Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-31

NJ
desires that cup has gripped the
imagination of the American people
Sir Thomas Upton the former grocers clerk
who was knighted for his philanthrophies long
before any one knew him as yachtsman' Is
back again to try to regain for Great Britain
the Royal Yacht Squadron Trophy. 1t is this
trophy which in the last 70 years has come
to be known as the Americas Cup, although
it is not a cup and was the prize In a wen
known annual event long before 1t was Won
by the original America. Prior to 1881 1t was
pooularly called the Queens Cup, for no par
ticllar reason, for the Queen of England, Vic
toria, presented similar cup for another event.
It also was sometimes called the Hundred
Guinea Cup because of its value of approx
matey $500.
In the 79 years it has repoSed on this side
of the Atlantic it has grown to be the standard
of all that is superior in sporting competition.
It holds a position unique in the history OF
competitive play and is above and beyond the
plane occupied by any other trophy
Such is its reputation in the popular mind
but it is doubtful If any other cup or prize In
a major sports event has been the cause of
more examples of poor craftsmanship, both on
the part of some of the challengers and some
of the defenders.
INDEED, until Tommy Lipton's advent the
races for the famous cup in which there
was not some unsporting unpleasantness could
be counted on the fingers of one hand. In the
81 years Sir Thomas has been trying to lift
the cup he and the members of the defense
committee of the New York Yacht Club,
through the terms arrived at under the mutual
consent clause of the cups deed, have elm
mated the unpleasant aspects and have done
more Again they have made the race con-
test between yachts and shippers, rather than
a mere gamble conditions between mighty
specialized racing machines which wtaan the
races were over had no further value o. use.
These two accomplishments have been stupen-
dous, and to give true picture of the magni-
tude Of the job requires history OF the series
of races that began in 1851 at Cowes on the
Isle of Wight.
For half a century after the founding of the
United States seafaring men devoted all their
time and energy to the development of ships
to carry the commerce of the young republic
to the far corners of the earth. There was
little time for play we know it today and
no time at all for such expensive sports as
yachting.
1t was only in 1874 that there were enough
large private pleasure boats in the vicinity Of
New York to make a club practical, but
with che formation of the New York Yacht
Club in that year with John G. Stevens, the
inventor as commodore, began the domination
Of America in boat racing
At that period the fastest boats on the
vessels operated by the Sandy Hook pilots
They we're designed for racing of a practical
sort AS soon word reached the harbor
that merchantmen was nearing port all the
pilots made dash to meet her. The first one
there was the one who received the fee. Thee
boats we're all Of a similar type, both as to
hull and rig Hence the races were tests of
seamanship entirely.
A BOUT II years before the Civil War ship
4 ping men at New York were startled by
a pilot boat designed by young man named
George Steers, the son of an English ship
wright who had settled in America some 20
years before. This boat the Mary Taylor
completely upset previous standards of design,
although her rig modified only slightly
from the usual pilot boat plan. She was the
first craft to have long, sharp bow, wide
beam at her middle and full, shallow stern.
Within month of her launching the Mary
Taylor was known from Boston to the Chesa-
peake as the fastest vessel in America.
Commodore Stevens and other members of
the New York Club Immediately took an in
terest in the new development 1t meant more
speed for the schooners they were just then