Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1908-12-16
IN UNDEATEN Gutter
The Daring Was the Fastest
Racer In Our Navy.
HER MOST FAMOUS VICTORY.
Il Was Over the Crew Of the Iron Duke,
a British Man or war, and Was De-
csive - Why the American Banr
Played the British National Air.

FiayeQ the BrfGlSn NaCfSHai Salr.
The fastest racing boat that ever |
brought shekels and glory to the Amer |
lean navy or to any other, for tina: |
matter. was the cutter Daring.
When she went down with the VAN |
ialia in the great storm which sans |
almost every vessel IN the harbor III |
eial3ol she left behind her an unbrobei
record Of victories
Meme of these was more scnSa tionai
Nan the one she easily pucked FROM
q crew of the Iron Duke when the
Caring was attached to the Wisconsin,
then on the Asiatic station. Approprf-
ately enough, the crushing defeat was
administered in centennial year, 1876,
ana it was the more significant because
the English boat had given the chal-
lcnge and had fairly rushed upon it's
fate.
When bluejacket wants race he
goes about it in his own peculiar fash
ion He doesn't write out challenge
AMI send it with due formalities He
| does not appoint 4 committee to extend
| it. He does not post notice in CON
| sp,cuous pface.'
| He simply lowers his boat climbs
! ,Aio it to the number OF twelve or four
! teen, pulls toward the ship whose
| crew he wants to race losses his oars
| as he comes under her bow, and there
| you are. The challenge has been Civ
en- in the sight of the whole harbor.
This sort of invitation doesn't mean
| that the other crew is to hustle into its,
boat for a race right then and there
! On the contrary, there is a lot Of pre-
| liminary work yet to be done. much
of it being of a strictly financial la.
| ture.
Thousands of dollars change hands
| over these races The officers them
selves are generally ready to back the
/ honor of their own ship with substan-
tial proof of their loyalty.
As for the average sailor man. he
digs up every cent lie can rake and
scrape. AS winner of these shekels
the Daring, as before mentioned. is %
blessed memory. except to her rivals.
/ OF these latter none was more conn
dent than the Iron Duke crew. The
Wisconsin was already at anchor when
the British vessel came into the har-
Dor, one fine day. her advent being
greeted with the usual attention every
newcomer commands.
She hadn't been in very long before
she lowered a boat. The men on the
| Wisconsin idly watched. They con-
tinued to observe, but without much
concern. as the British cutter was
pulled toward the Wisconsin; heading
across her bows.
Then the unexpected happened. TIC
the surprise and intense delight of the
Americans. up went the British oars
and little thrill of excitement swept
the widening ripple around the harbor
A challenge had been given. A race
was to come.
And it was race that meant 9
; whole lot more than a mere contest
between two crews. 1t involved a con
tested principle of boat building.
The British believed in substan
tial. seaworthy fOlid craft The Amer
leans made their cutters lighter and
, more graceful, cOntending at the same
time that the fine lines which made
their boats beautiful did not make
them the less seaworthy.
: The day for the race was set, &
course Of three and half miles desig
mated and the wagers piled up on botf
/ sides. But when the day came there
was high wind, making the going 81
rough that the Americans, thinking
that it wouldn't be a pretty race, pro
I posed putting it off.
!. Not much! The British thought they
saw through the proposal. 4 They tmag
fined the Americans were afraid, and
8 they saw glorious opportunity tt
! prove their wisdom in sacrificing beau
ty ito seaworthiness. They were q.
firm as nobody but an Englishman car
be. The race must go on.
l And 1t did. You bet it did, And TIT
Daring came skimming in a whole hall
mile ahead-a half mile, if you please
While the Iron Dukes crew were
, plugging through the waves by MAR
, force the Daring cut across them and
over them like the thing of delight she
was. And, while she was as dry as 9
, parlor car, the Iron Dukers were bail
ing to keep themselves afloat
Well, you can imagine whether there
was joy aboard the Wisconsin. Blu,
the officers could afford to be generous
in victory, so the band was ordered tc
play "God Save the Queen
A British naval officer was standing
with an American officer on shore
watching the finish, and when the
band struck up he turned to the Amer
tcan In bewilderment
That's funny he said. "Your boat
comes in ahead, and yet they're play
Ing God Save the Queen don't un-
derstand."
WELL" said the American, 'if God
won't save the queen now she might
as well give up. Nothing earthly can"
The Daring was built at New York
about 1871 and was so far superior to