July 1?, 1890.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



823 



MINERVA AND GOSSOON. 



WITTLE it is too soon yet to assume that Minerva's racing days 

 are over, and that Mr. Burgess lias at last filled that long- 

 felt want, for "something to stop Minerva:" it is certain that the 

 new keel Gossoon has given Minerva what must be considered the 

 hardest pushing she has ever had, and this in their first meeting 

 and almost in (xossoon's maiden race. While Gossoon is presum- 

 ably laboring under some of the disadvantages incident to a first 

 season, and should do even better with further practice, the rac- 

 ing season is by no means over yet, and there is enough left in 

 Minerva to make a very hard tight before she lowers her colors to 

 her American rival. Although defeated several times this season 

 and last, it has been evident that, taking the fleet as it stood tip 

 to last week, Minerva could do pretty much as she pleased with 

 the old boats. Now, however, that she has met something con- 

 siderably faster, it, remains to be seen whether there is anything 

 more in her that Captain Barr can get out, to keep her ahead of 

 thiBnew opponent. 



As matters stand now. after two days' sailing at Marblehead, 

 Gossoon has shown herself able to save her time from Minerva 

 under conditions which have heretofore been peculiarly fa vorable 

 to the Scotch boat as compared with the other American forties; 

 at the same time the margin of gain was not so large that it might 

 not easily be placed on the other side; and, though iu both races 

 the conditions were as fair as possible, it happened that Minerva 

 lost the start and sailed a leeward race all day,witli the disadvan- 

 tages that belong to such a position in a fleet of racers, while Gos- 

 soon, by a better start in each case, had a clear choice of wind and 

 water. These are but the chances of war, and may fall to any 

 yacht by accident or poor handling, and in her racing thus far 

 Minerva has, as a rule, been the gainer rather than the loser by 

 them. 



We quote elsewhere the comments of the two leading Boston 

 papers on the race, as both bear testimony to the great influence 

 which Minerva has exerted on Mr. Burgess's work; but in one im- 

 portant point both are wrong. Gossoon is neither the first boat 

 designed to beat Minerva, as the zeal of the Globe would prove, 

 nor is she the eighteenth, as the jealousy of the TTexthl insinuates. 

 The truth lies between these very wide statements, as we shall 

 endeavor to show. 



The Burgess 40ft. fleet now includes the followiug boats, 15 in 

 number: 



1887 . -PAPPOOSE, k. 



1888. -Baboon,k.; CHIQUITA, cb.; NYMPH, cb.: X AR A, k. 



1889. -MARIQUITA. k.; TOMAHAWK, k.; VERENA, e.b.; Awa, 

 cb.; Lotowana. k.; CfllSPA, b.; CHOCTAW, cb. 



1890. - VENTURA, cb.; Mocassin, cb.; GOSSOON, k. 

 From Pappoose to Gossoon every one of these yachts was built, 



not as the Herald insinuates, specifically to beat Minerva, but at 

 t he same time to go fast, the only one designed for cruising being 

 Lotowana, and the only Burgess forty ever designed to go slow 

 being the first one, the iron-keeled Vandal. Of this large fleet, 

 including keel and centerboard craft of almost every proportion 

 of beam and draft, those in small type have never raced against 

 Minerva, all but the new Mocassin being confessedly not fast 

 enough. Those in capitals have sailed against her, and with the 

 exception of Gossoon, have been fairly outsailed, in most cases 

 very decisively. Gossoon alone, of all the fleet, has fairly shown 

 herself in it with Minerva, leaving Chispa's case still open. 



