Evening star., 1898-09-10

fact that the America finished third indi-
Gates how slight was the advance We had
made In yacht building ia all the years
that had elapsed since the cup journeyed
here.
Mr.. Ashbury, on his return to England.
at once began the building of a new boat.
the Livonia. This marked an epoch in the
international contest, for up to this time
race for the cup.
The terms governing the second copte st
In American waters were decidedly in favor
of the cup defender, for while it was
agreed that the Livonia should meet but
one boat, the New York Yacht Cluh stiDu-
lated that it should have the privilege of
selecting that boat on the day of the race
The injustice of this lay in the fact that a
boat could be picked which had shown ex-
ceptional ability in the sort of weather that
prevailed on the day of the race AS four
races were to be sailed, the result OF this
rather shrewd arrangement was that the
Livonia was liable to have to race a diff
ferent yacht each day. The first of the
four races was sailed August Is 1871 1t
was won by the Columbia In the second
race of the series she again walked off
with the honors. IN the third however
she met with an accident and the Livonia
won. The Sappho was now put up as the
defender and took two races from the En-
glishmen. which proved that We had good
boats TO spare on this side.
W hile this contest was a matter of oon
siderable interest to many, it created moth
ing like the intense excitement and entb,,-
siasm that all classes and. all sections. both
mere ana in England, feel now II had not
yet come to be regarded as an international
event.
When the Canadians Tried.
Following the defeat of the I,voni, .har.
was a lapse of five years, and then tb. ~
madam schooner Countess of Dufferin cba1-
tensed for the trophy. The glory of the
American yacht was entrusted to the Mod
eleine to defend. There were two races
ard the Countess of Dufferin returned to
Canada without the cup.
There was an interval of five vears
more and then Canada made a second ar
tempt for the cup. The challenger was the
cehterpoaTd sloop AtalaHta. We now
abandoned the schooner type which had
stood US in such good stead in the mast
ana put forward the single sticker'' Mis-
e!iiel. Gn Two races we're sailed-the first
november the 9th and the second on the
luth. In beth the Mischief won easily
-Four years later in 1885, the Roval Yacht
squadron and the Royal Northern Yacht
Club challenged, with the Genesta and Cal
atea, cutters of the eighty-five-foo class.
Several diffeIe arrangements were CON
Sloered, but the matter was settled by a
FORMAL agreement that the Genesta should
race 1or the cup in 1855. In the event of
her failure to win it. the Galatea was 10
come across with this end in view in 1886
James Gordon Bennett and W. P Douglass
commissioned Harlan & Holingworth to
construct a boat after designs furnished by
A. Cary Smith. At the same time a Ros-
ION syndicate, composed of General c. j.
Paine, EDWARD Burgess and j. NJ Forbes
instructed Sawley, the Boston builder to
put up an eighty-one-foot single sticker."
the Puritan. The final choice of the New
York Yacht Clubs committee was the lat
ter boat, her superiority having been de-
cided whoa the two soops met to complete
for the Goelet cup.
The Great 1855 Event
The great race was sailed in September
Of 1885, and the cup still remained on this
side of the Atlantic. The following wear
the Galatea met the Mayfower with no
better luck.
Scotch syndicate now took a hand in
the game 1t sent the Thistle over in 1881
To meet her General Paine built the steel
cutter Volunteer. This race lasted the
British sportsmen for five years. They had
failed during thr"e successive years and
they were satisfied.
The sport instead was only lying fallow
however, for in 1889 the Earl of Dunraven
challenged with the Valkyrie, to be beaten
by the Nigilant in three races, sailed Oc-
tober Z, ., and 13. But Lord Dunraven was
not discouraged, and in 1898 he reappeared
on the scene with the .VaIkyrie III to race
the Defender. This contest fluke and
iizzie, and for time it seemed that the
cup would reDose unsOught in the custody
of the New York Yacht Club but the
friendly struggle has received fresh life at
the hands of Sir Thomas Upton, and
eyes fixed on 1889.
VAUGHAN KESTER