The morning call., 1893-01-03
RACING AROUND THE WORLD.
I'm This Way Steam Yacht Contests
Could Be Made Interesting.

New York " Grid
Steam yacht races are about the most ex-
asperatng things in all the range of sport
ing possibilities. They are exasperating be-
cause they are arranged so very often and
come OF so very seldom, and because when
they do come off one or the other of the YES
sells is sure TO break down. The reason for
their breaking down. in most cases, is that
the machinery is unable to stand the great
strain to which it is subjected. But it has
been darkly limited by some skeptlcal indi-
vduals that the owner, sooner than have
his pet yacht defeated, will go so far as to
prick hole in the boiler, destroy the
fasteDings OF the shafts, blow out pipe or
two, or otherwise incapaciiate her for the
race. Steam-yacht owners seem to be even
more sensitive than champion scullers who.
fearing defeat. knock the bottom out Of
their sfsslls under cover of darkness, after
which they exhibit great surprise and an
noyance
The uncertainty about steam yacht or
launch racing was very we'll illustrated a
short time since by the match between the
Norwood and Vamoose. There was more
arranging and less racing to the square inch
in this matter than has occurred In any
proposed sporting event OF recent years,
not excepting numerous embryo prize
fights. The difficulty is simply this. In q
short-iistance race everything depends abb
solutely and entirely on the speed Of the
vessel. III the engines OF one are little
more powerful than those of the other and
the other conditions are about equal, there
can be no doubt whatever. unless an acct
dent happens as to which vessel Will win.
The yaeht-0wners know this and that Is
why they are so wary about racing. Each
one knows that IL the other fellows
il is all over with him. There is no QueS-
ton OF the finer and more practical points
Of navigation and so steam yacht races are
iDfrequent and Hnattractive.
But il need not be SO with steam yacht
races around the world. Here the mere
question OF engines and steam pressure
would be superseded by the more interest
ing ones OF coalng stations, geographical
routes, International pilots, economy of
power and other things which could not fail
to add to the excitement which any kind OF
a race always arouSes. There has never yet
been steam yacht race around the world.
That is because possibly no one until now
has given the matter serious consideration.
But the thing is quite feasible. Superin-
tendent Neil Olsen of the New York Yacht
Club has studied the matter up and he
says:
''There is no steam yacht now in existence
which can speed around the earth. Dir.
Vanderbilt's new steam yacht which is be-
ing built in England will be the nearest APP
proaeh TO such vessel. The main difficulty
with the present steam yachts is their lack
OF coal-carrying capacity. Even in crossing
the Atlantic the biggest of them have 10
load heir decks with fuel and then put in at
the Azores and coal up. A fast steam yacht
can make 275 miles day under hard press
ure. This pressure could not be kept up
long enough to complete a trip around the
world. The engines are much too light and
hgh-strung. Even Mr.. Vandernit's new
yacht. which has coal capacity for two
- a IA g., H.
taking such trip.
But if the requirements of the conditions
for race around tile earth were fulfilled
which. OF course. is quite possible, the race
would prove more interesting than the or
binary short distance steam yacht race
which never comes off. i think that. as a
rule, when steam yachts start out in the
same direction on a race the one that Is
ahead at the end of the first day will be
ahead at the hundredth day barring acct
dent. But in this case. barring the acct
dents is where the skill would come In. 1t
would require careful handling of the ma
chinery and thorough geographical knowl-
edge.
1.-THE course from New York to New York
could be comprised within a zone extending
from the equator to the fOrtieth parallel of
north latitude; that is, after the Nicaragua
canal is completed. From New York east
ward it would lie TO the entrance of the
phcoiuE tuO hE'lros
through the Suez canal, down the Red Sea,
round by Cape Commerin 10 Singapore !;
thence across TO Central America, taking
proper advantage of The Pacific drift cur
rents.
THE interest In such race would be in
creased by starting the yachts in opposite
directions. Then neither could tell where
the other was at. so to speak. and there
would be plenty of opportunity for the
world at large to speculate as to which yes
sci won'd first get around and reach the
point of departurep