The San Francisco call., 1899-09-10

~ ROM the standpoint of absolute
purity, broad disinteTestedness,
other Sss sport sS Or s sPS5ps 5s sys9
national yacht races scheduled for
October 3, 8, :, 8 and II outside the harbor
Of New York, These races represent ideas
that must appeal even to the most sloth-
ful citizen. They mean almost as much
TO the man who has never seen n sailboat
as TO the enthusiast who talks yachting
all winter and sails all summer,
With these races It Is not simply q test
Of skill and speed between two different
sized yachts, II IS battle of the world
against America. Every man who loves
his country's supremacy will watch the
contest with the keenest interest, for the
success or failure OF the yacht Columbia
viii mean the success or failure of Amer
lean skill over the skill of the world. The
Shamrock. the challenging yacht, comes
not alone as the representative of Great
for, the Americas cup, is open to the
competition Of the whole world. The
German, Russian, French, Dutch and
other yachtsnen are about as keenly con-
cerDed in the outcome as are the British.
Evidence Of this is furnished by the news
cahled recently from the other side to the
effect thai Emperor William of Germany
yacht the Meteor, to aid the skipper of
the Shamrock on the occasion of the in
ternauOnal races.
Almost as strong an attraction as the
patriotism that the yacht races embody is
the fact that in these contests there is alb
solutely no taint of comnercialisn. There
is no idea Of gain, no gambling.
The races viii cost the promoters over
half a million dollars. For this enormous
outlay there is absolutely no return except
the satisfaction Of promoting the general
sport 1t is all outlay and no income.
There is no gate" no purse, no side
bet" no anything. 1t is just sport for
sports sake. On the American side the
cost Of the contest is borne principally by
j. Pierpont Morgan, the great banker and
the commodore Of the New York Yacht
Club. Associated with him are c. Oliver
Iselin and William Butler Duncan. Mr.
lselin IS i member of a millionaire family
and has spent hundreds Of thousands of
dollars for yachting. He ranks as the
managing owner Of the Columbia, and has
full charge of her operations. Mr.. Duncan
inherited his fortune from the estate of A.
7. Stewart, and has spent his income Law
ishly in the pursuit Of yacht racing hon
ors- He is the managing owner of the De-
fender. which defended the international
cup against the Valkyrie Ill The De-
fender has been modernized and fitted to
serve as a pacemaker in the preliminary
trial races arranged to test the Columbia S
speed.
To remodel the Defender. put her in
commission and handle her will cost Mr..
Morgan and Mr.. Duncan and the other
gentlemen who are interested in the ven
ture something in the neighborhood of
$4,000, a pretty fair item for a .'trial
boat" AS matter Of fact, the Defender
is almost as fast as the Columbia herself
and, according to the record made on the
other side by the Shamrock, the pace
maker might safely be trusted 10 no a. me
cup on her own account.
The. cost of the Columbia and her main
tenance until after the last race has been
sailed Will. in round numbers, be about
$50 ,000 according 10 experts on the
subject. To begin with, the boat
cost 10 build about $4,000.
She carries a crew Of
thirty men, all
hIGh-Driced assE#