The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-09
A REVELATION.
How the CorOnet Beat the Dauntless.
Tho Commander of tho Defeated
Britisher Makes Excuses.
He Says That Holes Were Bored in
Dauntlcss' Bow,
Which Caused Her TO Leak 50
Badly That Pumps
Had 20 Do Used Every Sixteen Minutes
This Malicious Decd. the Com
mander Says, Was Done to
Defeat the Ship.

NEw louY, Dec. S.--rhc great trans
atlantic yacht race between the keel
schoouers Coronct and Dauntless has now
passed into history and that famous ocean
fight during that memorable March now
lives only in the memory OF our gallant
yachtmcn. Even ut this late date, how
ever, startling facts have leaked out that
throw entirely new light upon u victory
that commanded the admiration OF the
world and again taught our friends across
the water that American seamcn were
something moro than fair weather
sailors.
When the copper shCaihing OF the
Daun,lcss wLs stripped OH last summer,
Tor the first time since her defeat in
March 1857 an augcr hole an inch in
diameter WI, discovered on each side Of
the stem. Whether these holes were the
result Of carlpssnyss or the intentional
malice oi some inhumnn enemy will prob.
ably remain mystery. But the cold
facts exist that the pauntlcss crossed the
Atlantic with two one.inch holes in tho
most vital part Of her hull, and yet lived
through q series OF the scvcrcst gales ever
experienced 10y any small craft
In the model room of the New York
Yacht Club yclcrday, the grca, race was
sailed again rs veteran Cspi. Samucls
waNcd warm aud related the thrilling stu.
aiions NJ the unfortunate nauntlcys. Tho
fearless skipper OF the Drcadnaught does
not seem to have lost any faith in tho
stuunCh schooner that ho sailed across tho
stormy Atlantic almost on her beam ends.
"li'Dt the turOuvt'' said lac. "Nhy the
old niunllr-s can do it now under tho
rulc. OF the New York or any other yacht
club"
"What IS yolt opinion, captain, of tho
recent discoveries Ia the pJuntlrs- hOW2'
when thc Iurunct sailed into Queens.
town harbur thirty hours ahead Ut us,
congratulated hvr On the great victory aud
attempted "a maze NO excuse | ALWAYS
/ felt, however. that 10 wis mystery, aud
] the cause oi the puntlcss sudden leak
directly after Guessing thc bar was beyond
my comprehension.
"1hcn YOU believe that foul play was
evidently intended aul that the b1rings
found last summer IN the Dlunllcs. stem
were not the result ul rJr'lr,ncst'
'lhcr is not q doubt ia NV mind now,
but that those holes we're bored with tho
intention at disabling the ptuntlcss, for
had they been made iur the purpose OF NJ
boiling. We could easily have seen them
from the outside. Whoever committed
the daziardy act must have concealed
himself in thc ipvpcak while We were ON
The dry dock, aud worked from In, out.
Moreover. hr must have bccn a very skill
lul man, Tor the distance from the water
Inc was calculated b. such q degree Of del.
icacy that the holes being invisible on the
copper sufiIHp caused no leak ~ long
as We rem m ! at anchor o. sailed IN
smooth water The moment We drove
her, however. aud her head was ut al
buried In the sea. the pumps had 10 be-
worked every sixteen minutes IN order 10
Keep uilpai.'
why did not the copper with which
the hull WIS shCaihod protect ihc yCssclT'
at did 10 q certain extent, ~ ! would
not be- here today Ia say IL. Hut tho
joints on the shcaihing nrr not water tight,
aud through ihp-, the water leaked"
'no you think It owing 10 this fact that
the DIuui,ss lost thr uycf'
"NlUl 1-surrlly ! do. We covered
morc rrom than the Curuuct. male the
fastest twenty four hour run. and we're
never voluntarily hove a.. We drove the
vessel under whole top sails when steamers
were staggering under close reefs, while wo
worc partially water logged ship She
had ut Time, ls much Hs three feet ui water
In the hold, aud the chambers Of the
pumps which kept her uilJat were eight
inches IN diameter us large uy those ! used
on thc clipper ship npaduaught"
when did YOU hrt become aware u
thc supposed lcak2'
"Ihc TINT uisht out about II o'clock,
on going below ! observed the water was
over the cabin ilpo. and un the lee side Il
Commodore Colts cabin, was q foot deep.
Under ordinary circumstances | would
have run under easy canvas, but a man
must take ushs boz uu uyclu mcc that no
would not When hc sails ior pleasure. IL
was business with tar lrum start 10 iinish.'
H