The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-15
LIPT0N'S AMBITIONS.
FIRST, TO FOUND THE ALEXANDRA
TRUST, THE GREATEST CHARITY.

Second. TO Win the international
Yachting Championship With the
Shamrock; Cost $500, OOO-Third. TO
Gain Place in the British Peer
aEe-PIans for Whipping the Yam
kee fachtsmen-It Is to BE an Irish
Fight-LiDtOn Is Prepared to Spend
Fortune on the Race-''The Lip
ton Flag Has Never Been Hoisted
in Vain"
London. Dec. 9.-Sir Thomas Upton. the
most astonishing citizen ofI4ondon," has
planned to do three astonishing things
during the year 1899
First-To found The Alexandra trust;
cost 81 100000.
second-To win The America cup; cost
100000
Third-To gain a British peerage
The first is a plan of practical philan-
,hropy, the second is in the spirit of good
natured International rivalry for yacht
sailing championship, ana the elevation to
the British peerage is an honor which
probably awaits Sir Thomas as a reward
at the hand of Queen Victoria If his boat
shows her heels to the American sailors,
and British supremacy is thus again es-
tablishod.
Sir Thomas motto is THE Upton flag
never has been holsted in vain" and he
firmly expects to carry out his three plans.
Charity That Led to KniGhthood.
When the queens jubilee dinner for the
London poor was in danger of falling
through by the penuiousness of the Eng
lish public, Thomas Upton came forward
and gave f2j,CG0, and thus made it possible
for the committee to feed 10000 of the
poor of London. For that and other
charities he was knighied and then last
summer ne announced that he was ready
TO give half a million of dollars in the
starting of the Alexandra trust for fur
nishiug cheap and good meals to The poor
and had another $4,000 to add to the fund
If the system proves a success. It's pa
troness is the Princess of Wales, a good
person to know when one wishes to be
peer-and the trust was named in her
honor. The Alexandra scheme Is much
along the line of the soup kitchens which
have proved such a success in Vienna,
but Mr. Lipton's wide business experience
has suggested a great many details which
win be new in such movements. He has
given much sympathetic attention in the
past to the fare of the lower classes, and
say II - llOl OliiS Vi HbOI QuttlitSs JtIlS
cooked and untidily served, but costs too
much to those who can i'll afford it. All
of these faults he plans to remedy by
good bowl of soup, or bread or meat, well
cooked and served for halfpenny. For
twopence a fair meal can be bought, the
diner having beyond this a considerable
range in price and selection. This is the
object of the Alexandra trust.
So soon as the necessary charter is Sc
cured a large dining establishment viii
be opened in the poorest quarters of the
city, and other places of the kind will
follow so soon as it is shown that the
plan is a success Sir Thomas designs
to make the institution eventually self
supporting by the purchase of property
in several places about town. And ne is
quite business man enough to do it,
Sn all Fish Dealers Fighting Upton.
Opposition to the Alexandra trust has
developed from the keepers of small fish
shops and coffee houses, who say they VIII
be driven out Of business if Upton enters
the field. They have been memorializing
the committee on charters asking that a
permit he not granted and their union As
making ready to present their side of the
matter before Parliament when it meets in
February. These small victualers claim
that food in London is cheap enough for
anybody already, and that lowering the
| price of living will simply mean that the
| present number of loafers about the pub
lie houses will be immensely multiplied.
Upton is not discouraged by the oppo-
| sition aroused and saws that the plan will
prove a public blessing if once tried and
| this view is shared by the Princess OF
| Wales, the Duke of Norfolk and Sir Fran
! els Jeune,s who are associated with the
| PROMOTE of the enterprise. There is lit
| tie do6bt that the royal charter will be
NgraEted, and that the interesting expert
| haeht will be inaugurated next year.
/PIanning to Whip the Yankees.
r BY little dinner party held in the Sa-
/ WOW Hotel a few nights ago, the building
| plans for the Irish yacht Shamrock were
| finally discussed and agreed upon, and
| the keel of the trim racer will now
! shortly be laid in the Harland & Won
| wards at Belfast. Her plans have been
| approved, but just what those plans call
| for is known only by a select coterie, who
| after dinner at the Savoy turned all OF
| the walters out of the room, locked the
| doors. and held a star chamber session to
go over the plans again and give the maj
| building orders Those present We're SIR
Thomas Upton owner of the Shamrock
| that is 70 be; William Fife, Jr., the de-
! sicner: w j. Pirrie director of the Har-
| land & Wolff ship yard; Hugh McGildow-
| ney. the Belfast yachtman; Baron Rus
sell, lord chief justice of England, and his
son. Charles Russell.
england and Scotland have both
fought for the American cup, but ireland
never" said Sir Francis, when, after due
persuasion, he was prevailed upon to talk
for publication on his Shamrock hopes. i
have been a member of the Royal u
ster Yacht Club for some years, and as
one whose parents belong to the north OF
ireland, though l was born in Glasgow, !
| have long had a notion of sending an Irish
challenge for the cup, but one thing or
another in the past has prevented me put
ting it into execution. over ten years
ago l went so far as to make an offer
through Hon. w. j. Lane of the New York
Life Company, then a member of Parlia-
ment for Cork to race for the America
cup. providing l could get a yacht de-
signed. built and manned by Irishmen
but the matter fell through.
"What / have always aimed at has been
a challenge from an Irish yacht club, with
an Irish built boat, by an Irish designer,
sailed by an Irish skipper
and crew and bearing, need
A tho-