The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-03
STORY IN DETAIL.
isailn Tells How the Accident to Mast
Took Place.

Newport, R. l., Aug. 1.-THE Column
bias crew turned out bright and early.
The cover was taken off the mainsail
and throat and peak halyards manned
by $50 o'clock, and an hour later the
nainsail was set fiat as a board. with
the club topsail towering above it and
the jib hoisted in stops on the stay.
Every ounce of extra weight was taken
out of the Columbia before the start.
Gangway ladders, spare lockers and
other truck filled one of St. MichaePs
whaleboats, which was towed to the
wharf. Some spare dunnage was also
taken out of the Defender.
There was a good fresh breeze from
thersouthwest when, at 9 Al, the Column
bia slipped her mooring and filed away
on the port tack. She made her first
tack near the jamestown shore, eight
minutes after, and began her beat out
TO the starting point off Brentons
Reef lightship. The Defender was I'M
der way four minutes after the new
slooo.
1t only took them half an hour to
reach the lightship, a cables length
east of which John W. DrexelS steam
yacht Sultana, acting as the judges
boat, had anchored.
At few minutes before II O'Clock
up went the course signal-two square
white flags bearing the letters "A'' on
one and 'B" on the other, meaning
you are to sail to Block Island bell
buoy, 26l9 miles, and return
Playing for windward place at the
start brought out some keen work be-
tween Shippers Barr of the Columbia
and Rhodes of the Defender. They
were allowed ten minutes to prepare
after the first signal, at II o'clock, and
then seven minutes to cross the imagi-
nary line between the lightship and the
steam yacht Sultana. The last two
Ir'nutes of the seven was handicap
time.
10th boats maneuvred to the west
ward of the lightship when the ten min.
utes had expired and in the next three
Columbia and Defender, having Blooms
to port and sheets well in, passed ahead
of the lightship that is, to the west
ward Of her. Both kept broad off now
Defender jibed first and then Columbia
both coming clear around and back t.
their port lacks, using up two NOR,
minutes. Columbia crossed the line a
1.16:o9, Defender six lengths to lee
ward at f1.16:49. Rhodes finding himsel
in the worst position gave the Defende
good rap full, then when he coulc
weather the lightship, he downed helm
and put her about right on the line
Columbia followed suit at once, placint
the Defender quite a dozen lengths OIL
her lee beam. The leech of Columbia
club topsail shook badly, but all of he
other sails seemed to set well.
The Defenders sails were all RICH
with the exception, perhaps, of shive
IN the leech Of her mainsail. Both hat
set baby jib topsails as they crossed tn
line at the start and these sails wer
doing good service on the wind For
minutes and Sc seconds Skipper Bar
kept Columbia on the port tack. Sn
seemed. dangerously near the rocks of
Narragansett Pier when he let he
swing around to the offshore tack Capt
Rhodes stood on for two minutes, thel
brought Defender about. This place,
her to windward of Cclumbia's wake
but far astern of her. To overcome this
minutes later, Barr made shor
hitch inshore of one minute.
As soon as Columbia filed away o.
the offshore tack again, her jib topsal
was taken in, as Mr.. Iselin explaine
later, to note the effect on her speed
for she had been gaining steadily o.
the other. The sail was set again in tel
minutes when Defender began TO gair
Columbie's average time in stays 8
far had bsen 16 seconds. Defende
tackled inshore at 12.01:35. Columbia .
seconds later, and this was their las
tack before the accident Mr.. Iselin es
timated that the Columbia was leadin
by three minutes when it occurred.
One hour after the accident Columbi
was on her way to Newport, bein
towed by the newspaper tug S. C. Har
She arrived and made fast to her moo.
ings in Brentons Cove at 2 p. M
The reason for the accident" sal
Mr. Iselin. is easily explained I
changing the topn1ast from the forwar
side to the center of the mast the lea
of the topmast shroud was changed S
that it was not ir straight line. as
ought TO be. That brought undue strai
on the spreader and was the cause ,
the break We knew the lead was nc
right but we pulled the topmast for
ward as far as possible this morning
hoping it would stand the strain unit
we could put the turnbuckle in tn
proper place. We consider that 1t wa
no fault of the steel mast or the teles
copic topmast. We shall tow to BristC
at once, where the steel mast will il
repaired. The yacht, we expect, will
ready to race during the cruise of tn
New York Yacht club
OF the Shamrock trials, Mr. Iseli
said: 1t is very difficult to Judge ye
/ expect it will be a close race, but
am not worrying about the result q
ALL"
Regarding the alleged trouble BIZ
tween Capt. Barr and the crew of Co
umbia, Mr.. Iselln said there was not
word of truth in the rumor. He said h
considered the Deer Island crew a yer
good lot of men. II should like to say,
he said in conclusion. that the damag
to the mast and rigging are nothin
when compared with the satisfaction d
Knowing that nobody was hurt. ais
wish to thank the newspapers, ind
Wiually and collectively. for their as
sistance today"