The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-05-23
OCEAN YACHT RACE BEGUN
Eleven Speedy Boats Start From
Sandy Hook For English Coast.
GERMAN EMPEROR OFFERS PRIZE

Large Loving Cup Valued at Five Thou,
sand Dollars to 30 Presented to the
owner Of the winning Yacht-Two
British Boats and Ono German Ar,
Entered in the Competition.
Sandy Hook, II. Y.-The big trans
Atlantic yacht race began at 1915
o'clock in the midst Of dense fog and
against a light northeast wind So
thick was the weather that it was i'm
possible for those who were not within
at least a few hundred feet Of the rae
ers to see the start or even hear the
gun. The eleven yachts that are fight.
ing for the possession Of Emperor VIII
Jams Cup were wen out to sea before
the majority Of sightseers were aware
that they had really left for good.
The starting gun was fred on time,
12.15 o'clock. and a few minutes after
the first yacht crossed. The valhalIa
and Utowana missed the line and had
to go back to get across.
Disappointment prevailed in all quar-
tiers over the nastiness of the weather,
the postponement Of a Gay il the start.
The following eleven yachts were
entered. Ailsa, owned by H. s..
Redmond, sailed by Lem Miller;
Apache, owned by Edmund Randolph,
sailed by u H. Mcdonald; Atlantic,
owned by Wilson Marshall, sailed by
Charles Barr; Endymion, owned by
George Lauder, Jr., sailed by J. A.
Loesch; Fleur de Lys, owned by DR..
Lewis A. Stimson, sailed by Thomas
Bohlin; Hamburg (German) owned by
a syndicate, sailed by G. Peters; Hide
garde, owned by f. r. Coleman, sailed
by S. M. Marstens; Sunbeam (Eng-
lish), owned by Lord Brassey, sailed
by A. S. Achard; Thistle owned and
sailed by Robert e. Tod; Utowana.
owned by Allison ". Armour, sailed by
J. G. Crawford; Valhalla (English),
owned by Earl Of Crawford, sailed by
J. Caws.
It was chiefly through Commodore
Tod's efforts that the race was ar
ranged He had given prizes for sew
eral long distance races and induced
Sir Thomas Upton to offer cup for
race across the Atlantic. Sir Thomas
withdrew his offer when, the Emperor
made his.
Promptly at II o'clock in the after
noon the preparatory signal was made
from the tug Vigilant, on board of
which boat was the starting commit
tee. This committee was Commander
H. G. Hebbinghaus, I. G, N; Com
mander w r. Halsey. u. s. N; Oliver
e. Cromwell, III. de b. Parsons, New
bury D. Lawton and Edward H. Wales.
1t was agreed by all the owners that
there should be no delay in the start,
and as the gun fred the blue peter was
hoisted. The other end of the line
was marked by the Sandy Hook Light
vessel
Ten minutes after the preparatory
signal another gun was fired. At the
same time the blue peter was run down
and red ball hoisted in its place
This was a warning signal and told
the yachtsmen that they had five min
utes before being sent off on their long
journey.
At 1915 o'clock third gun gave the
signal to go, and the times of the
yachts were taken from that gun. The
race was then on. Sail was crowded
on each boat and trimmed to suit the
weather conditions, and the eleven
handsome yachts headed for the Fire
Island Llghtship. which marked the
first part of their course. Away out
to the eastward stretched the wide ex-
panse of ocean and 5000 miles away
was the finishing line. There the Ger
man cruiser Pfeil will wait for the
yachts and make line with the light
house on the Lizard.
For days and nights the yachts will
battle with the winds and seas. In
calm or storm their crews will drive
them on, each crew endeavoring to
send his boat ahead so as to capture
the rich prize offered by the German
This cup is worth $4,000,
and for the next three boats to finish
there will be other prizes, and for
these the plucky sportsmen have fitted
out their boats at costs varying from
$4,000 to $4,000 each, and manned
them with big crews, provisioned them
for the long journey and braved the
dangers Of the deep.
There has been some figuring on the
length of time that will be taken for
the race. The Earl of Crawford, who
owns the ValhaIla, thinks that if the
winds are strong and come from the
west the race may be ended in nine
days and that his boat can win. The
Valhalla under such conditions can sail
sixteen knots an hour.
Some will take the northern passage
and brave the perils of ice and fog.
Others will keep further south, prefer
ring not to take chances with ice, and
trust to getting fresher winds and so
make up what they will lose by keep
ing to the south. For day and night
perhaps for two weeks all sail will be
carried and the boats driven on to the
finish.
The scene off Sandy Hook was a
one. A big feet of boats
was there to see the racers start, and
these racers presented a picture that
few can paint.
The race is one without restrictions.
The boats sail just as their owners
may choose. There is no time allow
ance. No racing rule will bother the
shippers only the rules Of the road at
sea will govern, and the first boat in