New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-26

| twenty seconds a mile raster tnan the De-
fender, and If she make the same gain In a
hard blow anxiety to the safety Of the Amer
icas Cup will be considerably alllyed.
The trip to-day was the builders trial. and al
though the managing owner, C. oliver Iselin.
! and a number OF his yachting friends were on
board Nat" Herreshoff, the Coumbia's ia
nous designer was in charge. and after
the sail down the bay the boat was towed
back to Bristol for a few minor repairs. 1t Is
expected the boat will have another trial either
tomorrow or on Tuesday, and that by the end
Of the week she will be formally turned over TO
Mr.. Iselin. In the mean time her interior ft-
tings Will be finished and her bowsprit, which
apparently started in the socket In to-day s
brush with the Defender. probably will need
some attention Before the Columbia started for
Bristol this afternoon Mr.. Iseln expressed him
self as being more than satisfied with her, and
It a happy lot Of yachtsmen that watched
her performance and went Bristol with her
| tonight.
HOSTING THE HUGE SAIL
| The Columbia lay off the Herreshoff works all
last night being moored we'll out in the channel
in order to avoid repetition Of yesterdays un-
fortunate grounding. The crew were up early
and by 6 o'clock this morning her decks were
]
stops After an hours interval for breakfast on
the tender st. Michael the crew returned and
began the work of getting up the mainsail 1t
was difficult task for twenty-five men to get
! the great stretch of canvas we'll into the air
Such a huge spread of sail had never been hoist
! ed before, and 1t was over an hour before 1t
set to Captain Barrs satisfaction. Just before
o'clock, Nat" HerreshoH pulled off from the
shore and shortly after the naphtha launch
brought Mr. Iselin, his wife and his yachting
friends. Herbert c. Leeds. Woodbury. Kane and
Newbury Thorne, from the tender ST. Michael
The weather at this time was threatening and
the southwest breeze of the early morning had
hattened out almost to a calm. At 9:13 o'clock
the anchor was weighed and the Columbia
off on her initial trial beating slowly down the
bay, with Nat" Herreshoff at the wheel. AS
the yacht stood Off the jb was broken out, and
her staysall went up but the wind light
that, after standing over on the port tack, in
order to put her about the naphtha launch had
to be called upon for assistance. The launch
after getting her around, towed her we'll over
toward Hog Island, at the entrance to the har-
bor and then. the wind freshening a bit, the
towline was cast off. The boat rapidly gained
headway as the wind increased and after a
number OF short tacks. stood out into the bay
between Hog Island and Bristol Point. The
breeze was scarcely over three knots an hour.
yet the Columbia slipped along. making hardly
a ripple. and with all the ease of a racing shell.
QUICK WORK IN STAYS.
Even in the light wind Mr.. Herreshof was
able to throw her around in average Of
thirty-hve seconds and later, when Captain
Barr took the wheel he tackled in thirty. twen-
tv-hve, twenty-five and even in twenty sec
onds. showing the new boat to be between ten
and fifteen seconds quicker in stays than the
Defender. In the freshening wind the boat
made little fuss as she glided through the water
There was no perceptible wave her quarter
and only a small wake astern. AS the wind
caught the big mansail 1t set beautifully with
scarcely a wrinkle its entire surface On
the other hand, the head sails a disap-
pontment The fore staysail seemed to be cut
too straight along the foot while the head OF
the SAIL which was too FULL tapped badly in
the wind. Later the luff this sail
hauled down hard and the sail set better. but
the jb kept spilling wind into It. The jib was
fairly steady, but had big bag along the luf
which shows that II could stand little stretch
ing
Standing out OF the harbor, the Columbia
headed across the bay to the shore OF the island
went about and with a constantly freshenng
breeze from the southsouthwest stood over
toward Prudence Island. on the west side OF
the bay. AS she passed the Hog Island Light
ship the latter's crew saluJed her with three
strokes on the fogba which salute was an
ewered by the tender st. Michael steaming
along behind with the press tug. 1t took
hour to beat from Hog Island Lghtship, at the
entrance of Bristol Harbor. TO Rowe Island. of
Newport. distance Of about nine miles, with
favorable tide.
The Columbia made five tacks on the way
down Narragansett Bay. a long leg to the north
OF Prudence Island another TO the south OF
Sandy Point Light, about halfway down the
island a third to the south OF Half Way Rock.
a fourth to Gould Island and fifth to the
Conanicut Island shore Just north OF James
town.
BRUSH WITH THE DEFENDER.
As the Columbia came out after the latter
tack she met the Defender and Navahoe coming
out OF Newport Harbor. accompanied by a fleet
OF steam yachts and sailing craft The Navahoe
hauled up TO the windward. but the Defender
came down the wind. passing under the stern
OF the Columbia. Instead OF keeping on. the
Columbia was headed after the Defender, and
the two boats sailed three miles up the bay be
fore the wind
Just before the Defender came out the work
ing topsail was set on the Columbia. but II was
taken in Immediately. and the boats had their
first trial together under the same sails-main-
sail, forestaysail and jib The Columbia was
the first to swing around into the wind. after
the run to leeward. and the Defender followed
Immediately. Both boats made n number OF
short tacks but as they were half a mile apart
little could be judged OF their comparative
speed. The Columbia was to the wndward, and
seemed to gain on the Defender pointing higher
and outfootng her Just after the two boats
had tackled to port under the jamestown shore