The Washington times., 1920-07-18

DESTROYER GOLDSBOROUGH, July
lit was a day OF art for arts sake
"A panorama or ghostly yachts NOV
ing In a dream.
Once again the darling OF the seas
caprice. ResoIute. leading the Sham
rock by over four miles. failed In her
attempt to even the score with her
Irish challenger.
Like a coquette. who had already
tried the spirit OF the Resolute In
series OF mishaps and mischances, the
sea today turned her fairest face 10
the white and bronze yacht, and haV-
ing lured her out, bewitched and be-
calmed her and left her stranded.
Seven miles from the finish Reso-
lutte tucked in her wings. unable to
find a wind TO help her across the line
within the prescribed six hours. She
had already been under sail about
five and a half hours.
Somewhere In the rear. about four
miles back. the Shamrock foated, a
helpless thing, as well a victim of the
same temptress.
Disguised and disappointed. Sir
Thomas Upton, in his Victoria, sped
watched his green racer so patiently
and faithfully the whole afternoon.
Superior seamanship and lucky
turn OF gentle zephyr carried the
Resolute beyond the Shamrock, but
seamanship could not completely nj
out the sails, and the wind was lost
somewhere in the four points of the
horizon.
The ocean stretched away like a
vast. dead, desolate prairie OF waste
land. The. waters were like dull
beaten lead. There was a smell of
oil in the air. The sun was climbing
down the sky in the west in a golden
haze, the waters catching it's rays in
sharp stab across the sea. The
Resolute crept for home with funereal
pace in the van of the equally hap
less Shamrock. In their wake
streamed the long line of sightseeing
steamers. The blimp high in the air
rode like an idle cloud, and not an
aeroplane hove into sight. Every
thing moved as in an idle dream.
The sun crept close to the rim of the
earth. Over on the opposite rim the
pink haze was changing to gray.
Night was coming. This was the end
of the race. a day of futile effort as
the Resolute clipped her wings and
gave herself over to the care of an
ugly groaning wind.
1t was a pretty race in the begin
ming. Catching what little wind there
was, Captain Adams. of the Resolute,
outmaneuvered the skipper of the
Shamrock with such devilsh precision
that Sir Thomas must have torn his
hair.
'Tf that's the beat England can
show in seamanship, said John r.
Brophy. famous yacht, man and pilot
for the day of the ". s S. torpedo de-
stroyer Goldsborough. "then America
has nothing to fear from Britannia
When the Shamrock failed to make
the first turn because of a sudden n
falling in the little breeze that had
swept the Resolute on. and rested
for almost a half hour like a paint
ed ship upon n painted ocean to use
the expression most frequent on the
lips Of the spectators. Sir Thomas in
his yacht was seen walking down
the bridge in great anxiety. Some
said he was swearing. OF course,
there was no way OF telling. But he
should have been. He took a sheet
OF paper from his pocket and wrote
some notes on it. Probably decided
to raise the price OF tea right there
and then.
It was a pessimistic group Of news.
papermen that started for the races
| today. "If the Resolute's bowsprit
| doesn't crack today, her mast will. ~
they said. Something is bound to
happen" Something did. The wind
must have cracked it's cheeks the
night before and could hardly whistle
a tune this afternoon.
The wind was technically said to
be blowing up and down today, that
| is, there was no wind at all. In an.
other parlance, this calm is known as
the Irishman's hurricane. Which
merely proves the contention that
the language of the yachtsman 10 al
variance with reason and reasonable
ness,