The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-20
SC-1S1 Is VICTOR In
700 MILE SEA RACE
Lieut.. Days Craft, First of
Chaser Fleet, Covers Dis
lance in 81 1-3 Hours.
REVIEWED ON HUDSON
Electric Storm Only Bad Fea-
turc of Record Run From
the Bermudas.

SMASHING to smlthereens the New
York-Bermuda record for gasolene
driven craft the United States Navy
Subj hailed Ambrose Channel light
ship at 10 yesterday morning, passed
the official finish line on the Statue OF
Liberty at 2:5s. and proceeded to her
anchorage off 135th street to await Of
ficiai recognition of the feat. The elapsed
time of the ITO footer from st. David's
Head, Bermuda, to Bedloe's Island was
announced later as fifty-seven hours and
twenty minutes, some ten hours less than
the previous record for the distance, APP
pToximately 200 miles.
While Lieut.. Joseph l.. Day Of Port
lsnd, Me-, commanding officer OF the
Sc-131, won the race engaged In by the
ak chasers which had been officially Sc
lected for the speed contest. the entire
rset of twenty-one motor craft finished
several hours inside the figure set
" 1918. The PIT and the S51 were
close behind the winner, the 217 passing
the lightship at 3 :01 and the 351 al
-:34. The 90, another of the racers
arrived soon after 10 o'clock. followed
b. the 224 and PIT. and less than an
hour later the rest of the fleet with the
tender Hannibal reached port.
Early Finish Prevents Welcome
Naval officers on duty at this port had
planned to welcome the flotilla from the
destroyer Ellis which was scheduled tC
leave her berth in the Hudson River al
noon, but the early and unheralded ar
rival of the winners upset these plant
and the ceremonies were changed to g
.rview of the chasers from the decks Of
the Ellis by Capt. Charles f. Courtney
L. S. N, in charge of the navy recruit
irg office in West Thirty-nin street
The 13l was ordered to proceed dowI
the riyXer again and go through hel
PAGES for the benefit of the reviewing
party and the movie men, and Lieut.
Day was highly complimented on hi
feat.
According to the commander of, thu
1;1 the winning craft met good weather
all the way, except that on Monda!
night. when nearing the coast, the 10
ran into an electrical storm of unusua
severity. A continuous display of shee
lightning bothered him considerably
Lieut.. Day said in picking up Navesinl
Light. the flash of which is visible unde
normal conditions for more than twent!
miles.
ave all came out of Hamilton harbol
on Saturday afternoon" Lieut. Day said
nibal. which left Bermuda twenty-fou
hours earlier. 1t was,rather pleasing t.
pass her thirty-six hours after. which
we did. giving the officers and crew fare
well greeting as we went by.
THE racing fleet of six chaseys cam
outside St Georges harbor and jockeyet
for position while waiting for the sigma
to start from Vice-Admiral' Morgan
Singer of the royal navy. commander o
the feet in Bermuda and the West In
dies. The Admiral ana his party wer
On board the Government tug st. Abb
and there was a fleet of sightseers t
witness the getaway.
I31 over the Line First.
"At exactly 5 o'clock the sigma
.wRC' futtered from the yardarm o
the tug. meaning Start and off W
went, with the others of the fleet be
hind us. We were first over the lin
and we took lead that we never lost
I'VE ran into what was rough waite
for us right at the start, which held un
til we reached the Gulf Stream the mex
day. Going with the current We foun
practically smooth seas in what we ex
pected would be nasty spot. Monda,
was a beautiful August day and all wen
we'll until we ran into some fog about
IN the evening From o'clock unit
about IL we ran through a terrific cleo
tr:cal storm. which made 1t hard wor
TO pick up the Navesink Light, but W
did so finally about IL 80.
EVERY one on board is deserving o
credit for having helped to win the race
hut especially the men in the engin
room. We left the other racers benin
the second day and never saw Their
again until they anchored alongside o
Ms at daylight to-day"
Ensign Alfred F. Loomis of Hunting
ton, l.. l., who is second in command Q
the 131, said that he was proud OF tn
little boats performance, but that h
believed she was the best of the flee
even before the race.
The 131 went into commission at tn
Norfolk Navy Yard in January. 1915
and sailed from New London. Conn, 70
Bermuda and the Mediterranean o
April %. She saw active duty in tn
Mediterranean and Adriatic seas and
unofficially credited with the destructio
of submarine