The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-09-24
AMERICA WINS.
The Prize Cup Remains in This
Country.
The Great international Race Between
the English Yacht Genesta and
American Yacht Puritan is
Won by the Latter.


NEW YORK, September 1.-THE cup
stays in America" These words were
spoken by ex-Commodore James d. Smith
as the Puriran's mainboom passed the
finish line off Scotland lghtship to-day, after
the closest contest ever sailed over any
forty-miie course. The GeneSta was beaten
one minute and thirty-eight seconds, cor B
rected time and two minutes and nine sec
onds actual time. The course was twenty
miles to leeward and return from the Scot
land lightShip, the wind being west-nOrth-
west. The yachts were sent away on an
east-southeaSt course dead before the wind.
In this run the cutter beat the slOop one
minute and twenty-one seconds. From
there TO the finish they made but one short
tack of a mile and two long legs of nine
and ten miles respectively in half gale of
wind, which changed to nOrth-northwest
soon after tine 'Outer mark" was turned.
In this work the Puritan gained three
minutes and thirty seconds from point to
poin. When the preparatory
whistle was given at eleven O'Clock
the Puritan lay about a quarter
Of a mile asten of the Judges boat head
ing to the southeast, with Spinnaker boom
4
( lib sheet TO windward. At one minute be-
fore the starting whistle was blown the
/ GeneSta came tearing across the tugs stern
/ and the Puritan'S bow on the port tack.
/ Just then the PuTitan's main sheet was paid
cut and the CaVtain put her helm down
/ and she came for the line. So finely had the
] cutters skipper calculated the time that
while the starting whistle was blowing she
; shot across, her crew, running her immense
/ spnnaker aOft as she went over and break
/ ing il out in just thirty seconds. Away
she few to leeward, leading the Boston
sloop by fOrty-tiye seconds. The latter
broke out her big balloon jib as she crossed
/ and set her spinnaker in minute. The
! two clipper yachts presented grand pic
ture as they dashed along with their
pyramids of snow white canvas tower
! ing above their narrow hulls. The Official
/ time of the start was GeneSta IL :05:16,
/ Puritan IL :p6:15 The Puritan soon began
/ to close the gap made ut the start She
/ kept directly in her antagonists wake until
nearly up with her, when she hauled out
eastward, so that the Genesta could not
keep off and prevent her passing without
/ gybing. At 11:"5 she took in her balloon
lib tCDsail and st1ysail, and at 11:45 she
had Issed out ahead of the GeneSta about
hall length. Her spinnaker was not
drawing well at this time, neither was her
mainSail, for the wind was, as an old sailor
remarked, lat the mainbOOm end" Cap
tain Carter recognizing this fact took in his
Sn'onaker ut II m, dipped her spinnaker
set the sail on the port side all in five
H.. ties. She Immediately drew ahead of
The sloOp, and in half an hour had passed
her. This was surprise, but what was
coming was a greater one. Fifteen minutes
/ LATER the cutter was
GOOD QUARTER OF MILE
in the lead. with her great white spinnaker
/ BELIEVING cut in the stitfening breeze. The
| Puritan would not gybe although the Spin
maker was not drawing and she was steadily
dropping astern. Down came the GeneSta'S
club topsail at 1856, the Purtan's coming
! in a moment later The cutter set work
| ing tCpSail but the Scoop set no other. At
one r. III. the Genesta'S spinnaker boom
was lowered on deck and everything made
snug for the long beat to windward. The
large passenger boats and steam yachts had
! gathered off the outer mark and all eyes
were turned upon the two boats as they
came bounding along. All thought then
that the Genesta was winner. The ofii-
cial time of rounding was: Genesta,
:U5 80: Puritan, 1907 :3G. The former
with her main sheet hauled fiat aft gybed
as she rounded and in minute after she
was clOsehaued OH the starOOaTd tack stand
ing to the southwark. The Puritan
made wide turn, which placed her far
Their to leeward, and now commenced a
grand struggle for the finish, twenty uiles
/ 80 windward. Every one thought
the cutters top sail must come in. Down
she went. keeling over as she felt the force
of the squat. till her lee rail was lost to
sight in smother" of giittering foam;
! over yet, till the water was washing up to
her skylightS amidships. and there was the
: limit. Captain Carter held her to her
course, then about north by east. One-quar-
/ fer east for the wind had hauled to north
northwest and she seemed TO spring
through the choppy seas which were top
ped with seething white caps as far to
windward as the eye could reach. The
/ Puritan was making excellent weather of it
/ at this time and was steadily ''eating" up
! through CAnesta's lee. just
/ bcfc tac-ed at 2:17 she
was ~ half mile on the Genesta's
/ lee SLOW Instead of lacking when she
could have crossed the Genesta's bow, she
| kept on, thereby, the committee say, losing
much valuable ground. The Genesta wont
/ about at 2:1S. This stretch to the west
ward proved to be the last one, as the wind
| favored the yachts so they were able to
I 1etcl the nnlSn. wien OdpIdiI CiOCheA
found he could easily fetch the lightship he
| started the sloOp's sheets and gave her a
| good FULL She was then about one-half
mile on the Englishman's weather quarter
who also had his main sheet started trifle
/ but was pointing" very high. At 5:35 the
| Puritan kept broad OFF and came boiling
| down for the Genesta's weather evidently
| intending to blanket her. Captain Carter
seeing this put the cutters helm down sud
! denly and shot the Gents!a
| into the wind across his rivals stern and
| took a windward position himself. although
| he lost fully three minutes by the operation.
/ There was "iuffing" match for few mo- /.
ments until the Puritan got far enough I
! ahead. They were then, at 1888, about
/ three and half miles from the finish. The
water was getting smoother every moment /
( while the breeze continued strong. The
| Puritan increased her lead steadily and
/ crossed the finish line ST 4:O9:l5. while the /
/ feet of steamers gave her n rousing recep- /
ton, Mr. Forbes and his crew responding I
heartily. The Genesta crossed the line at .
4:l0:19, only two minutes and twenty-four ,
seconds behind her
Chamberlain Views.
No.