Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-01-06

Il
won, but by barely minutes. The third
| race fell to the visitor, the Columbia hsv-
| ing been disabled. The Ssppho sailed the
next two races and was an easy winner in
both, outssiling the Englishman by about
half au hour over each course. This decided
the fate of the cup. at continued to re-
main" and for five years thereafter no
challenges were received. Commodore
Clifford Of the Royal Canadian
Yacht club possessed himself, In 1876.
with the idea that his schooner, the Coun-
tess of DuHerin, was lively enough to
compel the trophy to make an excursion
to Toronto, but the fstes ruled otherwise.
The New York Yacht club agreeing to have
the test, best two out of three races to de-
eide, and to name but one yacht to contest,
which practice has since then prevailed.
The Madeline, Commodore John S. Dick
erson, had the honor this time of defend
ing the cup, and che gsllantly attended to
the chore, with ease snd despatch, for on
August IL, over the inside course, she beat
the Countess II minutes, and next day on
the ocean course she left the royal dame
81 minutes, II seconds behind her st the
fnish. The America happened around on
the day of the second race, and she, too,
beat the Countess. and had eight minutes
to spare. In 1882 another Canadian organ
izstion, the Bay OF Qainte Yacht club. chsl-
the sloop Atslsnts. The sloop Mischief
met the Canadian and beat her shsmefully
In two races, November 9 and 10.
During the long interim between the
year 1871, when Mr.. Asbury's schooner
Cambria came across the ocean to race and
1885, when challenges were received from
both Sir Richard Sutton, owner of the
Genests, and Lieutenant Hem of the Gal
stes, English yschtsmen had been giving
their whole attention to the improvement
of the cutter, the result being the develop
ment of the two above named craft and
later the Thistle, which seems still to have
been the perfect elimination of the Eng
lish idea" While all this was going on in
England, yschtsmen here were improving
the American type of centerbosrd craft,
paying attention mostly TO the large
schooner class: so that when In 1885 these
challenges from the cutters came. our only
reasonable hope was 10 build especially
for the race, for until this time chal-
lenges had come for craft cf such type
and dimensions that we could match
readily from long list of flyers
with small chance Of losing a race
1t was then that a noble spirit of enthu-
sissm and patriotic generosity wss made
manifest, and to meet this new 81 foot cut
ter Genesta, the Priscills, an iron vessel of
S5-feet, was built by the flag officers of the
New York Yacht club and the Puritan, so
feet, by syndicate of Boston gentlemen,
the designers bsipg respectively A. Cary
Smith and the late Edward Burgess The
trial races decided thst the Puritan should
sail against the Genesta. On Monday, Sep
tember IA, over the club course, the event,
which proved among the graudest ever
known, took plsce the Puritan winning by
16 minutes, 10 seconds. On Wednesday,
September 16, in a strong lor'western
they met egsin, sailing course twenty
miles 10 lesward ard return from Scotland
light vessel The first half of the course
| that to leewsrd-showed u slight advantage
for the Genests, but when they turned to
| wind ward the Boston craft demonstrated
there and then the superiority of the
centerbosrd idea. which has ever
since been maintained. This race turned
out to b. even more exciting than the one
sailed two days bsfore. The time between
the yachts in this race Was very closs, and
as the reports were that the Galates, which
came in 1886, was faster than the Genests,
it was advisable, indeed necessary, that
something faster than the Puritan be
| built. Then it was that General Charles
]. Paine, the invincible, came forward,
| the hero of the exigsncy, and from de-
| signs of Edward Burgess, built the May
| flower. Several members of the Atlantic
| Yscht club of Brooklyn formed q syndi
cate and buiit the yacht Atlantic, hut she
| did not prove lively enough during the
| trial races with the Msyfiower and Puri-
| tan, while the May flower did show to be
| IN improved Puritan. and 50 was chosen q
| cup defender, and she handsomely per
FORMED her task, taking the first race Qn-
side course) by 10 minutes 2 seconds, and
the second race (outsid-) by 90 minutes 9
seconds. These races were sailed Septem-
ber and IL, 1856
Soon after the May flower Gslstss contest
a challenge from the Roysl Clyde Yacht
| club was received, and Mr.. James Bell and
| his Scotch cutter Thistle became candi-
dates for the honor of "a try" at getting
the much coveted trophy. Time has GER
tainly proved that Ge Ieral Psine's anxiety
| was not unfounded r'gsrd:nS the Thistle,
he feeling that something even smarter
than tn. Msyhower should be built. When
General tstne thinks a thing ought to be
| done, he does IL. cad at once. Thus was
the grsndest inspiration of Edward Bur
gess' great genius made tangible. The
Volunteer was built. The Thistle, the
| very acme of perfection of the cutter type,
was badly defeated In two splendid contests.
Over the inside course the Volunteers
time was 10 minutes % seconds better than
the Thistle's, while on the outside, it was
IL minutes 4S seconds. 1t seemed at
the time, and it seems so vet, that the
two yachts that sailed this last race
were in their respective classes well nigh
the very pink of perfection, and 1t lie hard
to imagine where improvement can be
made. Yet a challenge has, In truth,
come, and America is called on to produce
something to meet a cutter of eighty Eve
feet water line. As was said upon another
important occasion, ''it Is q condition that
confronts u.s." and the question is. How
shall 1t be meii 1t Is just this ths. the
American lovers of the MODEST sport
known to man, are busy thinking about
earnestly. to be sure. not fsaTiDgly and in
no way doubling that the same grand
spirit of patriotism still exists and ever
will msinIain, and, as Arrays before, d
worthy and winning compsiitOr will NEE;
the challenger, end she we'l-High wor
shipped trophy, the America cop, around
which cluster memories grand for the vic
tories won and tender for the men ths
made the victories possible, shsll reInail
with ia, the mementO OF American yacht
ing supremacy.
JAMES GALLAGHER, in.