Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-09-24
For Nearly Fifty Years English
Effort to Recapture 1t Has
Proved Fruitless.
Greater Interest Taken in the
Coming Race Than i'm Any
Former One.
VICTORY WILL HAVE TO BE EARNED

Forty-seven-nearly ffty-years ago,
when Americas yacht cup came into ex-
istence, yacht designing and yacht build
ing were crude. The "rule of thumb
and the jack knife were conspicuous in
the building of models, and the Straight
eye" of the builder was largely relied
upon. Now in the production of great
yachts, intended for speed and pleasure,
the most accurate measurement is need
ed and the materials have become costly
and fine Intelligent artisans work upon
detailed plans, which are drawn upon de-
signing boards, and scientific results are
obtained. On the completion of his draw
ings the designer knows his boat, and can
estimate upon her speed before the keel
is laid.
1t may be news to many--even yachters
to know that Americas cup is of Eng
lish origin. In 1851 the Royal Yacht
squadron Of England gave a cup to be
sailed for. 1t was won by the yacht
America, which belonged to Commodore
Stevens, of the New York Yacht Club.
1t was then called the English cup but
was awarded to the yacht America and
called Americas cup. 1t was the actual
property of Commodore Stevens, and
was taken by him to his home in Ho-
boken.
The schooner which belonged to the
first commodore of the New York Yacht
Club was built from a model by George
Steers in the carly part of 1851. 1t was
a keel boat Her construction was after
the method in vogue those days; the
frames were doubled with heavy ceiling
inside, and were planked outside with
trenails and composition spikes below the
water line, while iron was used above.
The ballast was of iron, cast to fit; her
mast was a very short rig and her main
top mast was very short; the rigging in
the mast was of hemp and the rigstay
was of the same. The rig was high and
narrow and the jib had boom on it.
This boat went abroad and created con-
sternation among the yachtsmen of Eng
land on account of its elegance of shape
and the beauty of its sails. 1t won the
cup, and her builder and owner are re-
membered by yachrsmen to this day.
The cup came to America then and
found home with Commodore Stevens
and for nineteen years it remained there;
but in 1870 the yachtsmen of Great
Britain remembered it and wanted it back.
And the Stevens family decided to allow
contests for it. They challenged for it
and the Cambria, owned by James AS
bury, came over, but the British craft was
defeated. She was constructed in the
orthodox fashion of those days, and her
hull was of wood. She carried four tons
of lead bolted on her keel. She carried
sixty-fve tons of ballast, twenty of which
was of iron. The Cambria was so heav-
lily rugged that her topsails were revela-
ton to Americans. They would stand
stiff in a breeze, and the yacht did we'll
to windward in fresh breeze, but in
moderate wind she could not race with
our boats.
The Magic was the boat which defeated
the Cambria, for the old America had been
laid aside. The Magic was built by David
CARL, of City Island. 1t was sort of COM
posite boat, being the work of many de-
signers. Her owner was Franklin Os-
good, who was a past grand master at
making boat go. She was trimmed for
ward and trimmed aft and experimental
upon until great results for those days
were obtained
James Asbury, of England, again tried
for the cup in 1871, and yachting circles
had great fun with the English craft,
The challenging yacht was the schooner
Livonia, keel boat ballasted with lead
and iron. In all the ballast weighed
nearly seventy-one tons. She was a
steel vessel, but her bow was too short,
and she was beaten. The boat which at
that time defended the cup was the CO.
lumbia. 1t also belonged to Franklin
Osgood. The Columbia was a typical
old style yacht, handsome and comforta-
BILE, but, of course, far outclassed by the
racers of today.
A little later England again challenged
for the American cup, but was defeated.
After FIVE years, or in 1876, there was
another challenge, the challenging yacht
being the Countess of Dufferin. She
was center board built in the double
frame way and fastened with iron. She
was designed at Toronto. The Countess
of Dufferin was not a handsome boat,
but the Canadians believed that they
could win the cup with her, and the
American schooner Madeline was sent
out to meet her. The Madeline was of
the old double frame with heavy ceiling
and planking fastened with spikes and
trenails. This kind of boat could go
very fast down the wind. To windward
however, she was very deficient in COM
parison with the modern boats. But the