Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, August 16, 1903, Page 24

That Bottomless America’s Cup | HE AMERICA'S CUP, an old tare nished flagon of sllver not une mixed with pewter, if experts are to be believed, Is neither useful nor ornamentnal In the firet place it has no bottom, being a hollow cylinder incapable of holding lquid. This i 1 disqualifying feature, as every seaman must admit. The winner of the Ameriea’s Cup cannot take a drink ous of it far as its beauty Is concerned, why, it has none, In fact It is an inartistic horror But there never was an old metal pot In the world's history that has excited such [t competition or caused the expendi- ture of so many millions as this tarnished flagon. Incidentally it is responsible for a fabric fragile and cranky such as never entered into the most faneiful imaginations of yachtsmen of twenty vears ago. The racing machine of today is a trifle light as air, her rig is gossamer and spide ery. Her hull is a shell so far as thickness I8 concerned, but it {2 nevertheless strong enoligh to support a solid bulb of kead weighe ing In the neighborhood of one hundred tons, No metal I8 to expensive to find its place in the building of the Cup chale lengers and Cup defenders, If gold were of use, there is no doubt that before this we should have had a golden boat to compete with us for the old tarnished jug. Of all the yachtsmen who have chale lenged for the Cup, Sir Thomas Lipton is easily the most popular with the masses Bince self-made men In their mature years develop pomposity, and that of a pecullarly objectionable kind. 8ir Thomas is just as Jovial, genial and unassuming as he was on the day he landed in this country with a light heart and a thin pair of breeches as his sole capital, His enterprise is dlsplayed in remarkable ways, One day you read about him enter- taining royalty aboard Irin, or on one of his S8hamrocks. - Another day you are in- formed about his corner in Western pork. Next, you are surprised to hear of his loop- ing the loop ot Coney Island, His visitors’ book on Erin 18 filled with the f{llustrious and distinguished names of men and women who have en- Joyed his hospitality. King Rdward of England, with his bold and distinctive signature, figures more than once. Sir Thomas tried his sweetest to persuade hin royal friend to go a-sailing with him. on Bhamrock III, but the king rememberal an exciting period aboard Shumrock 1L, when it was dismasted and the top ham- per came whizzing deckward in danger- ous proximity to his royal and imperial ears., For that reason his majesty found that affairs of state prevented him from enjoying a sail ifn the new challenger, ldpton went aboard Shamrock Il when it was anchored In Cowes Roads, and was greeted at the gangway by a young shaver of a boy of 7. “Do you know who I am7?’ asked the Bcotch-Irish knight (the Dblood-red hand of baronetage came later), “Of course 1 do,” was the youngster's answer, “You're the man who sails as a passenger with my father on his yacht.” “Eh, but you're canny, bonny bairn Here's sixpence for you,” was Lipton's re- ply. The youngster was Bkipper SBycamore's little son. SBycamore s no longer on the Lipton payroll, He was at the tiller of the S8ham- rock when it was dismasted with the king aboard. The schooner-yacht America, the day after it won the cup In 1861, also had a royal visitor in the shape of Queen Vie- toria, The great speed of America surprised the old seadogs of the Isle of Wight, 80 much that it became a general belief that the Yankee yacht had a propeller worked by machinery artfully concealed, The old marquis of Anglesey, the father of English yachting, went out for a sall in his cutter Pearl (which, although bullt in 1820, was one of the fastest English yachts), anxious to have a speed trial with America. Mr, Steers, one of the Amer- fca's crew, a brother of its designer, went with him, America, with only its jib and mainsafl set, passed Pearl without difficulty. The master of Pearl said to the marquis: “Your lordship knows that no vessel with salls alone could do that.” When America went slowly he said, “Now it s stopped.” When It went on, “It's going again." Steers sald nothing; he was enjoying the Joke. When the yachts anchored the mar- quis went aboard America and, going .ft, leaned s0 far over the counter that Com- modore Btevens took hold of his wooden Jeg (he had lost his leg at the battle of Waterloo) to keep him from falling over- board The old gentleman was looking most eagerly for that propeller, The illusion was dispalled a few days Jater when America was drydocked at Portsmouth and close Krrulm) fatled to find the propeller, Commodere John C. Stevens, founder of the New York Yacht club, and chief owner and director of the destinies of the schooner America, was partial to a glass of fine old Madeira. He happened to have in his cel- By Captain A. J. Kenealy COozZY lar a chuple of dozen bottles of rare vintage more than half a century old. These ke stowed away In his own private locker in his stateroom on America. Before the vessel sailled his wife went aboard America to straighten out the com- modore’'s cabin, as was the custom of the wives and swecthearts of sillormen the wide world over in thosea primitive days. She happened to come across the wine and Just for fun ordered the carpenter to nail the bottles up in a part of the yacht where they could not be detected easily. On the day when America won the cup, Commodore Stevens sang out to the stew- ard to open a certein locler and bring out a bottle of the priceless Madeira which had come to precious maturity in the cel- lars of Mr. Bingham, an oenophilist of fame and father-in-law of Lord Ashburton, once British minister to the United States, It was the iIntention of all hands to drink the health of the queen in a glass of this superb vintage, The steward failed to find the wine, and the commodore was much perplexed. Before he returned to America he sold the schooner to Lord de Blaquire, and {t was not till his return tho® e found out the trick his wife had play« 1 him. Then he wrote to lLord de Bl », informing him of the secret