SB4 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
ffOCT. 28, 1899. 
there is no room for such doubt, but it has been made 
plain that Shamrock is inferior to Columbia in both light 
and heavy weather in the supreme test of windward work. 
That she is inferior oif the wind, as has also been proven, 
is of much less importance; as is the one point on which 
the least doubt is possible, that of speed on a reach. 
The one plain point of the week's racing is the poor 
windward work of Shamrock in both light and moderate- 
ly heavy weather, and this has been shown so plainly that 
it must be accepted even by those who cannot yet recon- 
' cile it with her apparently good showing by the wind in 
, light weather in the first three trials. In each of these, 
as long as there was a working breeze, she seemed to 
point high and to fetch where she looked ; but in the race 
of last Monday in very light weather, she did nothing of 
the kind. After this it was not surprising that she failed 
to point is stronger breezes. 
The management of the races, like the preliminary and 
linal negotiations for the challenge, have been carried out 
fairly and ably by the holder of the Cup, and no ground 
of complaint has been given to the challenger; while on 
his side he has accepted everything in the spirit in which 
it was offered. Most of all, Sir Thomas Lipton, if new to 
sport, has proved a good loser; taking the result calmly 
and philosophically and without the grumbling and kick- 
ing which has characterized so many international con- 
tests of late 3'ears. A great deal has been said on this 
point in praise of Sir Thomas Lipton and to the detriment 
of previous challengers ; but it must be remembered that 
with the exception of Lord Dunraven no other has had 
the same good grounds for satisfaction with the condi- 
tions given him and the cordial and courteous treatment. 
Not only have the conditions one and all been absolutely 
fair and just, but they have been given freely and as a 
matter of right, and not doled out grudgingly under the 
guise of "generous concessions." It is safe to say that if 
some of the previous challengers had had one-half of the 
rights now given to the owners of Valkyrie and Sham- 
rock, they would have accepted their defeat quite as gra- 
ciously as the latter. 
First Race — Vindwatd and Leeward, 
EIGHTH DAY — MONDAY, OCT. 16. 
Columbia Wins, by lo min. 8 sec. 
The story of this race was told in detail last week; we 
now give the summary for the sake of a complete record 
of the series. The race was sailed in foggy weather and 
smooth water, the wind being east and the course 15 miles 
to windward. The times were : 
Start. Turn. Finish. Elapsed. Corrected. 
... .11 01 06 1 48 19 3 54 59 4 53 53 4 53 53 
....11 01 03 1 58 08 4 05 10 5 04 07 5 04 01 
Columbia 
Shamrock 
In this race the two were more nearly on an equality in 
the matter of canvas than in any of the trials; Columbia 
had had an extra row of reef points put in, just above the 
boom and concave to it, so as to take in the slack in the 
middle of the sail, and these points were tied in. The 
weather was damp and foggy and the effect on the Amer- 
ican canvas seem.ed to be to shrink it just enough to make 
it sit well; Shamrock's English canvas, on the contrary, 
though all right in clear dry weather, was probably harder 
through the wetting, and in poorer condition. 
Second Race— Triangular Course. 
NINTH DAY — TUESDAY, OCT. IJ. 
Columbia Wins — Shamrock Disabled. 
There has been a general desire among the patrons of 
the club and excursion steamers to witness a triangular 
race, many holding back at the outset for the second race ; 
but Tuesday broke with the same fog that had discour- 
aged so many on the previous trials and had kept so many 
home on Monday. The wind was still from the_ eastward 
and light in the eafly morning. There was quite a fleet 
of steam yachts and some of the larger steamers about the 
line a little after 10:30, by which time the course signals 
were flying, the first leg being E. by S., or to windward, 
10 miles, 'the second S.W. ^. S., and the third N.N.W. 
There was more sea than on any previous day, a lively 
swell rolling in from off shore and jumping the yachts out 
until the fore ends of the fins were almost visible. Both 
showed club topsails, Shamrock's, though/ larger than 
Columbia's, being her second and not the big one seen 
once or twice in the previous light days. Columbia had 
her baby jib topsail up in stops, but Shamrock had none 
aloft, being afraid to risk the additional strain in the sea. 
