The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-02
DEFENDER DEFEATED
oo,r,,BIA BEsTs CONSTITUTION AT
NEWPORT.
NOT A FAIR SHOW, HOWEVER.
GRIP DEFENDER HANDIoAPPED By
ACCIDENT.

1,hou.h the Constitutions Accident
set Her Back Mile She Came i'm
only As Seconds Behind-She Sails
s,IeudidIy Before the Breeze, but
noes Not Cut the water Like the
ola Defender-COlumb Had an
accident After the Race.
Newport r. l., July 1.-The Constitu-
.ioy was defeated by the Columbia to-
dav by the small margin of As seconds in
aha first real race in which the new
14arreshoff yacht has participated. AL
enough the contest from start to finish
was close and at times exciting, in the
oninion of a majority of yachtsmen in
Newport tonight, the Constitution lost
through misfortune. However the result
NJ to-day's contest is far from conclusive,
and there is stilI much to be decided as
10 the relative merits of the two racers.
The mishap to the new boat came about
an hour after the start. While the boats
were on the second long tack to wind
ward the clew of the jib of the new boat
was carried away and for some ten min
utes she was without the use of that sail.
This accident set the Constitution back
practically mile, but in spite of it she
was able to get within two minutes of the
Columbia at the turn and cut this lead
down more than half on the run home.
Some OF this gain, however, was undoubt-
edly due to the fact that she brought up
in the better wind The Columbia did not
for ir,1vY
diateIy after crossing the finish line, in
gybing over the big mainsail, her main
boom budkled and she had to be towed
TO the city. 1t will be necessary to sling
a new spar before the Columbia can race
again, but it is expected il will be in
place for a race Wednesday.
The event to-day was the first of a
series of special races arranged by the
New York Yacht Club, for the purpose
of bringing the two yachts together. Fiji
teen miles dead to windward and back
again was the course signaled by the
flags hoisted on the flagship Colonia.
Accident to Constitution.
The starting signal sent Columbia off
at II :4O:34, well to windward and three sec
onds in advance. The Constitution with
a rare burst of speed, came on with a
rush The Constitution by a large mar
gin footed faster than Columbia. But
while the new boat was going along swift
as the wind she had not the grip on the
water that the old craft had. Along on
the starboard tack the two yachts sail
ed both Jogging at an eight-knot gait.
Both went over on the port tack for
few MINUTES, when suddenly the huff of
the Constitutions big jib began to shake.
The pennant or the sheet itself
had evidently carried away. Down
came the jib halyards by
the run. while dozen men climbed out
on the bowsprit to gather in the slack at
the foot of the sail so as 20 smooth the
flowing duck. For over ten minutes the
Constitution on that close hauled stretch
was wj',odt the benefit of her jib. Co
lumba all that time was pointing higher
AMI footing faster. When the sail was In
place sgain the Constitution rapidly
forged ahead, making up much of her
lelway. 1t was however, too Dig a gap
sighr and Columbia got hold of its true
bearings and made a judicious hitch to
stario7rd. The Constitution, a few sec
onds l,er. also tackled, but what she did
vas stretch Zoo far.
The time at the outer mark: Columbia
l:2455; Con stitution 1865 Thus, on the
beat to vii award Columbia defea: ed her
opponent nearly two minutes.
Ia the run before the wind the Consti-
tution ga ned. With sheets eased off she
is faster than Columbia.
The elppsed time of Columbia was
2:52O4 while that of the Constitution was
2:525z.