Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-12

rich man whether he be rich by Inherit
ance or whether. acquiring his wealth
suddenly, he yearns to do things ON a
lavish scale.
And yachting, by the way, is not an in
expensive pastime; it melts up money
like butter in the sun. Tailor-made
daughters are ~trifles. A racing stud is an
everyday affair. Two or three country
houses are not worth mentioning. And
even the luxury OF supporting a titled
son-ln-law is comparatively questionable.
though perhaps it may be compared with
it.
William X. Vanderbilt easily heads the
list as the biggest spender of money on
yachts in the country. With an income
OF over $4,000, coo a year, he possesses GER
tain advantages over the cheaper mill
lionaires which it is difficult for the latter
J to overcome. Then, again, he keeps his
yacht in commission almost the entire
year, and as she carries a crew of 50 men
ana consumes large quantities Of coal,
this adds considerably to the total.
The salary list of the Vanderbilt yacht,
the Valiant, per month amounts to s., 100.
She burns about 80 tons of coal a day of
~ hours, but does not average more than
$50 tons per month. This means another
thousand dollars. The greatest expense
is that manipulated by the chef. To feed
the crew alone costs 81 200 a month. But
while the guests are fewer in number
'oS ~ iItii
hve or six at a time, they require some
thing more fascinating than beef stew
and plum duff for dessert.
Mr.. Vanderbilt Is something of an cpl
cure, and when only he and his secretary
are on the boat an elaborate menu is pre-
pared by the chef three times a day, to
say nothing of a late supper and sundry
lunches and delicious connections Of an
anti-prohibition flavor.
One hundred and fifty dollars a day
scarcely covers the cost of the rare foods
and fruits consumed, the wines and IL
quors drunk and the 60-cent cigars
smoked by the quarterback contingent
OF the Valiant. When there are many
guests on board the expense of entertain-
ing them runs up to $500 or 81 900 a day.
The incidentals also come high. The
Valiant and her furnishings represent an
outlay of 500, coo. The breakage on the
Valiant is also something terrific. The
laundry bills Of the crew and the ships
linen and the incidental repairs neces-
sary to keep the yacht at the highest
pitch of perfection amount to SIS a day,
or about $3.50 a month. The total ex-
pense of running the Valiant per month
averages between $I2, 900 and SIS, 900, or
about $1,000 a year.
Commodore Elbridge T. Gerry is an
other past master in the art of spending
money on yachting. His boat, the Elec-
ira, while not as large or as speedy as the
Valiant, is one of the most luxurious
crafts aflOat. Commodore Gerry keeps
the Electra in commission only four
months in the year-June, July, August
and September. She carries a crew of 2S
men all told, and the salary list amounts
to $1,000 a month. Much of the time the
crew wear white suits, and in conse-
quence the laundry bill is a big item. h
Electra's coal costs $500 a month. Feed
ing the crew costs another $500. The
commodore when on his yacht is a great
entertainer. The fashionable world of
Newport have been entertained on the
Electra at some time or another. And
Mr.. Gerry entertains like a prince.
The monthly cost of running the Elec-
ira is ! o,o0o, and three-fourts of this sum
is spent on the cuisine of the yacht. The
writer was once a guest on the boat when
12O others We're invited at Newport for a
days sail. At 10 o'clock champagne
cocktails were served to all hands. and
at l O'Clock luncheon was served in the
dining saloon. which was fitted with all
the ~luxuries of a Fifth avenue palace.
Oliver Iselin is a different style of
yachtsman from Mr.. Gerry and Mr.. Van
derbilt. He goes into it solely as a sport.
He will spend in the neighborhood OF
$500, 600 this season as his share of the ex-
pense in defending the America cup. Mr..
Iselin cares very l.itle for steam yachting.
He likes the pleasure and excitement of
handling a sailing craft and doesn't
bother about magnificence in its equip
ments.
George Gould is still another type of
yachtsman. He goes in for the glory of
it, and, it is said, as an aid to his social
aspirations. 1t costs a world of money
to keep his big yacht in commission.
She Requires a crew of 40 men and can
not be run in first class style much under
$12,0 600 a month.
1t requires a large-sized bank account
to handle a big sloop of this size in rae
ing trim. In a stiff wind the strength of
S5 men Is needed to haul in the 10O-foot
boom and the immense spread Of canvas
of the mainsail.
Since so much Is being written about
| Emperor William of Germany and his re-
cent cruises along the coast Of Norway,
a description of the magnificence of his
majesty's yacht, the Hohenzollern, would
not be inOpportune.
The Hohenzollern is yacht" by cour-
| tesy, for the twin-screw vessel Is a verit-
| able man-of-war, with a capacity Of $500
| tons, and murderous, n~ew-fashioned guns
| which, though painted white, for looks,
| are none the less Of krupp's deadly
| make.
She is built Of steel, and, like the guns,
| painted white for looks, and, though not
armored, would be an uncomfortable en-
envy to meet. At present, however, she
Is not needed save as a pleasure floating
palace, and her decorations and fittings
make her that in every sense of the word.
The very decks are covered over Tor COM