The daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 190?-1908, 1907-09-09

tention involves the building of ex-
renslve racing machines that have no
further use after their little day of
victory. Is a costly thing. II Is esti-
mated that the building. fitting, and
racing OF the Columbia and the Reli-
ance cost fully a half million and
more.
All will be agreed that that is much
to spend for the mere glory of de
Tending a trophy. The expense was not
nearly so much when the Puritan and
normal yachts of her type were
Tending off the efforts of oversee chal-
lengers to take from these shores that
most famous of all cups. For after
these had been sailed to victory they
were just as useful as cruising yachts
as they were notable as cup defend
ers. But with the advent of the rae
ing machine" as it has come first to
the finish IN these latter days. it came
about that when the races were over
the racer themselves were done.
Imperial Caesar, dead, and turn'd to
clay.
Might stop a hole to keep the wind
away.
These later champions. yachts that
once called high heaven to look upon
their untrammeled speed, vessels over
whose victories the multitude shouted
until il was hoarse of throat, are now
lonely and forgotten, as though they
had never rushed, wind driven, to
tumultuous victory. On the other
hand, those other old and far less cost
~ champions, vessels built before cup
defense was fined down into such eX-
pensive racing machines as have
found expression in these later models.
are for the most part earning the
labor that was put into them.
The Reliance was a skimminE dish
with a great depth Of keel, which IN
abled her to carry a tremendous sail
spread, While nominally constructed
on a nincty-foot waterline, she had
tremendous Overhangs which served,
when she was heeled over by Il nor.
nal breeze, to make the length on
which she sailed much greater. BY
these two means she cheated the rule
! and got speed which English boats
| could not equal. because a boat built
to beat her on similar lines could not
with safety cross the ocean TO race
The new rules sought to restrict this
tendency to utilize tremendous over
hangs and to restrict the draught.
The first thing that was lone was
to abandon the old measurement OF
water-line and measure the actual line
on which the boat sailed. This made
the big oyerhang useless. To insure
their abandonment 1t was decided that
the sailing length could not be great
err than 115 per cent. of the water-line.
To Offset the depth of keel It was de
cided that the draught should o ex
coed 10 per cent. of the waterline by
more than two and one-half feet, while
Il premium was placed on displace-
ment. The new rule declared that the
greater the displacement of the boat
the lower her rating should be, and
further discountenanced the building
of skimming dish models by this
means. The exact restrictions that
were laid down were the outgrowth of
the most careful study by the clever.
est naval architects in America, and
they did their work most effectively.
The new type did produce boats that
were comfortabie and at the same
time fast.
SO far as known. the king of Eng
land Is the only poC:on of note now
living who saw the start and finish OF
the race which won the America cup.
All who took part In building, de-
signing. and racing the America have
passed away. Commodore j. c. Stev.
ems died at a comparatively early age,
Sept. 10, 1857. Hamilton Wilks died at
Pau, France. Dec. 26, 1862; Edward A.
Stevens in August, 1868, and the last
surviving owner, George l.. Schuyler,
July 81, 1891. George Steers, who de-
signed aud built the America, met
with a sad and sudden death. Just as
he was in the prime Of life, In his
th~irty.fOurth year, he was accident.
ally killed. His family had been spend
ing tho summer at Little Neck, l.. l.,
and Sept. 25, 1856, with a horse and
c~arry-all, he started on his journey 10
bring them home. His horse DOL
fright and ran away, throwing him out
and killing him.