Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-08-23
MAYFLOWER WINS.
First OF the Three Trial Races-Geaeral
Paine's Yacht and Easy WInner-At.
laatic Second and Puritan Third-The
Priscilla in the Rear OF the Procession.


NEw YORK, Aug. 81.
Todsy's race-the first of q series of trial
contests to determine which of the four sloot
yachts shall meet the British cutter Gslates
| In September-resulted In a grand victory fol
Gen. Charles Paine's new sloop Msyfiower
| designed by Edward Burgess to beat ths
Puritan. She did so handsomely in ii min
| ii sec. over the 40 mile course. She also
defeated the Atlantic 10 min. 81 sec. and the
Priscilla Is min. 20 sec, and made the fast
est elapsed time over the course. The At
lantic defeated the Puritan by 20 sec. and the
Priscilla by min. 3s Sec. while the Puritan
| beat the Priscilla min. Is sec.
Ex-Commodore James ID. Smith. chairman
| of the Americas cup committee, assisted by
Vice Commodore Charles c. Haight and
Commodore krebs, the feet captain, were the
Judges, and all the details were conducted
with remarkable promptness. The commit
| tees tug Luther C. Ward left pier 8, East
river, at S.35 A. NJ, and. after saluting the
four sloops. took on board Lieut.. Hem OF
the Galatea as guest, and, hoisting the flag
of the Royal Northern Yacht Club at the
fore, she took her position off Owls Head,
l.. l., at 8 20. In addition to the committee
and 20 reporters, the following were guests
| of the club: Messrs David Austin. n. H..
Fairbanks, A. w Evsrts, G. w. Gillowav,
A. Oakes Smith, Grosevenor Hubbard, C.
Thompson, Chas. Sweet, s. T. Lippincott.
w. S. Nichols and E Lowe. The tide was
flood and the wind east southeast when the
preparatory whistle was given at 10 o'clock
just as the whistle for the start was given
from the judges boat at 1910 the breeze
freshened considerably, and the four giant
sloops approached the imaginery line, drawn
between the steamer and buoy No. Is. bear
ing due west from her in grand shape. Each
was close hauled on the port tack, and car
ried their club and jib topsails, in addition to
their three lower sails. The Atlantic came
dashing across first at l0.l2 OF. Capt Joe
Ellsworth was at the wheel, and all his crew
ly ing snug up under the weather rail She
passed so close to the committees boat that
biscuit could be tossed aboard. Almost in
line with her, a cable length to leeward,
came the pretty Puritan next, only 43 seconds
behind, with Commodore j. Malcolm Forbes
steering her; then the flagship of the Sea-
wanska club, the Priscilla, steered by Com
modore A. Cass Garfield, at l0h, l3m, 20,.,
and the stately Mayfower, under Capt. Van
Buren Stones guidance. bringing up the rear
at l0h, Am, 26 s. As she luffed close by the
judges boat she pointed up well for the mar
rows. The course was to and around buoys
20 and So, thence around Sandy Hook light
u u D,
passing between it and the judges boat, ly-
ing to the eastward of it. The handsome
quartet of racing craft were able to lay their
courses from the start to Sandy Hook against
the flood tide, and from there to the light
ship it dead beat to windward. A great i'm
provement in the Atlantic's sailing was no.
ticeable from the first. Capt. Ellsworth,
taking advantage of the buffs coming down
the Bay Ridge bluffs, sent her out to buoy 10
in splendid style, beating the Priscilla Pm
Is. in that run. while the Mayflower gained
rapidly on the other three. Accompanying the
sloops at this point were the steam yachts
Electra, Mignon, Stranger, Ocean Gem,
Vision, Empress, and the sailing yachts
Danntless, Espirito, Miranda, Galatea, E.-
telle and % tugboats and other craft. The
time made to buoy 10 by each yacht was :
Atlantic, In. I'm. las. Priscilla, H. l9m
20s Purit IN, III. pom Is. Mayfower, In.
20m. Ais. Well up in the Horseshoe bay
the Atlantic made her first tack to starboard
at IL :39 :l5. She was then carrying big
"lug" forward and club topsai, beside her
three lower sails. The others follow ed
''Joe" Ellsworth's tactics, and soon all were
standing out by the point of Sandy Hook and
plunging into the easterly swells of the bars.
As soon as the Mayflower "felt" the long
She had been slowly overhauling the Puritan
for some time, and at exactly IL o'clock,
when about two miles southwest of Sandy
Hook, she passed her to the windward. She
then made play for her only antagonist, the
Atlantic. Capt. Ellsworth put the Brooklyn
sloop about at II 06, and on the port tack
she headed about south The wind canted
easterly soon after, and she laid SOUTH
east course. Capt. Stone of the Msyfiow er
put the new sloop about five seconds after
his rival, and, though on the Atlantc's lee
quarter at that time, she had walked out to
windward of her in 10 minutes, crossing her
bows, and took first place in the contest.
When the Mayfower tackled next time at
Il :37, she was fully a mile to windward of
the Atlantic and travelling like race horse
for the goal-the bright red lightship over
five miles dead to wIndward. The Galatea,
navigsted by Capt. Bradford, and with Mrs.
HEM on board, had worked out to the mid.
die of Geddes channel, when she squared
away" for home, having almost caught the
others with but little effort, although starting
far behind him. A fee, of over 100
steam and sailing craft plunged
and rolled in the long swells
a the ''outer mark" awaiting the
yachts. The Mayflower overreached little
oh hVi idot otdiuOdTu taCh, but, kOiuR dUOu
came grandly along for the mark. turning it
at 36 25, with the Atlantic next. A 4
the Puritan at 46 5, and the Priscilla al
so IL. Each received an ovation from
steam whistles as they turned, and, squarring
away, began the chase for the home mark
The figures show that in the windward work
to the lightship the Mayfower beat the At
lantic 10 min. 34s the Atlantic beat the Pur
itan AIS, and the Priscilla min. l8s. Sew
eral gross mistakes were made by the PurI.
tan's sailing master or she would have made
better showing. Lieut.. Hem, watching the
Mayfiower from the judges boat said:
THAT boats eight minutes round the
lightship and has no spinnaker set yet; thai
wouldn't do in my ship" The Mayfower
and Puritan set their spinnakers to starbosrd
while the other two set theirs out to port
making pretty picture. The Mayfower's
split about ten feet from the foot up, when of
buoy l. The Priscillas also split, but both
held on, and the positions of all changed but
little on the run home 10 the finish. The fol
lowing table gives actual results of the race
Elapsed Corrected
Name. Start. Finish. Time. Time.
h. ms. Inns. h. MS. b. m. 8
Mayfower, 10 Il 20 81 10 80 "A SO n
Atlantic 10 i2 OF 60 AZ 4s IS S AZ g
Puritan, 10 Il so o3 II S so 81 8 43 s.
Priscilla, 10 13 20 % IS S 81 IS IS /;