Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-17
Yachts After Kaiser's Cup
and Prizes.
THOUSANDS SEE START
HEAVY FOG OFF SHORE AND
WIND DUE EAST.
Boom of Cannon Announces to Watch
ing Throngs That Boats Are
Well Under Way.

The international yacht race. the chief
prize for which is the German emperor's
cup, was started from Sandy Hook light
ship at 12:1J o'clock this afternoon. The
Allsa. with Capt Lem Miller at the wheel.
was the first to cross the line. She was
followed by Commodore Tods Thistle. with
the commodore at the wheel. the only anna
teur skipper In the race. Capt. Charlie
Barr. the skipper of so many winning
yachts contesting for the Americas cup,
was third over the line with the Atlantic,
AMI after him came Hndegarde. Endymion
and Fleur de Lys. tiniest of all the craft
in the big race. 1t was no small job that
Capt. Tom Bohlin. the bold Gloucester fish
erman. had to get the Fleur de Lys ready
for the start after the ramming she got
yesterday afternoon from inward-bound
mud scow
After the Fleur de I.ys came the Apache.
then Lord Brassey's Sunbeam. followed by
the Utowana. while the big Valahalla was
the last to get over the line. The wind was
blowing due east at the rate of twelve miles
an hour. and all of the boats went over the
line on the port tack. There was q heavy
fog off shore. and only from the decks of
the excursion fleet and harbor craft near
the lightship could the start be SEEN
No sooner had the Ailsa got fairly under
way than the booming of cannon from the
fleet around the lightship told to those On
the Jersey Long Island and Staten Island
shores that the race was on.
Star Spangled Banner.
Just for luck and the honor of her Uncle
Samuel the Thistle was greeted with the
strains of the Star Spangled Banner
she started on her journey over the ocean.
The bands played America" for the At
lantic as she came along after the Thistle.
and, then. as the Hamburg doomed up. the
bands quickly switched to the Watch on
me
til the Sunbeam. flying the burgee of the
royal yacht squadron and the private pen
nant OF Lord Brassey. squared for the line.
when the bands started in on God Save the
Queen"
The Utoawana was so quickly behind the
Sunbeam that the bands had no time to
shift tunes. but when the big square rugged
Valhalla went over there was a break to
Tommy Atkins" TO which the Earl of
Crawford's crew gave lusty cheer by the
way of acknowledgment.
Prepare for Start.
In spite of the clouded sky. the thick
muggy haze on the horizon and a stiff hot
wind. the racers in the Horseshoe began
early to make themselves free of stop"
lines. tarpaulins and other nautical imple-
ments with which they made themselves
snug and tight during the very wet wet
ness of last night.
From the shore could be heard the rattle
and creak of tackle, mingled with shouts
and heav-yo of the sailors as they climbed
ratlne and yardarm loosening up halyards
reefs and whatnot. Over the many yards
of the stately Valhalla the bIuejackets
fairly swarmed. Busily they worked. and
in fifteen minutes, suddenly. like the pop
ping of a great white cotton bale, VAL
halla's spread of sails were bellying in the
wind Then up followed the three white
kites of the Atlantic Capt. Barr himself
giving the commands to the weather-bea ten
tars and loosening off the sheets before
the wind should catch the great sails in
the full and fairly drag the Atlantic in
shore from the bottom.
Then the low-lying, -rakish Hamburg
suddenly biossomed out like a white pond
lily to be followed by the other yachts
sending aloft their snowy cloud Of canvas.
Like a flock of swans they rode at anchor.
their feather sails ruffiing the breeze and
their anchor chains taut as harp strings.
all impatient for the arrival of the commit
tee boat and some of them for the tug
boats that were to tow them out to the
lightship
The Sunbeam did not come down the bay
until late this morning but she was the
only. missing competitor inside of Sandy
Hook The wounded Fleur de Lys, all we'll
and whole again, however, after her visit
To the Erie basin, made bold to drop down
to the Horseshoe in the darkness of last
night and so did the Apache. This MORN
ing there came in a small fleet of Glou-
cester fishermen who have been seining
for mackerel hereabouts for the last few
weeks. They intended to take a holiday
today. follow the boats out to the light
ship and unite in cheering their fellow
townsman and fellow fisherman. known to
them as The Knot that never untes."
Capt Tom Bohlin of the F1eur de Lys.
When the little Fleur de Lys spread her
little wings TO the breeze this morning, first
from little smack and then another.
there a rousing hip, hurrahi" from
the hOarse threats of the enthusiastic old
fishermen. The injury sustained by the Fleu
de- Lys in the fog yesterday does not ap-
pear TO he of any great consequence
hAfT In a ul
skyward tug drew alongside and shipped
aboard few tons of lead ballast. The
order for the ballast went up to the city
yesterday afternoon, Immediately after the
postponement of the race was announced.
Capt. Barr had idea that the weather
was going to be pretty rough during the
trip and that the Atlantic would behave
better in heavy seas with a few more tons
OF lead tucked away in her Keel.
Start to Lightship.
1t was not until 10 o'clock that the boats
were ready with their tugs for the start to
the iightship, where at 12:l5 o'clock the gun
that was to send them at last on their way
across the big pond was to be fired Mean
time the wind had veered from east to
northeast breezing up to twelve miles an
hour. 1t was disappointing. indeed for the
yachts that were looking today for fair
southwest wind. for 1t meant for them that
progress was to be made only by long
tacks. From Nantucket light for which
the boats would have set their courses
under favorable conditions the wind blew
dead ahead. valhalla. 1t was expected.
would have a trying time. and at the best
would be lucky IL she could set her course
better than east by south. which meant to
her the loss of much time over some of the
close pointing boats like the Ailsa SINH
larry. the Apache. with her bark rig was
expected to have some trouble In keeping
along with the other craft until the wind
changed.
Commodore Tod of the Thistle was more