886 
FOREST" AND STREAM. 
[Oct. 31, 1896. 
The Isolde Disaster. 
Mr. Hiohard G. Allkn, the representative of the Emperor of Ger- 
many on the cutter Meteor II., writes to the Meld as follows con- 
cerning the unfortunate collision between Meteor and Isolde. Mr. 
Allen's side of the ease is quite difl?erent from that presented by the 
testimony of other witnesses, as he declares that Meteor had a posi- 
tive overlap on Britannia, and could not have parsed to leeward; and 
also that there was room for Meteor between Britannia and Isolde, 
had not the latter been thrown from her course by Saint. 
Editor Field: 
On the day of the unfortunate colh'sion been Isolde and Meteor 
I was on board the latter as the owner's representative. Till now 
I have refrained from making any statement on the subjnct, 
toeing informed, on what I considered good authority, that an inquiry 
into the whole matter would be held by the R. A. Y. C. or the Y. R. A. 
It appears, however, from last week's Meld that no such inquiry is 
to be made. 
Although the coroner at the inquest quite exonerated Meteor, the 
tone of the articles in the Field has been, whether intentionally or 
not, adverse to her. I therefore desire to state the facts as I Icnow 
them. The collision took place at the commencement of the second 
round, shortly after rounding the committee boat, which was anchored 
off the Spit Fort. Britannia, Meteor, Isolde and Saint all approached 
the committee boat on a broad reach, the wind being on their star- 
board quarters. Meteor was then a little to windward of Britannia, 
and was overhauling her steadily. Before rounding the committee 
boat Meteor had established an overlap, her bowsprit being well up 
on Britannia's counter. This being so, Britannia was bound to give 
Meteor room, and she did so. 
The ofiQcial timing of the yachts on passing the committee V>oat 
proves that the overlap had been established. This timing shows that 
Britannia rounded the committee boat at 12h. 7m. 26s., and Meteor at 
12h. 7m. SOs., a difference of only four seconds. At that time I do not 
think that Britannia was going as fast as ten knots an hour, but sup- 
posing she was, in four seconds she would only go about 6ft. Over 
all Britannia is about 160ft. long, so that although she may have been 
going a little faster than ten knots, it would still leave an ample over- 
lap to Meteor. Having established an overlap. Meteor was perfectly 
entitled to go to windward of Britannia; in fact, she could not have 
gone lo leeward had she so desired. 
On approaching the committee boat Isolde and Saint were both 
ahead of Meteor, a little to windward, Isolde leading, but Meteor was 
catching them fast. Meteor ran up alongside Saint to leeward of her 
and rounded the committee boat outside of her. The official timing 
gives the same time for Meteor and Saint, 12h., 30m. 78. We gave Saint 
plenty of room, and she rounded to windward of us, that is, between 
us and the committee boat. On rounding, Britannia luffed to wind- 
ward of her course, which compelled Meteor to set a course parallel 
to that of Saint and Isolde, but there was ample room between Meteor 
and Saint. 
Had Saint and Isolde only held their courses there would have heen 
no collision. Meteor had a clear passage to leeward of Saint, and as 
Isolde was to windward of her there would have been still more room 
to pass Isolde. Saint, however, now luffed. It has been stated in a 
letter to the Fi^ld that this was done in order to get clear of Meteor. 
It is impossible that Saint could have been in any danger from 
Meteor, as the latter was alongside Saint before she commenced to luff. 
We took it for granted that she was luffing simply to get to windward 
of Isolde. 
In luffing Saint's topmast stay caught the lee side of Isolde's boom. 
Isolde's bow at once began to fall off to leeward, that is, toward Mete- 
or's course, and after Saint cleared the boom of the Isolde the 
latter continued to bear away right across Meteor's bow. The 
Meteor's bowsprit went through her mainsail from to leeward, and 
her bobstay cut Isolde's rail, about 8ft. from the end of her counter. 
