Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-05-20


ATLANTA, a smart, high-rigged craft OF
"a tons. The ATLANTA was met by the
sloop Mischief, 70 tons, which won
an easy victory.
Four years elapsed before the next
contest was sailed. In 1885 Sir Rich
ard Sutton, one of the famous racing
men of his day, crossed the Atlantic in
the schooner Genesta, resolved to leave
nothing undone to recover the long,
lost trophy. The Genesta was met by
the cutter Puritan, owned by Malcolm
Forbes, which won the deciding race
by minute 80 seconds.
In 1886 the Galatea, a most extreme
example of the. "plank-on-edge" type
of cutter, of ITO tons burden, was
brought across by Lieut.. HEM, to try
and wrest back the coveted cup. To
oppose her Gen. Paine, who had I'M
dertaken the onerous task of defend
ing the mug, brought out the compro-
mise cutter Mayfower. a vessel whose
burden was nearly identical with that
of the challenging boat. Only two
| races were required to prove the Amer
| lean boats supremacy. In 1887 James
Bell took the Thistle to New York, ana
challenged for the cup. Gen. Paine
| was again intrusJed with the defense,
in anticipation of which he had already
brought out the Volunteer, fine cut
| ter of 200 tons, with outside ballast,
and, in many respects an advance upon
| anything then afoat. The Volunteer
won an easy victory.
| Then occurred another pause of SIZE
years, but in 1898 Lord Dunraven en-
tered the lists with his famous yacht
Valkyrie II. When Dunraven arrived
| he found himself confronted with
| Vigilant cutter of 14S tons, his OWN
| vessel being about 106 tons. The races
between these boats were very close,
| and when the boom of the gunfre an-
| nounced Vigilant the winner it wass
with but 40 seconds to spare. In 1898.
Lord Dunraven came out in Valkyrie,
III, a superb racing machine, to meet.
Defender, which was opposed to him.
In the first race Defender won easily
in the second race the American boat
won on foul and in the third it had a.
walkover. 4 long and bitter contro--
versy followed these races, but in ths
end proper and sportsmanlike feeling
prevailed. British yachtsmen came
forward and challenged again, and in
the summer of 1899 Sir Thomas Upton
entered New York harbor in the Sham
rock to once more compete for the IA
nous cup. The beautiful fe-designed
cutter was opposed by the Columbia.
In the first race the American boat
won, in the second Shamrock was dis
abled, but the third was again won by
Columbia. In 1901 Sir Thomas Upton
made another effort to recover the
cup. He came over with Shamrock H.,
one of the finest yachts that had ever
been constructed. He was opposed
again by Columbia. In the first race
the American boat won by 1 minute
20 seconds; in the second by 8 minutes
SIS seconds, and in tho third by Al Sec
onds. In the last race the Shamrock
finished first, but lost the race on time
allowance of 43 seconds.
Nothing daunted by the two reverses
he had encountered Sir Thomas Upton
came forward again, and through the
Royal Ulster Yacht club, Of Cork, Ire
land, challenged the New York Yacht
club for another series of races for the
America cup, the dates selected for
this years races being August 90, %
and IS, and following Thursdays, Sat-
urdays and Tuesdays, if necessary Sir
Thomas new yacht is named Sham
rock III, a cutter-rigged craft, with
water-line length of 80 feet. Shamrock
III. will be opposed by the Reliance, a
new boat built by the Herreshoffs for
the New York Yacht club syndicate,I
headed by C. Oliver Iselin. Reliance
has already had several tests and
proved fast boat, but expert yachts
men seem to think that she will not be-
as reliable or as fast as Columbia.
Should further trials demonstrate this
to be fact it is likely that the twice
winner will again be commissioned to
defend the cup.
- WILLIAM WALTER WELLa