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Show ONE OF FAMOUS CREW. Capt Hoffman, Who Was On the America When She Won the Queen's Cup, Is Proud of His Part in the Victory. -. O person in the United Dv States fools a deeper -tjft, Vm? beart Interest ln the jBflikl yacht now being built SPUK, to defend tho America's rafcSIf cupthls summer against vi yCs slr Tnoma8 Llpton's J , TO Shamrock III than Capt. C2i'' Hcnry Hoffman of Bos-vVje Bos-vVje ton. CapL Hoffman Is tho only surviving membor of tho crew of tho America, tho stanch schooner yacht that originally "lifted" the famous fa-mous cup and brought It over to this country from England. The captain took part ln tho memorable race, and, though ho was at tho tlmo but a mero boy, ho has a most vivid recollection of tho event and tells a remarkably Interesting story of how wo wrested tho great silver trophy from our English Eng-lish cousins. "I was only sixteen years old at the tlmo of tho race," says the captain, vACWT "but I had been a sailor from tho tlmo I was eleven. Of tho entire crow that sailed the good American craft on that glorious day ln August, 1851, I am tho only survivor. And I am very naturally proud of It 1 remember tho raco so well that It seems scarcely posslblo that It Is nearly near-ly fifty-two years slnco It took place. But tlmo never veers a point in Its course and more than half a century has passed slnco wo fought for and won tho Queen's cup. "That was tho name of tho trophy ln those days. It Is only slnco the America brought tho cup over hero that we call It the America's cup, you know. Nono of tho modern boats, in my opinion, Is the equal of tho old America. Thoy aro moro playthings play-things nowadays, cockle-shells. But the America was as strong and seaworthy sea-worthy a boat as ever rodo a wave. None ot tho yachts that defend tho cup nowadays Is capable of Weathering Weather-ing a galo. The America could breast tho fiercest hurricane that over swept an ocean. v "Tho crew of tho America was made up of a dozen men, two mates and our skipper, Capt. Brown. Tho skipper was as flno a sailor as ever I clapped my eyes on. Tho crow was composed ot first-class material, too. "When the crow of tho America was shipped not a mother's son of tho lot had tho faintest Idea of a trip across tho Atlantic. Tho skipper one morning, morn-ing, however, summoned us togethor and said: 'Boys, we'ro going over to Johnny Bull's lslo and wo're going to race thero. Moro than that, we're going to win the racos wo cntor nnd we'ro going to make John Bull tho sorest man on earth. I take It you're all with me?' We sang out to a man that wo were moro than eager u go across and anxious to vanquish the Britons. No ono ln thoso days had ever heard of a yacht crossing tho Atlantic, but every man wanted to go. Wo wero ready for tho trip within two days. "Tho Amorlca conducted herself beautifully all the way across. Wo had somo rough weather during part of tho trip, but tho America was too stanch a craft to mind It a bit. She was built of oak, cedar, chestnut and locust. Sho was coppored from her keel to six Inches abovo her load lino. Wo wont over just as wo wero. No tender accompanied us, and when wo 'Capt1. imynomfAN- ofitr iuenmr or rnr cxnv rmm mud 1 WAntiKAriYtasi ' - - ii; .ii I reachod tho othor sldo wo wore ready to raro as soon as wo'd got things In racing trim. "The boats that were to raco against us woro of all slzos and rigs As a matter ot fact, I novor saw so many dlfforent kinds ot boats assembled assem-bled together ln ono raco. Thoy ranged from a forty-seven ton boat to a two hundred and olghtcon. "Wo wero all Impatient for the day of tho raco to como around. P. seemed as If tho day wo wantod would never show up. But finally that glorious glori-ous day dawned, tho 22d ot August, 1S51. The boats all gathcrod around the starting point. The wind was blowing blow-ing very light as the signal gun waa fired. Tho Aurora crossed tho lino first and got nway well ln the load. We bad hard luck ln getting away, and every' other boat preceded us. Tho light winds seemed to favor the English, boats. We were disheartened a bit at first, I remember. But pretty soon a good breeze sprang up. Wo spread all tho canvas we could, and at onc commenced to pick up. "Beforo wo reached the station ship, anchored half way ln the course, wo had passed every one of the othor boats. As wo turned tho station-ship we wero four minutes and six seconds ahead of the nearest ono of our competitors. com-petitors. "At tho finish wo were way ln the lead. There wasn't any second, nt least so tho story goes. But ot course you've heard that story." Tho writer said he hadn't, so Capt. Hoffman re latod It "Well," ho said, "It's a pretty pret-ty old story now. It relates how tho queen was told of the result of tho raco and her Inquiry, 'What boat was second?" 'There was no second, your " majesty,' was the reply. To tell tho truth, the second boat was so far ln tho rear that wo really could not mako out which ono It was when wo crossed the finish lino. "Our boat was very much tho best craft ln the race. Thero Is no doubt about that. When wo crossed tho lino-thero lino-thero was mighty little cheering from, anyono savo tho men on the America. Our crew went daft over tho win. Thoy cheered and cheered and cheered and they danced around like Inlans. "The owners of tho America gavo every member of tho crow a han-somo han-somo money present for winning tho cup. Nothing of tho sort had been promised to us as an incentive for supremo effort, but the owners wer The Cup. wild with Joy and extremely liberal and generous. "Not long after our winning of the Queen's cup, now tho America's cup, we fought It out with the Tltanla ln a raco of eighty miles forty miles out, sailing beforo the wind, and forty miles back. The America covered the eighty miles ln six hours and twelve minutes; tho Tltanla ln soven hours and threo minutes. Wo had somo other races over thoro, too, and wo won overy raco wo entered. H "Tho old America Is still afloat, and I Is owned now, I bcllovo, by Paul But- lor, son of tho late Gen. Bonjamtn M F. Butler. But sho Is a very different I craft nowadays from what sho was H when sho won tho cup. Sho has been H entirely rebuilt and resembles tho old r Amorlca very llttlo. Sho Is ono ot the ) M fleet of tho Now York Yncht club." |