Pappoose, built in 1887, a racing boat for racing owners, with 

 possible contests with the then invincible Shadow in view, may 

 be taken as a correct embodiment of Mr. Burgess' ideal at that 

 time. How this ideal has changed since and what it was up to 

 Minerva's advent is best sbown in Mariquita, pronounced by the 

 Boston experts in the spring of last year, to be the probable wiu- 

 ner of the season. Between these boats of 1888 and 1889, and the 

 three new ones of 1890 a broad line is drawn, the family likeness 

 that runs through them all from Pappoose to Choctaw is lost in 

 Gossoon, Ventura and Mocassin, and the student of the compara- 

 tive auatomy of yacht designing must look outside of the whole 

 Burgess fleet, from Puritan to Merlin, for the prototype of these 

 latest "creations." The boats of last season were so fully des- 

 cribed in Forest and Stkeam, that their leading features are 

 familiar to most of our readers, the construction, dimensions, 

 rake of post, contour of keel, size and style of rig, were all des- 

 cribed in detail, and it is only necessary now to point out the dif- 

 ference or resemblance of the corresponding features in the new 

 boats. 



One of the most striking points is the construction, the ordinary 

 heavy wood framing of the older boats being abandoned in favor 

 of ligbter scantling throughout, with the addition of steel in place 

 of wood for part of the frames. The gain in this respect alone 

 over the older boats is very considerable; the ratio of ballast to 

 displacement in Gossoon being no less than 65 per cent., while in 

 Pappoose it was but £0 per cent., and in Baboon but 65, What this 

 1 means in the wav of carrying sail iB too plain to need any proof 

 and tuis great gain is still further augmented by the disposition 

 of the ballast, the deep, thin fin of Tomahawk, Mariquita and 

 Saracen being replaced in the new boats by a wide mass of lead 

 with its --- 

 of last 

 14 to 18m 



on top, and at the same time 3lin. deep, while Mocassin's is lttWm. 

 on bottom. 2ft. 8}*>m. on top, and 20in. deep. Another marked 

 point of difference is the breadth of the new boats; in Gossoon and 

 Ventura, Mr. Burgess has at one stroke lopped off over 18in. beam 

 from last year's craft, stopping at a point midway hetween 

 Minerva and Mariquita; this change of dimension being, of course 

 accompanied by a very important alteration of the midship 

 section, the extreme convex curve of the bilge and concave curve 

 of the garboards being greatly softened out. The boats of last 

 year had the same moderate rake of sternpostand general con- 

 tour of keelthat has been characteristic of Mr. Burgess' boats from 

 the first, hut we look in vain for both this season; the post has 

 been raked, the heel proportionately deepened, and the line from 

 it, to the forefoot straightened out until all resemblauce to Toma- 

 hawk or Mariquita has been lost, save for the fact that the 

 wooden construction of the latter boat has made it possible to dub 

 her iu a certain conformity with the latest style. 



With those radical and important, changes of the hull are others 

 in the rig, the weights aloft being materially lessened, the masts 

 raked, and silk kites adopted. 



One of these three new boats, Mr. Morgan's Mocassin, the wider 

 of the two centerboards, has not yet been tried; but the other two 

 the keel Gossoon and the centerboard Ventura, have met Minerva 

 last week and with widely different results. Gossoon has at once 

 taken first place of all the American fleet as the onl v yacht, likely 

 to stop Minerva's long string of victories, while" Ventura has 

 twice been so badly beaten as to give little hope that she will ever 

 be really in the racing with Minerva. 



In considering the changes in the new Burgess boats it is evi- 

 dent that some very strong influences have been at work and we 

 do not have to look very far to find them. The advance in con- 

 struction which Mr. Burgess has taken is hut a step in the direc- 

 tion of the great stride made by Mr. Gardner list, year, and Liris 

 and Kathleen have each taught a lesson in this respect. For the 

 other details, one and all, it is only necessary to look at Minerva 

 to see who has been Mr. Burgess's teacher, and that he has been 

 an apt scholar; the fact being emphasized by the marked success 

 of the boat which is most like the little Scotchman. 



