The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-04
FAMOUS OLD AMERICAS CUP.
1t Was Brought to This Country In
1851.

1t is forty-eight years since the
schooner America crossed the Atlantic
for the aVoWed purpose of entering the
open races at Cowes. The British yachts
men called her the American pilot
boat and one of the leading English
dailtes drew a caricature of her, in which
she was represented with torn sails being
towed TO the goal. That was before she
sailed. But when she had stretched her
sails opinion changed
The result of that contest is known
to all. The America won a sweeping
victory and came back with the trophy
For nearly half a century the cup, won
by white-sailed America, has remained
on these shores. There have been many
attempts to win it back, the challenger
having come often but all efforts have
been unsuccessful.
The cup was established almost by ac-
cident 1t belonged to the Royal Yacht
club, not to Queen Victoria, as has been
enormously stated, and was to be given
to the best yacht sailed in the open fleet
at Cowes.
1t was 1850, the year Of London's worlds
fair, and the yacht race was to be a
feature of the English exposition. Some
one suggested that it might be a good
thing if an American yacht could be in
vited to compete: so an invitation was
extended to the New York club to send
over yacht. No Importance was at
tached to it.
But the American yachtsmen were de-
lighted at the honor. knowing the merit
of home ship builders they gave the COM
mission to Mr. Steers, a noted builder
and designer. The result was a schooner
that eclipsed all previously constructed
ones, and in July 1851, the America
crossed to Havre, thence to Cowes, for
the contest
The result was startling. AS soon as
she was placed in English waters she
began showing her heels to the other
boats and it was soon decided that. in
order to keep the cup that had been
offered for the swiftest yacht. the
course must again be declared open to
all. Yachts were summoned from
everywhere. Many boats entered but
the America few away from all.
How little Importance was attached to
this race, however, may be gathered from
the fact that as soon as it was over the
America sold, and Commodore
Stevens, the principal owner, returned to
his home in New York bringing the cup
as his personal property Many years
after, when 1t had become an important
trophy, the Stevens family presented il
to the New York Yacht club for public
contests.
To the little Magic belonged the honor
of being the first cup defender. After
the great victory won by America the
yachtsmen of England grew disheartened
and hesitated about challenging for the
cup But in 1870 James Ashbury, repre-
senting the Royal Thames Yacht club.
expressed desire to win the cup.
His boat was the Cambria keel craft
of good model. widely different from the
antiquated tubs which the America had
met and defeated twenty years before
N;cri,+ TIL tx,-+
old-fashioned custom of making the race
an open one She met the American
fleet on Aug. 8, 1870. The race was sailed
over the crooked tidal course in New
York bay, and the stranger was badly
defeated.
Not discouraged, Mr.. Ashbury engaged
Ratsey, of Cowes. to build him better
boat. and the following year he chal-
lenged again for the cup This time 1t
was decided to sail several races instead
of one, and to limit the number of Amer
lean boats that could compete.
Mr.. Ashbury was again defeated, this
time by the Columbia, a yacht which
was just off the stocks, a centerboard
schooner of the national type, Sc feet
water line, rs feet beam and only feet
draft, modelled and built by ]. B. Van
Deusen, a builder of some prominence.
In 1876 the centennial year. a challenge
came from an unlooked-for quarter. The
yacht was the Countess of Dufferin,
modelled and built by Alexander Cuthbert,
a Canadian of considerable ability as a
modeler, but whose experience was
wholly in yachts Of the ordinary Amer
lean type The New York Yacht club
selected the schooner Madeline alone to
meet the challenger in every race, and
the Canadian boat lost
Five years later Capt. Cuthbert was
ready to try again for the cup. This
time the challenge came from the Bay
of Quinte Yacht club, of Belleville, Can,
and for the first time in the history of
the cup it was from a single-stick vessel.
But the Mischief defeated her.
Four years elapsed without challenge.
Then In 1885 the owners of the Galatea
challenged for the cup, and syndicate