Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-15

stroyers, spouting black smoke from
their tunnels as they proceeded to the
various stations assigned to them. Sin
lister, black, ubiquitous, one fancied that
daring indeed would be the steamboat
skipper that dared disobey the injunc-
tions against encroaching upon the path
of the racers.
Then came a group of tugboats, some
of them brave with banners and stream.
crs, denoting that the vacuum cleaners
association OF the Bronx Elks or some
other body of good fellows had char
tered that boat as means of cheering
on the defender.
Dcmocratically beam to beam with
some towing craft which but yesterday
perhaps had had line of garbage scows
astern. moved palatial steam yacht.
while not far astern would be modest
motor yacht. The Fall River liner Ply
mouth came rolling into view well laden
with passengers, nine tenths of whom
probably were unable to tell a sloop from
schooner, but all eager to witness the
absorbing event Of this day.
| Of other sizable craft there was
! Crizaba. n coastwise steamship and. of
course. the Highlander. bearing the ia =
vorcd members of the New York Yacht
! Club. Picture the scene when the re-
gatta committees staunch and fast tug
came to station alongside the old yellow
| Ambrose channel light vessel which for
so many years has kept the only watch
and ward over the outward portals to
New York harbor.
We see no longer an ocean, lonely
and inscrutablc; on the contrary 1t Is
now an cxpansc of salt sea humanized
It is as though through some miracle a
| 81 r,gny t1o ~ IN
had reared itself above the waves
There is the sound of jazz music from
boat orchestra as hardly meet for the
murmurs that come from the vast lungs
of the deep there are tootings of whis-
ties, some hoarse. gruf, others almost
silly in their shrill tremolo.
A power yacht cuts across the bows
of n heavily moving tug, which gives
forth sharp outbursts Of angry whistling,
while the curious throaty yclps of de-
stroyers fastening to intercept some
craft who has got herself into waters
where she is distinctly to stop, add to
the confusion.
Milk Bottle, OF Course
| There comes a fash from the High
lander. Is it helograph signal? No,
indeed, Il is some one casting bottle
overheard. Is 1t milk bottle? Why,
of course it is. What other sort OF a
bottle could it be? There Is to he noted
a diminution in the size OF the fleet.
We do not see the tall craft OF other
wears when government regulations
permitted steamboats, to 60 to sea with
little regard for life saving accommo-
dations.
But times are different. Now craft
must carry so many lifeboats and other
life saving appliances per SO many
passengers that few OF the excursion
feet found It worth while to go into the
game Of bearing spectators to the Hook
for these cup race events. AS con
sequence the three -dcckers we're few and
far between today. 1t was as though
! Tho breed of American craft had sud :
denly lost stature without decreasing in
numbers. For, so far as numbers were
concerned. there were apparently as
many hulls afloat off Sandy Hook to-
day MS there ever were in previous cup
series. But, as indicated. they were
mainly tugboats and steam and power
yachts and auxiliaries. Then there were
the seaplanes darting overhead, appear
ing and disappearing in the haze.
Lipton's Yacht Crowded
And, finally, dominating the scene,
the graceful cup racers, their sails fit
ting as neatly as drumheads. glistening
in the sun and dipping like seagulls as
they swung in and out of stays. darted
with the wind beam, or with lightened
sheets heeling to the breeze. Sir Thomas
Lipton's Victoria trailed Shamrock
at a respectful distance. She was laden
with guests. Had every one who had
constituted himself or herself a guest
been able to get aboard, well, not a
quarter of them would have been able
to get aboard.
For every person who had ever shaken
the hand of Sir Thomas Upton or had
word or smile from the genial
baronet has in the last week felt priv
ileged to suggest that an invitation was
due to see the races from the vantage
point of the Victoria. AS a conse =
qucnce the table of Lipton's secretary,
Mr.. Westwood, yesterday suggested the
receiving desk of a mail-order house.
But since the Victoria is not Noah s
Ark nor an ocean liner, most of the
suggestions we're not needed.