[June 17, ipog. 
OUR ACCOUNTS OF THE OCEAN RAc^^ 
We tdke great pleasure in putting before 6ur feaaefs 
this week two accounts of tile transatlantic oceaft fafce. 
The well-told stories of Atlantic and Ehdymioii were liotii 
written by members of the boats' amateuf- tre-i^s. 
The Great Ocean Race of \%5, 
The Schooner Atlantic, 
Ftom New York to Sowthampton, Eng., in 
Gsrman Emperor^s Ocean Cap Race. 
the 
Written for forest and stream by one of Atlantic's 
"after guard/-* 
May iSj l^og.— After weeks of the most careful prepa- 
fation and trials under the supervision of Capt. Charles 
Barf, Atlantic eame Off the dock on Saturday, May 13, 
aiid after taking perishable stores On board, at once towed 
to the Hofs6 Shoe tb await there the time when she 
should proceed to the starting line off Sandy Hook light 
vessel It was expeeted that on Sunday there would be 
an opportunity of having one more trial before the real 
busmesS of the race began, but alas ! a thick fog ruined 
the last chance. The owner and his guests came down on 
Monday afternoon, and before night everything below was 
in its proper place and all ready to take a line from the 
tow boat in the morning for Sandy Hook light vessel, the 
start of our long journey. 
Tuesday, May i6.~A rather severe thunder storm last 
night gave promise of a fine day and westerly winds, but 
the gods willed otherwise, for on going on deck this 
morning a nasty drizzle and a heavy fog which shut out 
the yachts anchored nearby, and with a rather high 
barometer practically told us that we might give up all 
idea of starting. During the night Valhalla, Utowana and 
Hildegarde had come to anchor, and later all the yachts 
entered towed in, with the exception of Sunbeam and 
Fleur de Lys, which vessel, it was reported, was in colli- 
sion and would have to repair before proceeding to sea. 
_ From noon until evening all kinds of tugs and excur- 
sion boats loomed up through the fog, and after looking 
at us to their heart's content, disappeared as silently as 
they came. 
At 4 o'clock the committee came alongside and an- 
nounced that the start was postponed until noon of to- 
morrow. A most wise move, for it would have been fool- 
hardy to attempt starting such large vessels under the pre- 
vailing conditions. It was a great relief when the an- 
nouncement was made, and some of the yachts which had 
loosened or hoisted sails, at once furled them and made 
all snug for the night. 
At sundown there was a very heavy shower and we 
Were in hopes that it would clear things up and bring a 
change of wind, but no such luck was in store for us. 
Wednesday, May 17.— The shower last night did no 
good as far as bringing about a change of wind, but this 
morning the fog had disappeared and all the racing boats 
at once made preparations for the start. Early in the 
morning the tender came alongside with the morning 
papers, and we learned exactly how much damage had 
been done to Fleur de Lys, and that she would be able 
to start after all. The fog was a blessing to her, in that 
it gave her time to be repaired before the start. 
At 10 o'clock the committee boat appeared flying N. Y. 
X., which told us to prepare for sea, and at 10.30 the 
anchor was clear of the bottom and Atlantic heading for 
Sandy Hook in tow. On the way out sail was made and 
the tow-line cast of¥ at 11.55 A. M. with the line abeam. 
Shortly the preparatory gun was fired and at 12.15.45 we 
crossed the line and started on the long 3,000-mile race. 
Ailsa and Hildegarde crossed ahead of us, with the rest, 
with the exception of Sunbeam and Apache, in a bunch 
just astern. On the way out to the Light Vessel, two 
little shore birds flew on board and were flitting around 
the deck. May they bring us good luck. 
Half an hour after crossing the line we had passed both 
Ailsa and Hildegarde, and when the tug boats which were 
following us, after giving the customary three blasts on 
the whistle, turned back, we were in the place of honor. 
The afternoon was cold and disagreeable, and sweaters 
and heavy clothes were most comfortable. One of the 
pleasant incidents of the start was the action of Commo- 
dore E. C. Benedict in Oneida, who followed alongside 
until we lost him in the fog about midnight. Hamburg 
had crossed the line about two minutes behind us, and 
from the start the two yachts sailed a most exciting race, 
the German boat at times getting almost abeam and then 
dropping back. This continued until darkness set in, 
when she finally disappeared in the fog a short distance 
ahead of us. 
