pointed the way to material improvemeftts in Columbia, 
and the skill of the Herreshoffs in all classes of light 
work has produced a most perfect craft. In the con- 
struction of Shamrock Mr. Fife had the aid of the master 
hands in the manipulation of modern materials and light 
scantling, the renowned Thorneycrofts. At the same time 
their work is confined to a field distinct from the sail 
yacht, torpedo boats and light-draft commercial steamers, 
' of radically different forin from the fin-keel cutter. 
With a far more intimate knowledge of all conditions 
and details of Cup racing off Sandy Hook, Mr. Herre- 
shofi has from the outset been at an advantage over Mr. 
Fife, whose American experience is limited to a few 
hurried visits to this country. 
The hull of Columbia is plated from keel to deck with 
Tobin bronze, the workmanship being excellent. The 
side stops at the deck, with no bulwark and only a light 
steel angle bulb x 3in. on top of the stringer plate 
and inside of the upper edge of the upper strake, the 
bulb taking the place of a rail. The stringer plate is 
2oin. wide amidships, and tapers to loin. at the ends; on 
its inner edge is a plain steel angle x i^in., against 
which the deck planks lie. It is merely an extension of 
the usual waterway of a steel vessel, but carried to an 
extreme. There is a saving of an appreciable weight 
of deck planking and a clean deck edge, with very little 
to catch the water when submerged, as it often is. 
The bowsprit is short and light, a specially fine piece 
of Oregon pine, stepped in the two short tubes on deck. 
I The head gear is all fitted with long eyes over the bow- 
sprit end, thei^e being no forging except a light steel 
band and a collar to prevent the bobstay from cutting 
into the wood. There is no turnbuckle on the bobstay, 
but the bowsprit is held at the heel by a metal fid. From 
the stemhead on each side of the bowsprit is a round steel 
bar, the after end of each bar passing through one end 
of the fid. By setting up the nuts on the ends of the 
, bar the fid and bowsprit are forced forward, tightening 
the bobstay. The forestay is set up a dozen feet inside 
the stemhead, abaft the heel of the bowsprit. The mast 
' is of steel, with the Oregon pine topmast housing inside 
of it, as shown in the photograph. The boom and gaff 
are also of steel, the former braced by a strut on each 
side, raking upward, over which is set taut a wire rope guy. 
While Shamrock steers with a tiller about 15ft. long, Co- 
lumbia steers with a wheel fitted to a special gearing 
I devised for her by Mr. Herreshoff. 
I While in the dock Columbia was painted white above 
the waterline and Shamrock received a new coat of that 
pea green which, with her particularly ugly and' inar- 
tistic flag of light green and yellow, is supposed to vouch 
for Irish nationality in spite of her Scotch designer, her 
English builders and sail makers and her Scotch and 
English skippers and crew.. 
According to the present programme the measurement 
will be completed by Monday afternoon and the result 
in possession of the New York Y. C. ofhcials by even- 
ing, but it will hardly be made public in time for publica- 
tion in the present issue of the Forest and Stream, 
which goes to press as the first race is being sailed. 
While the chances are plainly in favor of Columbia 
holding the Cup, there are so many important factors 
' which are necessarily unknown to those outside the 
yachts as to make the result by no means certain. The 
long experience of Mr. Herreshoff in the Cup defense 
warrants the expectation of a still better boat than De- 
* fender, and this expectation has been fully justified by the 
performances of Columbia in her many races and informal 
trials. Assuming that the two yachts were equal in de- 
' sign and construction up to the launching and fittmg 
out, the subsequent trials of Columbia against Defender 
have been of immeasurably greater value in improvmg 
her than the few solitary sails of Shamrock, even when 
over measured and timed courses. The smaller displace- 
ment and finer lines of Columbina promise a higher speed 
in the average weather, and the known performances of 
the two boats strengthen this expectation, while it is 
probable that. Columbia will be very fast in harder weather 
when Shamrock is expected to do her best work. 
