Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-12
CONTESTS OF A HALF A GEN.
TURY FOR AMERICAS CUP
1T WAS BROUGHT HERE FIRST IN 1851 AND HAS REMAINED ON THESE
SHORES IN SPITE OF MANY A TTEMPTs TO CARRY IT AWAY

sci.
But 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 order as any
yacht which has ever raced for the cup,
her iron bottom being scraped and sand
papered, carefully painted with red lead,
and then covered with successive coats
OF varnish into which pot lead" of
graphite was rubbed with brushes until
the whole hull of the wacht from plank
sheer to keel shone like a mirror.
Above deck the Mischief was superior
IN rigging and canvas to most of the New
YORK fleet of the time, and she came to
the line on November 8 for the first race
in absolutely faultless racing form. 1t
was the same old story, the Mischief won
Dy half an hour in each of the two races
sailed, and the cup was again secured.
That was in 1881.
-Four years elapsed without a challenge.
Then in 1885 the owners of the Galatea
challenged for the cup, n a syndicate
of Boston gentlemen built the Puritan.
The first of the three cup races was
sailed on September IA, 1885, and it re-
suited in a decided victory for the Amer
lean boat. 1t was over the inside course
on New York bay.
After this race there was an agitation
for a change of the measurement rule
oA SiS AAoNlIS ~ ",
toward the last Of the year, reached a
successful result. After a very thor
ough inquiry, in the course of which the
leading British designers We're called on
to give their opinions at length, the Old
tonnage rule which had lone so much
both to help and hurt yachting. first in
teaching the value of outside ballast and
then in compelling the construction OF
extremely narrow craft, was finally re-
placed by a length and sail area rule very
similar to that used for three years by
the S~eawanhaka Corinthian Yacht club,
and later generally adopted by American
clubs.
The first to avail himself of the new
rule was G. L. Watson of Glasgow, and
toward the end of the year the keel of
the Thistle was laid. The radical differ
ence between the Thistle and the typical
British cutter of the preceding decade
was show in her beam of 20 feet 4 inches
as compared with the Is feet of the Gala
tea, the length and draught being the
same, while the Thistle carried some 1000
feet more canvas.
Although the majority of American
yachtsmen were agreed that the new
Clyde boat was a far more dangerous
antagonist than any that nd yet chal-
lenged, by common consent the defense
of the cup WIS left to the Boston syndi-
cate that had previously defended it.
AL AIdICH, 1901, Tic CHdllCIISG was ~ =
mally accepted and the keel of the Volun-
teer laid.
The new yacht differed from the May
flower mainly in added depth, draught,
displacement and sail area, each sue
cessive change from the Puritan being
in the direction of the cutter. although
the centerboard was still a distinguish
ing feature. h was, however, of steel,
like the Thistle. To everybody's surprise,
the Thistle proved far less formidable
than had been anticipated.
Her very poor performance in the first
nuky race over the inside course might
be excused in part through the very light
wind and the combination of bad luck
and bad Judgment shortly after the start,
but the second race, outside the Hook,
was perfectly fair and conclusive, re-
sulting in a victory for the Volunteer by
II minutes.
The victory of the Volunteer was SO
great that more stringent measures were
at once adopted, and American yachts
men were not pleased, SO all contests for
the Americas cup ceased for an indefi-
mite time, and the fleet of large yachts
created by necessity for cup defense dis
appeared almost as rapidly as it had come
into existence.
At the close Of the yachting season of
1892 the Americas cup again became an
object of interest, and it was with great
qualification that the news was received
that another challenger was coming over.
This time it was the earl of Dunraven
who made the attempt, and his boat was
the Valkyrie, an S5-foot cutter designed
by Watson. To meet the Valkyrie a syn
dicate placed an order with the HERES
hoffs for an S5-footer named the Colonia.
Another syndicate headed by Commodore
Morgan. ordered another of the HERES
hoffs, their yacht being a departure, hav-
ing two feet more beam with a center
board and a draught of IS feet. Another
of her peculiarities was the Tobin bronze
bottom. She proved to be the fastest
boat Of all the defenders, and met the
Valkyrie in the races for the cup. In the
three contests sailed the Vigilant clearly
demonstrated her superiority.
His lordship came over again, bringing
another Valkyrie in 1895, with the la
1nentable ending known to all.