cranny 're the wine was concealed and making Lim a present of it. He added that had -e known that the Madeira was aboard he would have made the purchaser pay ten thousar pounds for craft and cargo Instead of the paltry five thousand pounas for which he sacrificed it. And those wno knew the com- modore were convinced that what he wrote he meant, Colonel Hamilton, to whom the commo- dore confided the loss of the wine in his private diary of the dosngs of America (now, afas! maccessible to the curious and prying eyes of contemporary yachtsmen) hints that the commodore suspected some of the members of the crew of broaching the cargo and “getting away' with this nectar of which a drop could not have been bought for a dollar This, too, when grog was served out every four hours to each of the crew of thirteen (the commodore was not a wee bit superstitious), who liked to take a nip, or rather a tot, as it was cal’ed In those brave old days During the Dauntless-Coronet ocean race the water tank of Dauntless sprung a-leak and the only mild beverage available for Crinking was an extremely nne claret of the celebrated Chateau Margaux brand, the pride of Commodore Colt's cellars He was a man who had a proper dis- crimination about wines. He told the writer of calling all hands aft and talking to them ke a Duteh uncle somewhat after this fashion: “Now. mv bove bo of mood cheer For the Irish land is drawhme n And in an haur wa'll » Cane O And then for a jolly g of beer! inwhile, my hearties, you must drink “M “Rayther winegary, ain't it, commydore?” answered o iry old sgea dog, "“but we would drink kcrosene, sir, if you was so good as to tell us to}”’ This story 1s zuthentic. Commodore Ben- nelt was really angry with his correspond- ent in Ireland who falled to cable over the DINING ROOM OF THE NEW YORK YACHT, fact that Dauntless’ sailors nad been com- pelled to assauge their thirst on claret that Mr. Bennett, in spite of his wealth, couldn’t buy—for the reason that the vint- age was exhausted. The famous schooner-yachy America cost $20.000. The condition under which she was contracted for was that unless she proved “faster than any vessel in the United States brought to compete with her,” she might be returned on her builders' hands, The designer of a modern racing machine 'hlnds himsel!f to nothing so far as spoed concerned. He promises in a general way to do his best, but guarantees noth- ing. A yachtsman or a syndicate of vachtsmen is bound to accept a racing craft even if it should net be fast enough SIR THOMAS LIPTON ON BOARD ERIN, WATCHING TRIAL RACES BETWEEN HIS YACHTS. to get out of its own way. The first cost of the Amertca was $20,000. The expense incurred in sailing it across and racing it was $3,760. It was sold for $25,000 to Lord de Blaquire. As it won $500 In a match race agalnst the Utania, the owners of the America actually made a profit of $1,750 in the!r venture, In contrast with these figures, take the case of the Boston ninety-foot Independ- ence, built by Thomas W, Lawson, as a candidate for cup defense made public an itemized cost of the Independence Mr. Lawson count of the As it was built regardless of expense, the cost of other cup defenders may be estimated from the figures given. Stories of the fabulous expense attached to the building and running of a ninety- foot yacht have been published, and er- roneous conclusions reached as a result. It is interesting to note that the total amount incurred by Mr. Lawson for build- ing and racing the Independence was $205,034.08. This includes every fitem, even the expense of breaking up the vessel after its brief carcer of three months. The cost to the syndicate of the New York Yacht club of Vigilant, Defender and Constitution has been variously estimated at amounts ranging from $500,000 to $1,000,- 000. Judging from the experience of Mr. Lawson, who used his money lavishly, ex- travagant ideas prevail concerning the cost of defending the America’'s cup. At any rate, the syndicate of great capitalists or- ganized to build the Rellance can afford easily to apportion the cost among them. Never before were o many opulent men banded together for a sporting event. Formerly the yachtsmen of New York and Boston bore all the cost of defending America’s cup. In this year the moneyed interests of the whole country, including .bankers, raillway magnates, Standard oil, Steel trust and other magnates have en- tered into a powerful combination to pre- vent 8ir Thomas from “liT¥ng”’ the cup., But still, in spite of all, they bear so much good will and regard for the challenger that they would rather he would win it than anybody else. Pointed Paragraphs The moth exhibits much taste tn dress. An old soaker is usually a great sponge, Some girls never flirt—but perhaps fsn't their fault. It is better to know little than to know a lot that isn't true. Promises may get friends, but it requires performances to keep them, If fame came only after duufi).no man would kill himself striving for it/ One glance at a political orator proves that all are not geysers that speut, It isn't necessary to spend mone- in ad- wertising your troubles; simply tell them to a gossip. Often it happens that a man isn't known by the company he keeps until after he mysteriously disappears, Somehow the sun doesn’'t seem to shine half so hot on the base ball grounds as it does on the harvest field. Women talk about their clothes being uncomfortable, but there are lots of men who envy them every time they see a peeke a-boo shirt walst.—Chicago News. It Makes a Difference ““Here,” sald the charity official, ‘is a poor little girl who has lost both father and mother, and I am locking for some one to take charge of her.” “I can't think of adopting her,” returned the influential citizen, shortly. “We thought of having some responsible person named as her guardian,” *“I have no time to act as guardian to a waif.” “Although she is alone in the world, she has had about $50,000 left her, and”— “What's' that? Fifty thousand dollars! Well, a poér child ought not to be withe= out friends. I think, perhaps, I can wie dertake this trust."—Chicago Post. - -