The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-08-17
CONTESTS OF
HALF A CENTURY
Americas Yachting Cup, Brought
Here First in 1851, Has Resisted
Many Attempts at Capture.

/ iisb daflies drew a caricature Of her. IN
which she was represented with torn
s,rs hoinq towed 10 the goal That was
boecre she sailed. But when she had
stretched her sails opinion changed.
Tho result Of that contest is known
\ 10 all. The America Won sweeping
I ,.fc.or,- and came back with the trophy.
I,or nearly half a century the cup. won
( h. urhito- sailed America. has remained
y, ,hese shores There have been
nan, Attempts TO win 30 back. The chat
/ Isr,,cr. having come often, but an efforts
/ have been unsuccessful.
whit will be the outcome OF the races
/ - r.. Sailed here ia October only
time can tell. for Upton has a good boat.
and Yachting across the Atlantic has
! made strides since Dunrayen's failure OF
| four years ago.
accident II belonged 10 the Royal Yacht
] Club NOT 10 Queen Victoria, as has been
/ orronooi,slv stated. and was 90 be given
! fo the host Yacht sailed in the open fleet
| az COwcs.
n wos $50. the year of London's
7 Worlds Fair. and the yacht race was
! to h. a feature of the English Exrosi-
| tom some one suggested that Il might
| lac "a good thing If am American yacht
could be invited % compete. $50 an lnVi-
! fa4ion was extended % the New York
| y,obt Club TO send n yacht No i'm
portance was attached 10 IT,
| puf the American yncntsmen We're de-
| LIGHTED az the honor. Knowing the merit
| OF home ship builders they gave the
| commission go SIR. Steers. NOTED builder
/ and designer The result was a schooner
that eclipsed au previously constructed
/ ones. and in July, ls5l the America
crossed 20 Havre, thence to Cowes. for
! the contest
Tho result was startling. As soon as
| she was placed I'm English waters she ie-
! gan showing her heels tO the other boats.
and fl was soon decided that. in order 20
! keen the cup that had been offered for the
swiftest yacht. the course must BE- again
| declared omen 90 AN. Yachts We're sum-
! m0ned from eycrywhora. Many boats
entered. but the America flow away from
[ all.
How little importance was attched q
! this race however. may be gathered
! from the fact that as soon as II was over
| the America was sold. and Commodore
| stevens. the principal owner returned 20
| his home in New York. briucins the cup
as his personal property. Many years
after. when e. had become an important
| trophy. the Stevens family presented it
| to the New York Yacht club for public
| contests.
MAGICS WORK
10 the little Magic belonged the honor
| Of being the first cup defender. After
the great victory won Nv America the
yachtsmcn OF England grew d1sneartene6.
and he-itafed about challenging for the
| cup. But On 1870 James Ashsbury. reorc-
sentinc the Royal Thames Yacht Club
| expressed % desire 10 win the cup.
His boat was the Cambria. q keel craft
Of good model. widely different from the
antquated tubs which the America had
met and defeated twenty years before
Eight yachts sailed against her, after the
| old-fashioned custom Of making the race
an open one She met the American fleet
on August s. 1870. The race was sailed
over the crooked tidal course in New
York Bay. and the stranger was badly
defeated
The little Magic. the first cup defender
fast centrehlard schooner. a typical
American yacht Of The day vas modelled
and built I'm New York hy r. p. Lopez in
1851. as a sioop. In course Of years she
was changed. and by various successive
rebuudings became "a schooner of ~ feet
water lno % feet @ inches beam and
feet S inches draft.
ASHBURY AGAIN.
Not discouraged. Mr. Ashlury engaged
Ratsoy. Of C0wes o. build him a better
boat And the following year ne chal-
lenged again for the cup This time 30
was decided 20 sail several races instead
Of one. and % limit the number Of Ameri-
can boats that could compete.
Mr. Ashbury was again defeated, this
time hv the Columbia. q yacht which was
just OFF the stocks. ccntre-board schOon-
cr OF the national type. M feet water
line. % feet beam and only feet draft.
modelled and built by ). +. Van Deusen,
"a builder of some prominence.
CANADA'S CHALLENGE.
In 1876 the Centennial year. "a challenge
came from am ml1oked-fcr quarter. The
yacht was the Countess of Duffcrin.
modelled and built iy Alexander Cuth-
bert. "a Canadian 0f considerable ability
as "a m0deier. Put whose experience was
wholly in yachts of the ordinary Amen-
can type.
The new yacht was built for the pur-
pose Of challenging for the cup, being
owned by a syndicate Of Canadian
v1chfsmeu and enrolled in the Royal
Canadian Yacht club Of Toronto. Cam
ada. ON her arrival I'm New York in
July 1876. the New York Yacht Club Sc
looted the schooner Madeline alone %
meet the challenger 10 every race.
She was the fastest Of the centre-board
division of the fleet. The two yachts
were nearly Of size. some o. feet water
line and the difference In point ~ model
was not very great The Canadian Yacht.
however was very much inferior I'm con-
struction. finish and rig. As a matter
of course. the Countess of Dunorin was
defeated
Five years later Captain Cuthbert was
ready tO trv again for he Gun. This time
the challenge came from the Bay OF
Ouirfe Yacht Club. of He'lcviue Canada
and for the first time in the history NJ
the cup it was from a single stick vessel
VICTORIOUS MISCHIEF
Put the Mischief defeated her. She was
hauled out. and. under the fostering care
of her skipper. old Captain Than"
Clock. was put In as perfect condition as
any Yacht which has ever raced for the
cup. her ioron bottom being scraped and
sandpapered. carefully painted with red
lead. and then covered With successive
coats OF varnish into which pot Lead
~ graphite was rubbed with brushes I'M
ti the whole huh of me yacht from
plank-sheer 10 keel sh0ne Ike a mirror
Above deck the Mischief was superior
I'm rigging and canvas to most OF the
Now York fleet ~ the time and she came
% the line on November o for the first
race I'm absolutely faultless racing form
II was the same old story. the Mischief
won by half an hour IN each Of the two
races sailed. and the cup was again se-
cured. That was in 1881.
-Four years elapsed without chal-
ienge Then I'm 1855 the owners OF the
Gaiatea challenged for the cup. and a
syndicate Of Boston gentlemen built the.
Puritan.
Tho first OF the three cup races was
sailed on September H. ISIS. and 81 re-
suited IN a decided victory FOR the Ameri-
cos, b,at IL ,,as over the inside course