The Meeker herald., 1905-08-12

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aeo1 ORE than S4s.OOo,0O0 in
H. vested In yachts. $1,000. 900
0 NJ Q In club houses and club
AA property, and 100000
~0a spent every year for pleas
ure In yachting.
Such are the figures quoted by Arthur
F. AldrIdge, in Pearson's Magazine for
June, to support the declaration that
yachting is the costliest sport in the
world. The expenditures given are
for the United States. There are now
more than 800 yacht clubs in this
country, with more than $4,000 men,
bers and a total Of 311S carefully re-
corded yachts.
Mr.. Aldridge deals only with the
boats Of record. There are perhaps
10000 very small launches and motor
boats and an unknown number OF tiny
sailboats which do not enter into his
neld of consideration.
Among the recorded yachts b12 are
steamers. 1879 are auxiliaries (having
small power engines to use when winds
fall light or when working into har-
bors), 2O5 are schooners, 1922 sloops
and cutters, 226 yawls, 148 catboats.
8O6 launches with gas, electric or
naphtha motors.
OF the steamers 857 are built Of
wood, twenty-five are composite struc-
lures Of wood and metal and 100 are
built entirely of steel. These steel
vessels are worth 1924, 600. All
modern boats are built of steel, and the
seven that are over 800 feet long are
among the abandonment in the world.
These are W. X. vanderbilt's Valiant,
James Gordon Benefits Lysistrata. A.
J. Drexels Margarita, Mrs. Robert
Goelet's Nahma, J. Pierpont Morgan's
Corsair. Eugene Higgins varuna and
Colonel Oliver II. Payne's Aphrodite.
The average price for these seven has
been placed at half million dollars
each.
In the next class are f. W. Wander
bits Warrior and Howard Gould's
Niagara, each worth $4,000.
The twenty-five vessels of composite
build are worth $4,000, and the
wooden vessels are worth $1,000 900.
This makes total for the steam
yachts owned by American yachtsmen
Of $25, Sc, 600.
II the BIB American yachts Of rec
ord were arranged in a line up the
Hudson from the Battery, at ordinary
anchoring distances. Mr.. Aldridge finds
they would reach to the Poughkeepsie
bridge.
The steamers over 200 feet long,
headed by W. X. vanderbilts Valiant,
882 feet. would make the line to West
Sixteenth street, about three miles.
Boats between 100 and 200 feet would
extend two miles; those between 125
and $50 feet, four miles.
Finally, there would be "a line sew
enty-seven miles long made up of ves-
sels used only for pleasure. Then there
are thousands of small craft unregis-
tered, and II these could be accounted
for the line would reach as far as Al
bany."
, Some vessels are in commission only
for month or six weeks in a season;
others are in use nearly the whole year,
their owners cruising in warm waters
in winter. Mr.. Aldridge thinks 1t fair
to put the average time for boats
service at i've months each season. In
ordinary years sixty per cent. of the
yachts are in commission and on such
basis the Pesxson's writer goes into
figures of cost.
Big vessels like the Valiant, varuna.
Cofsair and others require crews of
aixty men. 1t would take $3.50 men to
handle the steamers and auxiliaries,
1877 for the schooners,, 400 for the
yawls, 1915 for the sloops and 600 for
the power boats, making n total Of
90O2 men.
The pay of nm ordinary sailor is $50
q month. Many owners add to this IS
q month for good conduct. Quarter
masters get little more than sailors.
mates SEQ to 500 month, assistant
engineers the same as mates, and cap
tains and engineers from $75 a month
to $500 year. The average pay roll
for these 5000 men might be put at $40
q month each. This would mean $780,
600 4 month, or 81, 10000 for the I'VE
months.
These men have to be fed. Fifty
cents 4 day is allowed for each man.
This means S135.OO month for food,
or $685. 600 for the i've months.
Each sailor must be provided with
One blue uniform, two suits Of duck.
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