The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-04
Some of the Figures.


regard to crack racing yachts
are a long way short of the real
thing. Take the matter of sail surface,
for instance-the man who is not IA
miliar with yachting does not imagine
how great that surface is. Writing for
McClure's Magazine, Mr.. Ray S. Baker
losses of figures that are sufficiently
surprising. Describing the Columbia,
he mentions the fact that it's water line
is ninety feet yet the steel boom which
stretches the foot of the Columbia's
mainsail is nearly ITO feet long, and
when that boom is drawn in until it is
nearly parallel with the length of the
boat, its tip extends far out over the
water to the rear Of the yacht
1t has been calculated, so writes Mr..
Baker, that this piece of canvas would
| have furnished all the sails of the old
America. with abundance of canvas to
spare. The entire stretch of the Co.
lumbia's sails is about fifteen thousand
square feet, or more than one-third of
an acre-enough to supply a complete
suit of canvas for a full-rigged ship.
This canvas capacity, in turn, means
a mast much taller than the average
| landsman would deem to be within
reason. In the case of the Columbia,
| the mast is a great steel tube. Above it
| rises the topmast, sixty-four feet long,
| and above that the club-topsail pole;
| 80 that the highest tip of the yacht is
| It's feet above the water''--that is to
say thirty-five feet too high to pass
under the Brooklyn bridge and forty
four feet more than the length of the
yacht.
In fact, everything that relates to
yacht racing is measured in large fig
ures. Mr.. Bakers testimony is that
the Defender, firsthand, cost a hun
dred thousand dollars, and that the Co.
lumbia came a good deal higher: a sub
stantial merchant vessel of the same
length of water line and st-class in
every respect, is built and rugged for
about twelve thousand dollars. These
figures say nothing of the princely
sums spent in keeping up a crack yacht
the Shamrock, for instance, has a
steam tender, the Erin, that cost $780,
600. And the fact remains that, having
made a race for better or for worse, the
racing yacht loses a large percentage
of it's value. The Vigilant cost 500, 900,
and after it's defeat of Valkyrie II. was
sold to George Gould for $1,000
BY the way, the paragraph relating
to the old America, winner nearly half
a century ago of the challenge cup, in
the magazine article we have mention
ed is Of passing interest. Mr.. Baker
| says: 1.-THE America, although rebuilt
still possesses the racing blood which
made her famous She has had a most
remarkable history. After her famous
race around the Isle of Wight, she at
tracted such wide interest among the
British yachtsmen that she was pur-
chased by Lord de Blaqulre, and raced
in English waters with much succ ass.
During the civil war she was employed
as dispatch boat and blockade run
service for which her swiftness emil
nently fitted her. She was sunk 70.
some time in ST. Johns river, being at
| terward raised and refitted by the fed.
eral government, man-o'-war fashion
as a practice vessel for the cadets OF
beat the Puritan in a lively sailing race
in the schooner class, and she stands
out to-day as she did in 1851, as q
splendid example of American ship
| huildinp'