New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-06
BOLT HITS ATLANTIC
YACHT CLUB STATION
Officials Escape Injury THROUGH
PoStponement of Start, Due
to Storm.
NO AIR; RACES CALLED OFF
One Yacht Drifts Around the
Course, Taking Two and a
Half Hours to Make
Four Miles.

II is an exceedingly fortunate thinv
that the thunder squall that swept over
town yesterday afternoon did not hit Sea
Gate half an hour or so later, as it nigh,
have done serious injury to the member,
OF the regatta committee of the Atlantic
Yacht Club.
The members Of the Sea Gate orsariza.
ton have a crows nest half way I'D
spar OF the old schooner Thistle, now
placed at the end Of the long dock tina.
juts out into Gravesend Bay.
While the storm was raging yesterday
the tall spar was struck by a bolt OF
lightning. 1t tore away the top Of the
big mast, and then, whirling down, dug
big splinters out OF the regatta commit.
tees station, the platform at the end OF
the dock and the spiles upon which the
dock stands.
For more than minute the lightning
was seen like a snake of fire playing
around the stand Fortunately Frank P.
Currier, acting chairman Of the commit.
tee, seeing the clouds gathering, lad de.
cided 70 postpone the start for half an
hour. Had it not been for the postpone.
ment The committee would have been
caught in the lightning struck station.
When the storm had blown out tC sea
the Sea Gate tars started the fifth race
10 count on the yachting championship Of
the lower bay. owing to the fact that
several of the yachtsmen had gone 70
oyster Bay to see the trials Of the 3ew
speed boats that belong TO Comn)iors
Blackton there was only a small fleet Of
starters AS is Cften the case after a
heavy rain squall there was hardly any
wind The light breeze that Dew came
from every quarter and the sailors spent
their time in drifting around.
The course for the Q class was from
the starting line to Bensonhurst, thence
across the channel TO Craven Shoal
buoys. down the channel 10 old Buoy No
"a and back TO Sea Gate. The start was
half an hour late, and so light was the
wind that Chairman Currier soon decided
It would be impossible for the craft 10
sail once around the course, TO say moth
ing of twice.
The boats had not covered half OF the
voyage al o'clock. There was pracu-
cally no air, and the committee decided
TO postpone the contest Eice-Commo-
dore Francis NJ. Wilson, Of the Larch-
mont Yacht Club who had followed the
larger craft in his power yacht Sumida,
offered TO tow the becalmed boats home.
His offer was accepted by the majority
Of the owners, and he soon had them at
their moorings.
Zeb Mayhem. owner Of the Wool was
the only yacht that continued and I'm
ished the first round. He was timed at
s:O7O0. having taken 2 hours and o min
utes 10 sail four miles. The time shows
that the race was a farce and that the
committee used good judgment in calling
il no contest.
The boats that started were as follows:
Glass Q-Arvia, Peter ". Rouse; Nir-
ginia, ]. Stuart Blackton; Suelew, Edgar
F. Luckenback; Alice. Gherardi Davis;
Dixie, Richard Rummel, Spider, Hendon
Chubb. and Soya, w. A. Barstow.
Handicap Glass, First Diyision-Joy Le
Salvage and Davis; Triton, W. Hunt
Hall.
Gravesend Bay Birds-Woof. Zeo May
hew, and Oriole, Or. c. L. Atkinson.
Gravesend Bav Knocka bouts-slow
Poke. F. L. Durland; Skylark. R. Finlay'
and Mouse, ]. II. Ransome.