The evening world. Newspaper, July 20, 1895, Page 1

YACHT RAGE EXTRA NO PRICE ONE CENT. NIGHT eee EDITION DEFENDER FIRST HOME The New Yacht Leads Vigi- lant by Two Minutes and Forty Seconds. TO WINDWARD Wind Light on THROUGHOUT. the Way Down the Coast, but Freshened on the Return. (Special to The Evening World.) HIGHLANDS OF NAVESINK, July %.—Defender won her first trial under Feal racing conditions in her race to- dey with Vigilant. crossing the finish | than three minutes ahead of The start was made in the lightest sort @f south-southeast wind, which after- wards shifted to more southerly a nally to nearly southwest. During the race the breeze freshened, ~Snd: the big flyers came home under ‘mainsalls, clubtopsails, jibs and spin- | "¢ makers, with a breeze that made some of their smaller companions double-reet mainsails, Deterar crossed the finish line at 2.50.20 a... igilant at 2.58. These times, awhile not official, are taken from the Scotland Lightship. Defender thus wins | by two minutes and forty seconds. As neither of the yachts has furnished racing measurements, the extent of De- fender’s victory, or even whether she would have won or not, under time al- lowance rules, cannot be made known. It fs estimated though, that Defender should give Vigilant an allowance of | nearly or quite three minutes, over a thirty-mile-eourse, which would make to-day's race practically a dead hea The preparatory gun was fired from | the flagship Sylvia at 11.20 A. M. and both yachts began manoeuvring for Position, | Defender showed great ability in com- | We pbsut during the preparatory split- ting of tacks, and when, at 11.30, the first starting gun wes fired, she was at the’line and flashed across on port tack at gun fire. Vigilant was to leeward | and just thirty seoonds later in getting | over the line. | Both stood for the New Jersey shore, heading for Long Branch. The wind was very light at the start nd a thick bank of haze lay to the southward, ready to envelope both rac- s when they should reach it. * Defender's headsalls began to shake| in the wind as her helm went down! and she came about after standing on| this tack about four minutes. Vigilant quickly followed and both stood to the eastward on starboard tack. When the yachts disappeared in the! haze, Defender seemed to lead by nearly | @ mile and was footing faster than Vigilant, but the latter seemed to be pointing up with the new Herreshoffer. Reports from along the coast gave Defender's lead variously at from one-| half to three-quarters of a mile, with 4) better position to windward. i While both were invisible from the | shore, the breeze began to freshen and | it became evident that the return down | wind would be made in real racing| weather. Bure enough, when the yachts made “their reappearance from out the bank @f mist, only six miles from the finish, they were seen flying along like verit- able wea birds, with every rag bulging before a brisk twenty-mile wind, fairly flying to the finish line. ‘Vigilant had made up much of her loss coming down wind, a fact which the centreboard cranks made much of, con- tending that in her immense shifting keel lay all the virtue of her gain. « Everybody in the telegraph towers made a rush for their field glasses, and . there Defender was, plainly enough, just ‘@merging from the smoking haze away Of to the southeast of the Highlands, and not more than six miles from the Anisn, She hed a mainsail and spinnaker ‘get, and as she came booming along fhrough the white caps, she was followed by a long string of steamboats ‘and tugs, which came looming up through the thick mist, one after a ther, as the procession moved alon, ‘A few seconds after Vigilant came out of @ shroud of fog and followed Glong closely in the trail of her rival. Like Defender, Vigilant was also car- fying her big spinnaker and seemed ta «be moving along in great shape. In fact by reports from Long Branch earlier in the afternoon, she must have » gn overhauling Defender rapidly from the time they turned the stakeboat. At 235 Defender was abreast of High- fand Light. She was followed closely by @ score of tugs and steam yachts, Her big sails bulged out and she eeomed to fly along the waves like a igantic seabird. Vigilant was 3 minutes and 15 seconds pahind her, Defender seemed to be los- ground on the latter end of the homestretch, and the crowd on shore watched the race with breathless in- ‘erest. ‘The ‘hase had cleared away so that both yachts were clearly in sight and no glasses were needed to watch the exciting finish, As the Defender passed up towards the in the first of the great trial races, she was received with a tremendous blast of steam whistles from the assembled versels and several sa- lutes were fired from the yachts which were lying-to in the neighborhood of the Scotland Lightship. ‘The din of the whistles and the fog- horns could be distinctly heard on shore at the Highlands, nearly four miles away. Vigilant was greeted with the same uproarious burst of screaming whistles on the excursion steamers and yachts and the cheering of the spectators, which was in sufficient volume to reach the shore, a THE NEWS BY PIGEONS. Progress of th: Race Watched from “The World’ 7 (@®y Carrier Pigeon to The Evening World.) ON BOARD “THE WORLD" TUG, SCOTLAND LIGHTSHIP, July #20.