The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-08-03
AN ACCIDENT TO DEFENDER
HER CAFE GAVE AWAY WHILE ON
THE LAST LEG or THE RACE.

Up to That Time the Battle Between the
Big Single Stiokers Was "a Pretty One-It
Was Some Time After the Accident That
the Vigilant Reached the Turn-She Won
the Race Over the Jubilee aud Volunteer.
Newport, R. l., Aug. 2.-The Defender
lost her first race to-day and great was
the pity for it, for she had walked away
from her three competitors and was
nearing home when a new-fangled gaff
at the top of her mainsail broke and she
was obliged to take line from tug
! and retire from the race, allowing the
Vigilant to win. The $500 cup offered
by Ogden Goelet was the nominal prize
for which the new boat was racing, Pit
ted against her We're the Vigilant, the
Jubilee and the Volunteer. With these
three opponents she put up race that
delighted the big crowd of spectators
until after rounding the second tura
and sailing thirty-two miles of the thir
ty-eight of the course. Then the new
hollow gaff broke.
The great mainsail became a mis-
shappen bag. The spar was followed
out and bound together like barrel in
order to save weight.
Before the mishap the Defender had
threshed to windward seventeen and a
half miles and run eighteen miles with
the wind astern and spinnaker out, ana
had turned the second mark with IL
minutes and So seconds advantage over
iri1a Mt min
the Jubilee and "a minutes SO seconds
over the Volunteer. In the windward
work the gain over the Vigilant WIS
2 minutes 20 seconds and in the run 8
minutes seconds. The wind was four
teen knots an hour at the start, drop
ping to ten knots at the first turn and
increasing during the run to eighteen
KNOTS, at which rate it was blowing
when the gaff gave way. The boat was
close-hauled at the time and there was
lumpy sea.
After the Defender withdrew the Wig
liant sailed home an easy winner. The
Jubilee not only failed to crowd the
Defender, but she also could not push
the Vigilant near as hard as she did
in the trial races of 1898. This is the
first opportunity that has been given
to get line on Vigilant's work now,
and before the alterations and 1t shows
that she Is doing better than she did
last year. The performance of the
Volunteer to-day showed how much we
have progressed in yacht building since
1887, she being over half an hour slower
than the Defender.
The great race OF the sloops diverted
attention from the race for the $1,000
schooner cup, also offered by Mr.. Goelet,
which was sailed over the same course.
There were nine crack schooners in he
race The best elapsed time was made
by the Lasca and was hours AZ min
utes and 36 seconds.
The Vigilant covered the distance in
s hours minutes and 50 seconds. The
Emerald was the second schooner %
finish and was given the prize on time
allowance The Amorita came in third.
The Others finished in the following or
der: Mayfower, Merlin Elsemarie Ne
aera and Loyal.
The last two are schooners of class 5
under 65 feet and were racing for a spe-
cial cup offered at the New York Yacht
club regatta on June 13, but not decid-
ed then owing to a mistake in classif-
cation The Loyal won the prize to-
day by 2 minutes 10 seconds corrected
time.
In all Newport's history Of yachting
no such attendant fleet accompanied the
racers over the course as was the case
to-day The day was perfect for com
fort as well as a fine one for sailing.
In the early morning there was so
little air that many yachts We're obliged
to tow down past the Dumplings to
reach the starting line. This delayed
the signal for the race for half an
L hour. When all had arrived off Bren-
TONS Reef there were present fully
one hundred Of the finest steam yachts,
a score of passenger steamers and tugs
and sailboats and launches without
number. Secretary of the Navy Herbert
with large party of guests was on
the Dolphin and followed the race from
start to finish. The Sylvia with the
regatta committee aboard dropped an
chor at 1O:4O opposite Brenton's Reef
Lightship. She signalled that the
course would be the triangular one
with the first turn near Block Island
and the second near West Island. The
wind was southwest holding nearly true
all udy. IL NdTleu III SlEeuSln from ~
to 18 knots. The first leg of the course
was 1314 miles S.. w. h w. and was
a beat to windward. The second leg
was run from N. e. by e. u E., with
the wind directly over the stern for
eighteen miles; and the third side a
close reach w. by N. of six and one
half miles, finishing at the starting
point
The preparatory gun was fired at
11:20 and ten minutes later the big
sloops started. Defender crossed first
with Volunteer tapping her The Jubi-
lee was two minutes later. AS the wind
was strengthening the Vigilant lay
back until the five minutes handicap
time had nearly expired. She was four
minutes later than the Defender in
crossing the line. All four boats went
over on the starboard tack All except
the Volunteer broke out baby jibtop-
sails just before crossing. The four
boats carried club topsails and the regu-
lar lower sails. The Defender had the
same sails she has used since the New
York races. The Vigilant had her new
Herreshoff mainsail. The Jubilee had
the set of sails she carried in 1893.
The Defender began to creep away
from the others from the moment she
was over the line. She pointed higher