Tlie points of resemblance between Minerva and Gossoon are 

 many and marked, the points of difference few. As the Globe 

 points out, Mr. Burgess has started from the first to build a 

 boat of higher power than Minerva, though at the same time far 

 lees extreme than his boats of 1889. but having taken the extra 18 

 in. of beam necessary to do this, he has followed Minervi with 

 the greatest fidelity. The designed draft of Gossoon, 9ft Sin is 

 precisely that generally assigned to Minerva iast year, and in fact 

 correctly. The rake of sternpost is about 40 degrees, practically 

 the same as Minerva's, the disposition of the ballast and the ac- 

 companying keel line are modelled after hers, the forefoot indeed 

 being fuller, but of the same character. After the persistent as- 

 sertions made last winter by Mr. Burgess in regard to the ad- 

 vantages for racing purposes of a rig in other ways undesirable, 

 it would naturally be expected that in a boa< built specially for 

 racing he would have used the now famous "Baboon's sailplan" 

 which was the "bloody shirt" of last winter's measurement fight. 



enough to servo them. To them is due much of the credit, for 

 Gossoon's performance, and thanks to their careful coaching she 

 came to the line for her first race probably a couple of minutes 

 better than any new boat of last, season. Not the least aid that 

 they have been able to give the designer comes from their racing 

 of hist, year, as they spent the whole season racing in British 

 waters, part of the time on the crack twenty rater, Fife's Dragon. 

 Exactly how much this experience and Mr. Burgess' study of 

 Minerva here have contributed to their new boat our readers can 

 guess; but it is not too much to say that Gossoon, as differing from 

 all other Burgess boats, is what Mr. Fife, has taught Mr. Burgess 

 to build. 



That she is far better as well as faster than her predecessors is 

 beyond question; that she is a. better boat, or that she may lead 

 soon to a better boat than Minerva for American uses is very pos- 

 sible; and we at least do not find fault with Mr. Burgess for re- 

 cognizing and adopting a good thing when it is placed before him 

 as plainly as in this case. At the same time, in view of the aggres- 

 sive spread-eagleism that has prevailed here of late years, and 

 even more in Boston than in New York, that has denied the 

 merits of anything British, that proclaimed the counters of Brit- 

 ish yachts to be copied from Puritan, that claimed the lead keel 

 and cutter rig as American inventions, and that even now dubs 

 such yachts as Liris, Kathleen, Saracen and Gossoon sloops when 

 they win and cutters when they lose; it is to us in no small de- 

 gree amusing to see where American yachtsmen and designers 

 have gone for inspiration in the first successful attempt to "stop 

 the Minerva." 



Conceding, for the sake of the argument, that in her present 

 owners' hands Gossoon may take, the remaining honors of the 

 season, or at least share them with Minerva; there are two very 

 important questions remaining. What Gossoon is we have 

 already shown, a virtual abandonment of Mr. Burgess' own 

 ideals, as shown in his previous boats, in favor of the leading 

 features of the boat he has tried so hard to beat. The Burgess, 

 Gardner and Smith boats that have fought a losing fight for so 

 long were built for speed, to win races, bv men thoroughly famil- 

 iar with all existing conditions of boats, winds and waters; and in 

 no case were they hampered by the necessity of building for a 

 long Atlantic voyage. The boat which bus so successfully con- 

 tended aga inst them is the first attempt of a designer entirely un- 

 familiar with the conditions of racing in America, and if reports 

 be true, Minerva was not ordered for a racer, in fact her entrance 

 in her first, race was the purest accident. As she was to be sailed 

 across the Atlantic a racing construction was not possible, 

 and her scantling, especially about the deck, is far in excess of 

 her sisters at home. 



Designed in 1888, she has beaten the latest "creations" of Ameri- 

 can designers through 1889 and well into 1890. It, may be that, as 

 the Globe suggests, Minerva is a "lucky strike," such as Clara has 

 proved to be on "both sides of the water, such as Dragon was last 

 year in the 20 rating class, and Yvonne in the 10, but is it not possi- 

 ble that with added experience the same designer is capable of one 

 more such "lucky strike?" What Mr. Fife would build to-day, in 

 the light of Minerva's work here, and two years added experience 

 in his profession, and whether such a boat would beat Oossoon, 

 must be an open question; certain it is that such a boat would 

 have advantages of construction which Minerva does not possess, 

 and we may reasonably conclude that there is room for many im- 

 provements in model and dimensions. 



