Oct. 14, 1899.3 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
S17 
COLtTMBIA IN DRY DOCK Nq, 3,. BROOKLYN NAVY YARD. 
From photo copyrighted bjr j. C. Hemment. 
movables. It was nearly noon before the measurement 
was completed, the spars being first measm^ed, and the 
sail area calculated, after which the waterline was meas- 
ured, all the work being done under the inspection of 
Mr. Herreshoff, representing Columbia, and Mr. Connell, 
representing Shamrock. The waterline measurement was 
taken with all hands on board, including Messrs. Iselin, 
Runcan, Thorne, Woodbury Kane, Herbert Leeds and 
Capt. Barr and Mate Allen. Lem Miller, who has sailed 
so long in other ships as mate under Capt. Barr, was 
also on board, being shipped for the races. The meas- 
urement of the waterline, completed at noon, showed 
onl}^ 89ft. 4in., so the crew was sent to the St. Michaels 
for more lead, i,7oolbs. being shipped aft. A new meas- 
urement was taken, giving a waterline of 89.66ft. This 
so delayed operations that it was after i o'clock before 
Columbia left the dock, Shanu'ock immediately taking 
her place. Mr. H. F. Lippitt, as the representative of 
the New York C, joined Messrs. Htirreshoft" and 
Connell in watching the measurement. The final results 
were as follows: 
Columbia. Shamrock. 
Feet. Feet. 
Length on the load waterline 89.66 87.69 
Length from the after end of the main 
boom to the forward point of 
measurement 181.62 189.13 
Length from the fore side of the mast 
to the forward point of measure- 
ment 73-35 79-46 
Length of spinaker pole 73-35 79-46 
Length of gai¥ 64.95 67.64 
Length of topmast 64.50 58.06 
80 per cent, of topmast .51.60 46. 45 
Height from the upper side of the 
main boom to the tojjsail halyard 
block 134.75 128.28 
Square root of the sail area 1 14.61 116.15 
Sailing length 102. 135 IOI.92 
It has been taken for granted from the first that both 
yachts would show just as little as possible under the 
limit of 90ft. l.w.l., and as Shamrock had undoubtedly 
the larger sail area it was assumed that she w^ould allow 
time to Columbia. To the surprise of all Ijands, Sham- 
rock showed 2ft. 3j^in. under 90ft., and actually receives 
time, though but six seconds, from Columbia. Ller 
sail area is greater by 355sq.ft. After the measurements 
were taken the two towed down to the Hook for the 
night. 
Fifst Race — Windward and Leeward. 
FIRST DAY — ^TUESDAY^ OCT. 3. 
A sharj), keen nor'wester blew all day Monday, chilling 
the many spectators about the dock where the yachts 
were measured, but on Tuesday the temperature was 
higher and the weather much milder, the sun shining 
brightly. The wind was N.E., and blowing over a dozen 
miles an hour in the early morning, but falling toward 
noon. The whole of the Upper Bay was filled with ves- 
sels between 9 and 10 o'clock, everything which could 
carry pasrengers being under way, from the big coasting- 
steamers La Grand Duchess. Ponce, Miami and Jeffer- 
son, down to small tugs and steam yachts. The steam 
fleet was out in lull force, the new yaclits Xiagara, Jose- 
phine II., Aloha, .A-ileen 11. , Corsair III.. Sapphire IIIL. 
Eugenia II.. Aphrodite. Kanawha H. and many older 
ones. Torpedo boats dashed about through the fleet, 
and the new revenue cutters were out also on patrol 
duty. With a good ebb tide the big fleet steamed out 
of the Narrows and down the Swash, or the East, chan- 
nel reaching the Sandy Hook Lightship a little before 
Ti o'clock. The racing yachts came tmt with club top- 
sails set. the committee tug Luckenback anchored off 
tlie Lightship, and the torpedo boats and revenue cutters. 
Capt. 'R. D. Evans being on the bridge of the cutter 
Manning, began to jostle tlie crowd away from the line. 
The pilots as a rule endeavored to give all the necessary 
room to the racers, and though it wa.s necessary to warn 
some more than once there was as clear a space for the 
start as apy one could ask. 
The course signals read S.S.W., and the markboat was 
sent ott with the float and ball. A second tug, showing 
tw-o red balls on her stay, was ready as a pilot boat for 
the yachts, the steel booms rendering the compasses 
almost useless. The first gun fired at 11:15, with the 
preliminary at ir:io. There was no Cjuick work for th? 
