WRECKED 81 THE
Baron von Zedtwitz Killed
in a Collision at Royal
Albert Races.
Meteor Crashed Into His Vessel
and He Was K.locked
Overboard.
Struck on the Head by a Flying
Piece of Wood, Never Re
gained Consciousness.
CREW THROWN INTO THE WATER.
Strong Wind Was Blowing at the Time of
the Accident, and a Heavy Sea
Was Running?Postponed
Festivities.
London. Aug. 18.?The races of the Royal
Albert Regatta at Sontlisea were Inter
rupted to-day by an accident which caused
the death of Beron von Zetwitz, the
owner of the twenty-rater Isolde, and
endangered the lives of the captain and
jrew of that vessel, all of whom were
knocked overboard.
The large raters started at 10 o’clock
this morning to go over the forty-six-mile
course sailed over yesterday, and the small
raters started at 11 o’clock to sail over
the same course, but only once round?
twenty-three miles. The starters in the
big race were the Ailsa, Britannia, Meteor
and Satanita, and those in the small rater
races were The Saint, Niagara, Samp
shire, Audrey, Ptenitent and Isolde.
The big yachts had finished the first
round of the course and were just starting
upon the second round when suddenly the
boats of both classes seemed to have be
come jammed together. The Isolde, which
was sandwiched between two yachts of the
larger class, received a severe blow from
the Kaiser’s yachj: Meteor, causing her
mast to snap in two and fall overboard.
Tlirown Into tlie Sen.
The shock was a heavy one, causing the
Isolde to careen, and, as she did so, all ou
board of her were spilled Into the sea.
When Meteor struck the small yacht
there ns great crash, and blocks,, frag
ments of the broken mast and other parts
of the Isolde were sent flying In every di
rection.
As soon as the collision took place the
other yachts stopped and put out boats to
rescue the men struggling in the water.
on von Zedtwitz, the owner of the
Iso’iuv, who was on board of his yacht,
was 8 -nek on the head by a. block, or u
piece of broken mast, and knocked over
board. lie w \taken out of the water as
soon as possible and conveyed on board a
steam yacht to the clubhouse at Hyde.
Bnron von Zedtwitz was unconscious when
picked up. lie received every possible
medical attention at Ryde, but he did not
regain consciousness and died soon after
reaching the clubhouse.
A strong wind was blowing at the time
of the accident, kicking up a bad sea, and
it was raining hard. The Isolde was badly
damaged and was twoed to Portsmouth.
The bowsprit of the Meteor swept her
deck and carried away all of her gear.
Several members of the Isolde’s crew were
?picked up in an exhausted condition.
Narrow E?caj?cs of tl?<? Men.
The crew had some very narrow escapes,
but, fortunately, ail of them were rescued.
A sailor belonging to the British gunboat
Ant, which was lying at anchor near the
scene of the collision, rescued one of the
Isolde’s rnpa, who could not have survived
thirty seconds longer. The accident cast a
gloom over -everything, and the races were
abandoned for the day.
Captain Gome*, the skipper of the Meteor,
ascribes the collision of his vessel with the
Isolde to the fact (hat the Britannia did not
make way for the Meteor to pass the Isolde.
All of the clubhouses at Spithead and
I.tyde are flying flags at half mast in con
sequence of the death of the Baron. As a
yachtsman he was a ?ood sportsman and ho
was well liked in all of the English sport
ing centres. Ills wife, the Baroness von
7!odtwltz, w.is daughter of the late
Charles Roosevelt, of New York.
Festivities Postponed.
To-morrow’s yacht races and the fire
works, with which It was Intended to sig
nalize the ending of the Royil Albert Yacht
Club regatta at So’.thsea, have been post
poned until after the funeral.
Toe Isolds wan a twwtr-rater yacht.
constructed by the Hcrreshoffs at Bristol,
it. I., In 1895, for Prince Leopold of Ger
many, who afterward sold the boat to
Baron von Zedtwits.
The Meteor, which is owned by the Ger
man Emperor, is a steel cutter of 236 tons,
and was built at the Hendersons* yards, on
on the Clyde, In the early part of this year