The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-09-01
COLUMBIA WINS THE
FIRST TRIAL RACE
Beats the Constitution Four
Minutes, Nineteen Seconds.
DEFEAT WAS DECISIVE
OLD DEFENDER OUTSAILED NEW
BOAT ALL AROUND.


| bia, splendidIy handled, beat the Con-
stitution today four minutes, nineteen
| seconds, corrected time, over a course
| of fifteen miles to windward and back,
in the first trial races to select the cup
| defender The defeat was decisive, and
| admirers of the Constitution are at
! their wits end to make apologies and
! excuses for her bad behavior. She was
| fresh from the Herreshoff ship yard,
where her bottom was FURNISHED until
| 1t glistened like plate glass in the sun
| light. Her sails fitted her admirably,
! with the exception of the balloon jib
] top-sail, which she set on the home
| ward reach. Thus she had no draw
! back to act as detriment to her speed.
/ Moreover, Mr.. HerreshOff. her design
| er and builder, was aboard.
All, however. was of no avail. The
] Constitution was beaten fairly on her
/ merits, and unless she sails better on
| Monday and Wednesday the committee
| which has the matter in charge may
/ decide upon selecting the Columbia to
meet Shamrock II.
The only possible excuse that the
| hackers of the Constitution have to Of
/ fer is that the Constitution got the
! worst of the start, being handicapped
| several seconds. This is quite true. She
/ got the worst of the start because her
! skipper was out-generaIed and out
| classed. But the few seconds she lost
| thus. cannot, by any means. be dis
torted to account for the signal defeat
administered to her by the Columbia
The race was started as a dead beat
/ to windward. the course being south
| southeast, dead in the teeth of nine
knot breeze, and in smooth water, the
| very choicest weather for the Consti-
| tuition if she had been sailing up to her
Old-time form. The wind, however.
! hauled so much to the eastward as to
! allow the yachts to steer their course
so that, as a matter of TACT, the dead
! beat resolved itself into one long leg
| and couple of short bitches.
Surprise of the Race.
The surprising part of the race was
the sagglng off to leaWard of the Con-
St1tution when close hauled. In a stiff
/ breeze one might have expected to see
the Columbia beating her. but in the
| weather that prevailed today it was
indeed, amazing to see the Constitu-
| ton so badly defeated. The hauling of
the wind to the eastward of the course
benefited the Columbia slightly. as she
! was leading. but it cannot. with any
justice. be alleged that this was the
real cause of Constitutions defeat.
on Brenton reef a gentle southeastern
I blew at II O'Clock this morning The
| Columbia was first out to dodge about
( the starting point. Barr was at the
helm. with u. D. Morgan close by.
! Aboard the Constitution. which came
1 out later. was Mat Herreshoff ready to
give advice. The steam yacht Sultana
carried the regatta committee The
competing yachts had been measured
and their racing lengths were: Constj-
/ tuition, 1O4-14 feet and Columbia IOI rs
the Constitution thus allowing the Col
umbla one minute and eleven seconds
over the thirty-miIe course Twenty
steam yachts and eight sailing Yachts
of large size, together with an almost
lnnumerable fiotilla of mosquito crafts
were out to see the start
N1n
The skipper of the Columbia placed
his craft on the weather side of his
rival and hampered him in the usual
manner, keeping him under his lee.
The boats stood for the line. and, in
their efforts to beat each other. both
crossed the line on the starboard tack
d few seconds before the starting gun
was fired.
Make Another Start
Three short blasts of the whistle re-
called both boats. The Columbia
! turned around smartly on her heel
and, coming round again on the star
board tack, shot over the line we'll to
Wlndward of the Constitution whose
SKIPPER seemed to be remarkab bly, slow
The starting time of the Columbia was
1I;A:15. The Constitution passed after
the handicap gun was fred at 11:42:O 100
. Both yachts went about on the port
/ tack Immediately after crossing the
of the breeze, her skipper hoping there
by to avoid the back wind of the Co
lumbia-
For a little while it seemed as though
she was about TO run right through
the lee of her competitor. But this die
not happen. Strive as hard as the,
knew how. Mr.. Herreshoff. Butler Dun.
can and Captain Rhodes were KEEP
damned under the Columbia's lee al
the time 1t was marvellous to see the
{ Nnvac eft trrfsr
ward in weather that was supposed t.
be just picked out for her.
The wind, after the yachts had beer
out about three-quarters of an hour
hauled to the eastward, and the Co
jumbia, getting it first, being in tn.
lead. was unable to huff up to it befor,
the Constitution came within its in
, fiuence. The force of the wind wa!
( about nine miles an hour at the start
and it freshened a little as the dal
grew older The shift of the breezl
was such is TO enable the yachts almos
to lay their course. Consequently the,
= kept on the port tack until the mari
was well abreast of them. The off
cial times in rounding the first mari
= were:
Columbia observation-disclosures. 1904
Constitution .--...-.....-....... 1872: 4
; Columbia Wins the Race.
Thus to the first mark, including TIL
, handicap. the Columbia had gained on
! minute and fifteen seconds. Forty sec
onds after rounding the outer mari
- the Columbia set her balloon iib top
4 sail. The Constitution set her balloon
jib topsail thirty-f1Ye seconds after sh
0 made the turn. beating the Columbi
/ by five seconds.
This is the first time in her histor
S that her crew has shown smartness
T ! Next both craft set balloon StaySails
and, with the wind on the starboar
quarter steered for Brenton lightshiI
the home mark
Little by little the Columbia forge
ahead, inch by inch increasing the ga
= of blue water between herself and he
rival. While the waves under the in
fluences of the freshening breeze, an
2 the followers of the Constitution wer
< disappointed to see her fall astern. ~Th
b Constitution. a few minutes before he
= rival finished, set a spinnaker. but
D was neither useful nor ornamental.
: The Columbia had her beaten badly
s When she crossed the line victo
e she was vigorously saluted. The tim
g follows:
d Cor
( Elapsed. rectet
d Constitution 1880. 3:24:0l 3:24:C
Z Columbia ...---.-.. 3:20:53 3:19. a
: The Columbia gained one minute. I'll
o ty-three seconds in the run in. Sh
d beat the Constitution, boat for boa
|. three minutes forty-eight seconds, an