Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-29

1
cup defense yachts are about to enter
| upon the second stage of the Americas
| cup preliminaries. Beginning next
week off Newport will be held the first
official tests of the Resolute, Vanitie
and Defiance ana the cup committee
will base it's final selection of de-
fender upon the result of these and
subsequent races.
These initial point races, as they are
termed since the points scored will
| count for or against the defense as
pirants, begin on July with series
of round-robin races in which each
yacht will rage the two others in turn
and the committee expects to Secure
valuable data as a result of the dual
contests. The early races both on
Long Island and off Sandy Hook clear
ly indicated that of the trio the Reso-
lutte was the only yacht really ready
for the June races. Once the remodel
ling of spars and sails is completed it
is predicted that the future contests
will be far closer and the victories
more evenly divided.
While the structural points of the
three sloops will be brought out to
the best advantage in all these races,
the work of the crews Will be a very
important factor. The preliminary
contests have been just as much of Il
training for the tars as the spring
workouts of the baseball players
Once the crews are thoroughly organ
lied and drilled the speed in handling
sail and tackle and response to COM
mands will mean the winning or los
ing of races. 1t is a peculiar fact in
connection with these cup yacht crews
that almost without exception they
are foreigners.
The captains of the three sloops have
invoked the aid of Norway and Sweden
in defending the Americas cup for
Vanitie, Defiance and Resolute are all
manned, forward of the mast, by de-
scendants of the .Norsemen. Years ago.
Americas cup defenders were manned
with Penobscot Bay tars, mostly from
Deer Island, but very few Yankee sea-
men have been seen on the cup yachts
since the Vinal Haven crew on the De-
fender assisted in defeating the Valky-
RE III.
Captain Christensen, Resolute,
brought nearly a score of men from
his native town of Bergin, Norway far
UP near the land of the midnight sun,
while Captain Howell of the Defiance
and Captain Dennis of the Vanitie also
recruited their crews with Scandinavia
ans. although all hands give South
Brooklyn as their hailing port. They
are a lively set of tars these yellow
haired, red checked sons of the Norwe-
gian fjords, with muscles like iron and
nerves Of steel. for it takes a cool head
to occupy, the masthead position of a
cup defender, especially in & smart
breeze and some sea. with club topsails
adrift, and spinnaker halyards caught
in the standing rigging.
Every man on the three boats is
veteran, and with few exceptions have
worked a year and some of them five
years under their respective shippers.
Captain Howell of the Defiance took
q number of his men from the sloop
Istalena although some of them sailed
with Commodore E. Walter Clark on
the schooner Irolita, now the tender to
/ the Defiance.
Organized baseball and especially the
major leagues viii not look back on
1914 as year of golden harvests. With
midsummer rapidly approaching re-
ports from all parts of the country are
to the effect that attendance figures
are not up to the usual standard. The
reasons assigned for the unusual state
of gate receipts are extremely varied.
The advent of the Federal League is
not generally given as contributing
cause and it is known that the new
organization is not any better support
ed than the older organizations. One
authority, who, owing to his position,
has access to the returns, said recent
ly:
II attribute the falling off of attend
ance to the general dullness in bust
ness. Baseball is like any ether at
traction that depends upon the public
for support? 1t feels business depres-
sion and it's receipts is an accurate
barometer of financial conditions. !
was recently told during trip around
the circuit that one city supporting a
major league club had more than H.
600 untenanted houses due to the fact
that many of the working class had
left in search of other employment
Conditions l found to be the same to
some extent in other cities. Baseball
has It's lean years anu uHueT lHt CHI
cumstances it is not surprising that
we should hear complaints"
The situation is one which readily lends
itself to pessimistic and sensational re-
ports but there is no thought on the part
of those who have made baseball life
business of putting up the shutters. If
It is found that readjustment of GER
tain circuits are necessary such changes
will be made in due time There is no
tendency. however, to act on snap judg-
ment President Edward Barrow of the
International League voiced the general
sentiment of organized baseball when he
said anent the subject:
81 am not prepared to say what fu-
ture developments may arise or whether
conditions may not ultimately demand
revision of the circuit. But this / will
say, and say most positively, no change
is contemplated this season. And If any
change is made in future 1t will be by
the unanimous consent of the club presi-
dents. Our constitution demands that
courtesy. Baseball generally this sea-
sc en- a condition