Arizona republican., 1905-05-20
PHOENIx, ARIZONA. MAY 20. 1905
The Honey Invested In Yachting.

per readers in Arizona were to think that the Associated Press dispatches give undue prominence to the yacht races off New York. in which the cup offered by Emperor William of Ger many is the exciting prize. Yacht rac- ing, to dwellers in the interior of the country. is likely to be regarded as a very tame sport. But the interest talk en in these races by the people of the coast states is extraordinary. The vast sums of monex invested in yachts is a good index to the popular interest taken.
 Yachting is the rich mans pastime. however According to Arthur F. Aldridge in Pearson's Magazine for June, there is more than $43,OOO.O .OO0 in vested in yachts in the United States S6,OOO,O0O in club-houses and club property, and sS,OOO,OOO spent every year for pleasure in yachting. Thase figures support MT. AIdridge's declar alton that yachting is the costlies. sport in tn: world. There are now $90 yacht clubs ia 1h:s country, with more than SC GOO members and a total oe 3,11S carefully recorded yachts.
 Mir Aldredge deals only with tie boats of record. There are, perhaps ten thousand ver- small launches and motor boats and an unknown number O. thy sail boats which do not enter into his field of consideration.
 Among the recorded yachts 512 are steamers, 199 are auXiliaries (having sm4l power engines to use wnen ;he winds fall light or when working into harHors,) POS are schoOneTs, 1,t"2 sIoops and cutters. 226 yawls. lf0 cat- boats sos launches with gas electric or naptha motors.
 Of the steamers 357 arA built If wood and metal and 129 are built en- tireiy of steel. These steel vessels are worth $17, ,294 900. All 'lodern boats are built of steel, and the seven that are over three hundred feet in length are among the handsomest in the world. These are w. K. Vanderbjits Valiant. James Gordan Bennett's Lysistrata, A. J. DrexeTs Margarita, Mrs. Robert Goelet's Nahma, J. Pierpont Morgan's s Corsair, Eugene Higgins's Varuna end Col Oliver H. Payne's Aphrodite. The average price for these seven has bc'n placed at half million dollars for each.
 In the next class are F. w. Wander bilts Warrior and Howard Gould's Niagara each worth S36O,O0O
 The 25 vessels of composite build are worth s969,O0O and the wooden boats are worth S7,O99, ,OOO. This makes a total for the steam yachts owned by American yachtsmen of $25,362,O ,OOO.
 If the 3,11S American yachts of rec ord were arranged in a line up the Hudson from the battery, at ordinary anchorage distances. MT. Aldridge finds they would reach to the Poughkeepsie bridge.
 The steamers over 200 feet long, headed by W. K. Vanderbilts Valiant, 332 feet, would make the line to West Sixteenth street, about three miles. | Boats between 15O and 200 feet would extend two miles; those between 125 l and 15O feet, four miles.
 Finally, there would be "a line sev-
  sells used only for pleasure Then there | are thousands of small craft unregis- | tered, and if these could be accounted | for. the line would reach as far as AL bany."
 Some vessels are in commission only for a month or six weeks in a season; others are in use nearly the whole year their owners cruising in warm waters in winter. MT. Aldridge thinks it fair to put the average time for a boats service at five months each season. In ordinary years sixty per cent of the yachts are in commission and on such basis the Pearson's writer goes into figures of cost.
 Big vessels like the Valiant, Varuna. Corsair and others require crews of sixty men. It would take 5,250 men to handle the ,zeamers and auxiliaries, 1,517 for the schooners, APO for the yawls. 1.215 for the sloops and 500 for the power boats, making a total of g. OO2 men.
 The pay of an ordinary sailor is $50 a month. May owners add to this 8 a month for good conduct Quarter masters get a little more than sailors, mates $6O to S1OO a month, assistant engineers the same as mates. and cap tains and engineers from $75 a month to s3.50O a year. The average pay roll for these 5000 men might be put at $40 a month each. This would mean $36O,- 900 a month, or s1,SOO,OOO for the five months.
 These men have to be fed. Fifty cents a day is allowed for each man. This means s135,OOO a month for food or ss65.o0O for the five months, ]