New-York tribune., 1901-09-27
DOWNTO THE SEA IN BOATS.
CROWDS on THE EXCURSION STEAMERS
SPEND AN ENJOYABLE DAY-A
BEAUTIFUL PICTURE.


so delightful. the crisp air so refreshing the
interest in the yachts keen. and the pleasure
of seeing them at last together and OF seeing the
American boat leave the visitor in her wake was
SO gratifying, after all the anxetes and fears OF
the last few days that few disposed to
murmur at the trifiing incident of the course
not being covered within the allotted time
Yet those who hope to fill their purses through
the promotion of the excursion business will do
well not to count long continuance of these
amia BILE feelings the part of the public. The
memory of two years ago has by no means
faded. There are those still alive who then went
out TO sea day after day till they wearied of
the failures to make and stayed away,
when, OF course the race made. The eX-
cursion promoters then suffered in two ways,
and they are likely to suffer again this year if
the winds do not blow up smartly and produce
results. Many of the owners of excursion boats
then sold season tickets, good for all the races.
The prices for these fixed on the supposi-
tion that there would be three races or at most
four or five. and when the struggle over
the sellers of these tickets found that they had
been obliged to convey the buyers to sea eleven
times, with an unparalleled consumption of coal
and expenditure of wages. That trouble alone
would have been serious enough. but. in addi-
tion TO 1t. the many disappointrnents caused al
most every body who did not have season ticket
to stay away from the races altogether, that
at the end there scarcely a real paying pas
senger any of tn excursion craft The steam
boat people began to feel as though they were
running free fresh air excursions instead of con-
Quoting business for the benefit OF their bank
accounts.
But yesterday everything beautiful. No
body had seen Americas Cup in two
years and everybody only too glad to see
almost anything Not that the sights afforded
were of any inferior quality-far from it, The
excursion fleet itself is enough delight the eye
for one day at least. II would be good thing
70 have such general exodus through the Mar
rows at least once year, whether there is any
Cup race or not. just a great water fete like the
Marriage of the Adriatic festival for the sake
of festival.
BEGAN EARLY IN THE MORNING.
The procession began early in the morning. the
steamers starting from many places from Bay
Ridge to points far up the North and East riv-
ers. 1t is scarcely necessary 10 describe the
long moving lines of craft to those who have
seen them. and scarcely possible TO describe
them to those who have not. but the temptation
to do so is always renewed. whenever
occasion calls them out. First few of them
are seen. mostly the smaller yachts and the less
speedy boats, making their way down the bay,
aud not in sight long. because OF the morning
nnists, Then, o'clock comes. the vessels
are more and bigger, and they make a gayer ap-
pearance they stretch away in long lines. al
headed toward the Narrows. Finally toward 10
o'clock come the big and fast ones with their
decks all crowded. with the streaming flags
which everybody watches so eagerly TO see II
there Is going 10 be a wind. and with the bands
playing. The mist has cleared away now and
the spectacle can be seen in all its marvel and
its beauty.
Past the Narrows the fleet disperses and the
view is Of different sort. The largest vessels
take the ship channel. 20 the SOUTH while the
smaller ones are safe in bearing off to the east.
by the shorter and shalower way Yachts are
coming out OF the Horseshoe, where they have
lain over night, to be in a convenient position
to reach the course without hurrying And so
the whole lower bay is covered with steamships
and steamboats,. and yachts and tugs and reve-
nue. cutters and launches and then up through
the middle of the swarm comes huge liner
moving steadily about her business while all
these others are bent pleasure. just to show
the people on these toys what a real ship looks
like NO matter; a good deal has been said
about the mighty ships whose swiftness is bring
Ing the continents nearer and nearer. "annihil-
ating space and time as the phrase goes: but
these fragile yachts and this fleet of pleasure
boats are also doing their part TO unite two
read both the American and the English papers
of to-day. and what they say The King
OF England is glad to be guest on one Of the
yachts, and the American Congress thinks X
worth while to make laws to secure good races
Their importance does not begin and end with
the pleasureable excitement of making the races
and of seeing them
There is another gathering of the fleet around
the lightship and then the boats spread out in
lines to one side and the other Of the start and
as the yachts cross the line they trail off in two
professions. one on each side of the course and
even to the eye in search Of the picturesque
they are no longer the object of chief attrac-
ton, FOR the race is on and all eyes must
follow that
Not only was the fleet Of yesterday fine
sight collectively but there were MANY vessels
In it which made fine sights by themselves
There were big seagoing steamships like the
crande Duchesse. the North Star and the JEFF
terson, and there were huge boats of the Sound
and river types. The Chester w. Chaplin car
rled the members OF the New-York Yacht Club
ana their friends; scarcely distingushable from
her were the City of Lowell and the Monmouth: +:
the Plymouth was worth second glance as
she always Is; the Gay Head had the members
OF the Atlantic Yacht Club and their eyrests
and then there the Columbia the General
Slocum. the Glen Island. and many more river
and harbor boats.
STEAM YACHTS FLY AROUND
OF the steam yachts there were too many to
specify or even to count, but there is nothing
invidious to the rest in the mention OF few
like the Corsair. the Nourmahal. the May, the
Norma. the Catania the Aileen, the American
the Kanawha. the Oneida, the Niagara. the
Colonia, the Electra. the Sybarite the Con-
queror and the Margarta. These are only a
few of them; they swarmed everywhere. and
like the Irishman's one last little pig they flew
around that they could not be counted
1t is always q marvel TO the locker on at such
hat In oil y