Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-09-05
COLUMBIA WINS
From Constitution by II Sec
onds, Corrected Time.
Latter Makes Better Showing--Bar
ring Accidents Would Have Won.
Work Of Stripping and Breaking Up the lnde-
pendcnce Commenced.


tuition sailed Il capital race, today.
against the Columbia over a course IL
miles to windward and back, in a
breeze whose force averaged about s
knots, its greatest pressure being II
knots near the finish line. The Co
| lumba won by Il seconds corrected
time. the Constitution beating her
rival, boat for boat, over the course on
elapsed time. "a seconds.
This does not include the handicap
of II seconds or more with which Con-
stitution started. Had she not been
| handicapped she would have won. In
| the windward work she gained on the
| Columbia 81 seconds and also - sec
onds on the run home before the wind.
| In heavy puff when close to the finish
| line her balloon jibtopsail split in two
and caused big tangle aloft
The Columbia was compelled to haul
down hcr ballooner at the same time.
| for the squall carried away the cringle
| at the head of the sail and stranded the
halyards. But the big sail on the Con
| titution refused to be controlled. IN
the other hand Columbia hauled down
| her balloon jibtopsail in seamanlke
| like style. and smartly bending on the
| Spinnakcr halyards hoisted reaching
| jibtopsail in stops and, breaking it out
| quickly. darted across the line a win
ner.
In taking in spinnakers, about 20
| minutes before the finish line was
| reached by the leader. the Constitu-
| tons sail got tangled in the headstay
| and it took several minutes to get it on
1al,, I, 10
ballooncr was doing most effective
| work
To smart handling and excellent
| judgment Columbia's victory, today.
was due. There is no question that the
old mainsail ana the altered headsals
of the Constitution which she carried.
had much to do with the improved
| showing she made
The handicap at the start seemed to
| be due to the more able sea jockeying
of those in charge of the Columbia.
! The Constitution allowed herself to be
forced on the wrong side of the line.
was compelled to gybc around short on
her heel and then to take the other end
Of the line with a dead handicap. This
and the splitting of her balloon jihtop-
sail certainly lost her the race.
There will he no race. tomorrow. and.
this evening. no announcement of flu
turc races was made. 1t is generally
expected. however. that other contests
will bc held here later in the week.
At 12i0. flags were hciStcd On the
Narada announcing that tho couI 50
would nc :. s. W. II miles To wn1wa' d
ANA return. This made the weather
mari, five miles cast cf EioCk Island
southeast light. The sea WAS re marka
hly smooth. hut the SCH was a smo'>y
haze.
The preparatory gun WAS fired at
icJ0. 90 Baby iibtopsails were sent up
in stops and at 1855 the warning sig
nal was sounded. The yachts ap-
preached the line on the starboaI d tack
with til" Columbia to the windward.
The sailing master Of the Columbia re-
ptatod his old tcrrorizinS trick Of bear
ing right down Oh his rival as If about
- iam her. spillinS the wind out of
her sails and then lufinG up and clear
ing her by the smallest Of margins.
This maneuNer he repeated three times.
When the Columbia was almost at
the easterly end Of the line marked by
the NaraGa. he luffed across the line
a. seconds after the starting gun. The
Constitution had plenty Of room to
tack also, but not caring to come int,
such CloSr quarters with the enemy
although there was not the slightest
danger of a foul-gyhed and on the
port tack crossed the line near the
light ship ~ seconds or thcrcaboutS
after the handicap gun.
The Columbia tackled at the same
time and both yachts stood on tic port
tack toward the NarraEansett shore
with the Columbia in the weather
berth.
For nearly half an hour the yachts
stood on the port tack. with the wind
frcsheninC rs they sailed shorrwaId,
until it attained about a 9-knot force.
2i3 the Constitution went on the star
board tack. followed Immediately by
the Columbia.
Nat Herrcshoff tried some more trim
ming experiments with the live ballast
aboard and the results were. on the
whole. satisfactory. The yacht seemed
to make less leeway.
The Constitution again. at 1.5o, went
on the port tack. standing in shore and
the Columbia followed like a fash For
~ minutes incT I'Hu tHis ''d!h anu
the n cnsued a succession Of short tacks.
At ..6o. the Columbia for the first
time. on the port tack. crossed the
bows Of the Constitution about one
eighth OF u mile ahead.
Tor nearly an hour the yachts con
tinued to make short tacks. The Con-
stitut'on tented little in these tacks.
A short hitch to port was necessary to
enable them to round the raft.
The Columbia rounded at 3.02.44. the
Constitution at 3.03.25 the elapsed
time OF this II miles beat being 2.0029
for the former boat and 2.O0.O7 for the
latter
The Constitution stcalthiiy crawlcd up
on the Columbia. the wind being at this
time about 10 knots. At 3.23 the Constitu-
ton passed her adversary and for the frs;
time in the race was leading
At 80 the Columbia was once more in
the van The wind was a trihe more on
the port quarter than dead aft and Co
lumbia being further to the westward fell
its force which freshened before the Con
did At i10 Constitution again
led hut only by few lengths
The Constitutions spinnaker WA first