New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-09
OPINIONS OF AN EXPERT.
DISCUSSION OF THE PROBABILITIES WHEN TIE
DEFENDER AND THE vIGILANT ARE MEAS
URED-MR. GOULD CANNOT AS YET
FIND OUT HOW HIS BOAT STANDS
~ r1,r, rpIsr CONTESTS

CRED-MR. GOULD CANNOI AS lei
FIND OUT HOW BOAT STANDS
IN THE TRIAL CONTESTS.
In Mondays race around the Sow and Pigs Light
chin the Defender and the Vigilant joined In one
zero of the enigrnatic contests which have from
tho first continued the general Interrogation of the
nubl,c AS the boats have not yet been oiciaily
measured. the public would like to know what the
results mean. 1t Is seen that In Mondays race
the Defender beat the Ngilant exactly five minutes
in a twenty mile beat to windward and in a fresh.
whole-sail breeze But what is to be learned from
,his when IL is remembered that the Nalkyrie ii
boat the Vigant four minutes under similar con-
ditions TO a buoy fifteen miles to windward and
still lost the race? In that memorable run the
yiqilant picked up her four minutes. allowed
minute and forty seconds as time allowance anu
still won with a margin OF about forty seconus'
This shows the peculiar results that shght acct
dents and unforeseen circumstances may give rise
TO- and such previous experiences ana most oi tnese
probematic races between the Defender ana the
Vigilant emphasize the necessity Vi Hi"''e o"' just
how the matter STANDS.
,rho ,,,h,ic would like to know whether or not the
yig,lant IL q beaten boat. The Niglant people
would like to know when they are beaten ana ii
so by how much. 1t would be generally pressing
10 receive further Idea as TO whether the De-
fender has proved TO be worth the fabulous price
which is mentioned being paid FOR her
The answers 10 these questions have hung FIRE
for a long time Mr.. Willard may well be sympa-
thized with when making his unaVaihhs attempt
"a have both the Defender and the NlSliaht meas
ured by the official measures. MI wizard mas
now raced the Viglant a good many times with the
new boa, Perhaps Of these contests should
no excluded owing TO mshaps and fukes. from the
estimation OF comparisons. but it would be d'iii-
cult to prevent even these from influencing pupilc
opinion when the Nigilant Is continually advertised
as a beaten boat
ar course there is no question about which Is the
of hc fWo often
to which is the winner. As a fact. no one except
nerhaps the Herreshoffs and those who are now
more Intimately connected with them can make Il
fair guess as TO the time allowance which the de-
fender must give to the Vgilant; and since bal
last alterations were the latter craft even
the opinion of the Herreshoffs is only approximate
Yet the public knows that even the small difference
in racing length that existed between the Nalkyre
III and the Viglant made necessary an allowance
to the Valkyre fl of one minute and forty seconds
The Viglant people say that their boat Is noatng
higher now than in 1893. which means shortened
water-lne length. If. then. the prevailing notion is
correct that the NigIant Is sailing at some
where about eighty-sx feet. We find her pitted
against boat which Is presumably built up 10 the
full limit Of ninety feet and which may possibly.
with her huge sail area. go considerably over this
rule from the Defender may therefore prove 10 De
1t was only natural for Mr.. Willard. in this state
OF facts. to request the New-York Yacht Club last
The Regatta Committee on the following day stated
that the water was too rough AT that time 10 com
m p nave not since been attended 10. The,
suit has been that the vglant has continued 40 70
he advertised as a beaten boat when IN reahly. 10
far as any one can tell. she may have Deeh so"'-
times winner a., ,r,n,,.,.
has been beyond reach Of any hoped for
time ALLOWANCE Bu, no one knows psor. t hed pube
T aha the ai,efsd eSdene e in
sy 70 III H. cup GGud DOss