The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-08
Upton AND HIS LUCK.
THE CHALLENGER REVIEWS HIS
EARLY SUCCESSES HERE.
Mothers Rocking Chair-Presents
Which He Carried Home on His
First Return to EnEIand-His Love
for the boat He Has Brought over.

Which He Carried Home on His
First Return to EnEIand-HiS Love
for the Boat He Has Brought over.
Ainslee's Magazine for October contains
several interesting articles about Sir
Thomas J. Upton, challenger for the
Americas cup. The following are related
as extracts from conversation with him:
I'm speaking of your American yacht.
the Columbia" said Sir Thomas, Il say
she is great yacht. She couldn't be 9TH
erwise coming from such designer as
Herreshof. There Is no greater or more
successful designer alive than HerreshOf.
He Is a great man, and America is prop
erly proud OF him Now, II I, with the
Shamrock, can win the cup which is de-
Tended by a yacht designed by Herreshoff
well, we'll / shall ask no more. 1 shall
be a happy man"
And if you don't bring the cup back
will you be utterly disconsolate?"
Not exactly that; no! I shall have en-
gagged in the biggest yacht race of the
time, and ! shall know something that |
don't know now.
why, you don't know the Shamrock!
And she was designed by Fife DO you
know what that means? 1t means that
she ought to win, She must get that
America 5 cupl Why see here. your peo-
pie have had it these many years, and it's
getting monotonous. Naturally its de-
tenders want 20 keep it there, but if we
could get il back to England 1t would
make future contests very much more ex-
citing ana give such a fresh impetus to
yacht racing the world over as would rev.
olutionize the business of yacht building.
Great IS the Clyde now, but greater still
VIII it be when it has TO turn out yachts
every year each ono better than its prede-
cessors. for the purpose Of keeping the
Americas cup in British waters.
BOyish YGchtsman.
"And talking about the Clyde" contin-
ued Sir Thomas. reminds me how l used
10 love the Clyde when 1 was a boy. 1
didn't think then that l would ever have
yacht built there and sail her over to
America to bring back a cup. But was a
yachtsman, even in those cd days! l used
to sail small craft, not bigger than my
hand, along the Ciyde-craft made of cork
and sticks or anything that would float
on the wafer. l was a poor boy, you know
very poor indeed and / hadn't much
time for pleasures. | used TO earn some
thing as an errand boy in a stationer's
shop, and I'd save penny at a time till
I'd get a shilling, and then I'd take an
hour off sometimes and get a shilling sail
on one of the boais. My ambition in those
days was to be ship captain"
"They say you ran away from home to
sea when you were a boy, Sir Thomas
Yes, went away to sea when l was Is.
That was now l first got to America. Very
different from this going over was that
time! My people were poor, as l told you,
and l thought it all over and decided as
there was really not much chance for me
in Glasgow. Ia go to the land of gold
America There were the old folks to be
thought of and cared for, but they didn't
approve of my gong away / quietly made
up my mind l could do better for them
in America than in Scotland, so l slipped
off TO America 10 make my fortune And
what do YOU suppose was the fortune
aspired to? A barrel OF American -four and
an American rocking chair for my mother,
Two years fater ] went back to Glasgow
with the barrel of flour and The rocking
chair fixed on the outside of a wagon
where the neighbors would see themi [
was proud lad when my mother sat in
that chair and told me IL was comfortable!
Won with American Money.
81 returned again 10 America, and again.
and on the third return to Scotland took
800 with me and started a little shop. But
YOU know the rest, don't you? The busi-
>
talk about that
Sir Thomas was asked about "Lipton's
luck
"Liptons luck. Lipton's luck" he solilo-
quized, half 20 himself There ought to
be something in it, surely, for il has stood
me in good stead these many years. I have
tried to make The Shamrock the best boa
atloat l have spent four times as much
money on her as ever spent on boat
sent over after the cup. | have manned
her with the pick of British seemen, com
manded by the pick Of British shippers.
have tried to take everything into consid-
eralion-the weight she needs for crossing
the Atlantic. the lightness she'll need when
she gets oy,r there. the kind of cloth that
was best for her sails. l had it especially
manufactured"
This cloth, then, for instance, YOU
think will be superior to that used on the
Columbias sails?' I asked.
Tribute to Yankees.
81 didn't say So" Sir Thomas laughed,
shaking his head Il wouldn't presume 10
say that | believed l had got hold of some
cotton goods superior to what the Ameri-
cans would find for their Columbial Trust
them to get the best of everything, and 10
spare neither trouble nor expense! / have
known with whom I had to compete. It's
to bel case of Greek meeting Greek. so
look out for the tug of war; and what I
fail him this time il viii be because the
Yankee luck deserve TO continue. The
best boat will win-of that l am conf
dent.
Il know America and Americans so well.
/ probably know the country and the 1eo-
pie better than many Americans, for /
have travelled from one end of the land to
the other Lipton's luck first started for
me- you know, in America As l tod you.
on my first visit to this country over thir-
~ years ago I didn't put no at the Waldorf
or any place like that. The little lodging
house I patronized stin stands, and when
am in New York | often go down and
have a look at il. l am not much on an
cent ruins and things Of that sort, but l
like to think over the old times and the
old happenings connected with that little
lodging house"
From Poverty to OpuIence.
The conversation with Sir Thomas is fol-
owed by a descriptive article. of when
the following is a part:
"FoTty-three years ago an Irish boy in
Glasgow faced the question of his future