The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-27
FRAUD IN A YACHT RACE.
Inside History of the Trial Contests
Oyster Bay
Special to the indianapolis Journal

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
WAWASEE, Ind, July 26-When the his
tory of the 1887 Seawanhaka-C orinthian
Yacht Clubs trials at Oyster bay has been
written Or. Harry Hicks, of Indianapolis
designer, builder and joint owner with Geo
Ed Hunt of the Hoosier twenty-rater Mary
Will have chapter of racy details to add
OF course the history of the Oyster bay
races will never be written The Eastern
ers are satisfied with the victory of the
Mono, owned by the Cranes, of Boston.
and since a series of laughably stupid blum
ders, to quote the skipper Hicks on the
part of the crew that sailed the Marv. for
ever prevented the Wawasee yacht from
figuring as a contestant in the great race
against the Canadians on Lake st. Louis
IN August. Nothing which the Indiana
yachtmen can put forward will alter the
standing of the Mary in the preliminaries.
AT the same time DR.. Hicks could stir IN a
sensation among the Eastern sportsmen
second only to the famous wrangle which
Lord Dunraven precipitated by the publica-
tlon or his spicy brochure after he had
reefed his top gallant" and refused to try
1or the Americas cup two years ago.
MI Hicks returned here from OYSTER bav
last week, and has so far recovered from
MS humiiating defeat as to be able 10 fauph
IL or. lie discusses the races with much
himself for the oyster BAY fiasco Al fra
same time 1t develops that he discovered
some OF the tricks of the Yankees that
really reflect little credit on the sportsman
snip OF the men with whom he contested
Tor the great Oyster bay honors When it
reaches the ears of the Canadians, who now
hold the cup IL is likely to result in an in
yestlgation into the strict honesty of the
Yankees. Without knowing or Intending
that his disclosure would reach the news
papers, Or. Hicks declares that the Yacht
MONO wiroH won every trial at Oyster bay,
does not come v,itEin the limits of the TWEEN
ty-raters ms assertion is not based on
rumor or the result of pique, but is founded
on information gathered by his own wit
Messing eyes. Or. Hicks was the onIv
owner out of nine with yachts entered in
the preliminaries who was present when
the omcial measurement of the Cranes
paid professional TO measure the twenty
raters and DR.. Hicks, out of mere curt
oslty, was present when the Momo's dimen-
siohs We're measured. While the rating
should be twenty, he saw that the Mono
exceeded the regulations by a few inches
over twentyone. When this serious de-
1ect was discovered the men In charge of
the Momo, by means of blocks and chains
running from bow TO stern, and passing
over the mast, "buckled'' up the Mono
This tended to bend her as a bow is bent
bringing her nose and stern higher ont OF
Lne water, thus reducing her water line
with best efforts of the 'buckling-up" con-
trlVance the measurements of the Mono
were reduced only about 31b inches and she
went into the races with her mea sur;ament
only tribe under twenty-one
Or. Hicks relates this fact not in resent
ment, Tor ne takes his defeat as said he
fore, like true sportsman but tells II as
joke on the other Yankee contestants who
were racing against boat that was req ifNJ
out OF the twenty-rate class To undar
stand what is meant by a twentv-rater II
should be explained how the twenty" is
obtained. The twenty-raters are MOI al
lowed above 800 feet of canvas but this does
not mean that they can both carry 500 feet
OF sails and also measure twenty feet on
the water line. This would place thern
above their class. The square root of H.
sail area is taken and added to the vatar
line, then divided by two and the resuIt
must not exceed twenty. sail area for
instance of 44 feet, the square root ~
which would be twenty-five. and a v,ater
line of twenty feet even, would ada nm
forty-two, half of which would make the
yacht twenty-one in measurement no
carry a sail area of asa feet or sixteen feet
fass than the regulation 500, the water linz
would have TO be reduced to eighteen 50
as TO make the yacht a twenty-rater If
the sail area were full 500 feet any one
can see that the water line must needs he
less than eighteen. Yet the Mono is said
to have exceeded it's 500 feet of sail area a
trihe and lacked very much of having its
water line reduced TO the measurement thar
was necessary to make her a twenty-rater
Even with this great handicap the Mary
according to DIR. Hicks il she had been
properly sailed. might have beaten the
Eastern entries. On going to windward he
found that the Mary easily overhauled her
competitors. 1t was in not knowing the