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Show Hi iisFif LONG FORYACHT CUP ' First of Races Sailed in lgsg. America Always Victorious. !, By Tri'ouno . psclal Sport Service. NEW YOKK. May 30. A patriotic, gentleman named J. C. Stevens started all this excitement over international yaeht raojng back in 1350. and since that time something like ? 15,000,000 has been spent in contesting for a silver mus that has a real value of only about o'l'.'. 1 Somewhere along in the latter part 0f 154n 3 number of English persons began boasting about v.-hat wonderful skipuVs the r.ere. and that thev could buiid better boats and sail them better than the ankei-s. In due-course of time these remarks reached the ears of Elevens, Ele-vens, who v.as tbe first commodore of the New York Yacht club. ''The;.' can, eh ? ' T snorted Stevens. Whereupon Stevens formed a svndi-cate svndi-cate which included some of the wealthv sportsmen of that dav. and thev ordered rhe building of a yacht of about 170 tons. George Steers, famed in those days as tbe greatest yacht builder on this si-le of the Atlantic ocean, -tva given the commission, and he turned . out the sloop Ajr.erica. The America showed its stern to everr other American .vacht with which it , competed in trial" events, and the Amer- ' Kan crowd then began to bombard the English vith challenges. After ignoring ignor-ing the challenge for a rather lengthv period, the Royal Y'acht club of England accepted, and agreed to offer a cup worth -SoOO to the winner of the race that would be open to the world. America Is Winner. The race was run on August 22. Isol. and the course lay from Cowes to the Isle of Wight and return. There were eighteen emries originally, but inly fifteen fif-teen started. These yachts varied from fortv-seven to 392 tons. The America got off to a good start and lead all the wav. When the queen H England was tela of the result of ihe race, she said: "The Ame.rica won., did it?" ari who was second?'' "Tour highness. answered her in- , formant. "There was no second." Which reaiiv was true. The America ; was so far ahead of the others whe-r, she crossed the finish line that ore waited long enough to find out whi'-b boat was following her in. Before the America mailed hack to W home, some of the British sport sirea raided the claim that the vietorv of ti." i America as a fluke. Thev declare i ! also that ihe America had beeu'b". . especiallv for racing purposes, wcii ; the other boats were just ordirary sailing vessels. Stevens Calls Britons. "Huh." responded .Stevens. "Beit vou fellows good and plenty and row 'von call it a f'.uke. ebi Well. I 11 , ih'nw vou inst how much I th.in.-c ct vniir beat and of vour bnaiting sailors. 1 ";1 v-a rer vo-i .! 2.2.00 that the America Amer-ica can" beat anything yon bpil-5 U'J'' in" the next '.ear. aud I'll keep her right here id "England until you get voi;r boat built."' " Bur M.evecs's offer was not a'cer-:-ed. and the America sailed for home. . The champion s-acbt carried a crew ot oniv eveu men during its voyage ae-oss to Em-land aud back to America, aiuii an extra eight men during tbe race. The yachts in these days carry at leas; ixt v" men. . . There were no further international vacht races until 1S70, when J. Asbtiry. m Eii"i!b sportsman, built the catr- ; bris a --iT-ton boa:. :uid coallenje-i , the Americans. His challenge imme-a-'atolv was accepted ana tie Amen-ca-s et to work building tne Magn.-a Magn.-a n,netv-seven-ton boat. Franklin v's-"oo.i v's-"oo.i of' Philadelphia was the des'-gtier The Cambria and Magic sailed srouni the course that covered from tstaten Isi3n i N" V., to Sandy Hook and return, re-turn, and the Magic beat the ti boat bv more ihau fortv minutes. Ti In lTl sburv Vougnt ever the U- , von.a. and she was beaten J Co-lumbia. Co-lumbia. a new yacht that tee Americans Ameri-cans had built daring the year. Record of Victories. Five vears later a new yacht, the Countess" of Pufterin. was brougat o;.er in an attempt to lift, the American vacht Maoelme alter ,w.i races, sent the Count ess back "l1"- Thc American Mischief oeteated t arl.a in two races in lssL.and tV Furiian .Icfeated the Cenesta " l- 1-nclaud made further but u"' .' fill efforts to lift the cup m 1- j ls;5. and then just when the , maiorhv of the EngUsh chtsmen vai red of ever winning from toe kecs Sir Thomas l.ipton. filled wii3 hope came along, built the S"?, and sent it against the American ship , 1 c'hamro'fnict the Columbia; i three races in that year, but in w "t aice the Columbia tnnmphe.i . , en wane 1 two years and then s n- , -rtniHa ' i-rl;!:;o-'rlug,i;' ; 1. -lilh Coal was lost n. t:11' v in 1 'd now l.ipton '"f,,(S,f1 ;.,, tl.al has been m Amerua s f,,v sixt - I ln'ce vcars. |
