The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1913-02-28
Mamma, a Pleasure Yacht,
Brought Woe to GoeIets
Last Affliction Caused Family to Deny
Dying Wishes Of One Of It's Prom
inent Members-Vessel Prob
ably vii! Be Sold.

New York.-The members OF the
enormously wealthy Goelet family of
New York, one Of the most prominent
families of America. either die on
board their yachts or are taken from
them to die, says a writer. For this
reason young Mrs. Robert Wilson Goe-
let, the former Miss Elsie Whelen,
will not let her husband own yacht
Of any kind, will not let him go cruis-
ing, nor will she go herself. And
more than this, she is bringing up her
small boys to hate yachts and will not
even let them have toy boats of any
kind.
has said many times. Last summer,
when the news of Mrs. Robert Goe-
let's serious illness reached her.
Foung Mrs. Bobby said to her great
friend. Mrs. Gordon Douglas:
THE Nahma will claim another vic.
| tim"
EARLY in December Mrs. Goelet died.
Aot on board the MAMMA, as she de-
sired, however, but in Paris, where
her only son, Robert Walton Goclet.
insisted on taking her. Mrs. Goelet's
illness and death is the latest tragedy
Of the magnificent pleasure craft that
cost the late Robert Goelet more than
$1.000,000.
So strongly do the whole family feel
on the yachting subject in general,
so keen is their dread of the Nahma
in particular. that they refused to
comply with Mrs. Robert Goelet's last
wishes and have her body brought
back to America on board.
But the Nahma was not the FIRST
yacht to bring tragedy to the family.
Fifteen years ago Ogden Goelet. one
Of the best known New York and
Newport multimillionaires, died on
board his steam yacht Mayf1ower. He
had been cruising in English waters
and died at Cowes. His body was
brought home on board the vessel that
he loved as he did his life. His widow
and son, Robert Wilson Gcelet. would
not keep the Mayflower Mrs. Goe.
let said that it would always be a
funeral ship to her, and SO she sold it
| to the United States government. 1t
| was used as concerted gunboat dur
| ing the Spanish war, and is now the
presidents yacht
It is a noticeable fact that Mrs. o.
den Goe1et and her son have never
been interested in yachts or yachting
since Ogden Goelet's DEATH
Twenty months after putting the
Nahma in commission Robert Goelet
died on board in the bay Of Naples,
New York, in the beautiful little
| library whose walls were lined with
| rare first editions and equally rare
old prints.
Robert Goelet left the Nahma to his
! wife, with tho request that she hold
| it until her death. From that day un-
! til her death a few weeks ago the
| widow lived almost entirely on board
the vessel on which her husband died.
In January, 1902, after a series OF
| brilliant entertainments on the Nah
ma, Mrs. Goelet decided to return to
New York and bring out her daughter
Beatrice.
Beatrice was then seventeen years
| old, a remarkably pretty young per
son. and one who seemed destined to
make great match, for in Europe she
was on friendly terms with the
! younger members of the royal families
of Great Britain and Germany. While
| speeding across the Atlantic with the
future so rosy before her Beatrice was
stricken with measles. On reaching
| New York she was hurried to the
| mansion so wonderfully prepared for
| her, but she died on the tenth Of Feb.