Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1899-07-05

| ilahN W ~ bAaAONtitL the SuDeTlatiSe fuai-
tiles in the Deer lslesailormen. Capt. Geo.
Conant Is son Of Deer Isle to the manner
| born. He could have been member of
the crew of the new defender this year if
he had wanted to, and that informal ion
doesn't come from him. either.
The fact OF the matter is, and it may be
said right here, that Deer Isle is a bit lis
gruntled about the cup defence this year
that is, the old-time Deer Islanders are.
They don't like Capt. Barr, the man no
is to sail the "Coiumbia". IT'S not Capt.
Barr's fault nor is it anything to his dis
credit; but lis his misfortune that he
was not born an American. He's loyal
American now and has been these many
years; in fact, ever since he saw the ms
take he made n not being born in Amer
lea; but the fact is tie was not born an
American, and that IS an unforgivable
offence in the eyes Of Deer Isle saiormen.
They say Barr's all right; Barr's a decent
fellow; Bars able; Bars as capable a
man as ever held tiller, but
You see, the Deer Islanders are not I'M
fair. They don't attempt to depreciate
the merits OF Capt Barr. But they can't
| get over the fact that he wasn't born an
American. Perhaps the story OF the way
! defender crews came to be chosen from
! Deer Islanders may have sonnet hing to do
with that, and that brings us back to
Capt. George Conant, the second mate in
four defending yachts.
ut came about like this said Capt
George. "Thirteen years ago when | was
second mate OF The 'Mayfiower' when we
licked the 'Gslatea', Capt. Hank Half he
said: This beatin' the Britisher is all
right, George, but ! amt satisfied says
he. Here these races are for the Amer
ica's' cup. They re sailed in American
boats, built Of American material, by
American workingmen and sailed by
American masters, n by thunderation
they ought t be manned by an American
crew. Amt that SOP M he said
You're right, Cap'n Hank
"You see up to that time, while the cap
tain and the officers of the defending
yachts were always Americans, the
crews were usually Swedes or Nor
wegians. They always used to
think that SWedes and Norwegians
We're the better sailormen. And Cap.
Hank, he said; George, is there any
reason why we could't have an all-Amer-
lean crew.? He said: There amt, Capt.
Hank, and he says: Couldn't we get a
full crew OF Deer Isers?' and says: we
could, Capt. Hank and he says: Let's do
it, | says we can, and that's how it
happened. Capt. Hank he made up his
mind that he'd rather land the fish
straight after that, or il he lost he'd lose
hook, line and sinker, the hull business"
1t was in 1893 hat Capt. Hank Half had
his way, and when he came to select the
crew for his next cup defender he sent to
Deer Isle, and out OF 900 sailormen avail
able and anxious to go on the yacht the
thirty-three necessary ones were chosen.
Conant, the second mate, shipped most
OF the crew. From then to now the
America $ cup has been defended by an
all American boat manned by an all
American crew. No Swede or Norwegian
nor any person OF any other nationality,
has ever had place aboard.
Let it be understood right here that the
saiIormen who have the good fortune to
be in the crew of the American cup de-
fender are not ordinary sailormen even OF
the ordinary Deer Isle brand. These
crews include men who have been cap
tains OF vessels and mates of vessels. Many
a captain OF good big coaster has given
up his ship in order to make certain, so
far as he was concerned, that the Amer
ica's cup should be properly defended
When captain Of a ship will consent to
become just plain salorman even tenn
porariIy, you can understand just the
quality of the patriotism that mbues the
Deer ls.er. Each individual man there
believes that the cup is in his personal
keeping, and that he alone is responsible
for it and will be blamed il it is lost.
Every time a crew for defending
yacht is wanted, the owner or the syndi-
cate that owns the yacht sends 10 Deer
Isle to one or two men who know every
man on it and who are capable judges of
men and know personally the qualifi-
cations OF every man on the island. These
men let it be known that crew is wanted
and then Deer Isle stands up as one man
and says Take me-"
The men who are to do the selecting
wait and watch. They don't tell anyone
what is on their minds. They know
from the first about whom they want, but
before they determine finally they ex-
anime each one, tiguratively speaking,
with microscope, and then they study
all the Others to see il perhaps there is
not lurking in some one of them quality
that, properly developed, will make its
owner better than the other man who is
good enough AS stated before, the
desire to be in the crew Of the defending
boat this year was not SO unanimous as it
has been before, but it was almost So
Patriotism wouldn't down. On the APP
pointed day the whole crowd gathers at
one place and the selection is made. That
there are 900 or 1000 disappointed men
mn diffaranna 10