_ The night was very disagreeable — fog almost all the 
time, and light variable winds, which kept the watch trim- 
ming sheets the whole time they were on deck. 
Thursday, May 18. — About 4 in the morning the breeze 
shifted to the north and bringing with it the thickest fog 
yet encountered, but it was only a catspaw, for in half an 
hour it was bafck in the old quarter — east'. 
After sunrise we kept looking up all the time and by 8 
were heading east by standard compass, or N. 80 deg. E. 
true, and with large jibtopsail and two staysails on, we 
doing between eleven and twelve miles every hour. At 10 
a schooner was made out on the lee beam, which later 
proved to be Hamburg, and when at noon she bore two 
points abaft the beam, the faces of the watch on deck 
wore an expression of delight. The gods were good to 
US, for at noon the- sun broke through long enough for 
us to get a latitude sight. Although it did not clear en- 
tirely, the sun would show himself oHce in a while a.nd 
give us ai; afternoon sight much to our relief. Toward 
stmset tlie.w}n4 begaji to fajl and haw] westerly and t|^e 
log showed five to six knots in place of the ten to twelve 
we had had during the day, At 4 o'clock the spinnaker 
was set to tioft and did good wofk until the breeze again 
hauled sdutMrly arid a{ ^ We g^id shlp and 3et spinnaker 
to stafboard. About, io the liiOoil bfofce through the 
clouds and zi midnight Wfe had iiot a cloud in tfig skf, & 
good breezg oil the c(uafter aild a smooth Sea, the ship 
doing between twfelvg ahd thifteeti tiiiles in an hour. At 
noon, Lat. 39deg. 4omin. N., Loiig. 7©deg. 24mm. W. ; 
Course S; ^^deg. E. ; distanC'e, 165 miles. 
Friday, Mdf i§.~A fre^h, Westefiy bfeCze and bright 
warm^ weather gr6eted us whefi we Canie Oh deck this 
morning. It was the first day warm eiiough to get a 
morning bucket over one, and as fre§h Mths afg fofbid- 
den, the water supply being limited, it help^ed tiut W6ri- 
derfully. 
At 9.30 a small hole developed in the spinnaker, and td 
save it from growing the sail was taken in. As it con- 
tinued to breeze on, it was decided not to risk carryitig 
that sail, and the square sail was set in its place, with the 
weather raffee above the yard. The same weather con- 
tinued with a fresh westerly breeze, the ship going be- 
tween nine and -ten miles — the sea making up all the time 
but the rolHng of the yacht being very easy and not in 
the least uncomfortable. Toward evening the breeze came 
more westerly, and to save it from banging to pieces, the 
mainsail Avas taken in. A beautiful night followed, with 
just enough breeze to keep the sails quiet. The moon 
just past the full, added to the beauty. At noon, Lat. 
4odeg. I4min. N., Long. 65deg. 37min. W. ; Course, N. 
Sideg. E. ; distance, 222 miles. 
Saturday, May 20.— A beautiful warm day without a 
cloud in the sky and the same fresh southwesterly breeze 
which we have now held for two days. Along toward 9 
the breeze hauled a little more southerly and the mainsail 
was again set. Later the squaresail was taken in and the 
spinnaker again set, but it seems to be a bad sail to carry 
to sea, the weight of the boom when the ship rolls being 
very hard on the sail, and at 5 P. M. it was taken in and 
the squaresail again set. We had a fine horizon for both 
morning and noon sights, which proved the dead reckon- 
ing correct. 
At 2 P. M. smoke was observed ahead and shortly after 
a Red Star steamer passed us. We made our number, 
which she acknowledged and then hoisted "A pleasant 
passage," to which we replied "Thank you." For a short 
tirne, about 3 o'clock, a nasty easterly swell caused the 
ship to occasionally dip her nose into the sea, sending the 
water flying down the lee side of the deck. 
At 5 P. M. another steamer was made out ahead, which 
later proved to be the Minnetonka. She also acknowl- 
edged our number and in answer to our inquiry said she 
had seen no ice, but had thick fog, giving the latitude 
and longitude where it was encountered. Toward sunset 
the southwest began to look black, and, as the wind is all 
letting go, we are afraid that there is to be some disagree- 
able weather before long. We were not disappointed, for 
at 9 o'clock as pretty a little squall as one often sees came 
whirling out of the south and backed to west. It blew 
hard enough to take in both spanker and mainsail, but 
the worst was over in half an hour, and by 11 the sails 
were again hoisted and the ship on her course. Just at 
the end of the squall a large White Star Line steamer 
passed close ahead. We exchanged night signals and she 
gave us three blasts of the whistle. At noon, Lat. 4odeg. 
