Evening star., 1934-09-19

Il think it's great. OF course, I
wasn't very well treated over there
when I won that cup, but all that's
past and finished I had lot of
fun in England and think that
greater spirit of sportsmanship would
result if the American sailor men
would have to challenge for it once
more. They've had things pretty
much their own way for too long"
Didn't the British like you when
you first went over?"
mo. They were suspicious of me.
You see, Albion may be perfldious,
but it doesn't like anything ahead of
the times. My style was too advanced
for them. Why, do you know they
wouldn't even race against me after
they saw me? The first morning !
arrived there the cutter Laverock
picked me up in fog and raced me
six miles to Cowes. That ended me as
an international contender. Commo-
dore Stevens offered all kinds of bets,
he even challenged everything that
sails, anywhere in Europe, and they
still sat back and talked behind the
backs of their hands about me. You
IldtC ScCll IllC 1 IL
bet he was madder than Commodore
Vanderbilt was last night. And hey
didn't have aspirin in those days.
Finally he did horn in on a little race
through the rip tides of the Solent
and around the Isle of Wight. I beat
them so badly that they had to give
me something 1t was the cheapest
cup the Royal Yacht Squadron hdc
But they've paid for it since then
Sailed Over-That's How.
How in the world did Commodore
Stevens get you to England? That's
long trip"
my dear, I'm surprised. Look at
these planks. Why. I've crossed the
Atlantic dozens of times. And I could
still do it, young mani could still
do it."
Were you convoyed?"
obviously you are the product of
an effete age What is this world
coming to? I carried my own owners
and crew and all their supplies for
an ocean voyage. And I raced that
way. And as for superstitions-my
first crossing was made with 13 men
aboard"
Then you must have a lot of room
below"
"Yes; I have, indeed. There's the
main salon with six berths, four state
rooms, galley, fo'csle for crew
of 20 and a-pardon my difhdence;
after all, did come out of the Vic
torian age-a bath room"
You said that first race with Lave
rock ended you as an international
racer. Didn't you ever race after
that?"
Yes, but never as an American
challenger. You see, the old commo-
-dore was so mad that he wouldn't
even sail me home. He sold me to
Lord John de Blaquiere for 5000,
That was round five thousand less
than it cost to build me. Lord John
showed me a good time, but the first
thing he did was remodel me. He
tried to make me British, but Browns
Shipyard in Brooklyn had built me
too good an American. So all Blaqui-
ere did was take away lot of my
speed He got tired of trying to
! race me after one season, and in 1852
took me on a Mediterranean cruise.
I was a top-notcher at that, too. Lord
Templeton liked me so well that he
bought me and planned to use me on
extensive travels. But they let me
founder in a storm during the Winter
of 1923, and I thought I would
never sail again. I lay in the mud
of the Thames estuary for six years
the longest six years in my life
Il should think that would have
ruined you"
A Long Mud Bath,
Young man, told you ships have
hearts. Mine is a stout one of the
finest oak. That mud pack merely
improved my complexion. A Thames
boat builder finally pulled me out and
remodeled me to make me like I was
before Blaquiere changed me- Then
he put me into the West Indian trade
under the name Camilla I was so
good at that-pardon my excusable
pride-that when the United States
Navy began blockading the ports of
the South the Confederate States
bought me to run the gantlet with
cotton for England and munitions for
Lee. For two years gave the North
ern gunboats the jitters, puc they
closed in on me and chased me up
the st. Johns River IN Florida. My