In the matter of rig there are many things to be con- 
sidered. With a short baseline and small headsads, 
Columbia has the advantage to windward, but in reach- 
ing the big fore triangle of Shamrock is likely to show 
up near the front, and the center of gravity of her rig 
must be lower in proportion to the longer base. Most 
yachtsmen would at once select Columbia's sail plan as 
the more effective, but still there are advantages to the 
other. As to sails, it is known that both yachts are more 
perfectly canvased than any ever before known, but the 
materials and weights of each of the many mainsails and 
other sails without number are known only to those di- 
rectly connected with the respective yachts. To all ap- 
pearances so many experiments have been made in the 
sails that it is still a question which particular one out 
of three or four is the best for certain conditions, and 
the final choice may be a mere matter of chance. Of 
one great factor of the problem, weight of construction 
and ballast, little is definitely known. It is evident that 
Columbia has less displacement, and it is quite probable 
that Shamrock has relatively as well as actually more 
lead, her hull being the lighter. As Mr. Fife and the 
Thorneycrofts have kept their secrets admirably, there 
is nothing but to guess on the possible advantage of 
Shamrock in this respect. So far as strength goes there 
I is no doubt that each hull is amply strong fpr the racing, 
whatever the weather. When it comes to strength of 
rig and gear the question is still open; Columbia has 
lost her steel mast. Shamrock has lost her steel gaff, 
honors are even as to bobstays, as each has sprung one. 
Each righ is largelv experimental both as to arrangement 
and dimensions of parts, the work of the ablest men m the 
business and tested by more or less actual trial. It would 
be no great wonder if the mast went over the side on 
one or both boats within the first hour, and on the other 
hand each mav sail the series of races without a serious 
mishap. The two principals have come to a very sensible 
ao-reement that as construction is quite as important as 
any other detail of the designing, and each has gone 
as far as he dared, each shall stand by his own mis- 
haps Thisl means that if one yacht breaks down and 
IS compelled to withdraw the other is to sail over the 
course and the race is to count, of course provided she 
does not break down too. ^ _ 
The question of handling, on which the winning very 
largely depends, is still a doubtful one. It is a matter 
of "too many cooks" on both sides, a plan that has been 
followed with success on all the Cup defenders for many 
years, the only failure being in 1885, when Puritan fouled 
Genesta, owing to contradictory orders from different 
captains. In all other cases the American yachts have 
been sailed by an owner and skipper acting together, with 
a large force of Corinthian and professional aids. There 
has been a perfect concert of action between owner and 
skipper, mates and crew which has attained the best 
possible results, as in Mayflower and Volunteer under 
Gen. Paine, and Vigilant and Defender under Mr. Iselin's 
ownership. This year Columbia will be sailed in the 
same manner. On Shamrock there will be at least two 
skippers in joint command, Hogarth and Wringe being 
on equal footing. It is also stated now that Capt. Ben 
Parker, of Meteor II., will be on board. Mr. Fife will 
sail in the boat, and it is hardly probable that he will 
be a mere passenger. How these combinations will work 
in each case is as yet uncertain, while the success of the 
yacht depends largely on the thorough and effective co- 
operation of all the principals and crew. Taking the 
little that is really known by the outside public, even 
including expert yachtsmen, the many points on which 
even those on each boat must still be in doubt, and the 
varied chances of wind and weather, and the probable 
consequences of a failure of any one small but impor- 
tant detail of the big and light rigs, there is more un- 
certainity as to the final outcome than has ever before 
existed. 
Conditions of the Cup Races. 
On Wednesday of last week a meeting of the representa- 
tives of the Royal Ulster Y. C. with the officials of the 
New York Y. C. took place at the New York Y. C. 
house, those present being: Vice-Com. Lewis Cass Led- 
yard, Rear-Com. August Belmont, Secretary J. V. S. 
Oddie, Treasurer F. W. J. Hurst, ex-Com. Edward M. 
