St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-09
WATERLoGGED in MID-oCEAN
Was Practically the Condition
of the Yacht Dauntless When
She Sailed Against the CorOnet.

She Sailed Against the Coronet.
New YORK, Dec. S.-The great trans
Atlantic yacht race between the keel
schooners Coronet aud Dauntless has
now passed into history, and that fam
GUS ocean fight during that memorable
March now lives only in the memory of
our gallant yachtsmen. Even at this
late date, however, startling facts have
leaked out that throw an entirely new
light upon victory that commanded
the admiration of the world, and taught
our friends across the water that Amer
lean Seamen were something more than
fair-Weather sailors. When the copper
sheathing of the DauntlesS was stripped
off last summer, for the first time since
her defeat in March, 1887, an auger hole
one inch in diameter, was covered on
each side of the stem. Whether these
holes were the result Of carelesSness OF
the intentional malice of some inhuman
enemy will probably remain mystery.
But the cold fact exists that the Daunt-
less crossed the Atlantic with two nine
inch holes in the most vital part of her
hull, and yet lived through a series of
the severeSt gales ever experienced by
any small craft. In the model room of
the New York Yacht club yesterday the
great race was sailed again, as Veteran
Capt. SamuelS waXed warm and related
the thrilling situations OF the unfOrtun-
ate Dauntless. The fearless
SKIPPER OF THE DREADNAUGHT
does not seem to have lost any faith in
the stanch schooner that he sailed across
the stormy Atlantic almost on her beam
ends. 'Beat the Coronet," said he,
"why the old Dauntless can do it now
under the rules of the New York Or any
other yacht club" ''What is your
opinion. captain, of the recent dis
cOveries made in the DauntlesS' boW?"
"When the Coronet sailed into Queens
town, thirty hours ahead OF us, con-
graduated her on her great victory, and
attempted to make no excuse. always
felt, however, that it was a mystery,
and the cause of the Dauntless' sudden
leak directly after crossing the bar was
beyond my comprehension" Then
you believe that foul play was evil
IDENTIFY intended, and that the borings
found last summer in the DauntleSs'
stem were not the result of careless
ness?" "There is not doubt i'll my
mind now, but that those holes were
bored with the intention of
DISABLING THE DAUNTLESS,
of rebolting. we could easily have seen
them from the outside. Whoever COM
mitted the distardly act must have con-
cealed himself in the fOrepeak while we
were on the dry dock, and worked from
in, out. Moreover, he must have been a
very skillful man, for the distance from
the water line was calculated to such
degree of delicacy that the holes being
invisible On the copper surface caused
no leak as long as we remained at an
Choir or sailed in smooth water. The
moment we drove her, however, and
her head was all buried in the sea, the
pumps had to be worked every fifteen
minutes in order to keep af1oat." ''Why
did not the copper with which the hull
was sheathed protect the vessel?' cit
did to certain extent, or would not
be here to-day to say it. But the joints
on the sheathing are not water tight,
and through these the water leaked"
'.Do you think it owing to this fact that
the Dauntless lost the racer" "Most as
suredly do. We covered more ground
than the Coronet, made the fastest
twenty-fOur-hour run and were never
voluntarily hove-to. We drove the YES
sci under whole topsails when steamers
were staggering under close reefs, while
we were partially water-logged ship.
She had at times as much as three feet
of water in her hold, and the chambers
of the pumps which kept her afloat were
eight inches in diameter-as large as
those used on the clipper ship Dread
naught." when did you first become
aware of the supposed leak?" 1.-THE
first night out, about II o'clock, on
going below l observed the water was
over the cabin floor, and on the lee side
of Commodore Colts cabin was foot
deep. under ordinary circumstances
l have run under easy canvass, but a
that he would not when he sails for
pleasure. 1t was business with me.
from start to finish.''