— Pigeons will carry this story of the yacht race. Fifteen or twenty of the little flyers are resting quietly in their baskets, They have not been fed since 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, and they will waste no time in getting home. At ¥.30 o'clock the wind is southeast —a six to eight knot breese—modera wind for Defender and Vigilant to try each others racing capabiliti Hundreds of tugs are puffing about the Lightship and scores of schooner yachts speed in and out, and out and in, waiting for the starting signal. Among them are the Shamrock, Fl wing, Norseman and Lasca, As “The World" tug puffed down through the Narrows the wind wes south southeast and one ed to feel its dying breath, but as it neared Sandy Hook {t freshened and gave indications of developing into a find racing breeze. The atmosphere was hazy. One could hardly see a man to windward. Pa: ing Sandy Hook many a pair of glasyes swept the horizon in a vain endeavor to locate the cup denfender and the gallant yacht which was to try her qualities. at 9.45 o'clock. the big main- sail, staysail and jib of the Vigilant were seen beyond the yellow sands of the Hook. She moved slowly around the Hook and then began to beat towards the lightship. In the meantime there was no sign of Defender. She had been towed down at 7.80 o'clock by the tug E. 8. Atwood, but neither tug nor yacht could be dis- covered. At last she was seen through the hase about one point east of Scotland Lightship, playing about under mainsail, staysall, jib and club topsail. At ll o'clock the pride of ‘93 and the hope of '9% awooped towards each other and then stood away waiting for the signal gun. Half a mile from the Lightship the New York Yacht Club's chartered iron steamboat, Cepheus, was loafing about with human beings hanging to her lee side like files to a sugar loaf. ‘The wind had freshened a bit and there were little white frills to the waves like white tfimmings to a woman's blue gown. ‘The Start at 11.30, At 11.2 the preparation gun was fired and the accompanying red ball went up on the flagship. ‘Then begar: the beautiful manoeuvring for position, the Defender standing off, closely followed by Vigilant. In this manner they swept across and back @ half mile of water. At 1190 the starting gun, boome |instantly Defender flashed across line on the starboard tack. Two hundred yards behind came Vigi- Jant on the same tack and they were off on a fifteen-mile beat to windward and return. At the same instant the tugs, steam yachts and other sailing craft filled away, At 11.83 Defender went about. Each boat carried baby jib-topsails ready to take in, and just before they crossed the line club-topsails, fore-stay- and the es. were lost in man- oeuvering by the yachts, both trying for the advantage. Defender tried hard to get the wind- |} ward as the gun was fired. 11.80 Vigilant crossed at 11.30 1-2, slight- y to windward. | Defender immediately began to gain on the first tack. Both held thei positions a few minutes, Vigilant on starboard tack. Vigilant remained on starboard tack four minutes and then went about. » Almost the same moment De- fender went on the starboard tack. ‘The question was whether or not De- fender would turn the bow of Vigilant. A moment later they came together on opposite tacks. mder Crosses Vigilant's Bow. Defender easily crossed the bow of Vigilant to windward on the weather aide, IN THE HORSESHOE. All Promisin; 1 (Special to the Event HIGHLANDS OF NAVESINK, N. J., July %.—Early morning indications off Sandy Hook were not as gratifying as they might have been to the host yachtsmen who are interested in the first real trial of speed between the two big single-stickers, Defender and Vigt- lant, to-day, over the ocean course, for the $200 cup offered by the New York Yacht Club. What they looked for was a piping reese and dashing spray, which would put both the big yachts on their mettle ‘and show just what they were made of. Buch conditions were necessary to bring out speed and furnish a reliable test of the merits of the two racing types which they represent. Judging from the early outlook, how- ever, the races are fated to be sailed in light breeses, and the skilful handling will be @ greater factor in the result than the capacity for speed in good racing weather, Early C Not Promi: The morning broke with scarcely a Dreese to ruffle the surface of old ocean, which stretched out almost as jealm and smooth as a millpond, from ‘the hills of the Navesink, What little | wind there was came from the south- west, and it was hardly enough to | atraighten out the big flag that flapped from the high pole in front of the twin Ughts. Veterans and weather sharps— and there were plenty of them who Traine Lane Manaseuacit, VJ o & ® ‘ » & N - e # S rae! Pt) a Covest’s: j of the yachts under such circumstances * ow . : 5. _|_“ Circulation Books Open to An.” | W YORK, SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1895 ra, YACHT RAGE “ Circulation Books Open to All.’”’ EXTRA NO. 5. PRICK ONE CE NIGHT EDITION K WIRE FROM MUIR Telegraphic Messages from “The Evening World’s” ASCENT Captive Balloon. UNDER DIFFICULTIES. The Experiment Demonstrates that 115 P. It Is Feasible to Report the Yacht Races from the Sky. HIGHLANDS OF NAVESINK, July M-—The Evening World” balloon ts just ascending, The telegraph wire is working well. balloon, I am just clear of the ground in the There has been a long delay in filling with ga: I am now about seventy feet and di- rectly over the two towers of the light- know all about such things at Nave-|morning from the anchorage off the|awaltea with more than ordinary in- sink—shook their heads dublously as they scanned the horizon and sniffed the alt “If she shifts to the ort...’ one of them said, ‘we may get a fair sailing breeze about noon, but we can't calcu- late on much of @ wind to-day.” ‘The sun rose in a thick bank of haze which had settled down. during the night on the eastern horizon, and It was fully two hours before’ Ite djpk wan, @iparly | visible. The hax shut out the view of everything at sea, further than two or three miles from the beach, even the Scotland Lightship, which is three and a Nalf miles from shore, was visible, All that could be seep from the hill- top were the misty @iutlines of half « dosen fishing smacks and schooners, as) they lay off shore for their early catch. Light Breese Dispersed the Ha Towards 8 o'clock the atmosphere be- wan to clear a little, the wind seemed to be shifting towards the be, a at that hour was bigwing ‘dir beach. It hed not Increa in force and was scarcely strong enough to have enabled the yachts to complete the thirty-miie course within the time limit fixed for the international contest. ‘This rule, however, does not govern t day, and it was believed that in any case the trial would be interesting as showing the light weather sailing quall- ties of the two flyers, even though it might not furnish @ conclusive test of their actual relative merits. About half a doszen yachts came down from the city last evening and during the night lay at anchor in the Horseshoe jandy Hook, in order to get an early start for the Lightship this morning. Among them was Vigilent, and her tall mast towered above the spare of the other craft in the neighborhood. Her ‘The great gathering of the yachts this morning was at Bay Rid Atlantic Yacht Club-Hous k, among the fi m and sailing craft anchored there and at 7 o'clock the procession was al- ready on its way down the harbor for the scene of thi t contest. Defender got up anchor early ) c 3 ro Wee, oe BEAL va) Derenora and not| | Atlantic Yacht Club-House, where she had lain all night, and was towed down through the Narrows. Bhe passed Quarantine at 8.10 and pro- |ceeded directly out to sea, passing Sandy Hook at 9 o'clock. Her crew had been busy while she was being towed down the bay, and when jshe reached the Hook she had mainsail and clubtopsail aloft and sheeted home. All down the New Jersey coast as far as Asbury Park people are getting ready to watch the races, Cottages along the beach will keep open houre for their friends and droves of patriotic people from the inland towns and settlements wil come to the sea shore with their families, in the hope of g¢ of the famous old Vigilant and her new rival for supremacy. ‘The first news of the racing sloops re- ceived at the Highlands after they dis- terest by the yachting experts. The result would surely settle an tm- portant point in the discussion of the relative merits of keel and centreboard yachts which has been going on ever since the model was adopted in the con- struction of the Defender. ON THE CLUB STEAMER. What N. Y. ¥. C. Guests Saw of the Race from the Ceph (By Carrier Pigeon to The Evening World.) ON BOARD IRON STEAMBOAT CEPHELS, off Sandy Hook, July 90,— Although it had been extensively ad- vertised that the Iron tSeamboat Ce- Pheus, with the New York Yacht Club officials on board, would not start for the scene of the race until 9.30 o'clock, yet pler 1 East River was crowded for fully two hours before that time. miles is coming down in a tree. feet from the ground but did not bump. Please have some one write this as I will have to cling in a second. now up about nave not enough gas to get up. top of the hill is black with people and they are cheering me in great shape. When I went up the crowd cheered wildly for “The Evening World.” house. The wind is blowing about fifteen t this altitude, and the balloon Tam now ten The balloon hi hot up again, I am feet. I am afraid 1 The I am afraid I'll bang into the light- house and do damage. Now I go up toa height of 200 feet and down again to within 40 feet of the grourd. From this altitude it further at sei seen of the yachts, hidden in the thick fog to the south- possible to see much but nothing can yet be which are still ViGMLaNny seorgama MANOEUVRING FOR THE START. erocsn® Srevre appeared in the haze at noon, was short- ly after 1 o’ciock, when a report came from the Life-Seving Station at Long Branch, which said that the yachts