45min. N., Long. 6odeg. 38min. W. ; Course, N. 82deg; 
distance, 229 miles. 
Monday, May 21. — During the early morning the wind 
backed to the northward and westward, a strong breeze, 
the ship doing between fourteen and fifteen miles an hour, 
for a watch, but on going on deck at 7.30 there was only 
a moderate breeze and a speed of ten knots. We had fine 
morning sights, and if the breeze only holds until noon 
should make the best day's run of the voyage. Passed a 
German steamer at dawn, but did not speak to her, it 
being too dark for flags, and we had been spoken by three 
mail boats the preceding afternoon. I forgot to mention 
that we saw a number of flying fish. It seemed very far 
N. to see them, but I imagine they came up in the Gulf 
Stream. 
The breeze kept dropping during the afternoon, and by 
sundown we were not doing more than three or four 
knots. A heavy southwesterly swell on the quarter did 
not help matters either, for it rolled us about so that with 
the light breeze all the booms had to be gotten inboard 
to save the sails and gear. The squaresail and rafifee 
were the only sails which did any work. 
Much to the disgust of everyone the breeze continued 
to drop, and all the evening the ship hardly had steerage 
way. -~ It was a beautiful night for lovers and steamers, 
but as a racing proposition it might have been improved 
upon. At noon, Lat. 41 deg. pmin. N., Long. 54deg. 4omin. 
W. ; Course N. 85deg. E. ; distance, 271 miles. 
Monday, May 22. — Nothing could have been worse for 
our chances than the conditions this morning. A flat 
calm: and quite a swell from the southwest. It had been 
the same since midnight, and we shall make a very poor 
run to-day. It is all the more trying, for with a good 
day's::run we should have reached the position where ice 
was -last reported above noon, and had there been any ice 
would have had daylight to go clear in. However, since 
morning the temperature of the water has risen ten de- 
grees (to 66), so there hardly seems to be any chance of 
seeing any. About 2 this afternoon a light southerly 
breeze came up, and the skipper at once took in the main- 
sail and set the balloon mizzen topmast staysail. The sail 
was light enough to stand full and do good work despite 
the. rolling, whereas the heavy mainsail was banging about 
and" absolutely useless. The balloon main topmast stay- 
sail and balloon jib were also set and finally the spin- 
naker, and with all the light canvas drawing the ship 
bfgari to walk off at a nine-knot dip. Afternoon sights 
piit us to the east ol our dead reckoning, but that was 
jprpbabjy owinf to the patent log not registering at th? 
very slow speed we were going previous to the tim^e the 
southerly breeze struck in. Between 8 in the morning 
and noon we had covered just fOur miles. The southerly 
breeze continued to inerease urttil we wefe forced to take 
in the balloon sails and set the Wofkitjg ones in their 
places. Also the temperature of the water began to go 
down steadily and quickly, and at 9 in the e-^^ening had 
reached 35deg., showing that we wefe in the fiflniediafe 
vicinity of ice, and presently the lookout saw a good- 
sized berg about a mile to leeward of us. A beautlftfi 
night with a fresh breeze, the ship doing about twelve 
knots, in an absolutely smooth sea. If it had not been for 
temperature (42deg.) everybody would have stayed on 
deck for a long time to enjoy the m&st glorious sail we 
have had thus far on the voyage, but warm blankets ap- 
pealed very strongly, and about midnight alt were below. 
At noon, Lat. 41 deg. 24min. N., Long. 52deg. 1:2mm W,; 
Course N. 82deg, E.; distance, 112 miles. 
Tuesday, May 23.— Our fine southerly breeze and dear 
weather Continued all the night, and on going on deck at 
S.30 thig merning there, on our lee beam, about five miles 
away, was a befg which must have been half a mile long 
and 300ft. high. It certainly was a beautiful sight with 
the morning sun reflecting from it. 
Our topsails have been going from bad to worse, and 
after the watch had cleared up the decks, the skipper had 
the mizzen down on deck and took a cloth off the after 
leach. The main will have to go through the same opera- 
tion later, while the fore seems to be fairly good still. 