The other question, of the influence of Mr. Fife's work on the 

 evolution of American yachts, must wait for time to answer; that 

 this influence has been for the best in producing Gossoon in place 

 of Mariaquita and Chispa is tolerably certain; just what it may be 

 in future cannot now he foretold, but the chances are very strong 

 that it will have a beneficial effect throughout the entire fleet, 

 large as well as small, and that Minerva will have a place iu the 

 history of American yachting no less important than that of Puri- 

 tan, as markiug a second era of advance and improvement. 



[Fmm the Boston Globe] 



GOSSOON'S VECTOHY— FIRST YACHT DESIGNED TO BEAT MINERVA. 



At last the fast Fife cutter Minerva has met her match. For 

 two days, in light and in heavy breezes, the champion of last year's 

 AO-footers has occupied a position, unusual to her, where she could 

 obtain a splendid view of her opponent's stern. Work as he would, 

 with his excellent knowledge of the Minerva's capabilities, Capt. 

 Charles Barr could not coax his pet into a winning position. 



The yacht which has wrought this revolution in the 40ft. class is 

 the Gossoon, the new Burgess boat designed for Charles F. and 

 George C. Adams, the well-known amateur yachtsmen. The Gos- 

 soon, as indeed also the Minerva, is a compromise between the 

 wide American keel yacht and the narrow English one. The Gos- 

 soon inclines to the American typ°, while the Minerva has a slight 

 leaning towaTd the English modeL 



A comparison of the dimensions of the two fastest forties 

 follows: 



L.W.L. Length. Beam. Draft. 



Gossoon. 39.03 12.00 9.03 



Minerva 40.00 10.08 9.03 



A remarkable thing about the Gossoon is that she is only 39ft 

 3in. long on the waterline, being 9in. under the class limit She 

 was designed with a good margin, her designed length being 39ft 

 Tin., but the construction proving even lighter than was expected 

 she is above her line and 4iu. shorter than she was designed to be' 



As she has planty of stability it is not likely that any more bal- 

 last will be put into her. so she will sail on short length. Her 9in. 

 gain on length helps her out on time allowance, and in spite of 

 her large sail plan the Gossoon allows the Minerva only lm 18s 

 on a 24-mile course. 



The table above shows that while they are practically the same 

 in length and draft the Gossoon is lj^ft. wider than the Scotch- 

 man. The two yachts are very similar in the outlines of design 

 and sail plan, but the Gossoon is the more powerful boat and car- 

 ries the larger sails. It is the fight of high power vs. low power 

 and the victory of the Gossoon is the first argument which the 

 advocates of high power have been able to obtain on their side of 

 the 40-foot class. 



While it is perhaps premature to argue from the result of one 

 race, still the behavior of the Gossoon in her two davs' company 

 with the Minerva has been very instructive. It was bardly hoped 

 even by the Gossoon's friends that the "Little Irishman" would 

 beat the. Minerva at this stage of the game. The Gossoon's main- 

 sail has not been fitting well, and there are many little things 

 that can be "tuned up" before a new boat is fit to do her best 

 Beating the Minerva at the very start argues well for the future 

 of the Adams cutter. 



1101 



tion lu an inuu, il raii.ee uKt 



like the older Burgess mast 



„ standing plumb 

 the rigging came from the same 



Scotch firm that rig the Fife boats, the kites are made of English 

 silk, and only the blind and narrow-minded refusal of Briti«h 

 3ail makers to fill an American order prevented Gossoon from 

 beating Minerva with English sails. 

