Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-01-19

for the yacht is moving three times as fast as the gale itself. The truth of the statement has been demonstrated repeat edly, however, for with the wind abeam it far outstrips its propelling power in speed
 For example, a 20 or 80 mile wind may readily impart to an ice yacht a 60 mile speed. This scientific phenomenon, which for time troubled the old school physicist as profoundly as the curved ball, is not difficult to explain. The difference of pressures on the two sides of Q sail de, bends on the square of the velocity of the wind. It amounts to A pounds per square foot for velocity of 50 feet per second, or about 80 miles an hour, and is thus a large pressure on a broad sail The actual resistance to the friction of an ice yacht is small, both on the ice and in tho air
 In the air the friction on the sails in pounds is only an infnitesimally small amount, so that, as the wind must neces sarily be more or less sidelong and the effective moving consequent on it is con stant one, the velocity acquired may be very great, far exceeding the average ve locity of the wind, which an anemometer only fairly we'll records. Thus a boat may go faster than the wind, and iceboats very often do.
 
 in the United States, and these enthusi- asts declare that it is the very king of all winter sports. It is in reality four sports combined in one, for the ice yachtsman when speeding over the glassy surface of the river or lake experiences about all tho joys of the skater, the water yachtsman, the tobogganist and the coaster. There is very little hard work about ice yachting, too, for there is no hill climbing. no disa- greeable walking back mile or so before a new ride may be enjoyed.
 It is said that ice yachts were invented in Holl and, but the old Dutch yachts lit tie resemble the wonderful racing craft American ingenuity has produced An ice yachtsman of Holland would think twice before Inc expended $l,0OO on a yacht, but the New York society men of wealth who have country places along the Huson care little what their ice yachts cost so long as they can hold their own with or defeat rival yachts. A good boat of small size may be built for $l50, but the large boats frequently exceed $1, GOO in cost
 Ice yachting is very popular in the vicin- ity of New York and along the great lakes, and three great centers for the sport are New York, Red Bank. N. J., and Mad ison, Wis. The pastime has few devo- tees in Chicago, but they are mainly fish ermen, who dwell along the lake front. Chicago society, unlike that of New York, has not yet been made acquainted with the beauties of the sport. year ago Mad ison forced her way to the front by giving one of tho greatest ice yacht regattas in the history of the pastime in America Five thousand people thronged the shores of Lake Mendota, near Madison, and saw a fleet of 40 ice yachts contest for supre- macy in different classes. The course was six miles long, and the yachts sailed over it three times, covering as they did so about ten miles moro in tacking, and the pennant was won by the May BretOnne, owned by Charles Spooner, son of ex- United States Senator John c. Spooncr. Sho negotiated the 2S miles in hour 2 minutes 4S seconds. Some of the contest ants displayed considerable humor in | naming their yachts. \ German called | his tho Flying Dutchman, and two wags who remembered Chicago's famous Shell murder caso termed their yacht the Slip | pery Tascott
 About the only typo of yacht used in tho west is the sloop rigged yacht with | jib and mainsail. Tho largest yachts only spread 390 square feet of sail, while somo | of the big yachts on the Hudson and North | Shrewsbury rivers spread from 750 to S26 | feet The eastern yachts are principally | of the cat rig or lateen type, with but a | single sail of enormous proportions. Each yacht has two front iron shod wooden | runners or feet long, set parallel about 12 ur II feet apart and connected by | a thick runner plank while at the rear, | perhaps l2 feet hack, is a third runner, | short and movable, attached to which is | the tillcr. Above the runners is the crib AL n | or, rather, l:e, for the jibboom swings so low.as to forbid the occupant sitting up | right. Midway between the two front runners is the spar
 An ico yacht answers the helm instan-
 taneously and may be guided with the ut
 most ease and with absolute accuracy. | The nose of the yacht can be held steadi- | ly to any point desired without material
 variation, and this, too, while the craft
 may be clipping along faster than an ex- | press train.
 It is interesting to observe that, despite 1 the stupendous speed commonly acquired, Ice yachting is a sport almost wholly de-
 void of danger, although to both the spec
 tator and the rider the feeling of constant danger prevails. This is of course duo to
 the unnatural speed An ice yacht sell dom capsiZes, and, strangely enough, l
 goes over so gently that the occupants suffer nothing worse than being merely tipped out. When the wind Is so strong
 that the yacht careens to point of going ] over, the wind is naturally SOut of the l sail, " the lower runner plank touches the
 ice as 6 result of the tipping, and the cap l sizing Is robbed of all serious danger. | Few people have been injured since the | sport became popular in America. The | principal pefils are from collisions, run | ming down skaters and running into open
 water formed by huge cracks in the ice.
 Perfectly smooth ice is not desirable for
 ice yachting, for under such conditions
 the runners are left to slough, thus pre-
 venting an oblique wind from getting
 hold, as it were, to the best advantage.
 Ice somewhat rough is tho sailors delight, | and if thin patches of snow are upon 1t nc I special regret is felt.
 The North Shrewsbury Ice Yacht club,
 which was organized 13 years ago, with a
 mo 'bership of 15, now has membership l of I.carly 100, and it's fleet consists of 11
 swift racing yachts. Back in 1869 began l the first racing tournaments. In that | year ice yachting cracks met and contest
 cd for the Hudson championship. The
 course varies according to varying ideas
 At times some "'Ybs have advocated 6
 straightaway, but usually the course ha:
 one turn. The length is commonly placed
 at % miles. Tho year 1881 marked long
 step forward in ice yachting tournaments
 Tn that year the New Hamburg Ice Yacht
 club offered a challenge pennant of red
 and white silk suitably inscribed It