The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-08-31
YACHT RACE PREL|M'S
HAS COST 81 100000
Should War Last Two Years Money
Put Into Cup Defenders
Will BE Lost.
SOME BIG EXPENSE ITEMS
Sails, Spars and Upkeep, With Sal
aries Paid Commanders and Crews,
Make First Investment Seem In
significant.

With the departure Of Sir Thoma:
Lipton's steam yacht Erin on her home
ward journey last week. the last visi.
bic reminder OF the Americas cup race:
scheduled for 1919 was removed from
these waters. High and dry IN the
ah!pyards at Bristol. r. l., City Island
and South Brooklyn. stand all that is
left OF what only few weeks ago
Were the four fastest racing sloops
ahoat. To-day stripped OF their spars
and riggings with their sails stowe ed
and their decks boxed up for the win
ter, they arc little more than symbols
of one of the costliest nascoes in the
history Of international sport.
Taken together they represent I'm in
vestment OF nearly $1,000. 000-money
as good as thrown away, so long as
war or some other cause makes cup
racing Impossible Officially the con-
test is postponed until 1915, for a year
the boats Will be as good as new, hut
!! the war goes on two or three years,
the chances of any OF the boats racing
for the Americas cup are small.
When II was arranged TO sail the
1914 races with sevcntyive footerS.
one Of the advantages OF the smaller
type of boat pointed out was the ex-
pcnse. They would be cheaper to
build than ninetyfooters, and the
crew would be smaller The seventy
ave footers needed thirty men, the
But when the time came to build.
those who had talked about saving
money We're disappointed, The cost OF
a ninety footer was $4,000. and some
had predicted that that amount would
i'c cut in half, hut only one succeeded
la doing it. and that was Defiance, built
al Bath Nc. for a syndicate OF Boston,
Philadelphia and New York yachtsmen.
She cost exactly $4,000, but Alexander
Smith Cochrans Nanitie cost 100000.
and Resolut", the candidate OF the
New York Yacht Club syndicate, cost
$4,000
Shamrock ". Cost Not known.
The cost OF Shamrock ". mas never
been known. 1t was probably less
than either Resolute or Vanitia, with
their huils OF manganese bronze The
Upton yacht, like Defiance. had a
wooden hull, which costs less as ma
terials aud labor are cheaper abroad.
II would not be surprising IL Shamrock
~. cost less even than Defiance.
the real drain upon the owners
pocketbooks came with the trial racing
the three American boats went into
commission in May. were racing by
June !, and the trials continued until
ne hrst week in August. Then came
the war, and the boats were laid up.
Roughly speaking, they We're in COM
mission ninety days, and took part in
twenty trial races.
What these races cost the owners
only the owners know \ man who
has seen most of tho bills OF one of the
american yachts estimated the eX-
penscs at $4,000 day for each day in
commission.
Expensive Pinythirgs.
II Is not diilicuit to figure out where
inns money went. a suit OF sails cost
about 1900 They arc made of Eeyp-
t!an cotton, and require much cuttin.
and'recutting 10 be fitted. Practically
every, sail is carried in duplicate, and
by the end of a season each yacht
sentative estimate OF the cost OF sails
may be placed at $4,000 for either
ReSolute or Vanitie. All this canvas
It Is hoped, will he good for use next
year Each Snil was carefully dried
ioided and slowed in sail lofts, where
moisture cannot get at them
, me payroll was another big item.
For one yacht $4,000 was paid TO The
men, excluding tho captains salary.
t.tch SAILOR was picked man and re
cclNed S45 month instead OF the S35
pEid on pleasure yachts. He also re-
cc!Ecd $40 month as conduct money
that is, $40 for good behavior II he
fcmainc on board TO tine end @. the
season. On the boat in question each
man received his conduct money Also
IN the trial races d bonus OF So went
TO every sailor on tho winning boat
| and there was $3.50 fec for every
racing start
There There were some sixty men on the
payroll or each yacht. In addition
to the racing crew of thirty sailors ant
] Continued On Sixth PaCc)