Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-09-07
DEFENDER LEADS.
The American Yacht True to
Her Name.
WINNING OVER THE BRITON.

The Eoats Geti Away at 1920 and the
Contest il a slow Que With Outlook of
the Cup staying on the American Shore
SIM on the Sea.
NEW YORK, Sept. THE contest
for the American cup started at
1920 with the Defender 5 seconds
behind. At l:S3 p. m. the Defender
led by quarter Of a mile. The De-
fender turned on the home stretch
at $3.50, the Valkyrie following at
3:43. At 4:36 the Defender appeared
to be leading the English vessel
about mile.
The Course and the Racers.
The course was 15 miles to wind
ward from Sandy Hook and return.
Defender was fresh from the dry
dock, with clean hull and new
spars. Capt. Frank Half and his all
American crew were regarded as
fully equal to the crew that sailed
Vigilant when she defeated Valkyrie
ii. two years ago. The rival crews
constituted as hardy, good-looking
and nimblc a lot OF sailors as ever
walked the deck Of a ship. The
English tar5 were, with n few excep-
,ions, the same who came here in
1895 on Valkyrie II. To man they
came from Wivenhoe, on the English
coast. the fame OF whose sailormen
is widely known throughout Eng
land. The Defenders crew came
from Deer Island, on the Maine coast.
and are 20 in number. They had
been thoroughly trained and were
looked upon as fine lot Of men.
TIE rival helmsmen of the two boats
were men of international fame,
Capt. Half having participated in all
the late cup races. and Capt. Can
field in the Vigilant-Valkyrie con-
tests. While the former holds un-
disputed the first place in sailing of
all our crack shippers. the latter di-
vides honors with Capt. Carter, of
Brittania fame. Both men are cool
in an emergency. ripe in judgment
and masterful in the handling of a
boat in trying times. The English
captain. by reason of his vast exper-
ience, would probably be considered
as the best alI-round man.
1t is now generally understood
that 100000 is the figure that the
Herrcshofrs were to receive for the
designing of the Defender and the
hull in the event of success and $685.
900 win or lose. The four sets of
sails footed up $4,000, and the
wages, keep and clothing OF the crew
at least $4,000. Cost of all the
spars $4,000 and that of docking
and towing $1,000. The tender of
the boat will be in commission about
140 days and her cost is $50 day.
There is the expense of charteriug
and fitting out Colonia and train
ing ship for Defenders crew, which
is estimated at Sl5, 900. Add to this
the cost of extras not contemplated
in the original contract. the replac-
ing OF some sails made useless by
change in the rigging and the bon
uses TO the crew, who receive So eX-
ira for each race won, and $3.50 ex-
ira win or lose, with special compeu-
sation for the international races.
and it will be found that for the
honor of defending the cup the trio
OF sportsmen. Oliver Iselin, W. X.
Vanderbilt and Edwin ID. Morgan,
will have paid nearly s220,000. Two
OF the finest deep water, four masted
clipper ships that ever came into
the New York harbor could be built
for the price Of this 90-footer which
was constructed by these gentlemen
solely that this country might have
a worthy boat to pit against the
Englishman.