The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-11

| 70 III better than that OF the American
| boat.
On the valkyrie with Lord Dunraven,
Arthur G. Glennie and II. Maitland Ker-
sey was J. r. Bush of the Americas cup
/ committee. Lord Dunraven's daughters
did not sail on the Valkyrie to-day. They
saw the race from the deck of a steam
yacht
On the Defender were Mr.. and Mrs. Ise-
/ lin, Nat Herreshon, Woodbury. Kane,
! Newbury Thorne, Herbert c. Leeds and
! David Henderson. the representative Of
Lord Dunraven.
The fleet of excursion steamers and
/ yachts that followed the racers was small
er than Saturday. They did not begin to
arrive off Sandy Hook light ship in much
force until just before the start.
A few minutes before II o'clock the vari-
Gus craft could be seen hustling down to
| the starting point around the lightship.
| While the yachts were maneuvering for
| position, the patrol boats were very vigi-
liant In warning the overeager captains to
/ keep out of the way. The yachts were
not seriously hindered about the start, al
though at times ii looked as though they
might be.
At the turns and during the race, the
attendant fleet gave the yachts plenty Of
room. The warning whistles of the patrol
vessels were needed, and no serious inter-
ference with the yachts occurred at any
/ time.
At the finish there was the usual scene
| of excitement with patriotic Americans
for once saluting a British yacht.
Shortly after 10 O'Clock the committees
tug, Walter Luckenbach. arrived off the
Sandy Hook lightship. She found a gen.
tie breeze blowing from almost due south
at the rate of six or seven miles an hour.
! The conditions of wind and weather We're
much like those of Saturday. 1t was most
emphatically Valkyrie's day at the START.
At lO:5O00 the preparatory signal was
/ fired. Both the racers were then to the
| leeward of the line and some distance
| apart on the starboard tack. Each had
| the same canvas set, consisting Of main
| sail, club topsail, stay-sail and jib, with
a jib topsail in stops ready to break out.
| When the gun was fired, the Defender,
which was to the eastward, came about
on the port tack and stood toward the
Valkyrie. The latter being still upon the
starboard tack had the right of way, and
as the Defender approached her she luffed
/ up in to the wind and went about. This
| brought Valkyrie on the weather quar-
ter of the Defender, that is, to windward
| of her and just a trife behind but
well overlapping her, and so gave her the
weather gauge.
The maneuvers by which the Defender
| endeavored to make the Valkyrie lose her
| grip were especially interesting in view
| of the subsequent foul to which they led.
| SeCure0
much coveted position, both boats stood
along toward the westward on the port
tack until beyond the committee boat.
| Capt Han then jibed suddenly, hoping
to get around and luff up to windward on
| Valkyrie before she could get around.
But Capt. Cranfeld jibed SO quickly that
| the relative positions Of the two boats re-
manned unchanged, valkyrie still keeping
| the weather gauge. This was at 1856.
The two boats came back on the star
board tack toward the starting line. They
passed around one of the big excursion
steamers, and as time was short, began to
approach the line from its westward end,
breaking out their jib topsails as they did
so.
On came the boats until only a few sec
onds elapsed before the starting gun. Then
1t was seen that Valkyrie was too near
the line, and was in danger of crossing a
second or two before the gun. She i'm
mediately began to bear away to avoid
crossing. But as soon as she began to bear
away, she found more trouble. There was
the Defender just to leeward, and a little
| behind her, who had no need to bear
away and so did not propose to do It.
| Defender was allowing Valkyrie plenty of
| room between herself and the mark ana
so was acting strictly within her rights
| in keeping her course.
Capt Cranfield could not call for more
room, and there was but one thing he
could do to save himself-that was to
| stop Roadway on Valkyrie The orders
were given and all her sheets were slack
| ed off wide at once to spill her sails and
| stop Roadway. Hence came the foul and
/ its resulting trouble. The long boom OF
| the Valkyrie, reaching out to leeward, ral-
| ed across the deck of the Defender, only
eighteen or twenty feet away, and, strik-
ing the topmast shroud, on the starboard
side, carried it away-breaking the jaw
of the spreader and pulling the bolt out
of the brass spreader strap.
| The Defenders lofty topmast mmedi-
ately buckled under the strain of her jib
topsail with a loud crack, and at this mo-
.nent the starting gun was fired-at ex-
actly Ii o'clock
The Defenders crew were ordered for
ward to take in the jib topsail in order
to save the topmast from further damage,
| and in that condition she crossed the line
at H. :01. The Valkyrie had passed it at
11:00:13
AS she crossed the line the Defender
| hoisted a protest flag, and an answering
pennant on the judges boat showed it
had been seen and would be considered.
| There is, of course, no doubt that the
responsibility for the accident rest entire
| ly with the Valkyrie.
Her skipper allowed her to get
into very tight place, where
there was every prospect of his
crossing the line before the gunfire,
| and so having to return and recross. In
his anxiety to avoid this, he ran down too
| close upon boat which he was bound to
| look out for, as she was sailing closer
hauled on the same tack, and so had the
| right of way, and so caused an accident,
which practically ruined the other boats
| chance in the race. 1t is hard to see but
| that the blame is wholly his.
The two boats crossed upon the star
| board tack, but Immediately afterward
| the Defender went about on the port tack,
bearing the strain of her topmast on the
uninjured side, and Valkyrie followed on
the same tack. An attempt to replace the
broken shroud was Immediately made upon
the Defender and makeshift, which par
TALLY answered the purpose was devised.
At 11:4 o'clock the Defender went about
upon the starboard tack, and ten seconds
| later the Valkyrie followed her. It was
| then seen that the Valkyrie was about a
quarter of a mile ahead of the Defender
| and was fully 100 yards to the windward.
This showed that the American boat, even
in her crippled condition, was doing well.
At 1880 o'clock the two racers went
about upon the port tack again and five
minutes later, at u:55 O'Clock Defender
broke out her jib topsail again. She took