The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-03-26
Jersey City Yachtsmen and
Athletes Are Debating
Consolidation.
IT LOOKS DESIRABLE FOB BOTH.
But There Are Some Objections,
and One Of Them Involves a
Question of Beer.

There is proposition to consolidate the
Jersey City Yacht Club and the Jersey
City Athletic Club.
The Yacht Club is the second oldest in
the United States, the New York Yacht
Club being the only one in existence
which was born before it. It is in pros
porous circumstances and has goodly
membership, and fine feet of yachts
The Athletic Club is one Of the finest or
ganizations in the State and is the pride of
Jersey City. Many of its members are
also members of the Yacht Club, and the
idea of consolidation is by no means new
to them, though it has never before been
broached.
The Yacht Club was Incorporated many
years ago, under special act, as general
club, This authorizes the sale of liquors
ON the premises. On the other hand the
Athletic Club is Incorporated under the
general law known as the BOAT Clubs
Act,' which prohibits the sale of LIQUOR
on the premises
Right here they strike snag.
If the consolidation is effected one club
or the other must lose its corporate limi-
the Athletic Club are bitterly averse to
allowing the sale of liquors on any Of the
clubs premises, while others are as
strongly in favor of it, and would gladly
do any thing that would enable the club
to establish a cafe and buffet.
On the other hand, the members of the
Yacht Club are laying in their stocks of
beer and SO on at the club house before
starting out on a cruise or even for days
sailing They say that they will leave the
club and start a new one if any attempt Is
made to change this state Of affairs. No
one knows how the affair will result.
TRYING TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS.
Last evening there was meeting of the
Athletic Club, and committee was ap-
pointed, composed of President Brincker-
hoff George Young, James M. Tappan,
Samuel E. Mount and A. G. Evans, to con-
on the anvisability and feasibility Of con-
solidation, if the report be favorable to
As for the Yacht Club, the following
notice was mailed this morning to every
member of the clubs
The regular meeting Of the club will be held at
No. IS Montgomery street on Tuesday, April 2, ct
! s O'Clock p.
Your attendance is specially requested. Bust
! To take action on the proposed consolidation
| with the Jersey City Athletic Club.
| 1t is proposed to appoint COMMITTEES at
| this meeting to confer with the Athletic
| Clubs committee, and then viii come the
grand discussion.
AS it is, it would be difficult to find two
clubs more aptly designed for consolida-
| ton. There is scarcely member of the
Yacht Club but has many friends in the
| Athletic Club, and vice versa The Ath-
letic Club gives entertainments all
| through the winter, and the yachtsInen
are glad to go and take their wives and
| sweethearts, while the ladies' days of
| the Yacht Club in the summer are as
eagerly anticipated by the athletes and
| their fair friends.
| SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES.
| Many of the yachtsmen have for long
| time wanted a good gymnasium and this
| they would get at the Athletic Clubhouse.
| They want to bowl too, and the Athletes'
| The clubhouse, at the corner of Crescent
and Clinton avenues, is one of the hand
| soonest buildings in Jersey City.
! At the other end, the situation Of the
| Yacht Clubhouse at old Communipaw is
one that is unsurpassed. The only draw
back to the place is the shallow water,
which prohibits the use of boats of more
! than five feet draft, but for the smaller
/ Yachts. cat boats and the like, it is the
! finest piece of water in the vicinity
of New York. AS for rowing club,
the could be no better place, as no
/ steamers OE large craft 0fCA CpAhr iAlcitiC "
Liberty Island, and straight away course
| of five miles could be laid out for rowing
| The grounds adjacent to the clubhouse are
well adapted for baseball ground, and
| could be laid out at small expense for
| that purpose, as well as for lawn tennis
and the like.
And the sisters of the athletes love
lawn tennis.
1t is proposed, in case the consolidation
| is effected. to put base ball team in the
! field to compete with the Bergen Point
and Staten Island Athletic clubs, tha
Staten Island Cricket Club, and so on,
and as there are many fine players both
among the yachtsmen and the athletes,
there is feeling that the pennant would
! come to Jersey City.
The new organization, if there be one,
will be called the New Jersey Yacht and
Athletic Club and will start out with
about 700 members.