New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-31

10 weigh the yachts actually like pound OF cheese
Tho yachts had be hauled out and dry dockea ana
the weight was computed by the revolutions OF JACK
screws placed under the hull and the power applied
The heel and rudder actually weighed on scales
Thus one of the entries for time allowance measure
ment reads thus:
syren ;weight Of S4oO Is
Weight OF keel
Weight Of rudder. z-1 "
Racing n TSsal Ss tons 9 cwi, nj;
Tho allowances was computed accurately from
these data though the weight Of an additional pas
eenger was often neglected. 1t was said, however
by scoers of the day. that the crows OF veseis oeh
reduced the handicap Of their craft by training GOWN
to racing weight
rhis condition Of things lasted until 1852 when
the authorities discovered the tendency toward wnat
has since been termed cutter on inc o1her
side. Tho Yankee yschtsmen determined, af'er
series of wordy combaS, that this leaning was 10
be regarded as dangerous to the development OF tne
speed elements of the yachts. and dciibersteo over
new system Of measurement and allowance. Charles
II Hasyyell was then chairman Of the Regatta Com
mittee, and with his fondness for mathematics SUD
United plan which for complexlty has been surpassed
only once since that time. He argued that inc ION
mage Of vessel had nothing 10 do with her speea OUT
that her swftness depended purely upon the areaoi
her sails He submitted scheme for classification
and handcapping which was adopted, and the cruz
entered UPON the mathematical era, during which hr.
5iAsweIl had practically a monopoly of every DIT oil
knowledge existing about the justice or injustice OF
handicap The classification was:
i ss 4 1ss sseS 800 g a m 81 o
III class: Less than 300 ft.-..l3 sec: per IL
This arrangement of the feet at onco resulted IN
the competition Of yachts greatly different In point oil
TONNAGE Thus, in third class soops the Mary, OF
nstesn TONS had sail with the wavelet OF thirtytwo
tons, while the Starlight, of thirtyiour TONS
was classified with the Rebecca Of seventy-seven tons
Yet the confidence in the justice Of sailaea handi
fhn maj
club and though the consequences OF the system weo
dire enough at the time, they the prime cause
OF the development of Americas fast skmmeTs'
The FIRST thing tho sailors did, naturally enough,
was to fi every stitch Of canvas they did not aoso
lutely need They struck their topmats took In their
fIb booms and sailed under roefed mainsais In an
esgknot breeze. Something of the labors Of the re-
gatta committee IN power at that time VIII asionish
the committees of to-day. Every time yacht SET
sail note was made Of 1t. the recorded area OF the
canvas was hooked mp and the handicap Of that vessel
was changed oorrespondingly. All the computations
were done by Br Haswell, who delighted IN Juggling
via figures, and did not mind the work BIT After
every race busheL basketful Of protests would be
submitted 30 the regatta committee. The most Of
them read somewhat like this sample: The owner OF
c Island Fawn protests against the Luckey upon the
suppositon that her sails Of greater than
that BY which her allowance OF time was computed
The protests were rarely allowed. however and the
yachtsmen got tired of obiecting Before long. own
exs discovered that their craft did not need much
aip1 on the water TO bold the small sheets and the
displacement was decreased The Island Fawn the Ed
gar and their ik were the first Swimming dishes" An
idea Of effect Of the rules regarding the dminution
Of the sail area may be gained from the fact that
James Gordon Benefits Rebecca, on june g. 1885,
nad sail area Of 5000 square feet, while on June
4 1880 her canvas measured only 1906 square feet.
The classification had CONS down from what 1t was
as given above to the following
Gas: Sham: s sleeps eyer aye J. 100 sec
III Shops, less than 800 % feet ITO sec
But even this complex method Of computing time
allowance did suit the mathematical regatta
mittse, and in 1863 Mr.. Haswen began taking the
force Of wind into account In addition to the Of
sails BE prepared special tables for calms,S light
breezess fresh breezes7 and :" light gales,' giving
coefeicnts TO be applied to the allowances whenever
the wind changed. Memoranda were kept on the
judges boat Of all these details including the setting,
reedng fnriing of sails on every yacht 1t Is not
indicated in the records how much time 1t required
bcfxe the competitors found out whether they wero
frst or last in the race, but, inasmuch the comp
faons would surpass In intrcscy those Of astron-
omer in nxing the timc of eclipse, there is good
reason believe that this time allowance system was
not popular among the yachtsnen of the club. At
any rate It Yves In only season, and in 1850
the measurements for time allowance again made
by the area Of the sails. In addition an Improvement
was made by Classifying the ucot according 10 the
tonnage thus avoiding tho possibility of having a
lsrton rater compete with vessel Of tonnage four
times As great
In 1871 @ new chairman OF the Regatta Committee
was elected in the person Of Philip Schuyler and nj
the same time the sail system abandoned,
because about that time the yachts trying to
sail With bare poles lile the Flying Dutchman.S
Tbe new measurement was based on the dis
placement Of tho yachts in cubic fest and the
isngfh Of the water line 1t Is probably I'M
necessary TO say that the displacement mean,
shs cubic contents Of the portion Of the vessel beneath
the wsfeg-hne Tho system commended ftseh al
<oass though in several matchraccs sailed while Il
WIS Ia use IL was specified that the rules OF 1870
shousd be used Tho trouble with the new system
xss that 10 be measured the yachts had 70 Be hauled
ont 1t at once suggests itsoh 70 any one that
.e,Ad be SIN further favor the Development Of
fhs skirirning6sh, and of the mos fragrant cases
o. aedns Ealing fs s Wss s0 so r.. %sop Ro
wash-bAsin and having precticaly no dsplacemcenl
Il "a Her advantage dd not last Ions however fol-
1879 the rules were change 50 = 20 sEo Tss
s @atex e tgs height Of her plank shear, and heI
racing dsys over, as were those OF others " hei
dEds
s7s s oags NAY ssssI ss ss sa sT ueea
~ sssassrcnant Of the length and the creates
rr~a6th ard Ia 1875. IN The gWeePstkes eor Sleeps
xsi sp 80 s ssa ps q ss wa
eod Il wa not until 1883 fbat radical change va
ase 81 Ssssr enc Z Sasy smith chair
1akn rasds exhaustive report ~ wl.icn tnsy .o, Nv
si,sss6 TAT 50 lsnG vessels q vsrous sizes ana