alter table broke with new shell returns InvalidColumnNameException

hbase(main):041:0> create 't1', {NAME => 'f1', VERSIONS => 5}
08/06/30 01:26:43 DEBUG client.HConnectionManager$TableServers: reloading table servers because: No server address listed in .META. for region t1,,1214807203247
08/06/30 01:26:43 DEBUG client.HConnectionManager$TableServers: Removed .META.,,1 from cache because of t1,,99999999999999
08/06/30 01:26:43 DEBUG client.HConnectionManager$TableServers: Found ROOT REGION => {NAME => '-ROOT-,,0', STARTKEY => '', ENDKEY => '', ENCODED => 70236052, TABLE => {NAME => '-ROOT-', FAMILIES => [{NAME => 'info', VERSIONS => 1, COMPRESSION => 'NONE', IN_MEMORY => false, BLOCKCACHE => false, LENGTH => 2147483647, TTL => FOREVER, BLOOMFILTER => NONE}]}
0 row(s) in 10.4300 seconds

hbase(main):042:0> disable 't1'
08/06/30 01:27:08 DEBUG client.HBaseAdmin: Sleep. Waiting for first region to be disabled from t1
08/06/30 01:27:18 DEBUG client.HBaseAdmin: Wake. Waiting for first region to be disabled from [B@1bc93a7
08/06/30 01:27:18 INFO client.HBaseAdmin: Disabled t1
0 row(s) in 10.0810 seconds

hbase(main):043:0> alter 't1', {NAME => 'f1', VERSIONS => 1}
NativeException: org.apache.hadoop.hbase.InvalidColumnNameException: org.apache.hadoop.hbase.InvalidColumnNameException: Column family 'f1' doesn't exist, so cannot be modified.
        at org.apache.hadoop.hbase.master.ModifyColumn.postProcessMeta(ModifyColumn.java:51)
        at org.apache.hadoop.hbase.master.TableOperation$ProcessTableOperation.call(TableOperation.java:130)
        at org.apache.hadoop.hbase.master.TableOperation$ProcessTableOperation.call(TableOperation.java:67)
        at org.apache.hadoop.hbase.master.RetryableMetaOperation.doWithRetries(RetryableMetaOperation.java:62)
        at org.apache.hadoop.hbase.master.TableOperation.process(TableOperation.java:141)
        at org.apache.hadoop.hbase.master.HMaster.modifyColumn(HMaster.java:655)
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
        at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
        at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597)
        at org.apache.hadoop.hbase.ipc.HbaseRPC$Server.call(HbaseRPC.java:424)
        at org.apache.hadoop.ipc.Server$Handler.run(Server.java:896)

        from sun/reflect/NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:-2:in `newInstance0'
        from sun/reflect/NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:39:in `newInstance'
        from sun/reflect/DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:27:in `newInstance'
        from java/lang/reflect/Constructor.java:513:in `newInstance'
        from org/apache/hadoop/hbase/RemoteExceptionHandler.java:82:in `decodeRemoteException'
        from org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/HBaseAdmin.java:658:in `modifyColumn'
        from org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/HBaseAdmin.java:636:in `modifyColumn'
        from sun/reflect/NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:-2:in `invoke0'
        from sun/reflect/NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39:in `invoke'
        from sun/reflect/DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25:in `invoke'
        from java/lang/reflect/Method.java:597:in `invoke'
        from org/jruby/javasupport/JavaMethod.java:250:in `invokeWithExceptionHandling'
        from org/jruby/javasupport/JavaMethod.java:219:in `invoke'
        from org/jruby/javasupport/JavaClass.java:416:in `execute'
        from org/jruby/internal/runtime/methods/SimpleCallbackMethod.java:67:in `call'
        from org/jruby/internal/runtime/methods/DynamicMethod.java:94:in `call'
... 118 levels...
        from ruby.hbase_minus_671438.bin.hirbInvokermethod__23$RUBY$startOpt:-1:in `call'
        from org/jruby/internal/runtime/methods/DynamicMethod.java:74:in `call'
        from org/jruby/internal/runtime/methods/CompiledMethod.java:48:in `call'
        from org/jruby/runtime/CallSite.java:123:in `cacheAndCall'
        from org/jruby/runtime/CallSite.java:298:in `call'
        from ruby/hbase_minus_671438/bin//hbase/bin/hirb.rb:348:in `__file__'
        from ruby/hbase_minus_671438/bin//hbase/bin/hirb.rb:-1:in `__file__'
        from ruby/hbase_minus_671438/bin//hbase/bin/hirb.rb:-1:in `load'
        from org/jruby/Ruby.java:512:in `runScript'
        from org/jruby/Ruby.java:432:in `runNormally'
        from org/jruby/Ruby.java:312:in `runFromMain'
        from org/jruby/Main.java:144:in `run'
        from org/jruby/Main.java:89:in `run'
        from org/jruby/Main.java:80:in `main'
        from /hbase/bin/hirb.rb:229:in `alter'
        from (hbase):44:in `binding'hbase(main):044:0>