St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-09-11
BY FORTY-sEVEN SECONDS.
BritOn,s Rest Could Win by No
More From a Cripple.


NEW YORK, Sept. 10.-The COM
mittee boat Walter A. Luckenbach
was on the ground in good season,
and promptly hung up the signal
which told the racers that the course
would be over a triangle Of ten miles
to the angle, the first leg being to
the windward south, the second
northeast by east, and the third
northwest by west half west. AS
the committee boat made known the
directions of those in charge the
wind dropped to speed of about five
miles an hour from a force Of some
thing like eight miles. There was
no kind of sea on, nor swell. The
surface of the ocean was favorable
to the Valkyrie. 1t was noticed,
while the contestants were sailing
near the line that was to be made,
that their sails set equally as well
as they did on Saturday. This was
especially the case with the De-
tenders white plug topsail. The
preparatory gun was fired from the
committee boat sharp on the ap-
pointed time, 1850. Both yachts had
baby jib. topsails set when, after
some clever maneuvering about the
line which had been drawn between
the Luckenbach, to the westward OF
the Sandy Hook lightship, and the
Hghtship, they both stood down to
the line. After the shippers had
performed all the monkeying that
they could do about the line thew
finally made their way down to the
start. Coming to that first station
the Valkyrie was to windward and
the Defender something like two
lengths astern and to leeward It
was at this period, about half a
minute before the starting signal
should be given, Defender over
hauled Valkyrie in a very rapid
manner and had her nose almost
up to Valkyrie's beam when the
latter eased off and blanketed the
American boat SO thoroughly that
defenders baby topsail and lib
shook in the wind. Capt. Half, when
ne saw his head sails shaking and
the movement of the Englishman in
the way of an attempt to blanket
MIN, threw Defender high up. as
though about to tack or at least to
pass under Valkyrie's stern and get
10 windward of the Briton. The
Vaikyrie was very promptly aware
OF this move, and luffed up well into
the wind. They were then both AL
most on the line. AS Valkyrie luffed
her boom went smash against tha
topmast back stay of Defender and.
that conclusion was the cause of the
protest that came later.
OVER THE LINE.
OF course, valkyrie went over the
nne nrst and to windward. Defender
was close after her, but she had barely
got over the line when the sheet of
her Jlb topsail parted. Both boats
We're on the -starboard tack at the
rime, SO both claimed that they had the
rlsht OF way. 1t was a question among
the experts whether Defender was ar
that moment the overhauling boat.
Ii she had been, it was, according to
rules, her place to give way. The
nne point came in the discussions of
the shaTps whether Defender. who had
'oeen blanketed, and who had then fall
en- back in speed because of her luff.
was the overhauling boat. All the
same. with the parting of the baby lib
topsail sheet the sail tapped a great
deal In the wind and assisted in the
loosening of it's own stay and the tor,
stay on the starboard SIDE The slack
Oh the topmast stay allowed the top
mast to bsnd for over toward the water
on the portside-so far that it looked
Tor moment as though the mast was
about to be carried away. Capt. Half
instantly eased off his vessel. He
probably felt that, had he come up to
the wind and met its full strength, with
his club topsail going, the entire upper
outfit would have been carried away.
So he eased off to find out what real
damage had been done. He discovered
that the topmast had been sprung.
The Defender had, in good seamanship
style, held up the red protest flag when
Valkyrie's boom interfered so much
with her progress. Still she went Oh
her journey very much worsted by the
collision, butt still gaining. After
crossing the line she came around in
about a minute and half before tack,
and sagged to leeward so far because
of Capt. Haffs apprehension that her
upper starboard rigging would not
hold, that a good many people said
she was out of the race, that she had
given 1t up. Others, who knew better,
| remarked that the Defenders crew
would be towards if they dropped out
before they got decision from the,
committee in charge, and It proved
that they were right. Defender w3s
out to race, even though cripple, .anM
she went on racing as cripple, so that
the windup of the days business show
ed that the fastest yacht in Europe
could only beat the crippled American
over thirty-mile triangular course
by forty-seyen seconds.