This swung Isolde round and her bowsprit and about a foot of her 
stem were Knocked away against Britannia's side. 
Very Utile time elapsed between Isolde first altering her course and 
Meteor's bowsprit going through her maiosail. Meteor could not pos- 
sibly have luffed round her stem, for there never was room to do so. 
On the other hand, had Meteor borne away she would have hit Isolde 
amidships and jammed her against Britannia, but in any case there 
was no time to alter Meteor's course. 
It is no buslneBS of mine to lay the blame on anyone in particular; 
all I am Interested in is to remove the Impression, which may have 
been produced by your articles, that the collision was due to any 
fault on the part of Capt. Gomes, of the Meteor. 
Richard G. Allkn. 
25 BoTHWKLi- Street, Glasgow. 
This letter has brought out the following replies in the Meld of Oct. 
17: 
Editor the Meld: As the letter of Mr. Allan in your last week's 
issue is calculated to produce an entirely erroneous impression on the 
public mind regarding the lamentable collision to which he refers, I 
feel it my duty, and a simple act of justice to the captain and crew of 
Britannia, to indicate how very far from accurate is Mr. Allan's de- 
scription of the occurrence. 
I also had refrained from alluding to this matter before in the same 
hope that Mr. Allan had expressed, that the Y. R. A. would institute 
a full and searching Inquiry into the causes of the disaster; but as the 
council have not thought fit to undertake such an investigation, 
I must ask you to permit me the use of your columns to expose the 
inaccuracy of Mr. Allan's statements, and to enable disinterested 
persons to form a just opinion as to which vessel was responsible for 
the melancholy incident. 
On the truth of Mr. Allan's statement, that "before rounding the 
committee boat Meteor had established an overlap," his whole case 
depends, and when this statement is proved to be utterly untrue, as 
it K conclusively proved to be by the most incontrovertible evidence, 
namely, an instantaneous photograph and the observation of on- 
lookers, the attempt of Mr. Allan to exonerate Meteor entirely fails. 
The photo to which I refer was taken some distance after the two 
vessels had rounded the committee boat, and clearly shows that even 
then no overlap had taken place, neither was "the bowsprit of Meteor 
well up on the counter of Britannia." 
That an overlap had been established at the time of the collision is, 
of course, indisputable, but Meteor was certainly most ill-advised in 
thus attempting to force a passage to windward of Britannia. The 
result of this reckless maneuver was almost inevitable, having regard 
to the position of the two twenties at the time. 
I most distinctly assert that in my opinion, and in that of others 
well qualified to form an opinion. Meteor was solely responsible for 
the deplorable disaster. 
In conclusion I may say, however, that I would not have made this 
Statement had not Mr. Allan seen fit to make a direct and unjustifiable 
attack on the captain and crew of another vessel while endeavoring 
to shield the boat on which he was sailing from the blame which 
rightly attached to it. Wm. G. Jameson. 
Editor the Meld: 
Mr. Allan in his letter to the Field last week makes some asser- 
tions about the position of Meteor when rounding the flagboat just 
before the accident occurred on Aug. 18 last, and tries to prove 
them by deductions taken from the timing of the yachts round the 
flagboat. 
This timing, I maintain, was inaccurate, as by it Meteor and Saint 
passed the mark at the same second. That this was not the case is 
clearly shown in the photograph published in the Field some weeks 
back, which was taken after the flagboat was passed, and after the 
foul had taken place between Saint and Isolde, and this photo shows 
Meteor still to be distinctly behind Saint, which position would have 
been impossible if they had rounded together. Meteor being so much 
the faster boat. 
This, I think. Is sufficient proof that the timing was inaccurate, and 
Mr. Allan's deductions therefrom are consequently worthless. 
• F. B. Jauesom. 
New York Y. C. 