The two-minute interval with down-wind starts has 
robbed the starting of all interest, the game usually being 
to cross the line last, thus saving some seconds of time; 
but to-day the pair were out for the weather berth and 
first place, and the maneuvering began nearly ten min- 
utes before the start, the two being to the eastward or on 
the course side of the liiie. They stood along on the vvind 
with Columbia to windward, circling about in evolutions 
too complicated to be clearly described in words, each try- 
ing for the weather berth. They separated, one going on 
each side of the Lightship, then swung off, each in a large 
circle, coming together again just before the gun to the 
westward of the Lightship, with Shamrock in the lead 
and on Columbia's weather. She crossed at 10.00. 15, with 
Columbia two seconds later under her lee quarter. As 
she neared the line Columbia broke out her baby jib top- 
sail and carrying more way began to forge through Sham- 
rock's lee. Both were on starboard tack as they crossed, 
but as Columbia quickly worked clear aliead and threw her 
back wind into Shamrock's sails the green boat came on 
port tack, just after the two-minute handicap gun. As 
Columbia swung about a few seconds later she was on 
Shamrock's weather quarter instead of to leeward, and 
whatever advantage Shamrock held at the line had already 
disappeared. There was now a lo-knot breeze or rather 
better, and the two, heeling to about' the safne angle, were 
jumping into the sea. Shamrock was sailed with a good 
full and romped ahead as on the preceding day, while 
Columbia was held high; but the white boat was holdmg 
on and going right where she looked, while the green one. 
already out ahead, was well to leeward and falling off all 
the time. Though Shamrock was doing better work than 
on Monday, it was poor compared with Columbia, and 
within five minutes it could be seen that she was losing 
ground. In spite of her footing, she was crabbing off to 
leeward while her rival was holding on in a- wonderful 
way. =— «v- 4 
For the first fifteen minutes Columbia gained steadily, 
then Shamrock with sheets a little harder seemed to pick 
up a little and almost to hold her own. Her mainsail was 
not sitting well and it seemed as though the pull of the 
topsail yard was throwing the head of the sail off; the 
main sheet was trimmed so hard to hold the gaff and top- 
sail that the lower part of the mainsail was spoiled. The 
superiority of Columbia was shown within the first twenty 
minutes, and it was only a question whether Shamrock 
could be driven faster by any different trim of sheets or 
combination of sails; if not, she had no chance. With 
both on the port tack, Shamrock was in a position to come 
about at any time and try to force Columbia, and it 
seemed likely that she would do so if she considered that 
the maneuver would be successful. All eyes in the fleet 
were watching to see her tack and try it when at 11.24.30 
her topmast went at the cap, the port shroud giving way 
in the splice at the hounds. She at once luffed up and 
hung in the wind, Columbia immediately luffing and then 
filling away on the other tack. The Erin and her tug 
came to her aid and men were sent to the gaff end and 
down along the wreck to clear it. Though the topsail 
yards swung against the mainsail for some time, the sail 
was not torn. Of course there was no chance of con- 
tinuing and Shamrock passed a line to her tug and started 
for the Hook. Her topmast was broken at the cap, her 
metal topsail yard was broken and her best metal gaff 
Manning, where an officer was put on board and she was 
started home. , , • 
By dint of working until 'l&te at night, the new spars 
were shipped on board Shamrock and she also took on 
board some new ballast. Her crew very obligingly gave 
the exact weight as 3,38olbs. of lead. This necessitated a 
new measurement, and Mr. Hyslop, with W. Butler Dun- 
can, representing Columbia, Jesse Connell, representing 
Shamrock, and Mr. Herreshoff, were at the Basin shortly 
after 7 A. M. on Wednesday. The new topmast was the 
same length as the old, s8.o6ft., but the waterline now 
measured 88.95ft., an increase of 1.26ft., or I5in. With- 
out casting discredit on the information so generously 
given by the crew to the reporters, of the exact number of 
pounds of lead added, it is a plain fact with an angle of 
not over 15 degrees between the waterline and the stem 
and horn timber respectively, as in all the yachts of this 
size and type, an addition of isin. to the waterline length 
infers an added immersion of nearly two inches. To ac- 
complish this, instead oi 1% tons it would require about 7 
tons, and it is probable that Shamrock took aboard nearly 
this latter amount. Why she did so is a mystery, certain- 
ly not because she needed any addition to her stability, 
being quite as stiff as Colimibia. To all appearances the 
result was that she trimmed by the head in the later races, 
but with no improvement in the pointing. 
