New-York tribune., 1901-06-05
TALK AMONG LOCAL YACHTsMEN,
THE ACCIDENT DISCUSSED. BUT OFFICIAL
INFORMATION LACKING
The Daily Graphic" says:


INFORMATION LACKING.
Few members of the New-York Yacht Club were
the clubhouse last night. Secretary J. v =
Oddie said the only official information whlcn
had been received at the clubhouse was the follow"
ing telegram, which he made public:
spreader carried away. which let mast go No.
body hurt. w. B. DUNCAN. in.
In speaking of the situation. MI Oddie said that
he considered the accident more serious than
that which hefelI the Columbia in her preparatory
work basing his belief the limited information
which he had received last night He added;
No steps have been taken here toward calling TO-
gether the challenge committee, or in any otHeI
way taking official recognition of the fact that an
accident has occurred The members or the Coit =.
mittee all out of town. and, in any event, II
will be several days before any action IS taken
night.
When asked If Sir Thomas Upton had been COM
muncated with Mr.. Odde said that. far as he
knew. no message had been to him and he
personally no reason at present why such
message should be sent.
The only member of the regatta committee who
could be found the chairman S. Nicholson
Kane, who said that his information about the
dismastng of the Constitution very meagre,
being confined to the report that such
accident had happened. Mr.. Kane could form no
idea to- the length time Herreshoffs
would require to put the Constitution in sailing
form again, he did know the extent OF the
damage
In this city last night nobody seemed to know
whether the second steel that ordered for
| the Constitution Yet finished, The general
opinion that this spar is yet ready The
last report of II about the time of the launch
of this yacht, and il then teegraphed that
work was in progress on a steel mast which was
to be duplicate of the one to be first used 1t
was thought that time that this second spar
might never he used and the sole reason for order
ing it was that the craft might have one in re
serve.
In business circles yesterday the news that the
mast had dropped the side did create any
thing like the excitement evident when the metal
pipe Of the Columbia did the same thing two
years ago. and the truth that yachtsmen, in
gard to all these Cup yachts. have begun TO dis
count the French maxim by saying 1T is the
pected that arrives" The collapse of the sticks
the Columbia, Shamrock II and the Constitu-
ton. and the tame folding forward Of the first
shamrock's lead pipe gaff have made yachtsmen
feel that this of thing any longer be
ranked surprises and that the best designers in
the world have miscalculated the strains that
now placed upon Cup yachts through enormous
| The point most discussed was whether the New
| York Yacht Club races at Newport for the Co
lumba and Constitution scheduled for June Is and
Il Will be sailed The report arrived from Bristol
! last night that these would probably be-
postponed. but Mr. kane's idea was that the ques-
| ton Of postponement would depend entirely upon
the ability for quick repair and whether the second
| mast ready. 1t announced time ago
on the authority of a He-reshoT workman that II
/
Herreshof cup yacht. and that the work could not
| be hurried much owing the difficulty OF the
work the rivets. these having to be attended
| to by mechanic who lies inside the round steel
/ replace broken section Of steel In a short
| time. and this was done with the Columbia, which
afterward sailed the challenge races with the spar
! that had been broken and repaired.
4 man who has seen the Constitution sailing
said:
! one thing is clear and that is that although the
Constitution has double sPreaders and three sets Of
shrouds, she needs. and guess they will all need.
fourth set. Herreshon had this boat rigged for
! The Constitution has toTmast shrouds that lead
! down to the deck through upper spreaders
which stretch across at the top of the lower mast
} head. The second set begins at the lower mast
head. which they intended TO support and leads
down through the lower spreaders TO the deck. The
third set leads from that part OF the mast where
! the lower spreaders cross and goes direct the
I deck. That Spenddly conceived plan, and
freely admit that thought the CONSTITUTIONS mast
! But this mishap shows that the spar must he fur
ther supported by more shrouds placed lower. Yes
grip OF the lowest shrouds. The mast simply
crushed down and bent nine feet b. its lowest
point or support-that Is nine feet below the lower
spreaderS. The result SHOWS that unless new
lower spar IS built with greatly increased strength
there will have to be fourth set OF shrouds in the
I region Of yesterdays break, a little lower
Another thing is certain-that neither Crownin-
/ shield Watson reasonably expect get
, their boats through even the preliminary tests
| the supported in at least four places Their
boats both carrying a larger rig than the Con
{ down when the whole strain is turned loose The
Shamrock did well to break when she did and TO
dent to the Constitution distinct advantage
to the Shamrock in its telling Watson that ne
/ not hope 70 carry his canvas unless his mast is
supported by shrouds all the way down. The Con
stitution the best rugged Cup yacht ever
known, and to-day she's wrecked. That's the lect-
{ ne