Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-09

sistent have been James Ashbury and Lord
Dunraven. Sir Thomas Upton has been
quoted as vowing his intention to win this
cup if he spends his entire fortune in the
attempt Each year the endeavor becomes
more costly.
Mr. Ashbury determined to have. a try
for the cup in 1868. when his vessel the
Cambria beat the Sappho around the Isle
of Wight, but he did not get the match
arranged until two years later. 1t cost him
$4,000 to build the Cambria and of the
fourteen American yachts which raced her
the Magic Won. She stood her owners $35.-
wv twenty thousands spectators wit
messed the first of these races and lots of
money was lost on the Cambria which had
been loudly heralded. Other races were run
at Newport and 1T was sufficiently demon
strated that the English boat was out
classed. Nothing daunted the Engishman
made an expedition the next year in quest
of the cup with the Livonia. He spent
$p.'sS on her. Franklin Osgood put $4,000
in the Columbia. which was selected to
meet the Challenger, and she won two
races. On the third she lost her flying
jib stay and finally her steering gear broke,
compelling the crew to take in her main
sail Even with this rig the Livonia beat
her only by fifteen minutes and ten sec
onds. The Sappho, built at cost of $780,
0e0 then took the Columbias place and
proceeded to cinch our hold on the cup.
Mr.. Ashbury wanted to take it willy nily.
however. and claimed the trophy on the
following basis: The second race because
Columbia went on wrong side of the stake
boat; the third race when Livonia beat Co
lumbia, and the sixth and seventh races
because no boat was on hand to meet the
Livonia. He accused the club of unfair
treatment and left with unpleasant memo
ries.
Canada's Turn.
In 1876 the Canadians tried conclusions
with the Countess of Dufrerin, which cost
$4,000, and the Madeleine. a $4,000 yacht,
Of er thar
when the Atlanta came down through the
Erie canal and met the Mischief; got it
too. The former cost $4,000 and the lat
ter $4,000
The year 1885 was a gala year for rae
ing. The English determined that they
would get back the old mug that for five
years had been resting in Ttffany's vaults
and dignity. Sir Richard Sutton spent
$ao.~0 on building the Genesta and Lieu
tenant W. Hem about $4,000 less on the
Galatea. The former came over first. To
liam P. Douglas, flag officers of the n Y
y. e, gave orders to A. Cary Smith to
build the Priscilla at an expense of s25 600
AT the same time Boston yachtmen were
aroused to the task and headed by Cen
eral Paine they turned out the crack Puri-
tan. She represented $4,000 and walked
away from the Genesta
Lieutenant Hem next year brought over
ms cutter and the Bostonians again took
the lead and built the Mayflower for $40
Ho The New Workers spent a like amount
on the Atlantic and the Priscilla and Puri-
tan cost $4,000 each as trial horses.
Expenses Growing Greater.
Yacht racing by this time is becoming
more expensive, and we find Messrs Clark
and Bell spending $4,000 in 1887 to win
back this old piece of silver ware But
the Thistle is beaten by the Volunteer,
which cost her owners $4,000, and the
Britons were so much discouraged that
they let six years elapse before having an
other try for the cup. In 1893 came Lord
Dunraven's Challenger, and four boats
were built on this side to guard the mug
Boston furnished the Jubilee and Pilgrim
costing, respectively, $4,000 and s4OnDO
while C. Oliver Islin and other New York
ers invested S12J.pp on the Vigilant and
100000 on the Colona. The Vigilant's ex-
ira expense was due greatly to her bronze
bottom. The Ealkyrie stood Dunraven
$4,000
Hundreds of Thousands
In 1893 Dunraven came back again with
a new Valkyrie. which cost him something
like S1OO,ouh The Defender will have cost
at the close of the coming races from first
to last, about $150.HD, and the Columbia
the same amount. 1t is not known just
what Sir Thomas Upton has spent on the
Shamrock, but this summing up gives some
idea of what this $40 worth of silver has
cost England and America. II is a mighty
valuable trophy, and no wonder the ban
quet hall of the New York Yacht Club
echoes these days with the refrain "Oh,
the cup. the cup. We will never give it
up. Its members have come to regard
1t as a fixture. The trophy is kept in a
large vault year in and year out and only
removed on great occasions to the club
house. where it is taken with solemn pomp.
1t Is regarded as so immensely precious by
no ah1ys hot IL Il 81
mug" they consider rank Dissertation. No
more will they allow it to be handled. and
SO it was only by chance a few years ago
that the cup was discovered to be bottom
less The commodore, a mighty honor
to a British guest ordered the steward to
fill 1t with wine to drink to the foreigners
health The steward cracked bottle. but,
10 and behold, the wine gushed out the
other end. much to every ones amaZement
and overfiowed many evening dress
No one had dared before to turn the bot
tom up or they would have seen that the
base, which unscrews, has a hole three
inches in diameter. Either the English
silversmiths intended it this way did
not have time to put in a bottom
An Artistic Horror.
Boston artists declare that the cup is a
marvel of artistic abortion. Whenever l
catch a glimpse of that ugly old silver
CHALLENGE cup" said one recently, Il feel
that the next best thing to owning it and
hiding it that it could not possibly be
exhibited year after year, as 1t now is,
would be to melt it down and convert it
into something really beautiful. Look at
the handsome trophies that are offered and
compare them with the Americas. There
is the Gould cup, the Goelet, the Aston, the
Cape May. the Brenton's Reef and The two
Bennett trophies, all costly and beautiful.
They are works of art, with merry bac-
chanalian suggestions. But this staid old
thing is absolutely gloomy" The yacht
club might point out, however, that though
the Gould cup cost S1o,GD, it was raced for
just once and has never since been heard
of. AL the others bear somewhat the same
relation to the Americas cup as do the
chorus girls who carry wand to the star
actress.
Though of so little intrinsic worth, even
the insurance companies appreciate the
sentimental value of this trophy, and an
insurance company has issued a policy for
81. 400. payable to the treasurer of the New
York Yacht Club in favor of the cup.
This policy covers the cup wherever 1t
may be taken. The insurance company
places the intrinsic value of the cup at
$500 but adds $500 ION account of its as
sociations.
PERSPIR ALTON IS A GOOD THING.
1t Saves Many People From Sickness