At 10 A. M. her tug passed a line on board and the 
It.. 
SHAMROCK. 
Copyright, 1899, by J. C. Hemment. 
sprung. The topsail was torn, but not badly. Fortunately 
nothing struck the deck and no one was injured. 
Columbia took in her baby jib topsail and continued 
on, turning the first mark at 12 139 :28. On the second leg 
a No. 2 jib topsail was set and as the wind fell lighter and 
the sea smoothed down, she set a balloon foresail when 
within three miles of the second mark. She was timed 
here at 1 133 127, or 54 minutes for the 10 nautical miles. 
After jibing she set her balloon jib topsail and carried it 
half way home, by which time the wind headed enough to 
cause her to shift to a second jib topsail. She was timed 
at the line at 2:37.17, m.aking her elapsed time 3:37.00. 
It is impossible to say just hoM' Shamrock stood at the 
time of the breakdown, but she had already lost all the ad- 
vantage of the start, and it is probable that if she had 
tacked she would have gone under Columbia's stern. 
After the finish it was announced that the next trial 
would be on Thursday. 
Shamrock was towed into the Bay and up to Erie Basin, 
where her tender, Plymouth, joined her. All hands set 
to work to get the broken spars ashore or on to the spar 
barge, and to ship the new topmast, made at the Basin, 
while the yacht was in dock, together with a new wooden 
gaff. The gaff carried in the races was the short steel one. 
lengthened after the long one broke. . It was damaged 
when the topmast broke, but was used to the end of the 
races. The topsail was sent aboard the Plymouth, where 
Mr. Ratsey's men attended to it. 
One of the amusing incidents of the day was the chase 
and capture by the patrol fleet of the steam yacht Va- 
moose, and the sending of the yacht back to New York 
with a naval officer in charge. The VamooSe, which was 
Rying at the same time the burgee of the ' New York Y. 
C. and the big red flag of a press association, forced her 
way within the lines and when hailed by one torpedo boat 
tried to get away, but was chased and brought to by a shot 
from another. She was sent up to the revenue cutter 
challenger was towed down to the Hook, but she did not 
get under way. As the result of the added length, Sham- 
rock had to give to Columbia 16 seconds time, instead of 
receiving from her 6 seconds. 
Third Race — Windward and Leeward. 
TENTH DAY — ^THURSDAY, OCT. Ip. 
Thursday brought a most welcome change of weather 
to the faithful few who started for the tenth time in the 
hope of seeing a spirited race, something in proportion to 
the size and cost of the yachts. The sun was shining 
bright, there was a light breeze from N.W. and withal it 
was warm and pleasant for the late fall. The only course 
possible was to leeward, S.E. by S., and the usual signals 
were given at 10:45, 10:55 and 11, the latter for the 
start. The wind was blowing six to eight miles per hour, 
with little sea. This time Shamrock was anxious to work 
off her time at the start, and there was some lively 
maneuvering within the last five minutes, but at a long 
distance from the line. Columbia tired of it first and 
started for the line at gunfire, crossing at ii. 01.33. Sham- 
rock, following astern, was caught by the handicap gun 
and lost two seconds, her crossing time being 11:02:02. 
This, however, placed her 27 seconds to the good in a 
close finish, or 11 seconds more than her allowance to 
Columbia. Both carried club topsails of good size, with 
balloon jib topsails in stops, Columbia breaking hers out at 
the line and Shamrock following at almost the same time. 
Spinakers were set to starboard in stops, but they were 
not broken out. Columbia luffed out as she crossed and 
Shamrock did the same, so that before long the spectators 
were treated to the long-expected spectacle of a reach. 
They lowered the working headsails and reached along, 
heading about South, under balloon jib topsails, mainsails, 
and club topsails. The guide tug, on a straight course to 
the mark, was well to the eastward of the pair at il :30, 
I 
