An Inland View of Yacht Racing. 
A KEADER of the Mall and Breeze writes us that he is 
deeply interested in the yacht race which they have been 
trying to sail for the last week over near New York, but 
lhat he is bothered by the nautical terms and wants some 
explanations. He says he 'sees by the papers that when 
the yachts got ready to start the weather was full of 
"flukes." He seems to be bothered with this expression. 
What is a fiuke, and how did they happen to get in the 
weather? He also remarks that the account says that the 
"Columbia's clothes stood perpendicular to the head and 
did not sheet home to the gaff." He desires to know 
what clothes the reporter is talking about, and what he 
means by sheeting the gaff. "Furthermore," says the in- 
quirer, "I see that the Columbia turned around on the 
Shamrock's beam and then, jibed over. Then the Sham- 
rock jibed a spell, and afterward tacked and eased off 
her sheets. What were they jibing each other for? Were 
these the same kind of jibes Shakespeare speaks of in 
'Hamlet' ? Then the accounts goes on to say that the 
Columbia 'tacked' on the Shamrock's beam and broke out 
her balloon jib topsail. What did the Columbia tack on 
the beam of the Shamrock? If she was near enough to 
tack anything on the beam, why didn't she nail it on while 
she was about it and not monkey with tacks? If she 
wanted to put anything onto Shamrock, she should have 
put it on to stay, as it seems to me. A little further on 
the account goes on to say that both yachts began break- 
ing tacks. What did they want to break tacks for? What 
the American people want to know is, Why didn't they 
have been t5 get up ^t&t ttj-it as early 'm the game as 
possible. 
The descriptions given by the press reporters of this 
attempted yacht race are not satisfactory to the great body 
of the American people, who would not know a yacht from 
a canvas-covered ham. We are interested in hearing that 
the American yacht beat the daylights out of the yacht 
owned by the Bi-itish nabob, and we want the story told 
in a way that we can understand.— Topeka Mail ■ and 
Breeze. 
Columbians Crew. 
Stonington, Me., Nov. 4. — Deer Isle to-night gave 
those of her sailor sons who defended the America Cup 
against Sir Thomas Lipton's boat and crew a mother's 
welcome hotne, for the islanders are justly proud of the 
husky lads who manned so well the fleetest yacht mft 
built to defend the blue ribbon of the sea. 
The last sixteen of the thirty-eight members of the crew 
arrived this morning. The northeast wind and driving 
rainstorm had knocked the plans of the townspeople for 
their welcome all askew, and the plans for a parade of the 
crew, assisted by the school children and the saUors from 
a revenue cutter, were abandoned. 
A band of twenty-five pieces had been brought from 
Belfast to play for the street parade and also to give an 
open air concert, fend a band stand had been decorated 
with spruce and fir boughs and red, white and blue bunt- 
ing. The rain drenched these patriotic fabrics and the 
wind spoiled them as they hung limp and bedraggled. Up 
yafd man; JSdward Wood, capstan man; John Billings, 
spinaker sheet ; Jason Gross, port forestaysail sheet tackle ; 
Lyman Cray, backstay. — Boston Globe. 
SOUTHERN YACHT CLUB, 
sail, and not fool around breaking tacks? Of what inter- 
est is it to the people of the great and bully West to hear 
about breaking tacks? It seems to me to be mighty 
small business for the representatives of two great nations 
to go to breaking tacks at a time when we want to know 
who can get there first. Some information on this sub- 
ject will be appreciated." 
This paper is no expert on maritime matters and never 
claimed to be. We have tried to get some comfort and 
information out of Webster for the benefit of ourselves 
and our inquirer, but the infprmation isn't as satisfactory 
as it might be. 
To begin with the first question in regard to the 
"flukes" m the weather, Mr. Webster says that a fluke is 
a flat, trematoid worm, with a lanceolet body and two 
» suckers. If Webster is right about this and the weather 
was full of flukes, we gather that it was full of worms and 
suckers. We have no doubt there were plenty of suckers m 
the crowd, but weather that is full of worms is a new 
variety, and we thought we had seen about every variety 
of weather out here in Kansas that ever came down the 
pike. Webster also defines a fluke as one of the lobes of 
a whale's tail and also as an instrument for cleaning out 
holes. If the reader can get any comfort out of these 
definitions he can do better than we can. 
Speaking of "jibing," Webster is more satisfactory. 
He says to jibe is to change the ship's course or shift 
the boom. Out here in Kansas Ave are not much up on 
jibes, but we know a few things about booms, and how 
to shift 'em. We started to boom out here and afterward 
shifted it, over onto the fellows in the East, who put up 
their money in boom additions. Many of them were never 
able to shift it back. 
