New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-02
A YACHTS DISASTERS.
STRANGE STORY OF THE SEA TOLD ia
A SAILOR OK THE REPUBLIC.
THE SCHOONER NOW LIES IN THE ERIE bNSl"
CURIOUS SPECTACLE or vREcKAdE-

CURIOUS SPECTACLE or vRECKAGE-
KNcrrY POINTS IN MARINE LAW
The s,boo,er R.cuhrc owned by George Mat
fhevs ~ New-Ynrk which arrived last week az
Manning's slips In the Erie Basin. has experiences
one of the most curious kinds al wrecKlng lha.
ever happened 20 yacht or any otheF mn" VI
vessel The story OF the voyage. record OF as
agreement. dismay and disaster makes good read
Ing. though tho wrecking was OF kind which
no Yachting novelist would dare TO use IN MS
Action because the facts are almost TOO strange 10
he believed Tho appearance OF the hulk as II foa's
beside the wharf. with its huge boWtprit on deok
and its broken masts dashed or each side OF the
skyIshis ard companionway, tells a great deal
without words Al the bow the pankinS OF the
bulwarks and tho timhers OF the rails have been
pulled out OF her. Not sign OF a bobstay appears
The stem. Long strips OF sheet lead are closely
nailed down the whole length OF the stem, where
the butts OF the forward plankns pulled away from
H. Amldships the starboard bulwarks are smashed
ldi TO the deck Huge bits OF galvanized ironwork.
three Inches IN diameter, that were once cross
trees and davits. lie twisted and curled UP az II
the steam hammer OF a rolling mill had been used
on them. The jury rig still stands on her. as IL
Was set UP while at sea of Cape FcaI-an interest
ing piece Of work for yachtsman. and evidently
set up by sailors and men who knew their business.
a sailor board told this story OF the cruise:
1t was the curiestest kind OF trip ever made.
~ quite a send-on as h'isted our hook at the
Atlantic Yacht Club and dropped down the Bay.
Mr Matthews. by some people Who had Bought
mahogany CROWN lands IN South America. Tney
say tss!e Was EnSlsh money IN me thlhs, anu as
near as | can recOllect, the name OF the 1rn that
sent Their agent aboard was Kean. Van Cortlandt
= co. our old man at that time Was Captain
Whitt,cr; but Lord love ye. we've had enough
sStves, II they could be al PAT TO work at onct
Whittier was great FOR discipline. and mighty
rom the agent He Was wa o Kind OF so in p his way
OF funnin the vessel, ana guess the agent was
knew. old man Whittier left the vessel when We
put into Kingston, Jamaica.
We got through in the South. The agent had TO
so ashore and inspect the mahogany lands to make
the name OF the skipper that come into Mobile with
US on the way home, but at that port Captain
coas, We cot some bTeezes that I'D frighten you.
some OF the squalls was great. And they would
SHIFT round and change their grip quicker than
trained terrier. Gee. they would blow the shingles
canvas we showed was 1 cose-Teefed and We was Vas
staGgerin along. rippin the horn through the head
seas and about every third wave we was blue
Captain Randcleth, was keepin,, a pretty close
the vessel was straning at the stem. The bob
stays showed signs o. pulin out OF her altogether
set some shelter, while the whole crew worked at
settin up some riggn' forward 10 nod the masts
ont. well we dropped the big hook and it hed her
an right, thoush we didn't get much shelter. and
there was devil OF a sea runnin' all the time.
Ana you'll know what sea there was when
what haupened.
We didn't have time 10 set up more stays 20 the
foremost. and then big pitch aft pulled the vaOl.
front out Of her as YOU may say The bobstay+
rose straight up in the air, turned somersault on
po Tou d 1 b w BE S re S ISI hat bow
spirit. three feet in diameter. fell just where you
s W hod rs Sid eio nun INA ioT 1e ~ We
turn ii cook in the air. Why, talk about miracles'
man was hurt How do You account for that? You
will know the amount Of heavy steel rigging and
spri.. Then there was the shrouds on both sid
OF both masts. Any Of then. would kill you II IT
And here's one more thing that none Of us can
explain The mainmast fell and smashed into three
that Is dashed 10 these skylights and the mast
head Is overheard. Now YOU can't find spot on
The cabntop' lust aft Of #. hasn't been even
scratched Here's line of skyghts between The
b %G or ia HG rod nrnd o oe of plaza T
long sPanish-Gedar gis hanging there IN the davis
Vanderbilt's Ava. he steam yacht that so; run
into and sunk in the night. The other two the
and YOU can't find a mark on them. That break in
the starboard buiwarks not made by the fore
now. close to me skyights and along the deck.
We feers in the fo'csle has been puzznn out
all deck al the time there amt one on Us that
knows how them tons OF timber dropped ana
While we were clearing away the wreckage and
cleared UP BIZ the schooner Florence and Lillian
saw Us and hove up TO speak our old man Jney
wanted Us 10 90 aboard and leave the yacht Wnere
she was But our skipper only asked the schooner
send out tug as soon as II could weather NE
sea. and then set up a jury rig. To the eisht.
foot stump OF the foremost We dashed the boom OF
the foresai, as you see II standing tAere, ana We
gave il four rope shrouds on each side and fore
stay. But the jury mainmast was rot so easy he-
cause the big stick had cropped off exactly at the
deck Here had TO lash the broken spars 10
each side Of the skylights and then put crSs .,
he lach q
a. n mainmas; Afterward two trysails were
histed and sort Of fore-staysail forward. Under
his canvas we sailing into southport IN
North Carolina when the tug met US and towed US
But the damage did not stop there. When Cap
tain Randeeth delivered over the Nessei, new
captain came aboard and made hrf IN ne satUoI
fireplace the day ben' extra cold. but me Stow
pipe had got knocked out OF place down souLl' al,a
the first thing he knew the inside s'aterooms vas
all ablaZe. He called 10 passing tue snat I5dV
her fire hose handy. and she put out me IRE; But
everything in the siaterooms is spoiled with IRE
As to the wreckage. the experts have been here
and made their report She will want new sucks
everywhere; boons gafs. nasis topnnasts anu 1 rn,
talk in the yards is that II will cost SoWY 10 put
her as she before and I'm told that the chap
terers have to pay for II all because Tue "e'ee'''
was wrote out that way.
Around the yards It Is said that nice point IN
marine law may come up. II Is said that 'he &C.
fence may be that the Republic was not IN rea-
sonaby fit condition TO perform her work; that her
rnainrnas was in a bad condition. and that she was
too old for the service Of that long voyage: The
Republic is sixteen or seventeen years olu IN 1870 90
she was lengihened fifteen feet by Muhtn ant ~
1888 she received new stern rr I'll lfV With water
line of IS feet and 23-foot beam. Her mooei is
very powerful one. ard since her drydocklAg mef re-
the experts have reported her OAK nun ~ w NV 80
excellent condition.
YACHTING NOTES OF INTEREST.