| which caused the yachts to stagger in
the sudden blow. Some yachtsmen
today's contest off in view of weather
conditions
| Becomes Drifting Match.
At 1:O5 p. m. with both yachts
standing off shore on starboard
tack, Resolute was more than a half
lmile in the lead and slightly to wind
ward. The wind breezed up again 10
six knots at this point.
At 1870 o'clock the sloops had COW
cred six miles and were a mile and a
half off Seabright, n. ].
The American sloop slowly but
steadily increased her lead at 1:43 p
m. when Shamrock went about on the
port tack and headed inshore, while
the Resolute continued on the star
board tack. 1t was nothing more than
a drifting match in which both skip
pers used reaching jibs to catch the
i ResOlute Shows Speed.
Y After a short board to port. Sham
rock came about again on the star
board tack and followed in the wake
of Resolute. which slid along a little
faster than the challenger.
The wind increased as the yachts
neared the outer mark and Resolute
held up to it better than Shamrock
At 2:15 p. m. on approaching LONG
Branch, Resolute was going fast with
| a chance of reaching the mark. where
as II appeared as IL the Shamrock
, would have to make another tack.
At 2:30 p. m. the yachts were max
: ing short tacks about four miles of
, Long Branch with Resolute half mile
dead to Windward. The breeze still
looked as tho it would blow the racers
) over the course within the time limit
The marker boat was sighted three
: miles ahead.
Resolute was standing for the mari
on the port tack when the throat hal
yards parted and the gaff came hall
way down the mast. Skipper Adams
kept on sailing.
ResoIute Still Holds Lead
Resolute turned the outer mark a
! 2.52:34. headed back for the finish
: a run of lis miles. with her tive
head sails drawing. her club topsai
r swinging helpless Her crew mean
/; I while made every effort to replace tn
: broken rope
!, Turning at 2:57:39 Shamrock passed
the almost sailless Resolute at
. O'Clock. Shamrock overstood tn
mark and wore around with a wild
berth as ihe slipped past her rival
| Resoiutc Forced to Withdraw.
L. Captain Adams. skipper of tn
| American yacht made a game effor
to keep in the race after the accident
but was unable to make the repair
al sea When the jaws Of the gaff o
/ the Resolute came down she was hal
| I a mile in the lead of Sir Thomas Lip
toms boat. near the fifteen mile mark
II The Resolute kept on. with two mel
aloft trying TO repair the broken hal
: Yards. and rounded the half way mar
| more than four minutes in the lead
| Resoiute's tender took her in tow q
s:25 p. m Shamrock kept on for tn
| finish.