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

purpose or entering open races at CoWes.
The British yachtsmen called her the
american pilot boat" and one of the
leading English dailies drew a c%aricature
OF her, in which she was represented with
torn sails being towed to the goal. That
was before she sailed. But when she had
stretched her sails opinion changed.
The result of that contest is known to
all. The America won a sweeping vic
tory and came back with the trophy.
For nearly half a century the cup, won
| by white-sailed America, has remained
or these shores. There have been many
attempts to win it back, the challenger
having come often, but all efforts have
| been unsuccessful.
What will be the outcome of the races
to be sailed here in October? Only time
can tell, for Upton has a good boat, n
yachting across the Atlantic has made
strides since Dunraven's failure of four
years ago.
The cup was established almost by &C
cident. 1t belonged to the Royal Yacht
club, not to Queen Victoria, as has been
enormously stated, and was to be given
to the best yacht sailed in the open fleet
at Cowes.
1t was 1850, the year Of London's
worlds fair, and the yacht race was to
be a feature Of the English exposition.
Some one suggested that it might be a
good thing if IN American yacht could
De Invented 10 cOmpete, SO an lnVllaCou
was extended to the New York Yacht
club to send over a yacht. No import
ance was attached to it.
But the American yachtsmen We're de-
lighted at the honor. Knowing the merit
of home ship building they gave the COM
mission to Mr.. Steers, a noted builder and
designer. The result was a schooner that
eclipsed all previously constructed ones,
and in July, 1851, the America crossed to
Havre, thence to Cowes, for the contest.
The result was startling. AS soon as
she was placed in English waters she
began showing her heels to the other
boats, and it was soon decided that, in
order to keep the cup that had been Of
fered for the swiftest yacht, the course
must be again declared open to all.
Yachts We're summoned from every
where, but the America flew away from
all.
How little Importance was attached to
this race, however, may be gathered from
the fact that as soon as it was over the
America was sold, and Commodore Stew
ems, the principal owner, returned to his
home in New York, bringing the cup as
his personal property. Many years after,
when it had become an important tro-
ply, the Stevens family presented it to
the New York Yacht club for public con-
tests.
To the little Magic belonged the honor
of being the first cup defender. After
the great victory won by America the
yachtsmen of England grew disheart-
ened ,and hesitated about challenging the
cup. But in 1870 James AShbury. repre-
senting the Royal Thames Yacht club,
expressed a desire to win the cup.
His boat was the Cambria, a keel craft
Of good model, widely different from the
Anticipated tub which the America had
met and defeated 20 years before. Eight
yachts sailed against her, after the old
/ r achInnn1 0,vCfnr1 ~ ~, E;o fha ,o m n y,
open one. She met the American fleet on
August 8, 1870. The race was sailed over
the crooked tidal course in New York
bay, and the stranger was badly de-
feated.
The little Magic, the first cup defender,
la fast centerboard schooner, a typical
American yacht of the day, was modelled
n built in New York by r. F. Lopez in
1857, as a sloop. In course of years she
was changed, and by various successive
rebuildings became a schooner of IS feet
water line, 20 feet 8 inches beam and 6
and s inches draft.
Not discouraged, Mr.. Ashbury engaged
Ratsey of Cowes to build him a better
boat. And the following year he chal-
lenged again for the cup. This time it
was decided to sail several races instead
of one, and to limit the number of Amer>
lean boats that could compete.
Mr.. Ashbury was again defeated. this
III W IL SOluIlDId, d ydCHl WHICH was
just off the stocks, a centerboard schooner
of the national type, So feet water line,
25 feet beam and only 6 feet %draught,
modelled and built by J. B. Var Dusen, a
builder of some prominence.
In 1876, the Centennial year, a challenge
came from an unlooked-for quarter. The
yacht was the Countess of Dufferin, mod
eled and built by Alexander Cuthbert, a
Canadian of considerable ability as a
modeler, but whose experience was who'll
ly in yachts Of the ordinary American
type.
The new yacht was built for the pur-
pose of challenging for the cup. being
owned by a syndicate of Canadian
yachtsmen and enrolled in the Royal Ca
madam Yacht club of Toronto, Canada.
the New York Yacht club selected the
schooner Madeline alone to meet the
challenger in every race.
She was the fastest of the centerboard
division of the feet. The two yachts
were nearly Of a size, some 95 feet water
line, and the difference in point Of model
was not very great. The Canadian
yacht, however, was very much inferior
In construction, finish and rig. AS a mat
ter of course. the Countess Of Dufferin
was defeated.
Five years later Captain Cuthbert was
ready to try again for the cup. This
lime the challenge came from tho Bay
OF Quinte Yacht club Of Belleyille, Can.
ada. and for the first time in the history