The Saint Paul globe., 1899-08-03
COLUMBIA DIsMASTED.
Serious Accident to the New Defend
er OF the America's CuD

Serious Accident to the New Defend
er OF the Americas Cup.
NEWPORT, r. L. Aug. Am accident
to the Columbia's mast spoiled what
promised to be a thorough test of the
relative speed of that boat and the De-
fender in fine topsail breeze and late
this afternoon the new boat was towed
to her builders works at Bristol, a total
wreck above decks. Her new steel main
mast was bent double about half way be-
tween the deck and the masthead and all
that remained of her magnificent spread
of canvas and especially made rigging
was piled in a heap about the stump of
the mast, a tangled mass of wires
shrouds, metal turn buckles blocks and
ropes. Practically all that remained was
the steel boom and gaff and bowsprit,
and even the gaff was damaged a trifle
at the jaws.
The diSmasting of the Columbia occur
red less than an hour after the new and
old cup defenders started on the beat
out to a flag beat off the north end Of
Block island, when the two contestants
had covered about half the distance. The
Columbia was leading at the time and was
steady drawing away from her rival.
The two boats were holding along on a
port tack and into Judith channel, about
three miles off the point, the new boat
y
tearing through the water when there
Vas sound of breaking spars and in an
instant the tOpmaSt went crashing down
to leeward, carrying with it the fine new
club topsails and fine jib topsails.
The mainmast at once bucklcd in the
middle and came down, the upper end of
the spar and the Fuca r7ainsail dr0pping
into the water on the starbcard side. For
tunately all hands escaped injury The
diScinljOe was pvPpI1nnt NOT mon
ing his place until Capt. Barr gave or
ders to clear away the wreckage and get
the canvas aboard, and then the crew
went to work with will, clearing up
the tangle, the Columbia drifting with
the waves a dismantled and saG-loolzing
craft.
On examination of the wreckage it was
found that the port spreader had broken
upward by the strain on the topmast' s
shroud, causing the topmast to break off
The sudden force of the spar, the weight
of the topsail and clubs coming against
the starbOard masthead shrouds, was too
much for the steel mast and it instantly
collapsed. The tOpmast shroud which,
Mr.. Iselin says was the cause of the
whole trouble, was not in its position to
properly support the mainmast, which fit
ted into the masthead telescope fashion
instead of being stepped forward of 1t.
The topmast shroud leads upward
through the spreaders to the head of the
topmast, and although the crew of the
Columbia swayed the topmast forward
as much as possible for today's race, the
port spreader was not able to stand the
strain.
The expense of rerigging the Columbia
will be heavy, and although most of the
wire shrouds and stays can be used agait.
they will necessarily have to undergo a
severe test, for the wrenching they re-
ceived today may have caused them to be
worthless.
The hull of the boat was not seriously
damaged, the only perceptibie injury be-
ing a large dent in one of the plates of
the starboard side, just abaft of the mast,
either by the blocks or spars striking it.
The damaged place can easily be bent
into shape, and being so far above the
water line cannot interfere seriously with
the speed of the boat.