 One element of Gossoon's success is found in her owners, two of 



rest of the work much safer and surer than if she had "been 

 smothered in the middle of the fleet; while he held the stick all 

 day in both races. These two brothers, living aboard their boat 

 sailing her themselves, working constantlv for her improvement 

 and devoting their time during the season to i-acing above every- 

 thing else, make a team that it is going to be very hard to heat 

 and are of incalculable value to the designer who is fortunate 



In certain quarters which make a business of disparaging 

 Designer Burgess's work, it has been stated that this victory is 

 not such a great one after all. as it is accomplished only with his 

 "eighteenth" 40-footer. The fact is that the. Gossoon is the first 

 boat which Mr. Burgess has designed especially to beat the 

 Minerva, and she has "done the trick." 



The Minerva was in certain respects a lucky strike. William 

 Fife, Jr , received an order for a cruising boat which should meet 

 the requirements of American weather. Drilled in the school of 

 British design, which tended to very narrow boats, Mr. Fife made 

 what was to him a big stride in the direction of beam. He pro- 

 duced what must have seemed to him a very wide cutter, though 

 she is narrow from an American standpoint. 



This "compromise." Minerva did the business, and beat all her 

 wider American rivals. The Minerva is a beautifully designed 

 boat in every particular. Both hull and sails are worked down to 

 a very fine point, and every detail shows the hand of a master. 

 But, with his training. Fife could never have foreseen the brilliant 

 record which Ins boat has made. 



All the last year's Burgess fleet were designed when the Minerva 

 was not much considered as a racing possibility, and certainly her 

 points had no influence on their design. With the Gossoon the 

 case is very different. The Minerva had a walkover last year 

 and this spring the whole problem reduced itself to an effort to 

 beat the Minerva. 



The Minerva has had a great deal to do with her own defeat 

 Valiantly she has contended against all comers, with the splendid 

 record for last year of 9 victories in 13 starts. She has furnished 

 many an idea to the American designers, and her advent has 

 braced up American yachting immensely. The Scotch cutter has 

 made a splendid fight, and if she is now destined to take the 

 second place she will go down with colors flying and with a name 

 hat will be long remembered among American yachtsmen. 

 [From the Boston Globe.] 



Minerva an Educator. — The long-disputed question, "Can 

 the Minerva be beaten this season?" has been settled, and all the 

 evidence shows that the Gossoon, off her best performance is a 

 shade better than the Minerva. In the latter, American yachts- 

 men have never met such an opponent, and frankly told, more 

 thought, study and ail that goes to make a fast yacht was put into 

 the Gossoon than has been employed in getting out any of the suc- 

 cessful defenders of the cup. The reason is that the Minerva pro 

 rata for her length, is by far a better boat than the Genesta, Gala- 

 tea or Thistle. No yacht, either, has ever been such an educator 

 tor from the Minerva there was much to learn. Her rig rake of 

 post, shape of longitudinal section, stepping of the mast— these 

 and other elements were all considered, ana man v points adooted 

 The plumb mast seen on all the Burgess forties last year has "iveii 



way lo the raking one, and in aU the principal elements there is a, 

 close similarity. The old American forties were heavily built, and 

 the per cent, of ballast to hull was light as compared with the 

 Gossoon. On a displacement of about 25 tons, she has in lead close 

 on to 39,0001bs., or over 65 per cent, in ballast. Assuming that the 

 Mariquita or Tomahawk had an equal per cent, of ballast, both 

 would be faster than now, on the same model, because they would 

 have more power, and consequently more speed. The weight ot 

 hull of the Minerva could be also lessened, thus giving more bal- 

 last and sail, consequently more speed. The question, "Which 

 model, Gossoon's or Minerva's, can be improved on t he rnosl?" will 

 be, no doubt, a subject, of «ianv a crack. 