had Just passed that station with Defender bout three quarters of a mile In the | lead. They were standing down the coast on port tack, The breeze had freshened perceptibly and was then blowing up the shore at fully fifteen miles an hour, e wird holding out at this rate 3 will be able to make quick the home stretch and there every prosject that the contest would be finished by 3.30. At 1.20 it was reported from Long Branch that the yachts were then on starboard tack, standing off shore, and Defender's lead seemed to be then fully a mile, Both boats went about at the same time and Defender's leading posi- tion to the windward was fully assured, According {o Capt, Wardell's de- spatches the yachts must @ been within sight off Long Branch for nearly twenty minutes. They then disappeared in the haze, which still obscured the view to seaward. The racers could not have been more than a few miles from the turning point at that time, for they had nearly completed the run of fifteen miles to windward, As the mist showed no signs of clearing up, it was not thought that another view of the yachts could be had from shore before they approached the Lightship at the finish, At the Highlands, three miles out from shore, the sea was rising and white caps nto dot its surface in every direction, The smaller sailing craft, which were playing about in the heavy waves, waiting for the return of the racers, began to shorten sail and several Uttle sloops were seen sailing about in the billows with double reefed main- salle. The F im @ Breese. It was just the sort of weather to test the sailing qualities of Defender in run- ning before the wind, a point which has been the subject of vital interest in discussing the merits of the new Herreshoft model as she has never yet had an opportunity to show her paces under such conditions with @ rival lke Vigilant. For this son the raturn trip was There were hundreds of persons on hand who had no possible hope of see- ing the race. So they contented them- i instead with taking a glance at the gaily decked official boat and the thousand or so yachtsmen and their friends more favored for time, All around the plier were dozens of other boats ready to follow in the wake of the Cephus and all of them loaded down with excursionists. As a result it 1s es- timated that fully 10,000 people were in the vicinity of the Battery during the morning. On board the Cevheus all was bustle and excitement. Pretty nearly every member of the yacht club who could get down was on hand, and they took possession of the lower deck, The upper and third decks were crowded with the friends of the members and several ladies, whose varied costumes lent a charm to the scene. Although th were few of them who knew anything of yachting, yet they talked like vet- They were “luM™ng” and “‘tack- * In a manner to make dizzy the| heads of those who thought they knew, but didn’t. All Sure of Defender. But everybody was in excellent humor. All the talk was of Defender, and while Vigilant had @ host of friends, there was not one on board who thought she had a ghost of chance. A rumor started early in the morning that the New York Yacht Club tickets for the Cepheus had been counterfeited and a strict watch was keut on every person who appeared at the gangway. The kind found, however, nuine ticket the signatures to which were forged, it ts claimed. Commodore 8. Nicholson Kane board-| e@ the official boat at 9 o'clock. The Cepheus was then pretty well crowded, but still they kept on coming up to the very second of 9.42 o'clock, when, with & couple of warning blasts, the boat started from her pier, As she moved off there was a cheer from those on shore, but the yachtsmen on board anxiously scanned the heavens to see what kind of a breeze the weather sharks had arranged for, They were “(Continued on Second Page man Laundry ae Gest ‘The genuine has colored women om wrapper. “e* west. not enough gas. ending up ‘The Evening World's’ aimeulty, and several tons of tron and chemicals had to be transported all the way from the station at Highland Beach, up the Steep hill 20 feet, to. the little plot of open ground just behind the lighthouse, Diticalties of Balloon Ri Now they are pulling me down— At 1.25 o'clock the balloon landed safe- ly near the point from which it started and “The Evening World” reporter was as ted from the 1.30 P. M.—One of Prof. Myers’ tting. the basket and sailed majestically away. The assistant being about fifty pounds lighter than “The Evening World” re- porter, the balloon ascended to a height of 500 feet, but did not succeed in main- taining ship sways gracefully from side to aide and every now and then takes a dip of 100 feet or so, then again rising. that altitude. The big alr- low 12.35 P. M.