line, the start being .slow and tame; Shamrock led over 
the line at 11:15:37, with Columbia following at 11:16:20, 
ot 43 seconds astern. Columbia made an American 
start, breaking out her balloon jibtopsail and spinaker at 
the line. Shamrock prepared lor a down-Avind start by 
setting a small jibtopsail, and though her spinaker boom 
was ready to port the sail was not hoisted. If she was 
looking for a lufiing match she did not find it, but to the 
surprise of all the spectators she ran along slowly without 
spinaker or balloon jibtopsail. though both sails were 
drawing on Columbia. Shamrock lufled out a little, and 
Columbia ran up on her port side. At 11:20 Shamrock, 
broke out her spinaker, following which Columbia low- 
ered her working headsails to give a full chance to the 
two balloon sails. It was twelve minutes after the start 
before Shamrock hauled down her small jibtopsail and 
set her ballooncr in its place, Columbia meanwhile having 
caught her. The wind was light at the start, some ten 
knots, and falling all the time, the yachts holding their 
headway, but moving slowly. Columbia ran evenly with 
Shamrock for a little while, but under the same canvas 
the green boat drew ahead until she had opened a clear 
lead. The wind was variable and fluky, and the sailing 
was no test of the boats. Shamrock managed to get 
over a quarter of a mile ahead by dint of slow gains, but 
a little after noon, when off Seabright, Columbia caught 
a stray bit of breeze from S.W., her spinaker quickly 
came in, her boom jibed to port, her staysail was broken 
out. headsheets were trimmed, and she reached inshore 
and around Shamrock, the latter still holding a very 
light northerly breeze, until she was as much ahead as 
she had been astern. Shamrock caught the new Ijreeze 
several minutes later and also took in her spinaker and 
jibed over, setting her staysail, though both still held to 
the balloon jibtopsail s. The westerly breeze was very 
light and fluky, and about 12:30 Shamrock was tempted j 
into ttying to run, with her spinaker to starboard, but 
this did not pay, and the sail was soon stowed. They 
worked out to the mark, about three miles offshore, near 
Deal Beach, Columbia gaining steadily, until she turned 
at 1:37:57, with a lead of 2m. is.. Shamrock's time being 
^^39:58. In addition, Columbia had made up the 43s. 
that she was astern at the line. 
The wind was now nearly down the course, light, but 
fairly true and steady, and the beat home promised 
to be exciting and instructive. They came on port tack 
around the mark, but Columbia soon came about. Then 
followed a series of very short tacks, forced by Shamrock. 
While she gained very little through mere speed in tack- 
ing, she was working out all the time and footing well, 
so that when they gave up the very short tacks and set- 
tled down to straight sailing she was soon gaining inch 
by inch on Columbia. For nearly forty minutes they 
held on, tacking together at times, with the wind about 
the same for both, and at the end of this time Shamrock 
was_ clearly on Columbia's weather and the leading boat, 
having made up a full two minutes. At 2:20 she made a 
most extraordinary maneuver. Columbia was standing 
inshore, where the chances were be.st of finding more of 
a breeze, which threatened to drop out where they were. 
Shamrock, now on Columbia's weather and on the same 
tack, came about and left Columbia going to the eastward 
offshore. With a little shift of wind to help her and to 
head her rival, Columbia screwed well out on this tack, 
and when Shamrock came back to the in.'ihort! tack again 
she was in Columbia's wake and a long distance astern. 
The advantage was now with Columbia, and though 
it began to be doubtful whether they could finish in time 
she made the most of it. The two were skating on 
thin ice, hunting here and there on the chance of finding 
a streak of wind and avoiding the many calm spots, 
and luck counted for more than judgment. Columbia 
had the luck for a time, her casts inshore paying well, 
but she tried it once too often and was hung up hard and 
fast in a calm spot, while Shamrock caught a bit of 
wind a little further out and sailed along to windward at 
a good speed. 
The wind had now fallen so light and ran in such 
streaks that the race had lost all interest, especially as 
the time limit was rapidly running out and the yachts 
had covered barely half of the home leg. The two 
worked in under the Jersey beach, moving slowly and 
failing to find the breeze they looked for. Columbia 
after dropping far astern picked up again, and when the 
race was called off by the committee at 4:45 she was but 
a little distance from the leader. Both lowered their 
headsails and passed their hawsers to the tugs. The 
attendant fleet started home as fast as steam could carry 
it, many of the boats racing all the way in. 
There was a great diversity of opinion as to the merits 
of the two boats and of the handling. When Columbia 
gained on Shamrock on the beat in Capt. Barr was all 
right, as big a man as Admiral Dewey, but when she 
was caught later on in the calm streak he was, in the 
opinion of some patriots, a worse man than Aguinaldo. 
Granting that the whole day was very much of a fluke, 
it still remains that the honors were very even off the 
wind, while Shamrock did some very fine w^ork on the 
wind within the first half hour or so or turning. It 
may be said of this trial, as of the two which followed, 
that in every previous Cup race — unless possiblj^ in 1895 — 
under the same conditions of light fluky weather the 
American yacht, while no nearer to covering the course 
within the_ limit, would still have been several miles ahead 
of the British yacht. 
SECOND DAY — THURSDAY, OCT. 5. 
Both the yachts lay at anchor inside Sandy Hook on 
Wednesday, Columbia's crew, under the direction of 
Mr. Iselin and Capt. Barr, being busy bending another 
mainsail and a new club topsail. Nothing special was 
done on Shamrock, though all her gear was carefully 
overhauled. The start was called for 11 A. M. on Thurs- 
day, at which time the wind was still very light, but 
N.W. by W., so the signals were set for a leewarel 
course, S.E. by E. The start was an easy one, Columbia 
leading over the line at 11:00:53, with Shamrock at 
11:01:05; both with balloon jibtopsails set and spinaker 
booms Jo port. Shamrock breaking out her spinaker 
on the line and Columbia about a minute later. Columbia 
(gained from the start, and opened up a clear lead, which 
SHAMROCK IN ERIE 
From photo copyrighted 
BASIN DRY DOCK, 
by J. C. Hemment. ; , 
