The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-06-04
LAWSON BOATS FIRST SAIL
SHOWS HERSELF
 TO BE VERY SPEEDY.
Acts Most Satisfactorily to Captain Half, Designer CrOwninshield, and Owner LawsOn-Her Sails Marveis of Beauty Main Sail Needs Some Trimming but Sets Fairly Even Now.
Sets FatrIy Even Now.

Boston, June 3.-Another intended cup defender, the pride and hope of Yankeeland, the Independence, was
 Giver an airing, nothing more than q jogging to stretch sails and rigging, in l Massachusetts Bay, to-day, and from I what little actual sailing was done, the
 Clowninshield yacht, built through the | generosity Of Thomas w. Lawson, cer- tainly showed herself to be very speedy, particularly with started
 sheets. The Independence was kept in the wind for two hours and under three
 lower sails, she skipped about very lively. She answered her balanced rud- der quickly and in fact acted most sat isfactorily to her master, Captain Half,
 her designer, B. B. Crowninshield, and finally, her owner, Thomas w. Lawson,
 who watched her every move from his
 steam yacht
 Her sails were marvels of beauty, es-
 pecially the two head sails, which fit-
 ted almost to perfection, while the big
 main sail, one of the largest ever spread
 by any yacht, gave every indication of
 being in similar shape when it is pulled
 out on the boom and two more battens
 put in the leach.
 The yacht was given grand ovation,
 both going down the harbor mad on her return. There was considerable delay in getting under way in the morning, so that it was after Il o'clock when the Independence, in tow of 9. tug, the lat ter carrying the newspaper men as guests of MT. Lawson, left the dock MT. Lawson himself was waiting just outside on his steam yacht Dreamer, which went into commission just before the yacht started.
 Outside of Boston light the wind came out from the eastward and the yach met a long heavy roll in fine shape
 Before the light was reached the crew had started on the mainsail, but 1t took half an hour before it was fairly set. Even then 1t required considerable more muscle to get it in working order, and as the two lower battens had been overlooked in the rush to get it set, the | sail Tapped badly along the leach. | Again, very little effort had been made in pulling it we'll out on the boom or | on the gaff, so that 1t was badly puck { cred along the foot and on the top. | However, it gave every indication of | being in better shape another time and | so Captain Half at 1:25 D. m. ordered | the tow line cast off and the two head sail lines cast off and the two head | sails broken out. The jib had already been sent up in stops so that the yacht | quickly gained headway, going off on the starboard tack with captain Half at the wheel The wind at this time had to about seven knots.
 Under these sails, with the foresails and sheets well started, the Independ- ence romped along very fast. No ef- fort was made to haul the boat close to the wind, but with good rap full, she headed out to sea, meeting the swell grandly and rising over it buoy antly. Even with the swell there was out little froth under the bow. The wake was also clean and fair, in fact except from the spatter of the flat floor 1f her bow striking the water, there was little indication of a wake. She seemed to heel quickly. but not far town, say twenty-five per cent, but as she is designed for a hundred and fif- cen feet water line when under sail, his slant was quite satisfactory.
 Later in the day the wind died out md the yacht was lowed back to her quarters from the Gloucester shore.
 CONSTITUTION TRIED AGAIN.