New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-06-19
DARING RESCUES THRILL
Sudden Tornado Plays Havoc
with Gravesend Bay Race.
FOUR BOATS ARE CAPSIZED
Yachtsmen Fight for Life in
Furious Seas Until Help
Finally Arrives.

Thrilling rescues in the teeth of gale
which blew at the rate Of more than sixty
miles an hour were the feature of the first
race to count on the yacht racing cham
pionship of Gravesend Bay yesterday.
The regatta was held under the auspices
of the New York Canoe Club, and just as
the last class was starting tornado which
had been working its way out of the
west broke in all it's fury, capsized four
of the racing craft, driving two OF them
on the beach off Norton's Point, and sent
the regatta committee drifting out to sea-
Fortunately all the boats were wrecked
in Gravesend Bay and the yachtsmen were
saved, but only after thrilling experiences
The starting line was off the home OF the
New York Canoe Club. at Ulmer Park. The
regatta committee was made up OF H. ..
Tiemann, chairman; F. Speidel, E. Ffshel
and F. Plummer The committee boat was
the auxiliary sIoop Carrie M Potter the
property of Captain Henry Bateman Al
the starting hour the wind was strohs
from the west by south. AS the dlr1ereIe
classes started banks of ugly lead gray
clouds were seen working their way through
the Narrows.
lust as the dingies of the New York
Canoe Club, the last division of the resat-
Ia were crossing the starting line the tor-
nado broke in all its fury. In second
Gravesend Bay was an angry mass OIL
whirltng wh:te-capped waters. With the
wind came & haze that hid the shore anu
as nasty rain squall as mas peeh seen oi
the Lower Bay this year
When the gale struck the racing yachts
the Bull Finch, owned by Maurel and
Roloff, of the New York Canoe Club, was
inst crossing the stirling line. In a second
the boat was capsized and her owners were
hurled into the sea- They managed to cling
to the bottom of the upturned craft. Al
though the seas were rolling like Atlantic
breakers E. F1shel and F. Plummer. OF the
regatta committee, saw the accident ana
put off in an open launch to rescue the I'M
lucky Corinthians.
Just as they succeeded in getting the
two men on board the launch the commit
tee boat dragged her anchors and started
out to sea Prompt work by those on board
the boat enabled the committee to reach
sheltered anchorage in the lee OF the
Eensonhurst bulkhead only, however, after
being pitched and tossed for more than an
hour in the angry waves
While the committee was having trouble
in getting ashore, the other Corinthians
were making poor weather of 1t in other
quarters of the bay. The open launch OF
the committeeman ran afoul of the wrecked
Bull Finch, and the two boats began TO
drift toward the beach. but before any
other accident happened the yachtsmen
at the Brooklyn Yacht Club sent out an
Ia,1n nd
The Bull Finch was not the only boat to
be capszed. f. l. Billingham's Skylark;
E Zimmermans Pike. and the Bobs. the
property of r. E. Speir all of the knock
about division, We're capsized by the squat.
The three boats were off the anchorage of
the Atlantic Yacht Club and able hands
from that organization saw to their rescue.
The crew of the Bobs was brought safe
to shore by the launch of the Atlantic
Yacht Club. On board her was the young
son of the owner, a boy of twelve years.
Both he and his father were in the water
for more than half an hour before they
were rescued
Boats from the schooner Lasca, the prop
erty of former Commodore r. 2. Dorenus,
rescued the crews of both the Skylark and
the Pike. All were brought safe to shore,
none the worse for their wetting. The
sloops Joy and NJ & F. were not so fort
innate as the capsized craft. Both were
driven the shore off Norton's Point and
badly damaged by the pounding of the
waves.
Although the squalI lasted two hours. |
five of the craft weathered the gale and |
finished the race. The regatta committee !!
hardly had succeeded in getting the Carrie |
Potter back to her moorings al the line |
when the first boat arrived. The yachts |
that finished were the Spider, La Guiana.
the Blue Bill the Bensonhurst and the |
Slow Poke
The summary follows:
SLOOPS-CLASS Q-START S:O5-COURSE. u
MILES