Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1903-06-17
A History of Which Americans Have
Reason to Be Proud.
Trophy which Was Won in 1851 Has
Never Since Left New York
This Years Contest to
BE a Hot One
Especial New York letter.

York Yacht club syndicate. The race
will be for the Americas cup-a sill
yer trophy worth about $500, but upon
which not less than 5000 900 has been
expended by challengers and defend
ers during the past SO years.
short review of the struggles for
the cup cannot fail to be of interest to
every patriotic American. 1t is Just
SO years since the Queens cup, of the
Royal Yacht Squadron regatta, was
borne off across the Atlantic. In the
summer of 1851 an odd-looking schoon-
er, with pole foremost and low, over
hanging bow, entered the Solent and
anchored off Cowes. English yachts
men viewed her with curiosity. The
stranger proved to be the America.
She was a vessel of ITO tons. built upon
the lines of a New England pilot
schooner, and her owner was G. L.
Schuyler, who flew the burgee of the
New York Yacht club.
Inc famous race took place on Au-
gust %. The course was from Cowes,
right around the Isle of Wight, back to
the starting point. America took the
lead almost from the outset, and stead
lily increased her distance from her
competitors. But one vessel stuck to
her heels in such a fashion as to leave
a ray of hope for the Britishers, and
this was a little Alton cutter, the Au-
rora. In the tumbling waters out
side the Needles the America had it all
her own way, her superior weight and
size entirely breaking down her plucky
little adversary. The race was long
one, and when at S:37 in the evening
the gun from the mark >boat pealed
forth again, it was to announce the
victory of the America, which had
crossed the home line 10 minutes ahead
of the Aurora.
Americas surprising triumph gave
a great setback to yachting in Eng
land, and it was 10 years before the
first attempt to recover the lost lau-
rels was made. In 1870 Mr.. Ashbury
crossed the Atlantic in the schooner
Cambria, a vessel of 22S tons, and chal-
lenged the New York Yacht club. Mr..
Franklin Osgood took up the gaunt-
let, and on the Sth of August came out
to defend the cup in the little schoon-
er Magic, of 81 tons. The course sailed
was over the regular racing track of
the New York Yacht club, and in the is
sue the Cambria was vanquished by
nearly 40 minutes-the worst defeat
of the half century's contests.
Mr.. Ashbury was beaten, but not
crushed, and challenged again. Mr.. Os-
good once more consented to defend
the trophy. The programme of the
1871 races was considerably altered by
the New York Yacht club committee,
so as to give the two boats an oppor-
tunity of showing their respective mer-
its under varying conditions. Instead
of one match, as heretofore, five were
arranged for. The English boat was
the schooner Livonia, of $50 tons; the
defender was also a schooner, the CO.
lumbia, of 220 tons. On the 10th of
October the two yachts sailed their
first match over the New York club
course, and the Livonia was beaten by
a little over % minutes. In the race
of two years later, however, she did
better. The course this time was a
2O-mile spin windward and back, off the
Sandy Hook lightship, and after hard
sailed contest the American boat got
petitor. In the race on the following
day Columbia was disabled by mis-
hap, but Notwithstanding this she
came in winner by Is minutes. AS
a result Of the accident, however, she
was disqualified from continuing in
the contests, and by mutual agreement
her place was taken by the schooner
Sappho, a Jumping vessel of 80 tons,
which proved quite as formidable an
opponent as the original defender. In
the race of October 81 she won bv
more than 33 minutes. and in that of
two days later she came in 25 minutes
ahead of the challenger.
The next attempt to get back the
trophy was made by Maj. Clifford, five
years later, in the schooner Countess
of Dufferin, of 13s tons. In 1876 he
crossed the Atlantic and challenged
the New York Yacht club. He was met
by Mr.. J. S. Dickerson, in the schoon-
er Madeline, vessel of ISL tons.
Again the programme of the races was
altered. This time the issue of the
contests was to be settled by either
vessel winning two matches out of
three. The Madeline was victorious in
two heats.
The contests of 1876 were the last
in which tttwo stickers" took part Dur
ing all this time the racing yacht had
been gradually but steadily dimin-
fishing in size. the chief cause
which contributed to this result
being the increased cost of con-
struction. When, therefore, in 1881,