The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-11-14
LipToN's BILL THIS TRIP WILL
BE NEARLY HALF A NIL
LION DOLLARS.
The Outlay Of the Defenders Is Not
Nearly Sc ersat-onIy Those Of
Large Means Can Afford the Es-
pensive Sport.


This applies TO yacht racing as
We'll as to other things. All
sorts % extravagant statements.
for instance. have been made Of
late as 10 how much money Sir
Thomas Upton IS spending In
his effort this year 20 win the Amer
ica's cup II has been said repeated
ly. and the statement went without
challenge. that this last cup-hunting
expedition would cost the dashing
Irish knight from 81 900 600 to $780,
coo Yacht racing. especially when II
involves crossing 5000 miles OF sea 10
get 20 the race course. Is an expen-
% sive enough sport in all conscience
The expenditure that il entails Is
away up in figures that put people
who. as the world goes. are counted
rich quite IN the class Of the financi-
ally humble as compared with those
who are able 10 indulge in this money
deyouring pastime.
Yet costly as Sir Thomas certainly
Is finding his struggle for the cup. ii
Is grossly beyond the fact that this
last effort OF his will have cost him
by the time Il is over from 81 900 600
20 1850 000 AS an incident TO the
marvellous expansion OF private for
tunes and of business ventures OF late
years. the mention Of things as cost
ing a million creates little impression.
Yet. al the same. a million dollars
still remains a goodly sum You can
do a good deal with IL. For instance.
&c is quite safe 10 say that with that
amount you could cover every dollar
81 two such cup-hunting excursions
as the one Sir Thomas Is now person
ally conducting and still have a tidy
listle sum left over.
Sir Thomas estimated the expense
OF his effort 10 get the cup in 1893 at
$500 600 That. however. included
s4G0 coo which he paid TO Count Florio
OF italy for the fine yacht which the
Count called the Aegusa, and which is
now known as the Erin. This would
leave his actual racing expenses in
1899 at 100000 II is probable that
the cost Of the present races to him
viii be a little over that figure, but still
within $500 600 In other words, includ-
ing the sum OF $500. GOO or whereabouts
for the purchase and reftting of the
Erin. the total cost OF thhe challenger
In the last two series OF races will be
somewhere in the neighborhood of
81 1890 600. But the cost of the Erin
Is not of course. a legitimate factor
in the estimate OF the actual racing
expenses.
Probably these last for both series
viii hardly exceed SS50.000 Vast as
this sum is to be devoted 10 merely
few weeks OF sport with glory as the
only possible reward. IL shows how ex-
frsarr en rlreH hn 90 fNf
ten made during the past week. that
Sir Thomas was spending Sl.0O0.000 or
Sl250 600 on this last race alone. One
could take the contract at 81 900 600
OF paying every cent OF Sir Thomas
expenses In the races OF 1899 and
1901 and have the snug fortune of
from 100000 TO $4,000 left over.
after delivering Sir Thomas and his
racing outfit IN England when all was
over.
The cost. however. is something
that the gallant challenger has least
considered in his efforts to get the
cup. He frankly said the other day
that he did not know what il was
costing him in money. and he prob
abby viii not know for some time
after he returns 10 England One who
Is intimately acquainted with his az
fairs, however. gave some figures
which Justify the above estimates.
To begin with. the cost OF Sham
rock n, IN the water and ready for
business was close TO $Se5,00e Her
sails. cf which she has Eve complete
suits OF ten sails to a suit. cost $50
oo0 Her mast. which Is one piece
OF hollow steel 159 feet long. COS
about $4,000. But the bulk Of the ex.
pense was In her very costly huh Of
immadium an alloy OF tin and cop
per. which combines to the highest
degree at present known the qualities
q strength and lightness in a yes
sells body In this enormous cost Of
shamrock II there is very strikinglv ,
illustrated the difference in the cost
OF racing yachts today as compared
with those Of even eight years aEo
For instance. the Vigilant. which de-
feeted Nalkyrie - In 1898. cost $50
oeQ. The cost OF the Defender. which
beat Nalkyrie III. two years later. wss
SSoee0. The cost II the Columbia
was somewhere in the neichhorhoOd
Of $4,000 while the Constructors
was probably in the neighborhood Of
$3.50 600.
But the cost Of the racing machine
itself Is only a detail in the list Of the
racing expenses the challenger tbs
year has 90 meet Including the sixtv
men on tae Erin. Sir Thomas has with
him here A crew OF go. Eiimluatirr
the Erin men. there remain 100 mer
who were engaged fer six months 81
an average Of SIS a month and thsi-
board For their hoard Sir Thomas
makes an allowance az 50 cents = dav
% each man. the men buvsng theis
own provisions srf arransing their
own messes In addition TO their regC-
lar pav ~ nav OF S15a month. 10 each
o. the fortv-seven men who compoSe
the crew Of the Shamrock there Is ar
allowance q SIS prize mepev III
usual rate az prize money 10 a raei~r
yachts crew is s. a man IL case q |
victory and $3.50 a man in case 81
defeat This Is the rnie that holds or
the Colnmbta. In the case Of the /
Shamrock's men however. an extra |
allowance. Win or lose. was made be-
cause the men had 10 leave In the |
heiEht Of the racing IN Eneland there
hr losing the chance TO pick up more 1
or less money in the many races IN |