New-York tribune., 1921-10-21
The Elsie Oyerhauled for
Match With Challenger
BIuenose Tomorrow
specsa, Dispatch to The Tribune

HALIFAX, N. s., Oct. 20.-The Elsie,
American defender of the international
Fishermen's Racing Cup, won last fall
by the Esperanto, of Gloucester, spent
to-day high and dry on a cradle at
Dartm outh, ON the opposite side of the
harbor from Halifax. The defending
schooner moved across the harbor as
the first pale sunshine fought with the
drifting fog swirls, and by 10 o'clock
was hauled up and ready for the work
men who clustered around her sides.
The primary object of the trip to the
slips was to replace the anchor plate
ripped from her hull by the crashing
seas of the North Atlantic yesterday
morning. But that wasn't all. Inspec-
tion of her hull below the water line
disclosed many gaping seams. The roll
ing 25-knot smash had pulled away
from her strip after strip of putty ap
piled hastily at Gloucester to wet
hull. Here was damage which in
heavy sea might have led to graver
fandicaps.
"No more putty" was Captain welch's
edict when he looked the damage over,
and tonight the Elsie, snug and taut,
again carried along her seams caulk-
ing of cement which will take anything
the restless Atlantic has to offer.
Drops Both Anchor Plates
It was the decision of Captain Welch
that instead of attempting to rig new
anchor plate in place of the one torn
from the ship on the trip up he would
remove both plates and sail without
them. The damaged port plate and its
starboard mate were both cleared and
the bare patches painted
Meanwhile Harry Christensen, the
~ &c tho E1Sio,a rrexu
busy replacing the backstay which car
ried away off Prospect. 1t was days
job, but before nightfall it was done,
and the Elsie presented again the trig
and trim appearance beftting her dig
nifty as the American defender of the
Fishermen's Cup.
The matter Of the topmast is giving
Captain Welch some anxiety. The
American skipper said tonight that
he felt that in the smash which carried
away the Elsies backstay on Wednes-
day the topmast had been sprung. There
does not seem to be suitable spar
available to replace the suspected weak
spot and Welch will have to take his
chances unless a new topmast can be
found between now and Saturday
morning.
Tomorrow the Bluenose, the Cana
dian challenger, takes her turn on the
slips at Dartmouth, for scraping and
the finishing touches which will fit her
for Saturdays race. The Elsie, if the
weather is right, will take her first
try-out as a cup defender in the waters
off Halifax.
There is no escaping the fact that
the Nova Scotians who have looked the
Elsie over feel none too confident Of
the ability Of the local boat to beat
her American opponent. You get this
"maybe" feeling all along the lower
town, where nine out of every ten you
meet are either schooner sailors,
schooner owners or amateur yachtsmen
keen for the sea.
The feeling locally is that the Blue
nose won her elimination trials by the
wide margins she did as much because
OF the errors of her adversaries as by
any merit Of her own. At least, there
is a strong feeling that the Canada is
as good boat as the Bluenose under
equal sailing conditions. The betting,
what there is of it, is aroMnd to 4,
with the Canadian on the short end.