The regular meeting of the New York Y. O. was held on Oct. 32, 
with Com. Brown in the chair. The following nominating committee 
for the annual election wa«i elected: 0. Oliver Iselin, George L. Rives, 
Seymour L. Husted, Jr., Henry F. Lippitt, Frederick G. Bourne, Ed- 
ward E. Chase, John G. Beresford, Chester C. Griswold, William But- 
ler Duncan, Jr , and Oswald Sanderson. 
The proposed changes of the by-laws and racing rules, as published 
last week, were passed with an amendment providing that in the 60ft. 
single-Btick class a 10ft. boat should be carried, and another amend- 
ment as follows: The maximum draft of any yacht when in racing 
trim shall not exceed that specified for her class in the following table, 
exclusive of centerboard; but this limit shall not apply to any yacht 
In existence at the time of the passage of these amendments when 
racing in the class In which she was classified prior to this time. 
A letter was read from C. Oliver Iselin f hanking the club for the cup 
presented to the Defender syndicate, which has been presented by W. 
K. Vanderbilt and E. D. Morgan, the other members of the syndicate, 
to' Mr. Igelin. The following new members were elected: Lieut. Louis 
J. Magill, U. S. Marine Corps; John McClintock; Dr. Joseph A. Guthrie, 
tf S. N. ; Emile L. Boas, Frederick Lothrop Ames, Charles Lane Poor, 
J M. Hartshorne; Past Assistant Paymaster G. W. Simpson, U. S. N.; 
Commander F. W. Dickens, U. B. N.; Lieut. O. W. Lowry, U. S. N. ; 
Harry B. Tolley; Pay Director L. G. Billmgs, U. 8. N.; Francis M. 
Scott, John T. Willlama. The amendment to increase the dues from 
^25 to f 35 was )ost. 
Miramichi Y. C. 
MIRAMIOHI RIVER— CHATHAM, N. B. 
Monday, Oct. J2. 
Avis, Oriana and Learig sailed a twelve-mile race off Chatham on 
Oct. 12 for sweepstakes. Half the race was windward work. Thomas 
Currie's Learig led all the way, followed by J. L. Stewart's Oriana, 
and covered the course in 2h. 24m 25s., Oriana finishing 4m. 278. later. 
Learig was awarded the race by 278., corrected time. Oriana broke 
her spinaker boom and could not carry that sail in the last leg, a run 
of m miles. 
The club sailed five races during the season. On July 1, vrith two 
reefs tied down, Oriana won the Stewart pennant against Maude and 
the larger Learig on elapsed time. On July 23, in the race for the 
Governor's cup, Oriana was dismasted and Learig was an easy win- 
ner. The new yacht Avis, a skimmer, was capsized. On Aug. 27 Ori- 
ana won the Adams cup for the second time, by SOs., corrected time. 
On Sept. 24, for the Walt cup, Oriana was run into while rounding the 
last mark, and put out of the race when she was a sure winner. She 
had an allowance from the others, and was leading them on elapsed 
time, with only a mile and a half to go. 
Oriana was designed by H. C. McLeod, nowoftheMinnetonka Y. C, 
whose reputation as a designer is known to the readers of Forest and 
Stream. Avis has surprised everybody by proving herself a failure 
in light winds, as her light draft was supposed to make her easily 
driven. She has been fitted with a steel centerboard hanging 6ft. 
below her keel, and with SOOlbs. of lead on the bottom of it. She will 
have this board hinged next year, and the after part widened to admit 
of the housing of the lead, which is Sin. thick and 14in. high. She was 
built by Albert Henderson, and is owned by M. R. Benn. 
St. liOuis Y. C. Annual Regatta. 
ST. LOUIS, MO.— MISSISSIPPI river. 
The St. Louis Y. O. held its second annual regatta on Oct. 8 on the 
Mississippi River, off the city, with races for the 15ft. class, 18ft. class, 
24ft. class and launches. The wind was very light all day. The win- 
ners were: 
15pt. class. 
Elapsed. Elapsed. 
