Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-07-07
YIGILANT BEATEN.
PRINCE OF WALES's BRITANNIA WINS
THE RACE FOR THE MUIR CUP.
tanita Ran Into va'kyrie and Cut Her
In Two-Iord Dunravcn Picked lip.


The regatta OF the Mud Hook Yacht Club
on Thursday opened amid scene Of
excitement which was soon after In
tensined by a collision between the VAL
kyrie and the Satanita, which resulted
in the sinking OF the former yacht and
the serious disabling OF the latter.
A fever-heat OF excitement had pre-
vailed here previous to the start for the
Muir memorlal-cup race. No such inter-
est has ever before been shown here in
a yachting contest, for the American
flyer, Vigilant. was TO meet, for the first
time. the Prince OF Waless cutter. Bril-
tannia, admitted to be the fastest yacht
in Europe
Every point Of vantage about the course
was packed with slght-seers from early
morning. and their number was con-
stantly added TO as the day advanced.
COURSE OF THE YACHTS.
The Royal-Clyde Yacht club course
sailed In the Mud-Hook regatta is fifty
miles long. and In shape is similar 10
two triangles with their points meeting
The yachts started from an imaginary
line drawn between the Royal-Clyde Yacht
Club headquarters, at Hunters Quay,
and mark-boat No. !. The first leg was
around q mark boat off Skelmorlie, from
there to and around another mark-boat
off Ascog. thence to and around a mark
boat off Kilcrcsgan, and from there to
the starting points, twice around. The
start was fixed for 1890 A. NJ.
The Goulds' steam-yacht ATLANTA, with
q large party on board, followed the vigil
liant TO the Holy Loeb anchorage
Just previous to the start the clouds
which had been gathering with the wlnd
grew blacker. and it became showery.
Ail the yachts set thelr mdlhsallS anu
small topsails
Lord Duuraven, with George l.. Wat
son. the designer was steering the Val
kyrie: 4. -. Clarke, owner of the satan
tia, was at her stick; Nat. Herreshon was
at the wheel Of the Nigilant. ana W. Jam
lesson was bering tho britannia The
start WAS osic - binding mist the
wind howe rr. st'li holding good.
The Nigpn~D britannia, and Sajanlta
came up 10 lie on the port tack. TO turn
the mars boa while the Nalkyrie raced
down from Hoy Loeb. The Satanlta
was too soon By hall minute. On the
other hand II. britannia was able TO
lufT on the liae for a capital start The
Nigilant turned 1t handsomely ana was
on the fntfk -Iodl SIpItis "it.l S"'i7i''N'
But the Britinnia was quicker, and got
off three lengths ahead.
THE VALKYRIE SUNK.
Then came the accident Of the dag.
Tho Nalkyrie and Satdnita, while pre-
pairing for the start. became locked to-
ecther. and I'm a few minutes the Val
kyrie settled down and sank. Whiie the
Satanita was 50 badly damaged that she
was obige TO retire.
The Satanita, IT appears. was lullns
for the start. and was unable to ct out Oh
the Valkyrie's way, AS the latter was
coming I'D on the stdTbOard tack: Inc
Valkyrie's bows ran across the Satan
ita's forcsau and the collision when
Immediately followed. carried away the
Satanitas bOWsplrt and iopindSt' iedNlHB
her d wreck covered with tangled rs-
cling and collapsed sails. The force OF
the collision cut tho Nalkyfie down 10
the waters edge, and she slowly settled
and sank in three minutes.
Ashore. owing to the mist, 1t was dihi-
cult 10 Immediately determine upon what
had happened. except that there had been
a collision, and that the Naikyrie had
gone down.
PICKED Up BY BOATS.
Loud cries were heard from the crews
Of the two yachts. and for time II was
believed that n number of the crew ol
the Nalkyrie had been drowned. happlS
this was not the case, as Lord DuhIaFeh'
Watson and the officers and ere" OF the
Nalkyrie were picked up by boats "hlC"
nut out from the shore ana from tAe
many sailing yachts and steam EdCht9
in the vicinity OF the scene OF the accl-
dent. Lord Dunrayen was sight long 10
he remembered, when he was no longer
the spruce. digniiied gentleman 50 VIC"
remembered in New York.
The captain of the Satanita said that
he did not have room 10 turn, owing 10
the large number of steam and other
Yachts which gathered about the staruhs
line. ,-,,,,...
one OF the Valkyrie's seamen. William
Brown. was caught between the Nalkyr'e
and a steam yacht and had his leg bddly
crushed. ,-,.
The Valkyrle lies in twenty-five fathoih9
If water. The Satanita carried away ''N
wards Of her starboard bow ana DEAN
above the water line. The COOK Oh INC
satanta had his arm broken.
DESCRIPTION or THE RACE.
In the meanwhile the Nigilant and
the britannia had got away not knowing
- tn sinking Of the Nalkyrie or the
damage done TO the Satanlia-
rho britannia hitched on 10 port 10
throw herself on the Waterbeam. Both
Yachts then went across the FIRM Oh
the starboard tack. to the opposite land.
When they tackled again the Ni6ilant
was rlshiue her bowsprit over the bll-
tannia's weather quarter ana was threat
| oniug 10 run into the weather berth'
The Nieiant continued to ORA" ahea'
Of the Britannia, and turning the Ascos
mark boat the yachts came on the run
with their booms over TO port, the Nigi-
| liant carving great balloon or spinnaker
iibs as they are termed here. which
| were drawing splendidly. on Toward
Point. after rounding the Ascog mark.
| both yachts set their spnnakerS to star
board. and their club topsails were re-
placed by jb-headers. At the weather
mark boat the yachts came on the run
working along the Cloch shore spinna-
| kcrs were run out TO port ana JlD Top
| sails were set.
on the run home to the finish the Vigil
liant was stll leading. and 1t was esti-
mated that she was about seven minutes
ahead. The wind was softening. but the
Britannia. with her spnnaker down, be-
| gan TO haul her in.
PASSED BY THE BRITANNIA.
one OF the most remarkable changes
which ever occurred in Il yacht-race hap
| pened several miles from the finish.
The wind was still fairly fresh on the
run up the Firth as far as Cloch, where
| the Nigilant had a lead Of over five
minutes on the home side OF Cloch.
however. the Nigilant dropped out OF
| the wind, and the britannia began to
draw up on her keeping furthest from
| the shore, with the result that mile
! above Cloch the Nigilant was passed.
1 and the britannia WAS leading by half
| a minute at kilcreggan.
on the reach the Nigiiant pluckily en-
| deavored TO come past on the weather,
but the britannia luffed up and pre-
vented her
The following is the corrected time Of
| the finish:
! britannia ........................Ah I'm. DIS.
NlSlldnt ........'....'s's..s'''.'' -'iii. 80
The Vigiant should have undoubtedly
won, with a minute or TWO to spare,
| and would have done 50 but for the sud
den falling of the wind in which the
| Britannia was SO well served
1t was admitted on all sides that me
! Nigilant was the better boat, and that
| she had the hardest lines in losing.
Il H., -,