Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1908-08-19
N UNBEATEN CUTTER
The Daring Was the Fastest
Racer In Our Navy.
HER MOST FAMOUS VICTORY.
IT Was Over the Crew OF the Iron Duke.
British Man war, arc Was De-
cisive Why the American Bane
Played the British National Air.

CiSive- why the american SAND
Played the British National Air.
The fastest racing boat that eve,
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 |
| !alia in the great storm which sanH |
almost every vessel in the harbor OF |
| samoa she left behind her an unbrosel |
| record Of victories.
None of these was more sensational
than the one she easily plucked from
Il crew Of the Iron Duke when the
| Daring was attached to the Wisconsin,
! chem on the Asiatic station. Appropr1
| ately enough, the crushing defeat was
| administered in centennial year. 1875
ana it was the more significant because
! tie English boat had given the chal-
lcnGe and had fairly rushed upon its
| fate.
When bluejacket wants a race he
goes about it in his own peculiar fash
ion He doesn't write out a challenge
ana send it with due formalities. He
does not appoint committee to extend
it. He does not post notice in a con
! s9icnous pace"
He simply lowers his boat. climbs
into 1t to the number Of twelve or four
team, pulls toward the ship whose
crew he wants to race, losses his oars
rs he comes under her bow, and there
you are. The challenge has been Civ
Ell 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 q lot Of pre-
: liminary work yet to be done, much
Of it being Of strictly financial "a
: ture.
Thousands of dollars change hands
over these races. The officers them
selves are generally ready 10 back the
J honor of their own ship with substan-
} tial proof Of their loyalty.
IS for the average sailor man. he
; digs Up every cent lie can rake ard
scrane. As winner OF these she:Zels
, the Daring, IS before mentioned. is o.
blessed memory, except to hec rivals.
OF these latter none was more conf
. 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.
e She hadn't Dern in ycr- long before
t she lowered a boa. The men on the
+; Wisconsin :1Iy watched. They con
n tinued to observe, bat without much
e concern. rs the British cutter was
pulled toward the Wisconsin, heading
across her bows.
Then tie unexpected happened. "a
~ the surprise and intense delight Of TIE
d Americans. Up went the British oars
+ and q little thrill Of excitement swep-
:. the widening ripple around the harbor
l A challenge had been given. A ract
was to come.
And it was race that meant &
whole lot mere than & mere confess
. between two crews. 1t involved con
tested principle of boat building.
The British believed il substan
tial, seaworthy. solid craft. The Amer
leans made their cutters lighter ana
: more graceful, contending at the same
time that the fre lines which made
their boats beautiful did not mako
them the less seaworthy.
The day for the race was set, &
course Of three and a half miles desig
mated and the wagers piled up on boil
. sides. But when the day came there
. was high wind, making the going 81
rough that the Americans, thinking
| l.
posed putting it off.
Not much! The British thought they
: saw through the proposal. They mag
ined the Americans were afraid, ant
!. they saw a glorious opportunity tt
i prove their wisdom In sacrificing beau
. ty to seaworthiness. They were a:
\ firm as nobody but an Englishman cal
be. The race must go on.
o And it did. You bet it did! And tn.
! Daring came skimming in a whole hal
= mile ahead--a half mile, if you please
r While the Iron Dukes crew were
h plugging through the waves by maiI
q force the Daring cut across them ana
n over them like the thing of delight sh'
o was And, while she was as dry as ,
parlor car, the Iron Dukers We're bail
d ing to keep themselves afoat.
e Well, you can imagine whether there
8 was joy aboard the Wisconsin. Blu
= the officers could afford to be generou:
d in victory, so the band was ordered t
It play God Save the Queen"
n A British naval officer was standing
l. with an American officer on shore
It watching the finish, and when the
L band struck up he turned to the Amer
& lean in bewilderment.
8 That's funny!' he said. "Your boa
comes in ahead, and yet they're play
ing God Save the Queen don't IN
derstand'
WELL said the American, ''f Go
n won't save the queen now she migh
W y.