The Gnal race—or the race in which the Columbia finally won the "America" cup—took place on October 20th. The breeze, the American papers say, approached the dignity of a gale, The description To-day's race way a glorious test of the rough-weather qualities of the too yachts, There was too much frostiness in the air for comfort, and it was far too rough for Tandlubbers, The shy sas overcast with cold, gray clouds, and the fierce flaws of a chilling blast out of the northeast whipped the foam out of the waves until they whitened the face of the xea, Outside the ocean was covered with whitecaps. Some of the holiday fleet declined to brave the perils of the harpies riding on the north-caster, and those that did rolled and plunged in the' tumbling billows, sending all but the old salts below. The prayer of Sir Thomas for wind was answered. It was blowing twenty-five miles an hour at the lightship, enough wind and enough sea to muke avy racing machine stagger. Eren the pilot-boats, that em weather gale, were under shortened sil. H The yachts udo a beautiful picture as they sped away with outstretched pinions. The Columbia carried her spinnaker boom at an angle of almost 45 degrees. This lowed the big sil to belly far out forward and draw like a locomotive. But it was rather dangerous, and twice an extra puff of wind carried the sail forward and up until it tumbled over the stay; but the Deer Isle sailors each time had it back in plice in a jiffy. The Shamrock had no such mishap, as Hogarth carried his boom much lower. Phe Yankee trick, however, did its work, lifting the head of the Colum: bia out of the water till she seemed to be skimming over the surface.
The excursion fest trailing down on either side were chasing after the yachts as fast as their steam would carry them. But the big sloops yot up 0 hot a pace that they left half the 1ughoats and some of the stean yachts astern, 'They were going at a fifteen-knot clip, the Yavkeo slowly but surely, inch by' inch, overhauling her adversary. Closer and closer she drew to the challenger, hoping with her mountain of canvas to'shut off her rival's wind, When the Cubunbia had crept up to within striking distance the green boat crowded on a little more canvas setting a baby jib topsail, and for ten minutes it seemed to hold them even. Both were going like scared deer. A stern chase isa long one, but as the yachts approached the outer mark, the patriots, with high-bouw pulse, saw that the Columbia was again Picking up on the enemy. At 12-10 o'clock, half a mile from the mark, the Bristol Vout got alongside the challenger, and, neck and neck, they bowled down for the float. Tree "minutes Inter, when they took in their spinnakers prepa Sybing, the Columbia was a lo tead, and footing like the wind. yachts swept around the mark, the Cofumbia serenteou seconds ahead, but 60 close that one chorus from the fleet answered for both. The Columbi" had gained a minute and eighteen seconds in the fifteen-mile run, As they Jeaned away on the starboard tack for the heat home the white flyer was to windward and about a length ahead. With their sheets trimmed flat aft they surged into the lead sexs, sending the brine as high ws the spreaders. "They careened till their lee rails were. awash in the driving waves. The spray and ace: sionally solid crests of green water swept over the decks. Seldom xs there been such a smashing sea under cup contestants, The green boat laboured more than the Yankee. Once or twice she buried her bowsprit in the seas wetting her head sails, Te was a grand sight.
The Golumbix pointed almost a point higher than lier rival and footed just as fast. The Columbia hal housed her working topsail before they turned the mark, bnt the Shamrock held on until, in the constantly freshening wind, she' decided that it was dangerous to carry it longer, and a sailor was sent aloft to lower it. 1é was a delicate job with the big ninety footer bucking into the jumping sea like bronchi, but after five minutes of hard work it was successfully accomplished. On every fresh tick to windward the Yankee inerensol her led, sailing so close that the old sults said she could "wipe the eye of the wind."
At 1.45 the Columbia was leading by a quarter of a mile. The situation for the Shamrock was desperate reckless of the consequences, the British skipper decided to crowd on more canvas. Fearlessly he sent up, and after deal of trou-Ue, succeeded in setting a small club topsail. The Columbia had the race well in hand and did not need to risk " broken spar. She kept on under mainsail, sta; sail and jib, Fortunately, the challenger's topmast did not carry away, though she leaned over under the press of canvas until her slippery decks were tilted at an angle of 30d Her speed was undoubtedly increased, but her inability to point lost her almost as much as she gained in footing. Then she resorted to splitting tacks, close in shore under the lands. A slight cant in the wind favoured her at this time and she managed to close up the gap until little more than half a mile separated her from the Columbia. The patriots began to feel nervous, but with the finishing line two miles away there was little danger, Soon after the wind slackened a little and thereafter the Shamrock lost rather than gained ground. All the excursion bouts at this time were bucking into the head seas for home as fast as their screws could churn. The tugboats were flooded. But as on the run down, the pace was too hot, and not half the fleet was in at the finish, The rush of the yachts through the seas on the Inst tack was magnificent. Geysers spurted from the hows and drenched the sailors lying piled up against the weather rail, As the allant Yankee shot across the finish atween the lightship and committee boat, the skippers that had got there in time, alas! forgot to open their whistles, so absorbed were they in the stirring spectacle. But they made up for it Inter. The defeated challenger raced across fice minutes and seventeen seconds later. The much-touted roughwexther boat had been beaten over a thirty-mile course six minutes and eighteen seconds actual time, or with the allowance she was to concede the Columbia on account of her longer water line, six minutes and thirty-four seconds. 'The Shamrock got a noisier reception than the Columbia us she finished, perhaps because the later time at which' she crossed gave opportunity for some of the belated vessels to get up.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.