The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-07-12
SURPRISE IN YACHT RACES
COLUMBIA DEFEATS CONSTITUTION
 IN FINE SHAPE.

Independence Shows Remarkably Good
 Speed and is Only Beaten by the New
 Defender by n Little Over Two Minutes
 The Contest Exciting from Begin
 ming to End Lawson Boat shows Fine
 Improvement in Her rsntling--Ahead of
 New Herreshoff Bont a t the Outer Mark
 Interest in the Contests Increased.
 Newport, R. l., July 1.-The Colum- bia won to-day's race in fine shape, the Constitution second and, to the amaze ment of all yachtsmen, the Independ- ence a remarkably good third. The Boston boat sailed an exciting race with the two Herreshoff yachts and actually led the Constitution at the outer mark, only to be beaten by her little over two minutes on the run to the finish before the wind. The breeze to-day however, was much stronger than on previous days, which apparently ac- counts for the fine showing of the Law son yacht, and again the Independence sailed the fifteen miles to windWard without her jibtopsail and seemed to hold higher, at the same time footing just as fast.
 The result of to-day's race leaves the question of the supremacy of the three ninety-footers delightfully."- uncertain, the Independence being not so slow af- ter all, while the Constitution has yet to prove her Nunquestioned superiority %o +, r,+, ,tc apvtbr1cy ay cept very light airs The hopes of the Boston contingent have therefore gone upward with bound and tonight the experts are. trying to figure out what the "scow" boat will do when it blows still little harder.
 The race itself was very exciting es- pecially when a little less than an hour after the start the Independence, by keeping near the Narragansett shore, forced the Constitution about and for q few minutes was the leading boat in the race. From that point to the turn ing buoy the fight between the two new yachts was one of the hottest contests seen for many years.
 With the mark about eight miles dead to windward the two flyers battled for the lead. Three times did the Herre- shoff yacht attempt to cross the bow of the Crowninshield boat, only to be beaten back and forced about. Captain Half kept the Constitution right under his lee, and. to every ones amazement, was able to maintain this commanding position through the speed and pointing ability of the Boston boat, even with one less sail, the Herreshoff boat car- rying as usual her baby jibtopsai.
 On and on sailed the rivals, the leaden hull of the Independence being always on the sunny side of the milk white Bristol yacht. While they battled, however, Captain Barr of the Colum- bia, saw his chance and took advantage of this contest between the other two yachts to slip out to windward and by thus reaching the mark nearly four minutes ahead.
 Astern of him were the Independence and Constitution, each striving for the buoy, the Boston boat giving blow for blow and Huff for Huff in every case, and finally swinging round with the Consti- tution's bowsprit right over her taff- rail. Two brief seconds after, two ticks of the clock, the Constitution also turned.
 On last Saturday the Constitution beat the Independence nearly an hour to the outer mark. On Monday the Herreshoff yacht was forty minutes ahead in the ten mile beat to the wind- ward mark To-day the Constitution was the last boat round On the run home both the Herreshoff boats pulled away from the Independence, but the gain was comparatively small and not acyir, n tha fn1lGWprS of the Boston yacht
 Shrouded in a dense canopy Of fog the Columbia swept across the finish line. Three minutes and forty-two seconds after came the Constitution, and right astern, not nine miles, or even seven. but less than half mile, sailed the Independence, defeated but not humiliated. Little wonder after such a race that the three crews cheer ed each other and that the Indepen- dence tars nearly split their throats. The start was as follows; Columbia, 12:25:21; Constitution, 12:25:43; Inde- pendence, 12:25:0S.
 Other statistics follows:
 Finish. Elapsed Corrected
 time. time. Columbia. .. 455:00 42939 4:2S:22 Constitution .44s;92 432 9 4:32:39 Independence ..5:0l:05 4:3o:of 4:3o:l4 Columbia on corrected time beat Con- stitution four minutes and thirty-seven seconds and Independence six minutes fifty-two seconds corrected time. Con- stitution beat Independence over the course two minutes and fifteen sec onds corrected time. To windward mark
 Start. Turn. Elapsed Columbia. .. .12:25:21 2:56:26 2:31 05 Constitution .12:25:43 3;01:23 2:35 40 ! Independence .12:25:0S 3:o1;21 2361S C,oI,1pah hia haat Constitution fnllr min