(Marion 1 40 00 Phantom Withdrew. 
Monitor........^.. 1 41 53 
18ft. class. 
Grace ^ 0 46 30 Luella... 1 10 40 
Myrtle 0 54 31 
24ft. class. 
Teaser 0 47 88 Lucille 0 48 00 
Evelyn.......... .....0 51 36 La Czarina. , .Withdrew. 
Marywood 0 47 38 
Marywood and Lucille were disquaUfled for turning the stakeboata 
from the wrong side. 
Three launches were entered for the St. Louis Y. C. challenge cup 
and the Medart challenge cup, but Virginio failed to start, and El Rio 
Rey, a new boat, was unable to secure a Government Inspection in 
time for the race, so only Ouatoga started, she being awarded both 
cups. 
Yacht Race at Peoria. 
On Oct. 10 a yacht race was sailed on the Illinois River at Peoria, III., 
in a fresh easterly breeze, the times being: 
Length. Start. Finish. Elapsed. Corrected. 
Mary Adams 15.00 11 21 00 1 01 00 1 40 00 1 40 00 
Growler, cat 21.00 11 11 00 1 02 00 1 51 00 1 41 00 
Cinch 15.00 11 09 00 1 03 00 1 54 00 1 42 00 
Gentle Breezes 15.00 11 09 00 1 06 00 1 57 00 1 45 00 
Trilby 15.00 11 16 00 1 15 00 1 59 00 1 54 00 
Racer 15.00 11 18 00 1 16 00 1 58 00 1 55 00 
Idler 15,00 11 Oa 00 1 23 00 2 20 00 2 01 00 
Alice, sloop 18.00 11 06 00 Withdrew. 
The course was two rounds of a 15-mile triangle. 
Important if True. 
The Yachttman is answerable for the following statement, which 
cannot fail to interest American canoeists; we hope that it will not 
discourage entirely the planning and building of new canoes and the 
refitting of the old racers: "According to a calculation made by 
Mr. Howard, the R. 0. C. challenge cup winner this year, he finds that 
had he raced Yankee at the A. C A. meet he would have beaten any 
canoe there, basing this calculation on the time he occupied in sailing 
the R. C. C. course at Burnham, and the conditions of wind and tide 
as compared with the A. C, A. course and the time occupied by the 
winner of the trophy over it." 
YACHTING NEWS NOTES. 
The Lincoln Park Y. C. is not to have things its own way in the 
matter of fighting next season to recover the international trophy so 
ingloriously wrested from it by the Royal Canadian Y. C. last month. 
Toledo and Cleveland have both entered the lists, and the yacht clubs 
» of each of those cities have announced their intention to build boats 
during the winter for the purpose of competing in a series of trial 
races for the honor of challenging the Canadians. As the Lincoln 
Park Y. C.'s challenge has been refused by the Canadians, the field is 
now open to other clubs, and the plan of a series of trial races between 
boats representing the two upper lake associations will be urged by 
the Lake Brie people. In this connection the Interlake Yachting As- 
sociation of Lake Erie and the Lake Yacht Racing Association of Lake 
Ontario are urging a speedy solution of the uniform racing rules ques- 
tion. ..Emelius Jarvis, of Toronto, has written the officers of the 
other associations asking that an early date be set for a conference 
between delegates of the three associations, to consider this question 
and establish a uniform basis of measurement and racing rules. The 
Interlake Association, of Cleveland, has left this matter entirely in 
the hands of E. W. Radder, of the Cleveland Y. C, who was appointed 
a committee of one to formulate a plan. He is now ready to propose 
a basis that will be satisfactory to his association, and it is announced 
a call for a conference will be sent out in a few days by Com. George 
H Worthington to the officers of the other two associations. So far 
the Lake Michigan Yachting Association has not taken any steps 
toward appointing a committee for this purpose, but such action will 
be taken as soon as the call is received. The L. M. Y. A. will favor a 
committee of three from each association, in order that both sides of 
the overhang tax question may be represented.— C/wcaflo Times-Her- 
ald, 
The Larchmont Y. C. will hold a special meeting on Oct. 28 to 
consider a number of amendments to the racing rules, of similar 
tenor to those recently adopted by the New York Y. C. The 
classification, carried down further than the New York Y. C, is as 
'"schooners— Series A.— Class A— All over 95ft. racing length. Class 
B_Nnt over 95 and over 85ft. racing length. Class C— Not over 85 and 
over 75ft. racing length. Class D— Not over 75 and over 65ft. racing 
length. Class F— Not over 65ft. racing length. 
