The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-05-10
Backstay Carried Away, Top sail Yard Broken, Steel
 Calf Crump|ed Up.
WORK OF A HEAVY SQUALL
THE CUP CHALLENG ER STR UGH
 OFF THE NEEDLES.
Had Run Safely Through One Ga'e Narrowly Escapes Death from a Fall- ing BIock-The Disabled Cup ChnI- IeMgcr TOwed Back to Southa mp to RI Showed Remarkable Speed While the Trial Lasted.

Southampton, May 9.-The sixty
 mile racing trial of the Shamrock
 and the Shamrock II from Scuthamp-
 ton Water to Weymouth, which was begun early to-day, was suddenly ter minated off the Needles by a bad squall, during which the gaff- -topsail
 yard of the new challenger was carried
 away and her gaff crumpled up. She
 was forced to abandon the contest and
 returned to Southampton in tow of the
 Erin for repairs
 The accident was primarily due to
 the carrying away of a heavy back
 stay, block of which fell and struck
 the deck at Sir Thomas Lipton's feet.
 Had the block fallen foot nearer Sir
 Thomas would probably have been kill ed.
 At the start to-day both yachts turn ed out for the first time in full racing trim, having their biggest club topsails set over their full lower canvass and also carrying jbtopsails. The Erin from off Cowes sent off the yachts at 224 p. nl:, the Shamrock II having three lengths the better of the start They reached off with the wind just forward of the beam.
 The Shamrock ITS mainsail was set ting better than on her previous trials and she began at once to draw out her lead. The canvas of Shamrock I was drawing beautifully, and she went well on the reach. but was not quite able to hold the new challenger. Passing the East Lepe buoy, two miles from the start, the Shamrock I was about one minute astern of the Shamrock II. The wind came in few hard squalls while the yachts sailed the next mile and a half to West Lepe buoy. and the Shamrock II proved herself wonderful ly well able to stand up to her canvas. The timing taken at West Lepe buoy showed the Shamrock II to be one min ute and ten seconds ahead of her con- petitor and in the next four miles the challenger increased this lead to two minutes and fifteen seconds.
 At this time a thick black thunder squall came driving off the Hampshire coast and the two yachts were soon racing along with their lee rails hidden in a smother of foam.
 The challenger sailed out the squall, but the Shamrock I carried it longer and closed tip rapidly Off Hurst Cas- tie only one minute and thirty-five sec onds separated the two yachts. Another and much fiercer squall then came sweeping along. The lacing of the Shamrock Is topsail started and the sail was half lowered and the sham When the squall struck, the challenger went racing along with every rope and spar straining and her boom lifting high under her bellying mainsail. The squalr blew at the rate of about twenty knots an hour and the Erin, doing good thirteen knots, was unable to keep step with the racers.
 While the squall was blowing It's worst, the backstay block broke and The main mast was thus left without support aft and swayed and the cutter plunged into the seas. Then from aloft came a tearing and rending sound. The top sail yard had broken. As this big sail fell on the gaff that spar, which is built of hollow steel plates, crumpled ID six feet from the rest and collapsed. As soon as possible the wreclSage was cleared away This work was attend d with considerable difficulty. The | disabled cutter was taken back tp | The Denny's have a l lew gaff nearly ready.
 In this afternoons trial the challeng | 1T sailed twelve miles in one hour and | en mirtes. It is expected that the | 1ext trial race will take place next ! saturday.