The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-07-02

Pnncely Fortune Invested toLift
the Americas Cup.
0O8T or lice TRIAIg s2O00.00O.

sir Thomas says THAT if He Again
Fans to win the CUP lie Has More
millions 10 Keep on Challenging.
Tited xaehtsman Favors Chang
Ing style Of boats In FIXTURE Cup
Raees.
At the luncheon in the White House
at Washington the other day in honor
Of Sir Thomas Upton interesting state
ments were made concerning the cost
Of challenging for and defending the
Americas cup, says the New York
World. Sir Thomas caused much sur
prise when he said that If he should
win the cup this time It would repre-
sent an investment Of considerably
more than 100000 If he again
failed to win it, be said, he had still
more millions to spend IN the EFFORT to
lift it.
Sir Thomas said it would cost him
a little more than s1,000000 to com
pete for tie cup this year. This was
partly due, he explained, to the fact
1 that be had brought over his two
challengers and had had both Of them
in commission for months Each yacht
has i crew Of sixty men, who are tile
best TO be had, and the cost Of keep.
| ing them In commission a month rep
resents a small fortune.
Sir Thomas did not say what sham
rock III. cost him to build, but init
mated that it was close to $500, 600. 10
the cost Of the new yacht must be
added the cost Of keeping the other ia
commission and the expense of tile
Erin, in which her owner entertafns In.
lavish style. The combined expenses
Of his trial for the cup this year, sir
Thomas said, would reach 100000
and probably more His two previous
attempts to get the cup cost him
little wore than that figure In con
trast with the cost to the challenger it
was stated by one 81 the members Of
the party that the Reliance syndicate
had invested but 100000 in the de-
fender and that this amount was ex-
/ peeted to cover all expenses.
Following the question Of the cost
there was an informal discussion as to
the advisability Of adopting seaeoing
4 schooners In future cup races. Sir
| Thomas strongly farors this idea,
though he has said that ne win abide
by the decision Of the New York Yacht
club. 1t was a seagoing schooner
| which brought the cup to America
The British changed the style Of the
contest ia an effort to regain the cup,
| by sending over a cutter to compete
for It, That style Of yacht was new on
this side Of the water, and il was met
with sloop, from which the present
ninety footers have been evolved.
They are built for wind and not for
weather, and Reliance and Shamrock
| III are believed to represent the very
highest degree Of perfection in that
direction. Little change, it is said,
could be made in building yachts along
these lines for future cup races.
More lhan that, the yachts are SO ex-
pensive that only millionaires can
pullu LNeAAs anu lheAE NHluE Is gone
when the last race Of the series is
sailed. Everything Is sacrificed to
speed, and they cannot even be rebuilt
so that they can be used for cruising
Therefore, win or lose, Sir Thomas
Upton considers that the time is ripe
for the adoption of schooners which
can brave any sea and can cross the
ocean under their own sail, instead q
having to be towed across.
With the introduction Of sehooners
( 1t Is thought many wealthy people
would build boats to compete for the
! honor Of defending or challenging fol
the cup as they could be subsequently
! used for ocean cruising The races
would then become more a test Of sea.
manship than they are now, and Sir
Thomas believes the interest in the
contests would be greatly stimulated
! The distance could be increased and
! the races could be sailed III any kind
, Of weather, for the rougher the wealth
er the keener would be the sport.
IL