In a steady northeast breeze, with a bit of sea on, the force of 

 the wind averaging eight miles an hour, the Gossoon, aided by no 

 fluke, outsailed the Minerva yesterday in the Eastern Yacht Club 

 regatta, in one of the most remarkable races ever seen in eastern 

 waters. It was a true test— a run down the wind twelve miles and 

 a beat back against a head sea, just what the Minerva followers, 

 and sympathizers wanted. The Minervn, after a year of race- 

 winning, having been beaten only once before on her merits (bv 

 the Liris last month at Larchmont), was fairly and squarely out- 

 sailed, and in a point of racing at which heretofore she has been 

 considered almost invincible, namely, beating to windward iu a 

 jump of a sea. It. was no easy task, however, to lower her colors, 

 but as the Gossoon improves with time and practice sailing, it 

 can be fairly assumed that the Minerva has not met the Gossoon 

 at her best. Iu the future races, the Gossoon will be more for- 

 midable than yesterday, so that the Minerva's chances of beating 

 her are not very bright. 



Mr. Burgess was on the deck of the Gossoon as she crossed the 

 line, and turned two somersaults in honor of the big victory -a 

 double act, which the Minerva has postponed for over a year. 

 Thus it was— Burgess' 18th forty has defeated Fife's boat after one 

 of the best sailed races ever witnessed. It is a defeat in which the 

 vanquished is not disgraced. The Gossoon is Die better boat, but 

 the margin is close. The Ventura may show up better later on, 

 but her performance yesterday put her in company of less speedy 

 boats. 



ONE LEGAL DEED OF GIFT. 



THE New York Trihunc of July 13, has the following plain com- 

 ments on the actions of the New York Y r . C. from 1870 to 1887 

 in regard to the America's Cup: 



"The action of the New York Y. C. in regard to the America's 

 Cup has not met the approval of all American yachtsmen. The 

 cup is looked upon as a trophy in which all Americans are inter- 

 ested, and it is the desire of everyone that there should be no 

 cause of complaint by foreign yachtsmen regarding the technical 

 grounds on which the cup is held. Several safeguards have been 

 thrown around the cup which the yachting community have not 

 entirely approved. In 1870, when Mr. Ashbury challenged for the 

 cup with the Cambria, the system of measurement of the New 

 York Y. C. for time allowance was based on a taxation of length 

 and beam. When the challenge of the Cambria was received, 

 and it was seen that she was a deep vessel, the club changed the 

 system of time allowance measurement so as to tax depth also. 

 Commodore Stebbins indignantly protested against this, and re- 

 corded his vote against it. He was the only one who did vote 

 against it. The various deeds of gift in which the New York Y 

 C. have indulged have practically stopped all challenges for 

 the cup from abroard. For some time there have been rumors 

 respecting the legal validity of the last two deeds of gift. It, is 

 now openly said that there is only one valid deed of gift, aud that 

 is the first one. The argument of the objectors is this: 



"The cup was won by the America subject to no terms, and be- 

 came the absolute propert y in fee simple of the owners of the yacht 

 These owners gave the cup in trust to the New York Y. C. for cer- 

 tain specific purposes. The trustees of the New York Y. O. be- 

 came trustees of the cup, and could alienate it only in the maimer 

 prescribed, that is, its being won by the representative of a foreign 

 yacht club. They could not pass the title of it to John Doe or 

 Richard Roe simply because they felt so disposed any more than 

 the trustees of the Sailors' Snug Harbor could deliver up to the 

 heirs of Richard Robert Randal the trust properties they held 

 If this view is correct then the return of the cup to Mr. Schuyler 

 was illegal and no title passed to him. Consequently he could not 

 reconvey to the cluh a thing of which he was not legally possessed 

 Hence the last two deeds of gifts are null and void, and the first 

 deed of gift alone stands, and under that deed the New York Y 

 C. holds the cup to-day, and under that deed of gift foreign vachts 

 can challenge tor it. The first deed of gift is as follows: 



* V. - * * * * * * * 

 "A well-known English yachtsman, in talking with an equally 

 well-known American yachtsman recently, said that, it had for 

 some time been the opinion of possible challengers for the cup 

 that the last two deeds of gift were void; but they considered that 

 it would be unsportsmanlike for them to bring the matter into the 

 courts. Nothing has done so much for American yachting as the 

 international races for the America's Cup, and it is apity that 

 they should be stopped by a deed of gift. Whether the argument 

 against the validity of the last two deeds of gift which is now 

 raised by some yachtsmen, is a good one or not is a question of 

 course, which can only be decided by a court of law. It is, how- 

 ever, an interesting question.'' 



