Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-06-30
COST OF YACHTING
Big Steam Flyer viii Eat Up $4,000
Z Month.
THE VALIANT COSTS $4,000.
But n Vanderbilt II Her Owner, and
lie II q spender-The Entertaining
That Must Be Done-The best

That Must 10 Done-The Hest
Correspondence Of the DIspatch)
NEW YORK, June 29.-This is the sea
son when great number OF men are
fired with an ambition to become yacht
owners. join swell yacht clubs. and mix
with the gay summer throng OF the white
winged fleet.
But IL these seIf.same men be not
strong OF purse. lusty in bank account
and long-enduring In generosity, they
would better allow this particular ambl-
ton to pause In Its flight. For In yacht
ing nowadays money melts like butter
in the SUM- To benefit the uninitiated.
here are some samples OF what II costs
to run yacht on strictly up-to-date
lines. II any man can go and do like
wise, let him buy a yacht, and he Will
have the rich satisfaction of knowing
that he is right in the middle OF the
swim. for the examples given are all
based on the aquatic doings OF the
wealthlest men OF New York.
Willie X. Vanderbilt. the much-talked
about. easily heads the list as the biggest
spender OF money on yachts in the coun-
try. With an income of 100000 a year,
he possesses certain advantages over the
cheaper millionaires. which II Is difficult
for the latter 10 overcome. Then. again,
he keeps his yacht. the Valiant, in COM
mission almost the entire year. and az
she carries a crew of fifty-two men. and
consumes large quantities OF coal. this
adds considerably to the total.
THE CHEFS DEPARTMENT.
The salary-list of the Valiant per month
amounts to s2,iOo. She burns about thirty
tons Of coal day of twenty-four hours.
but does not average more than $50 tons
per month. This means another thousand
dollars. The greatest expense is that
manipulated by the chef. TO feed the
crew alone the cost IL sI.2oD n month.
But while the guests re fewer In num-
Der than the crew, not averaging more
than five or six at a time, they require
something more fascinating than beef
stew and plum dun for dessert.
Mr.. Vanderbilt Is something OF an cpl
cure. and when only he and his secre-
tary are on the boat an elaborate menu
il prepared by the chef three times q
day, TO say nothing of a late supper and
tions of en- anti-prohlbiton flavor. one
hundred and fifty dollars Il day scarcely
covers the cost OF tho rare foods and
fruits consumed, the wines and liquors
drunk. and the G0-cent cigars smoked By
the quarterback contingent of the Val
liant OF course, when there are
large number Of guests on board. the ex-
pense of entertaining them runs up to
eight hundred or a. thousand dollars
day. But $50 day Is a. fair average
for the month.
The incdentals also come high. The
Valiant and her furnishings represent
! an outlay Of 100000, and the insurance
premium on this sum would make the
| average man faint If he had TO meet IT,
! The breakage on the Valiant IL some
| thing terrific. Although she Is the big
gest American yacht in commission. she
rolls considerable when caught In a half
| gale. and then the cut-glassware and the
| china of rare makes suffer. The laun-
! dry bills Of the crew and the ships linen
, and the incidental repairs necessary to
! keep the yacht at the highest pitch OF
| perfection amount TO SO day. or about
| s. $50 a month The total expense o.
| running the Valiant per month averages
between $1,000 and $1,000, or about $780,
COO year.
~
Commodore Elbrldge T. Gerry is an
other past master in the art of spending
money on yachting. His boat, the Elec-
ira, while not as large or as speedy as
the Valiant. is one of the most luxurious
crafts anoat Counting his wife's for
tune, the Commodore has an income OF
$50, 900, and while it is only one fifth of
the amount that Willie X. Vanderbilt can
spend. 1t is quite a tidy sum. What Is
a
cent of his income, which Is more than
to a certain degree the dominating trait
o. his grandfather and father or In
other words, he adds a certain portion OF
HIS income each year 10 the principal for
tune. though he doesn't allow his great
reputation as a spender to suffer by IL.
Commodore Gerry keeps the Electra in
commission only four months in the
year-June, July. August. and September
She carries a crew of twenty-eight men,
all told. and the salary list amounts to
81 GO a month. Much of the time the
crew wear white suits. and IN conse-
quence the laIndry-bill is terrific. The
Electra's coal costs 500 a month. Feed
ing the crew costs another 500. All Of
these items are regarded however, rs
minor affairs in the expense of running
the yacht.
a PRINCELY ENTERTAINER
The Commodore Is a great entertainer.
All OF New York swelldom and the fash
ionable world OF Newport have been en-
tertained or the Electra at some time or
other. Ana Mr.. Gerry entertains like
prince. He has made a study OF It. and
has reduced IL to an art. Every MEM
Der Of the crew has an allotted task In
the general work Of adding TO the guests
comfort, and the entertaining machinery
OF the yacht moves with the clock-work
regularity OF the engines driving the pro-
peller.
The monthly cost of running the Fec
ira Is $4,000, and three fourths c. TINS
sum is spent on the cuisine OF tn, yacht.
The writer has been a guest on ne boat
when 100 others were invited II New
port for a days sail. At 10 O'CLOCK
IL r,,nnnna cncktailr ware aervsu 10 all