Built as a wooden centreboard yacht by Byerly & Son yard, Philadelphia as a sloop for its designer Richard Fanning Loper.
1857Launched under the name MADGIE.
Built with one mast. Tonnage and dim. not known.
She was built for Lopers one use, and two years later he refitted her in a two mast schooner, and changing the form of the stern, the next year he lengthened the bow.
1864 Sold to New York and renamed MAGIC.
1865 Sailing under the banner of the New York yacht club.
1869 She was completely rebuilt on the yard of David Caril, City Island.
After completing bought by Franklin Osgood.
1870 Her details are given as:
Displacement 80 tons, dim. 27.43 x 15.7 x 2.02m. (draught).
Sail area 602 m².
Solid ballast 8 tons.
8 August 1870 was she one of yachts used in The First Challenge of the America Cup off New York; the course did have a length of 35.1 mile. The challenger was the yacht CAMBRIA of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, England and the defenders was a fleet of 15 yachts including the AMERICA, MAGIC and MADELEINE.
The MAGIC under command of skipper A. Comstock was the winner of the race. Her time was 4 hour, 7 minutes and 54 seconds.
During her lifetime she was owned by 18 owners, including the USS Navy, which used her as a supply craft during the 1898 Spanish-American war.
1899 Was she in dry-dock in Jacksonville, Florida, the owner could not pay the repair bill and the MAGIC was sold by the yard to John Lowe, Jacksonville who used her for charters from Jacksonville.
Thereafter used as fishing boat till she was bought for use as a pilot boat.
She ended her live lying abandoned at the quay, and when a hurricane in October 1926 pushed her to the entrance of the harbour of Key West.
On the request of the Lowe’s family the yacht was dragged offshore and destroyed with explosives the same year, 69 years after its launching.
On Solomon Island 1986 18c sg 570b, scott 570b.
Source: Watercraft Philately and some web-sites.