New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-07-11
FOG sPOILs YACHT RACE.
.r,r CONSTITUTION WITHDRAWS EARLY
IN THE DAY
,,,,z COLUMBIA AND THE INDEPENDENCE
= SAIL BLINDLY ALONG, THE FOR
MER LEADING
fey TELEGRAPH TO THE rR1BuNE.l

icy TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEl
of4 r. l., July 10.-The days racing at
~-..,.,rt was a failure The start was post
Ia for want of wind and after the racers
"a heavy fog came UP and they became
l.,sted. The Constitution gave up the race
,he Columbia the only boat that came
- finishing within the six hours, though
-, the Independence took tow. when she
- that there was no chance of finishing, she
- caught UP on the Columbia, and pos
.,,,y only mile and half astern at that time.
Tho Columbia was first to leave her mooring.
=. o40 when the independence was setting her
-e,v lack yarder that has the cloths all running
On the centre. The Constitution had her head
o,ls in stops on the stays, and dropped them
aovn and spun away from Goat Island at 1880
commodore Ledyard's flagship, the schooner
-orona >heaved up her mudhook at the same
,,me bound for City Island. Then the indie
,.sndence started under canvas in company with
Nv Yields big white schooner Hildesarde. the
schooner Romance, of Boston; the steam yacht
carrie Miss Eloise L. Breeze's steam yacht Elsa,
W x Vanderbilt's 10-footer Virginia and the
,roa auxiliary schooner Cachalot When the
o,I of the sea was reached outside there was a
one feet following the Constitution-the English
.tsam yacht Lady Godiva, with her seahorse
rancing at the main truck; the large steam
Yacht Alvina, John B. Herreshoff's steam yacht
Fpeenia the steam yacht Polyonthia and the
NOW 81 foot torpedo boat yacht Tramp. just
,rrned out at Bristol for w. o. Gay, the owner
Of the 70-footer Athene.
ont near the Brenton Reef lghtship the race
committee of the Newport Yacht Racing Asso-
cation had the colors of Newport City hoisted
on the tug Storm King. but there was hardly
wind enosgh TO make the old stone tower stand
H.
been called fat calm if the Constitution had
not been able TO sail about. She could sail rings
around the lightship when nearly everything
Else WAS in the doidrums. w. Butler Duncan
was at the wheel of the Constitution as she
beayed lightly over the long green rollers, and
che must have been getting wind from some
where though it did not seem to give the indie
pendence much of a gait. The excursion
steamer Nantucket, black with people, was roll
ing to her paddle boxes when the committee sig
nailed a postponement. The delay lasted
through the calm, till 1920. when a breeze
came in from the south. and the course was
sgnaled-
The flags showed ID E B." which told that tie
course would be set due south and the mark
tug Unique was then sent out fifteen miles to
anchor the windward buoy. The preliminary
signal was given at 12:45 and it here seen
that w K. Vanderbilt jr., had the 1O-footer
Virginia close near the leeward end Of the line.
There had been some talk in Newport that the
Virginia could beat the Independence, and from
the big clubtopsail set this boat it looked
as though her owner intended to see where he
would come out, after taking a leeward start
with the bigger yachts.
The three 9O-footers then hauled out west
ward Of the lightship and set jibtopsails in
stops. AT the 1880 whistle the Independence
came in stays beside the lightship and went
away west, where the Constitution and Column
bia we're manRuvring for windward berth.
When Rhodes thought il was about time. he
bore away and Barr gybed the Columbia and
spun up TO windward OF the Constitution. The
Independence then came along and stayed TO
weather of both of them. At 1888 all broke
out jibtopsails and came for the line the In
dependence leading She was too soon for the
gun, however and had to bear away down the
line as the Constitution did at Mondays start.
Rhodes then swung up to the windward of Hafr
and Barr spun 70 windward of the Constitution,
and in this order the boats crossed the In
dependence furthest leeward and slightly
ahead, the Constitution In the middle, and the
Columbia in the windward berth
The Independence went at her former plan of
sailing out to leeward to get clear of having
her wind split by the other boats. For a while
she was sailing southeast by east whole point
of from the others, which were damned on the
wind. the Constitution moving a little faster
through the water, but not pointing high as
the Columbia
Then the Independence, having sailed fast out
to leeward began to get properly close to the
wind, as indicated by the shake In her Jibtopsail,
and she headed UP close to southeast, but not
quite so high the two white boats, which
were going slower, and doing better work. The
virginia was here seen going fast quarter Of
q nile TO leeward of the Independence, but after
The fog came along. few minutes later. she be-
came lost TO sight for the rest of the day. The
constitution's crew was placed to windward in
uh sailing. while the Columba's men were all
Gown on the lee side The Columbia went into
tne port tack at 1:07, the Constitution following
Two minutes later and the Independence at lilo.
dense fog came in from the sea, and
Inc boats were seen with difficulty. With the
lug came q better breeze, and the yachts were
'aainz smartly. Here the Constitution sailed
ou' from her leeward position under the Co
''moie, and the Independence, before she be-
'sne lost in the fog, was almost on even terms
yin The Columbia. But Barr crossed little
Ahead OF the Independence when he went to the
lAlDcard tack, at 30. and just before the
'hfee boats were obscured by the fog il was no
aced that the Constitution crossed to windward
OF the Columbia
Inc press yacht Wanda then followed the
Columbia, which az 1:51 went to the port tack
-iu lost sight Of the other two. According to
use "snda's compass the Columbia was then
.'aoihg southwest. and the wind had fallen
shr For an hour and quarter there was
aO'hing to note. The Columbia sometimes was
"' by the Wanda and after time found again
he {v,l han rl,y
- ~ Tue columbia set larger Jibtopsail at 3O6.