In 1881. when the first change in the terms was made, the ques- 

 tion of the legal right of the New York Y. C. to depart from the 

 conditions on which the cup was presented, was laid before, no less 

 an authority than Mr. Evarts, who declared that the proposed 

 action was il'egal. In spite of t his docisiou, and of a protest made 

 by the sons of Mr. Edwin H. Stevens to Com. Waller against the 

 returning of the cup to the one survivor of the five donors the 

 New York Y r . C. persisted in its purpose, and the so called "secoud 

 deed of gift" was drawn up. The matter is hardly one that a for- 

 eign challenger could well goto law over, but there is as little 

 doubt that the club has broken its trust and legally forfeited its 

 claim to the cup, as there is that it has laid down conditions dis- 

 tinctly at variance with the wishes of the donors. The fifth and 

 last clause of the deed of gift reads as follows: 



"It is distinctly understood that the cup is to be the property of 

 the club, and not of the members thereof, or owners of the vessel 

 winning it in a match; and that the condition of keeping it onen 

 to be sailed for by yacht clubs of all foreign countries upon the 

 terms above laid down shall forever attach to it, thus making it 

 perpetually a challenge cup for friendlj competition between for- 

 eign countries." 



The Cup is not open to be sailed for on the terms laid down it 

 has practically ceased to be a challenge cup, and "friendly com 

 petition," as interpreted by the New York Y. C. from tlie duv 

 when twelve American yachts were started to beat the Cambria 

 down to the proposal to put Volunteer against Valkyrie is the 

 worst sort of a farce. 



M1NNETONKA— Minnetonka Y. C. House, Lake Minnetouk-i 

 Minn., July 7.— .Editor Forest ami Stream: As the Minnetonka 

 Y. C. have some pretty races and show some speed on this 

 oeautiful lake which gave it its name. I here send an account of 

 our 4th of July races. The fleet consisted of twenty-two sail divided 

 as to first and second class sloops, and first and second class cats 

 The yachts entered aud started were Tuella, Bird, Atalantii Kel- 

 sey, Snark, Mermaid, Cruiser, Vreda, Aurelia, Volante White 

 Wings, Aurora, Modesty Kitten. Curlew Pearl, Idlewild/p.onita, 

 Ida. Elizabeth, silver Bell, and Varuna. Much interest was taken 

 in two new boats which sailed their first races, the sloop Aurelia 



only her class but all the others. The start was made about 4 

 o'clock in a light wind which freshened and gave them a fair 

 breeze. From the club house, as the course was twice around i 

 triangular course, it was all in full sight. The Bird flew over the 



classes except the Volante, which led only 10 seconds. The time 

 was: 



ETRST CLASS SLOOPS. 



Aurelia 2 22 39 Aurora 



Varuna ,2 .86 13 White Wings 



Kitten 3 26 34 Atalanta 



SECOND CLASS SLOOPS. 



Volante 2 18 08 Mermaid . . . 



ModeBty ..2 24 21 Vreda. . 



Curlew 2 25 25 



...2 38 04 

 ..2 38 St 

 3 30 38 



Bonita. . 

 Pearl. . . . 



MUST CLASS CATROATS. 



2 19 36 Ida 



. 2 24 59 Idlewild... . 



SECONLI CLASS CAT BOATS. 



..,.2 18 18 Tuella.. 



...2 26 39 

 .2 31 ■„".! 



.2 28 35 

 . 2 29 4!* 



Bird , . - me,,, 



The Bird put herself on record as a clipper of the first order ami 

 will cut a figure in the future races on the lake. She was splen- 

 didly sailed by Mr. Peet aud every puff of wind was taken advan- 

 tage of, »ud certainly she did her builder and sailor great credit, 

 — W. B. H.. Jr. 



