The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-07-26
COLUMBIA WINS FINE RACE



with New London girls got directly in
the way of the Constitution. 1t was
hard up the helm to clear her, other
wise there would have been a catboat
run down and perhaps the loss of many
lives. Next tugboat got in the ocean
pathway and causing the Constitution
to gybe, gave her the worst of the
start and perhaps widely changed the
destiny of the day. Perhaps if the Con-
stituton had been in the lead Captain
Rhodes might have lodged the rocks
against which his craft hit so hard 1t
was not so arranged.
Columbia went ON ahead without hit
ting anything. After passing Race
rock the Constitution showed an in
ability to point or sail fast, which was
very astonishing to those who have
watched her from her launch down to
date. The Columbia, beautifully han
died in the dead 'nose-ender" from
Race rock to Brentons reef lightship
got the Constitution under her lee and
kept her there to the finish line. Cap
tain Barr of the Columbia when he has
a rival pinned down to leeward, gen
orally keeps her there. About fifty
tacks were made between Race rock
and Brenton's reef and many miles of
blue water were wasted in the keeping
of the Constitution blanketed.
1t is very old racing strategem
(which Barr often exploited on the
sSart racing cutter Minerva years ago
and at which Skipper Rhodes of the
Constitution is also a skilful adept
Captain Barr did not care whether any
vessel in the fleet, no matter how slug
gish, beat him. His antagonist was the
Constitution and he pegged at her ham,
nler and tongs in light airs and puffy
breezes until one-third of mile from
the finish line when being that distance
In the lead he gave her a chance to
get free and overtake the Columbia if
he could. Captain Barr must have
wondered what had happened to his
rival. Never before had she been SO
However, all is fair in love, war and
yacht racing, and Barr richly deserved
his victory because of the splendid
craftsmanship he displayed.
1t must not be thought that the Con-
Etltution was handled badly. On the
contrary, every foxy method known to
the cunningist of sea jockeys was es-
sayed to get from under the blanket of
Columbia That Captain Rhodes did
not succeed was not for the lack of sea-
manllke striving and strenuous endeav
Or.
The wind was from the northeast and
blowing at a 1O-knot gait at the start.
When the yachts passed Race rock it
blew due east almost dead in the
teeth Of the fleet from that point to the
finish line After Race rock was pass
ed it grew puffy and the foremost of the
schooner Mur.el snapped off in two
places and made complete wreck of
the fast and beautiful yacht. The
main topmast parted in two about
eight feet from the masthead and there
say lay complete wreck.
The revenue cutter Gresham came
ga 'lantly to the rescue and towed her
back to New London for repairs She
H VI, 49, by Charles Smithers and was
designed by A. Cary Smith. whose
yachts are remarkable for their sea-
going and launch qualities. The spars
that snapped were hollow wooden ones.
There was no excuse to make for their
collapse in cupful of wind. Generally
there are three accidents on a race day.
TO make good the rule the Rainbow,
not long after the Muriel was dismast-
cd. broke her peak halyards or the
blocks which hoisa the peak of the gaff.
Her owner, Cornelius Vanderbilt, set 4
signal of distress and the Lady Godiva, |
owned by Henry c. Rouse, charitably |
toWea the crippled yacht to Newport !
In order to snow more clearly the
wide expanse of ocean covered in the
forty mile run between Columbia and
Constitution it is only necessary to say |
THAT the victorious yawl Vigilant fin
ished the race before the Columbia, |
covering the course in 7:00:3S, while the |
Columbia took 6:5626 to go the same
distance. This proves that Vigilant |
was attending strictly to business while |
the SO-footers did not care how far they |
went so long as the question of speed |
was finally settled.
The wind blew quite chilly from the
northeast when the yachts got under
way and left the anchorage off the |
Pequot house and began to dodge !
around the starting point. The course
to be covered was from the starting
point off Sarah's ledge to Race Rock |
bearing southeast, three and one-half
miles distant; thence to Point Judith,
twenty-nine and one-half miles away,
bearing east half north, and from that
seven miles distant, bearing northeast, !
the whole distance being forty nautical (
miles
+ 1t Yves noticed that the Constitution
swung aloft to the breeze her No. I
clubtopsail, while the Columbia set her
small club, only little larger than
working topsail Both had small jib-
topsails hoisted in stops.
The preparatory gun was fired at !
1855, and ten minutes later the yaWls
and single masters We're sent on their
way the starters being the yaWls Vigi-
liant and Navahoe and the sloops Rain
bow. Virginia. Athene, Bedouin, Hes
ter. Hildegard, Eelin, Isolde, Santa, Pc
trel, Isolt, Affair, Humma Sista, Eff
fort and Mira All passed on the star
board tack, heading with a leading wind
for Rack Rock.
The handicap gun of the sloops and
yawls was the signal for the schooners
to start, and very fast they gathered
their way, with the flagship Corona well
in the lead, followed by Columbia, EN-
erald, America, Marguerite, Latona,
Shamrock, Murie Quissetta, Elmina,
Loyal and Indra.
Next came the ninety-footers, whose
start has been briefly described above.
The Constitution seemed to have easily