Sloops, Cutters and Yawis.— Class G-All over 70ft. racing length. 
Class H— Not over 70 and over 60ft. racing length. Class J— Not over 
60 and ovefSltt. racing length. . ™ 
Series B.-Class K— Not over 51 and over 43ft, racing length. Class 
L— Not over 43 and over 35ft. racing length. Class M— Not over 36 
and over 30ft. racing length. Class N— Not over 30 and over 25ft. 
"^^Serfes^C^Class P— Not over 25 and over 20ft, racing length. Class 
Q— Not over 20ft. racing length. . ^, 
Mainsail Yachts.— Class S-All over 25ft. racing length. Class T— 
Not over 25 and over 20ft. racing length. Class V— Not over 20ft. 
racing length. 
The limits of draft are: , ^ ,. .. „, „ xt i. 
Schooners— Class A— Over 95ft. ; draft, no limit. Class B— Not over 
95ft • draft, 14ft. Class C— Not over 85ft. ; 13ft. Class D— Not over 
75ft'.- 12ft. ClassF— Not over 65tt.; lift. 
Sloops, Cutters and Yawls— Class G— Over 70ft ; draft, no hmit. 
Class H— Not over 70ft. ; draft. 13ft. Class J— Not over 60ft. ; lift. 6in. 
Class K— Not over 51ft. : 10ft. 3m. Class L-Not over 43ft. ; 9tt. Class 
M— Not over 36ft.; 8tt. Class N— Not over 30ft.; 7ft. Class P— Not 
over 25ft. ; 6ft. Class Q-Not over 20ft. ; 5ft. a, xr 
Mainsail Yachts— Class 8 -Over 35rt, ; draft, 7ft. Class T— Not over 
25ft. ; 6ft. Class V— Not over 30ft. ; 5ft. 
The following is also proposed: ^-u- ^ c ^ ^ • 
There shall be a spring regatta to be sailed on the third Saturday m 
June of each year. ^, „ , , 
An annual regatta on the Fourth of July of each year. 
A race week, commencing the third Saturday in July and ending the 
fourthSaturdayin July of each year. ^ „ ^ „ ^ . „ 
A special race on the Saturday previous to the first Monday in Sep- 
A fall regatta (on Labor Day) the first Monday in September. 
• A special race on the second Saturday in September. 
Ralph N Ellis, of the New York, Seawanhaka, Larchmont and 
other clubs, former owner of the sloop Regina and the schooner Iro- 
auois and this year owner of the successful 30-footer Hera, was bad- 
ly injured on Oct. 23 by a fall from a horse whUe hunting at Hemp- 
stead, L. I. 
The Council of the Yacht Racing Union of Long Island Sound will 
meet on Oct. 29 to consider a number of proposed amendments to the 
racing rules which will be submitted to the Union in December. 
Mr A. Cary Smith Is at work on a design, for a Larchmont yachts- 
man of a yawl after the general type of Audax, but wider, her di- 
mensions being: over all 46Ct., l.w 1. 30rt., beam 13ft. 6in. She will be 
handsomely finished and comfortably fitted up. Like Audax, she is 
intended for cruising, with good head room, and also for occasional 
racing. 
Marietta U. has been sold by H. B. Moore to Alfred Carr, of New 
York. 
