The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-15
LEPTON'S THREE GREAT AMBITIONS
To Found Alexandra Trust, Win Yachting Championship
and Become Peer.
fsnecia1 Correspondence.l

Especial Correspondence
London, Dec. 31.-Sir. Thomas Upton,
the most astonishing citizen of Lon
don,'' has planned to do three astonish-
/ ing things during the year 1899.
First-To found the Alexandria trust;
cost. LOCO. 600.
Second-To win the America cup:
cost, $500, 900.
Third-To gain a British peerage.
The first is plan of practical phil
aLthropy, the second is in the spirit of
Sood-natured International rivalry Tor
yacht sailing championship, and the
elevation to the British peerage is an
honor which probably awaits Sir Thorn
as as a reward at the hand of Queen
Victoria if his boat shows her heels to
the American sailors, and British Su-
premacy is thus again established.
Sir Thomas motto is: THE Upton
flag never has been hoisted in vain,
and he firmly expects to carry out his
three plans.
CHARITY LED TO KNIGHTHOOD.
When the queens jubilee dinner for
the London poor was in danger of fail
ing through the penuriausness of the
English public, Thomas Upton came
forward and gave G25, 600, and thus
made it possible for the committee to
feed 10000 of the poor of London. For
| that and other charities he was knight
! ed, and then last summer he announc-
! ed that he was ready to give half a
million of dollars in the starting of the
Alexandra trust for furnishing cheap
and good meals to the poor, and had
another 100000 to add TO the fund II
the system proves a success. It's pa
| troness is the Princess of Wales, a
good person to know when one wishes
i to be a 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 sue
! cess in Vienna, but Mr.. LiOtonS wide
| business experience has suggested a
great many details which will be new
! in such movements. He has given much
sympathetic attention in the past TO
/ the fare OF the lower classes, and says
! it is not only of poor quality, badly
cooked and untidily served. but costs
| too much to those who can ill-ateord
/ it. All Of these faults he plans to rem
edy by a good bowl of soup or bread
or meal, well cooked and served for q
] halfpenny. For twoDence a fair meal
, can be bought, the diner having beyond
/ this considerable range in price and
selection. This is the object of the
Alexandra trust.
So soon as the necessary charter is
secured, a large dining establishment
!, will be opened m the poorest quarter
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 even
tually self-sustaining by the purchase
of property in several places about
town. And he is quite business man
enough to do it.
E,rCLy nEATEPC TTTCTITTNC TIPTON
Opposition to the Alexandra trust Las
developed from the keepers of snail
fish shops and coffee houses, who say
they will be driven out OF business if
Upton enters the field. They have been
memorializing the committee on char
terS, asking that permit be not grant
ed, and their union is making ready
to present their side of the matter be-
fore the parliament when il meets in
February. These small Vicrualers claim
that food in London is cheap enough
for anybody already, and that lower
ing the price of living Will simply mean
that the present number of loafers
about the public houses VIII be i'm
menSely multiplied.
Upton is not discouraged by the op-
position aroused, and says thaL the plan
will prove public blessing, if once
tried and this view is shared by the
folk and Sir Francis Jeune, who are
associated with the promoter of the en-
ter-rise. There is little doubt that the
royal charter will be granted, and that
the interesting experiment will be in
augurated next year.
TO WHIP THE YANKEES.
BY a little dinner party held in the
Savoy hotel a few nights ago, the build
ing 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 & Wolff
yards at Belfast. Her plans have been
approved, but just what those plans
call for is not known, only by a select
coterie, who, after dinner at the Sa-
Voy, turned all of the walters out of
the room, locked the doors, and held
star chamber session to go over the
plans again and give the final building
orders. Those present We're: Sir
Thomas Upton, owner of the Shamrock
that is to be; William Fife. jr., the de-
signer; w. ]. Pirrie, director of the
& Wolff shipyard; Hugh Me
GildoWney, the Belfast yachtsman:
Baron Russell, lord chief justice of |
England and his son, Charles Russell |
England and Scotland have both |
fought for the America cup, but Ire |
land never" said Sir Thomas, when,