The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-01
CONSTITUTION IS BEATEN 4 MIN
UTEs 10 SECONDS OVER THIR-
TY-MILE COURSE
DEFEAT IS A DECISIVE oNI
Conditions of Sea, Wind and
Weather Such as Have Hitherto
Seemed to the New
Boats Liking
BARR THE BETTER SKIPPER

NEWPORT, r. l., Aug. 91.-The Column
bia, splendidly handled, beat the Con-
stitution today 4 minutes 19 seconds, cor
rected time, over a. course of fifteen
miles to windward and back In the first
trial race 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
shipyard, where her bottom was bur-
nished until 1t glistened like plate glass
in the sunlight. Her sails fitted her adj
mirably with the exception of the balloon
jib topsail, which she set on the home
ward reach. Thus, she had no drawback
to act as detriment to her speed. More
over, Nat Herreshoff, her designer 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 offer is that the
Constitution got the worst of the start,
being handicapped several seconds. This
the start simply because her skipper was
outgeneraled and outclassed. But the
few seconds she lost thus cannot by any
means be distorted to account for the
signal defeat administered to her by the
Columbia.
CONSTITUTION WEATHER.
windward. the course being south-south-
east, dead in the teeth of a nine-knot
breeze and in smooth waters, the very
choicest weather for the Constitution if
she had been sailing in her old-time form
or if the Columbia has not much i'm
proved since her early races of this year.
The wind, however, hauled so much to the
eastward as to allow the yachts to steer
their course so that as matter of fact
the dead beat resolved itself into one long
leg and a couple of short bitches. The
surprising part of the race was the sag
ging off to leeward of the Constitution
when close hauled. In stiff breeze one
might have expected to see the Columbia
beating her, but in the weather that
prevailed today It was amazing to see the
Constitution so badly defeated The
hauling of the wind to the eastward of
the course benefited the Columbia slightly,
as she was the leading yacht, but it
cannot with any justice be alleged that
this was the real cause of the Constitu-
tion's defeat.
Off Brenton's reef, gentle southeaster
blew at IL o'clock this morning The
Columbia was first out to dodge about
the starting point. Barr was at the helm,
with Mr.. E. D. Morgan close by. Aboard
the Constitution, which came out later,
was Nat Herreshoff, ready to give ad-
vice. The steam yacht Sultana carried
the regatta committee The competing
yachts had been re-meaSured and theif
ralng lengths were: Constitution, 1O414
feet and Columbia 101.76, the Constitu,
ton thus allowing the Columbia one
minute and eleven seconds over the
thirty mile course. Twenty steam yachts
and eight sailing yachts of large size,
together with an almost innumerable
fiotilla of mosquito craft, were out to
see the start,
BARR GETS BEST OF START.
The warning gun was fired at 1875. The
skipper of the Columbia planted his craft
on the weather side of his rival and
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