Vanessa, the 21ft. fin-keel, has been sold by A. Bigelow, Jr., 
Merriman, of Providence, 
A. C. A. Membership. 
Applications for membership may be made to the purser of the 
division in which the applicant resides on blanks furnished by purser, 
the applicant becoming a member provided no objection be made 
within fourteen days after his name has been officially published in 
the Forest and Stream. 
CENTRAL division. 
Name. Bestdence. Club, 
Edward D. Taitt Gouverneur, N. Y 
Robert Q.Dodge ..Gouverneur, N. Y 
A, D. Du Bols Springfield, III 
RIFLE MATCHES IN THE TYROL. 
Until quite lately rifle shooting was a national amuse- 
ment in the German-speaking portion of Tyrol. In the 
most remote and poorest mountain hamlet the ScheH^en- 
stand (rifle range) was one of the three never absent at- 
tractions — the church, with its melodious chime of bells, 
and the inn, with its sturdy Kellnerin, sharing to an equal 
measure the fete day leisure of the entire adult male pop- 
ulation. For centuries rifle practice held a foremost rank 
in the minds of the patriotic Tyrolese, and the skill they 
acquired at their little village ranges made them, as his- 
tory has proved, most formidable foes in time of war. 
Although the formation of the country undoubtedly as- 
sisted its defenders, their deadly marksmanship was one 
of the chief factors of their extraordinary success. A 
handful of choice shots ambushed in the pass or gorge 
through which the invading enemy was obliged to pass 
enabled them to score a victory on many occasions when 
the odds against them were as heavy as ten to one. 
Every peasant owned his rifle, handed down to him from 
his father, who in turn had inherited it from his sire. 
Many rifles which I have myself handled in bygone years 
at village rifle matches were of' venerable age and sur- 
prisingly unwieldy shape; the rough handiwork of the 
village blacksmith plainly betokened that the weapon 
had once been a "wheel-lock," had been subsequently 
turned into a flint-lock, and only recently had been fur- 
TYROLBSK TARGET. 
nished with the more modern percussion lock. Indeed, 
when first I began to take part in these country matches, 
twenty-five years ago, several of the white-haired old 
guard, then still alive, were using flint-locks, in the load- 
ing of which the belief in charms and superstition had 
considerable weight. They invariably shot spherical 
balls of large caliber; for the conical cannelured ball of 
about .400 bore came into general use only about thirty 
years ago, and then only among the younger generation 
of marksmen. With the latter very good shooting was 
made at short ranges, the ordinary distance being 130 
meters, or 148yd8. The firing position was then, as it is 
now, the standing one, without artificial rest of any kind. 
The old match rifles had not only a hair trigger, but were 
fm-nished with a knob a couple of inches behind the ham- 
mer connected with the trigger arrangement, so that the 
latter would only work when this knob was pressed 
down, which was done by the thumb of the right hand. 
The trigger guard, which reached far back, had indenta- 
tions into which the three disengaged fingers of that hand 
were laid, giving one a firm grip, corresponding to the 
pistol grip on modern rifles. The heel plate was not 
straight or slightly curved, but was concave, and thus 
fitted the marksman's shoulder. A fine peep-sight and 
equally fine bead in a short tube were the ordinary sights 
for target shooting, no middle sight being used. If the 
rifle was wanted for warlike purposes — a use to which 
many of the old arms were put — ^a coarse front and mid- 
dle sight were substituted for the target sights. It was a 
heavy rifle, weighing from 9 to 141b3. As a rule only sta- 
tionary targets were fired at, the whole arrangement of 
targets, marking and scoring being primitively simple, 
yet, as will be seen, sufficient for the purposes. To catch 
the bullets a section of a hardwood tree or well-seasoned 
larch, some 3ft, in diameter, and of about the same 
thickness, was firmly fixed on a pile driven into the soil, 
9^ that the oenter of the block; was about ^tt. ixom tli§ 