—The ascension of “The Even- ing World’ balloon has been delayed by the slown the hydrogen gas. result of the poor quality of the ton of wrought iron filings purchased for the purpose in New York City, of the process of makin This has been the The delay is only temporary. The big balloon is bellying out in grand style! and is more than three-fourths full. ‘The top of the big golden globe is now on a line with the tree tops, and Prof. | Myers thinks that the ascension will be made in forty or forty-five minutes. Preparing for the ascent. Crowds father and watch the generating of the fas for the balloon. tory to ob- rvation balloon, from which an effort The necessary work prepa | 1s to be made to give the story of the race as seen from a point 1,40 feet in midair by an “Evening World” report- er, was begun yesterd: f no small 3 and tubs It was an undertaking for the big Prof. Curl Myers, who is in charge, was busy nearly all night, assisted by | force of seven men, in getting his pai in order, and this prelirainary work was not competed until after 8/ > ‘clock this morning ting, Many unforeseen difficulties presented hemeelves, not the least of which was the failuro of the water supply at the lighthouse, which was depended upon to furnish the thirty or more barrels of water necessary for generating the hy- rogen gas for inflating the balloon. The water finally had to be brought from a spring at the foot of the hill on the farther side, pall by pail, and this caused some delay. At 9 o'clock this morning the gas-gen- erating apparatus was all in order, end the big sulphuric acid tanks were at work filling the baloon, As the day wad calm and there was so little wind, Prof. Myers decided to make the ascent with the medium-sized balloon, which has @ capacity of 6,000 cuble feet of gas. A big crowd of curious villagers gath- red in the corner of the lighthouse grounds and watched the proceedings with eager interest. The announcement yesterday by “The Evening World” of its intended experiment in aerial report- ing had spread the news everywhere in the vicinity and brought as many visit- ors to the Highlands as the yacht race, A trial race between two such cracks 'as Defender and Vigilant and the pros |Pect of a novel and interesting ballogs ascension at the same time, was enough | Fesort anywhere along the Jersey coast to-day. ‘The eyes of a score or more of chil- | dren who capered avout the inclosure opened wide with wonder as the big bag of yellow silk that Prof. Myers had spread out upon the green lawn began to swell and puff up with the gas trom the retorts. The balloon is held to the ground by « cross bar, securely driven in, to which is attached a rope cable 1,500 feet in length. The cable passes through @ block tackle, so that when the balloon is ready it may be raised or lowered at will. Two or three men are suffi- clent to manage It. Direct to “Evening World” Office, The telegraphic instrument of the ordinary Morse type is to be taken up by th. observer. The battery is upon the ground and attached to the tnstru- ment is a double insulated wire wound upon a reel and equal in length with the cable which holds the balloon, It is connected with the wires of the Postal Telegraph Company in the northern tower of the twin lighthouses, and from there directly with “The Evening World” office. At 10 o'clock considerable progress had been made in the inflation of “The Even- ing World's” airship. The crowd about the gas generator when Prof. Myers and his two assistants, Tracy Fisdell and Del Dare, were hard at work, had grown so large that a rope had to be stretched around the operating ground | to keep them out of danger. Several parties of ladies and gentle men from the hotels and cottages at Seabright and Normandie-by-the-Bea came up to watch the progress of the work. Capt. C. E. Thompson, the chief light-keeper at Highlands, and his as- | sistanta were active in alding the asro- nauts and affording them every facility for making the balloon ready. A little cleared space of ground, just |in the rear of the light-house grounds, was used for the purpose, although Commander Snow, the General Inspec- tor of the district, had kindly given |The Evening World" permission to |use the Government inclosure, but it jWas not found necessary, | Generated Gas on the Grounds, |, Prof. Myers had arranged his four big casks, which served as retorts, under a big spreading oak tree, These were about two-thirds full of water and each contained about 500 pounds iron fillings and the contents of two carboys of sul- phuric acid, In the centre of this quar tet was a tube about four feet in diam- eter, filled with lime water and great chunks of ice, Into which the pipes from the four casks led, The gas, as it was generated in the retorts, the pipes into this tub, cooled and col- lected in another receiver, and then it was conveyed in oilcloth pipes to the balloon, which was spread upon the grass about twenty feet away. The gas had to be cooled and the moisture con- tracted from it before it could enter the balloon and the progress was very slow at first. When the gas comes from the casks it is heated to boiling point and contains a large proportion of moisture, A balloon asceusion is not such a rare occurence in th days, but “The Evening World” has accomplished something never before even dreamed of. For the first time in the histery of the electric telegraph, an instrument has been worked in the upper alm , { to make Navesink the most attractive a