The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-09-14
YACHTS OF BOSTON TOWN.
Giving a List Of the Fine Craft IN Which
the Wealthy Hubbites Take Their
Summer Airing.
The Life and Adventures OF the Famous
America, the speedy Boat OF Con-.
mod0re Ben.

ANS H'p eha aaNthpatSh il NV IN
America, the speedy Boat OF Com.
modore Ben.
BosroN, Mass, Special Correspondence,
Aug. 22-YachtIng is one of the most popular
ways in which wealthy Bostonians seek health
and pleasure at thiss season Of the year, many
of them owning speedy crafts worth Thousands
of dollars, on which they spend a large portion
Of their time, cruising here and there, visiting
the fashionable watering resorts along the
New England coast, contrasting for honors and
przes with white winged rivals in r~egattas, or
enjoying themselves upon the wave in other
different ways. These yachts are invariably
elegantly fitted up, and everything that can add
to the comfort and pleasure of the owner is
provided, making them floating palaces, on
winch one can live contentedly week in and
week out, or for an entire summer With the
possible exception of New York, Boston is the
greatest yachting rendezvous of this country,
having nearly as many yachts as the first
named place, and supporting q dozen or 80
clubs. Her boats are not so large as those OF
New York, but are as fast if not q bit faster,
taken on the average, and are as costly in pro-
portion. Several millions of dollars are in
vested in yachts in Boston harbor and vicinity,
and each year the amount is increased in pro-
portion as the miniature vessels multiply. The
list includes crafts ranging in length from tif-
teen feet to nearly $50 feet, and in style from
cat rig to steam yacht The Dreadnaugbt,
probably, is the most valuable yacht IN these
waters, although the finely constructed schoon-
er Giiana comes quite close to her in cost
Both are owned by Boston millionaires, the
former by Mr.. A W. Nickerson, and the lat
ter by Mr.. William Weld. The Dreadnaught
measures a few inches over 100 feet in length,
has a twenty-four-foot tiyeinch beam, and in
full sailing condition is worth . round $780,
600. The Gitana is only 100 feet IN length,
butts undoubtedly the staunohest and best
built boat to be found hereabouts. Money
was not spared by the owner in
building and fitting her out. and
she has cost him probably $4,000.
Next come three yachts which together are
worth about $4,000, or $50, 900 apiece.
These are the Vidette, Fortuna and Ben But
ler's famous yacht America. The owners of
these magnificent boats own several million
dollars each, and can afford to indulge in such
Injuries. The Vidette is a steam yacht 1913
feet 4 inches long, with only an 1S-foot beam,
is quite fast, and belongs to Mr.. W. r. Bliss, of
the Boston d Albany railroad The Fortuna
is owned by Commodore H.. S. Hovey, and is
newly built. Among the $780, OO-yachts
might be named the Tarolinta and the Barra-
coda. The Tarolinta is one of tho handsomest
and triinmest crafts in the entire feet, and is
lo5 feet 6 inches long. She was built in
ISIS at Newburg, N. Y. and in 1882 was
thoroughly overhauled at great cost. She has
ten staterooms, fitted up gorgeously, and is
very fast, being able to do sixteen miles an
hour. Until quite recently she was owned by
Mr.. Bliss, but has been sold to Boston pilots.
The Barracuda is comparatively new, and
belongs to Mr.. Harry Dutton of this
city. She was built in Rhode Island
IN 1850, and has very powerful machinery.
She Is but ~ feet long, however, and is
schooner rugged. The schooner Fleur-de-Lis
and Adrienne are the best of the $4,000
yachta. The former is remarkably swift, and
was built on a fino model by Van Deursen of
New York. She is SA feet long and spreads
1000 feet of canvas. She is noted for being
able to stand up under heavy wind, holding
full sail, when the other boats have to double
reef. She is quite roomy and sumptuously
furnished. To Illustrate how money is
spent upon these yachts, it may be stated
that every piece of the table service of the
tleur-de-Lis is hand painted with a yachting
scene, no two being alike, The table linen
aud other furnishings arc beautifully cmbroi-
derod, white the stationery bears hand-painted
crests. The Adrienne is also $. fast boat, and
is owned by Mr.. Edward Harding, who has just
purchased her. There are a large number of
$4,000 yachts, the most noted being the Letha.
Vision, Marion D., Wivern and Vanitas, all
good staunch crafts.
COMMODORE BEN.
One of the j~olliest yachting parties now afloat
is on board Ben Buffers boat America. The
hero of Tewksbury has made n break for purer
air than that which blows across the almshouse
field TO the State house, and with a number Of
conSenlal spirits is cruising in his ''yot' along
the coast il the direction of Maine The COM
modore is quite as much at home with the helm
OF the America in his hand as with the helm Of
Safe, and is a little more successful in It's man
agement, if anything. 1t has been remarked
that it is a study for a painter when Ben stands
at the stern. wheel in hand in q sailors atti-
tude, his corpulent form in garb of blue, the
gentle zephyrs toying with his scan,y, IRON
gray locks, and his celebrated weather eve
cooked seward. Benjamin has a happy time
on his Yachting cruises, forgetting even his
presidential aspirations in the enjoyment of the
occasion. When one Ct his guests inquires:
what are the wild waves saying, Benny % it
is alleged that his reply is: 'Have a drink"
and forthwith both adjourn and "seek the
s%eclnsion that the cabin grants" and
imbibo TO the health of 'his sisters
Ben, 50 they say, sis just hi en- cocktails"
and can walk way round the best barkeeper in
the land in mixing them, But the 'old man."
as he is a1ectionately called at the State house,
has a yacht in the America well worth being
proud OF. She is the fastest boat of her size
and rig in the world, having won first prizes in
contests in home and foreign waters. The his
tory of the America is a most interesting one.
She was built in the fall and winter of 1919 in
New York by the well-known naval architect,
MIR. George Steers. and was launched in the
spring OF 1850. Her Dimensions then we're as
follows: Length over all, 100 feet; on water
line, 80 feet 4 inches: beam, % feet 6 inches;
draught, IL feet Z inches. In SOL the Amer
lea maze a trip across the Atlantic, and in Au-
gust Of that year won the Queens Cup at
Cowes. Shortly afterward she raced with the
English schooner 1itania, then the fastest
yacht IN British waters, for a purse of 81, 900,
and beat her. She was then sold to an English
nobleman, and her rig changed. This uu-
doubleday reduced her speed. a1d she did but
little in the racing lire for several sea-
sons. She was laid up for two or three years,
and i'll 1860 was purchased by a cele brated
Thames boat builder for a comparatively small
sum-. He replanked and retimbered her with
teak wood, but did not alter her model. In
1861 a confederate agent in London, looking
after fast vessels TO run the blockade of South
ern ports, bought her and sent her to Nassau,
near Providence, There she was thoroughly
fitted ont for q blockade runner, and made
fonr successful trips with valuable cargoes.
On her MIN 'f1p she was chased by n FEDERAL
guuboat and run into 4 bayor on the st Johns
river, Florida, where the rebels, finding that
they could not esca pc, scuttled her. She re-
manned under water four months, when she
was raised by the United States government
and taken 10 Key West, where she was
thoroughly reftted and used as a tender to the
Atlantic squadron. AT the close of the war
she was taken to Newport by Com. Porter, a
new set OF spars were put into her, she received
a new set of sails and new rigging, and her
bottom was shca,hed With yellow metal. She
was then entered for a race from Staten Island