Brown, ex-Com. E. D. Morgan, Herman B. Duryea 
and Henry F. Lippitt, representing the committee on 
challenge, and Vice-Com. Sharman- Crawford, Secretary 
Hugh C. Kelly and Mr. McGildowny, of the Royal 
Ulster Y. C. committee. 
Sir Thomas Lipton and Designer Fife were also pres- 
ent. 
As the result of the conference several changes and 
additions were made, as follows: 
The original agreement provides the following regula- 
tions as to signals: 
The preparatory signal shall be given 15 minutes be- 
fore the starting signal, and in case of a change in time 
of start, a preliminary signal shall be given 15 minutes 
before the preparatory. 
At the starting signal a yacht may cross the line; the 
exact time at which yacht crosses the line during the 
succeeding 2 minutes, to be taken as her start, and the 
end of that period as the start of the one crossing after 
its expiration. 
If a race is not started by 1:30 P. M., the regatta 
committee shall have the right to declare the race post- 
poned for the dav, and no race shall be started after 
3 P. M. 
The foregoing was modified as follows: 
First— As to Signals. — ^A preparatory signal shall be 
given 15 minutes before the starting signal, and a warn- 
ing signal S minutes before the starting signal. In case 
of a change in the time of starting, the same signal shall 
be used. The change is in the addition of the warning 
gun and the provision that in case of a change in the 
time of starting the same signals be used. 
Second. — The provision that if a race is not started by 
1:30 P. M. the regatta committee shall have, the right 
to declare the race postponed for the day, and that no 
race shall be started after 3 P. M. was changed to pro- 
vide that no race shall be started after 12:30 P. M. (half 
past twelve). 
Third. — The provision for the presence on board during 
the races of a representative named by a competitor 
was changed by adding that a representative of the com- 
peting yachts should be present during all measurements.. 
Sir Thomas J. Lipton and C. Oliver IseHn also signed 
the following additions to the original agreement: 
Inasmuch as we are of the opinion that the America 
Cup races are not less a test of the strength of con- 
struction of the competing vessels than of their sailing 
qualities, and it is deemed advisable to avoid the em- 
barrassment in which a vessel finds herself when called 
upon to decide whether to withdraw from a race upon the 
occurrence of ah accident disabling her competitor, it is 
agreed that in the races between Shamrock and Columbia, 
each yacht shall stand by the consequences of any acci- 
dent happening to her, and that the uninjured vessel shall 
sail out the race. 
On the subject of overcrowding by excursion steamers 
the joint committee agreed upon the following: 
In case either contestant shall complain to the com- 
mittee on challenge that his vessel has been interfered with 
by excursion steamers or other vessels in any race, the 
committee will take the complaint into consideration, 
and if it finds it well founded, will- seek a conference 
with the committee of the Royal Ulster Y. C, with a view 
of arranging for the sailing of subsequent races without 
public notice. ' - 
The general conditions of the races were announced 
in a circular made public on Sept. 28, as follows : 
The start will be made from Sandy Hook Lightship 
at as near 11 A, M. as will be practicable, the prepara- 
tory signal being given 15 minutes in advance. 
But always with the understanding that should the- 
direction of the wind prevent laying the course from 
the lightship, the starting line v.ull be shifted to the near- 
est available point, and that in this case the preparatory 
signal will be given about half an hour before the time 
set for starting from the lightship, with a warning signal 
5 minutes before the starting signal. 
Courses. — No i (Letter C).— From the starting line to 
and around a mark 15 miles to windward or leeward 
and return, leaving the mark on the starboard hand. No. 
2 (Letter D).— From the starting line. 10 miles to and 
around a mark; 10 miles to and around a second mark, 
and TO miles to the finish line, leaving the marks on the 
outside of the triangle, to port? or starboard, according 
as the vessels are sent around. - '■ 
Starting- and finish lines will be between a point on 
the committee boat, indicated by a white flag, and the 
mainmast of the lightship or other stakeboat if the 5-lart 
COLUMBIA. 
Copyright, 1899, by N. L. Stebbins. 