By II o'clock the sail was out and at once bent, it being 
a great improvement. To-day was a great change from 
the preceding night, the thermometer standing at 72deg. 
and all hands going around in their shirt sleeves, whereas 
last night there were not overcoats enough on board to 
warm one. Cold on the ocean will go through the heaviest 
clothes, and one cannot realize how it penetrates until it 
has been experienced. 
The breeze kept increasing gradually all day and we are 
doing from forty-eight to fifty miles each watch, although 
yesterday afternoon's light airs spoilt any chance we had 
for making a good run. A fine, clear night and smooth 
water made it very pleasant on deck, and no one turned 
in before midnight. At noon, Lat. 42deg. 3omin. N,, 
Long. 46deg. 57min. W. ; Course N. 74deg. E.; distance, 
243 miles. 
\¥ednesday. May 24.— Of all days to-day is the day 
which will ever be fixed in our minds with the greatest 
pride and joy, for the good yacht Atlantic broke the 
record held by the old Dauntless since 1887 for the great- 
est day's run on the passage from New York to England, 
traveling during the 23h. 31m. 30s. from the noon of the 
23d of May to the noon of the 24th 341 miles, or 14.20 
miles per hour. The record so long held being 328 miles. 
Our good southerly breeze kept going all night, and 
this morning on going on deck it was blowing a fresh 
breeze and quite a good sea was running. In fact, the 
skipper said that he hoped that the breeze would not in- 
crease any more, for he did not want to delay by having 
to reef; but we were fortunate and were able to drive her 
through it until noon. The fine run soon was known 
forward and the men were as pleased with the ship's per- 
formance as we were ourselves. Also they had a double 
allowance of grog served out in celebration of the event. 
A bad look to the sky in the southward and the steady 
and rather quick fall of the barometer warned us that in 
all probability there would be nasty weather soon, and we 
were not disappointed, for during the first dog-watch it 
was almost impossible to steer her, and when the watch 
came on deck at 6 the spanker was double-reefed and re- 
lieved the ship wonderfully. It Still continued to breeze 
on, and at 9.30 the watch was called and the spanker 
taken in and the mizzen trysail bent ready for hoisting. 
She was still going fourteen knots under the fore and- 
mainsails and forestay sail, but soon this was too much 
for her and the foretrysail was substituted for the fore- 
sail. It was now blowing so hard that the skipper began 
to fear for his mainsail, and at 2 A. M. this sail was 
taken of? and the mizzen trysail hoisted. We were now 
in shape to meet almost any kind of a storm and could 
heave to in a few minutes, but the wind did not increase 
and she was kept on her course, behaving beautifully in 
the sea which was running. At noon, Lat. 44deg. 57min. 
N., Long. 39deg. somin. W. ; Course N. 65deg. E.; dis- 
tance, 341 miles. 
Thursday, May 25. — Toward sunrise this morning the 
wind began to moderate and as there was hardly enough 
sail to steady her the ship began to roll, once in a while 
putting the lee rail under and filling the decks with water. 
As soon as it was light enough to see the mainsail with a 
single reef was hoisted, which did a lot to stop the rolling 
and by daylight in the morning we were running before a 
strong southwest wind under fore and mainsails, square- 
sail, ralfee and two topsails; the mizzen staysail being 
put on just_ after noon. It was a dark, cloudy, disagree- 
able day with rain most of the time, and there was no 
chance of getting sights, so we had to depend on our dead 
reckoning. This branch of navigating a ship is often 
done in a very slipshod manner, the chances being taken 
that there will be sights, but Captain Barr is most 
thorough and our courses, speed, deviation and variation 
are entered in the log every hour, and when we picked her 
off at noon to-day she was just on the circle and we had 
made the course determined upon at noon yesterday. The 
weather continued to get worse and in the afternoon the 
fore and main topsails were clewed up and the mizzen 
trysail taken in. The ship was running well in the sea 
and was taking no water on board. The same conditions 
continued all night, and it was very difficult to sleep, as 
she was rolling around a good deal. At noon, Lat. D. R. 
46deg. 33min. N., Long. D. R. sS'^g- .^omin. W.; Course 
N. 7odeg. E. ; distance, 282 miles. 
Friday, May 26. — Worse and more of it. On going on 
deck for the morning sight it was blowing a whole gale 
from the southwest ^n^_ a heavy sea was on the (juartef. 