Webster says "tack" means to change the course of a 
vessel and "beam" is one of the strong timbers placed 
across a vessel to support the sides. There are your 
definitions. If you can figure anything out of them you 
are welcome to do it. How the Columbia could turn on 
the Shamrock's beam without getting on top we don't 
know neither do we knoAV whv, when Columbia had the 
Shamrock under it didn't keep it there. Webster gives 
us no light on the subject of "breaking tacks." Why they 
wanted to "break tacks" we can't say, but suppose there 
was nothing else on hand at that particular time and they 
wanted to keep the men busv. The account also says 
that both of the yachts "luffed" several times. Mr. 
Webster says that "luff" means to sail close to the wind. 
Why they would want to sail anywhere else than close 
to the wind we are unable to say. One would naturally 
think* that a couple of vessels that go entirely by wind 
would want to sail around somewhere in the immediate 
vicinity of the wind, and that the smart thing to do would 
the street an arch was built of evergreen, decked with 
bunting, and this also suffered froin the elements. 
To add to the discouraging outlook, Capt. F. P. Weed, 
who selected the crew for Mr. Iselin, was called yester- 
day to the upper end of the island, where a relative lies 
dangerously ill, and could not be here to help welcome his 
boys. 
When the rain ceased the band gave a concert, after 
which there was a reception in the opera house. Here a 
reception committee, consisting of ex-Senator E. P. Spof- 
ford, W. B. Thurlow, S. B. Thurlow, Harry Gray, P. G. 
Merrill, Joseph P. Eaton, S. W. Barbour and George 
Beck, welcomed the Columbia's sailormen. A feature of 
the reception was the presentation to each man of the 
crew of an emerald and gold badge in the form of the 
burgee signal in the Iselin colors, red and black, and on 
back of each was engraved "Columbia, 1899, from Mrs. 
Oliver Iselin." These beautiful souvenirs were presented 
to the men by ex-Senator Spofford in a felicitous speech. 
A speech was also made by Alexander B. Eaton, Rock- 
land. 
After this came dancing, and the men of the Columbia's 
crew stepped as lightly as they ever stepped upon Co- 
lumbia's deck when getting a sail up in stops. They wore 
their sailor clothes, with their blue sweaters that bore the 
word "Columbia" across the chest. 
The dance was over by midnight, for Deer Islanders are 
respectful of . the Sabbath. 
The names of the crew with the posts they occcupied on 
the Columbia, follow: 
William D. Scott, second mate; Rollins B. Staples, 
quartermaster; Charles H. Scott, quartermaster; William 
Haskell, quartermaster; Roswell Fifield, quartermaster; 
Everett J. Thompson, No. i masthead man ; Samuel P. 
Bray, No. i bowsprit man ; John E. Gross, starboard 
masthead runner; John T. Marshall, lazarette; Theodore 
Thompson, sail locker; Lafayette Thompson, starboard 
staysail sheet; Warren Bray, starboard jib topsail sheet; 
Arthur Young, assistant on topmast backstay; Cyrus 
Thompson, port masthead runner; Daniel Hall, No. I 
capstan man ; William Young, second on starboard run- 
ner; Charles F. Gray, on .spinaker lift; Edward T. Car- 
man, second masthead man; Ernest Haskell, spinaker; 
Leslie W. Gray, topmast backstay; Montford Haskell, 
bowsprit; Alfred Pettee, port staysail sheet; Charles 
Barter, mess; Herbert Bray, port jib topsail sheet; 
Florestan McAuley. starboard jib sheet; Charles Bray, 
port jib sheet; George Stinson, bowsprit; Philip Haskell, 
mainboom port lift; Edward Greenlaw, mainboom star- 
board lift : John F. Eaton, bowsprit ; William Eaton, bow- 
sprit; Nelson Thompson, starboard jib sheet tackle; 
Augustus Thompson, topmast backstay; Nathan Law, bal' 
The Qaincy Y. C. Challenge Cup, 
The Quincy challenge cup will abgnJcIbi a great deal of 
the interest in local yachting next season. Already one 
challenge has been received from A. H. Higginson on 
behalf of the Manchester Y. C, and it has been rumored 
that another one is soon to come. 
Mr. Fligginson will undoubtedly make a strong bid for 
the cup. He is going to have a "trial horse" for his boat, 
and will spend the last three weeks before the cup races in 
the waters of Hull Bay, where he will be on the scene of 
the struggle and where his boat can be better tried out 
for her work than in any other place. 
He talks quite freely of his coming challenger, and 
makes no secret of her proposed lines, The new boat is 
to be an improvement over last year's Hostess. She is to 
be a little more beamy, more powerful and quite a little 
longer on top. Mr. Higginson said in speaking of her: ' 
"Imagine a boat of extremely light construction, great 
beam, great power, very long and quite wide at the ends, 
and you have her." 
