The Providence News

COLUMBIA IS ON SECOND TRIAL SPIN.

Left Newport Harbor Early and is Running Against the Defender and the Navahoe.

It was pretty uncertain weather all the forenoon, rain threatening to fall several times. Although the Columbia and Defender were announced to start perhaps as early as 10:30 for New London, to enable the yachtsmen to see the college boat race there were no signs of movement apparent from shore on the new flyer until the forenoon was well advanced.

By 10 o'clock the Navahoe was under way and started outside ahead of the other two big craft. At 10:30 the Defender slipped her anchorage in Brenton's cove, back of the fort, and under a single jib felt her way slowly out of the passage toward the open ocean.

The wind was stiff and fluky, and before she had got well out toward Castle Hill a sharp squall, with the first shower of the morning, led her to turn back to await a better chance. She took a turn up the bay, toward Rose Island, and then stood over to the Jamestown shore, carrying her mainsail and jib.

Meantime, a few minutes past 11 o'clock, just as the squall swept the harbor, the Columbia, which had lain during the night in her usual berth back of the torpedo station and just south of the fleet of warships, lifted her anchor, and taking a line from her tender, the St. Michaels, began to move slowly out.

Standing over toward the site of the recently dismantled Fort Dumpling, she hoisted her mainsail, having apparently some little difficulty at first. After one or two brief and harmless squalls, the wind died out largely, although it continued to rain lightly. The Columbia dropped her tow when she felt a breeze, and behind the Defender passed out of sight back of Castle Hill.