This improvement over Hostess is all right, but-what is 
Mr. Faxon going to do all this time? If there are going 
to be any improvements over last year's defender, it is 
quite likely that he will be in on the figuring. He will also 
have the benefit of Hostess for a "trial horse," and is in a 
better position to improve over her than any one else. 
There is no doubt that the races for the cup will be 
close and exciting, but it will be very hard for any one to 
take that cup away from Quincy. If there are any tide 
rips around that bay which Mr. Faxon does not know 
they have been introduced very recently. Consider again 
that he is one of the finest small-boat skippers in this 
country, and figure the chances of "lifting" the trophy. 
Of course he has not stated positively that he would 
build a defender, but when the time comes it is safe to say 
that he ard. Mr. Arthur Keith will get their heads to- 
gether £:.-^ talk improvements. — Boston Globe. 
The Lake Yacht Racing: Association. 
The annual meeting of the Lake Y. R. A. was held 
in Rochester on Oct. 26, the following delegates being- 
present: President Alfred G. Wright, of Rochester; 
Secretary Frank M. Gray, of Toronto; T. B. Pritchard, 
J. E. Burroughs, Rochester Y. C; George H. Gooder- 
ham, G. T. AlcMurrich, J. S. MacMurray, Royal Cana- 
dian Y. C; H. H. Thomas, Queen City Y. C; J. Fl. 
Fearnside, Royal Hamilton Y. C; H. H. Gildersieeve, 
Kingston Y. C. 
The only amendments to the rules related to the 
knockabout class, the following words being added to 
Rule 3, Section 2, "except in the case of the knockabout 
class"; thus allo.wing the yachts in this class to be 
measured without crew on board. It was also provided 
that the limit of sail for this class should be 650 square 
feet. The secretary was instructed to inform the As- 
sociation's delegate to the Y. R. A. of N. A. that the 
Association was opposed to any present change in the 
girth rule until it had been more fully tried. The follow- 
ing officers were elected: Pres., Com. Richardson, 
Buffalo Y. C; Vice-Pres., Com. R. A. Lucas, Royal 
Hamilton Y, C: Sec'y-Treas., F. J. Campbell, Royal 
Canadian Y. C; Members of the Council, John T. Mott, 
Oswego Y. C; T. B. Pritchard, Rochester Y. C; Com. 
^Black, Kingston Y. C; Owain Martin, Queen City Y. 
C. ^milius Jarvis was chosen as delegate to the \ acht 
Racing Union of North America, and J. E. Burroughs, 
J. Frank Monck and F. J. Campbell were chosen as 
delegates to the Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes. 
Atter selecting Buffalo as the place for the 1900 meet- 
ing, the meeting adjourned. 
In the evening the visitors were entertained at din- 
ner at the Livingston Hotel. The Association is now 
in a very prosperous condition, one evidence being the 
absence of amendments and proposed changes at the 
meeting. As the result of wise management and good 
legislation in the past, there is at present very little iteed 
for changes. _ 
YACHTING NEWS NOTES. 
From Boston, by way of New . York, the Hudson 
River, the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes, 2,000 miles, 
is the trip just completed by Alderman Frank T. Fow- 
ler's sloop yacht Mirella, which entered Chicago River 
just at daybreak during the tierce northeaster of Nov. 
I. She was in charge of Capt. Walter B. Howes, and 
had John King for a crew. The little craft, whicli 
measures but .31ft. on the waterline, had made the long 
journey in eighty-one days, part of which time she was 
windbound on the Lakes, and part of which was spent 
in unshipping the rigging at Albany to allow the passage 
of the Erie Canal, and in shipping again at Buffalo. 
Alderman Fowler bought Mirella two years ago, when 
he was summering in Boston. She was then one 3'ear 
old. After using her this summer he decided to, bring 
her to Chicago and show yachtsmen here a thing or two 
about sailing. — New York Times. 
The Field office, London, will shortly issue a new 
book on yachting by Mr. Dixon Kemp, a dictionary of 
general information. 
At Lawley's the looft. composite schooner designed 
by C. H. Crane for G. L. Day, of New York, is fast 
nearing completion. She will be one of the finest 
cruising schooners in this country — a fine big-bodied 
boat, with ample accommodation below. Hull and deck 
are planked and caulked, and her hull is partly painted. 
The workmen are now busy putting in her fittings below 
decks. She will have two decks below. The upper of 
these, just below the main deck, will be laid out for 
staterooms, saloon, galley, pantry, etc., while below will 
be places for storing sails, clothing and chains, and a 
machine for making ice. The bulkheads and partitions 
will be of pine, painted white, and will be trimmed in 
butternut, mahogany, maple and black walnut. The ir- 
terior arrangement is excellent, places being provide(l 
{or every modern yachting convenience. There ar- 
plenty of staterooms, a large saloon takipg in the fulT 
