New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-08
THE COMMITTEES TASK.
JUST WHAT IS BEFORE MEssRs WHITNEY,
MORGAN AND RIvEs.

CLUB As A WHOLE INVOLVED.
Several copie. OF Lord Dunravens pamphlet nave
lately been received in America. These were ser
by the Earls instructions. said in a letter whci,
accompanied one OF them. and they are SUPPOSE
TO have been first from the press. The matter
printed by The London Field was evidently '"n
from the Ears manuscript or from advance proo,s'
and the pamphlet itself. to one copy or "h'c" ~
writer has had access assists In arriving Ut 80.
densed view of the points which the lnVes'se
Committee will now have to decide
The proceedings both present and future Vi w.
now committee have been widely discussed vi
these points the prevalent ideas seem TO nave 80
for the most part vague and incomplete. Ma.S
people seem 70 be under the impression ina. NJ
official duties in the coming inquiry VIII De c"'
confined TO the question as to whether t 49,
fender was or was not Illegally balasted al 'hs
time OF the first on September :.
This Is evidently incorrect LORD Dunra'e" -
under Indictment II the expression may properly
be used for the issue OF the whole pamphlet anu
also in regard TO his subsequent speech AT Naiui'
both OF which contain serious charges Hsa'i'' ~
New-York Yacht Club. its different committees ar"
It's members. 1t is true that these charges al, ~,
framed in any direct personal way pu' =" 80
OF them statements have been issued WIN" 80
taken in bulk are found to contain variety oi nv
cusations. or may better be SAID sta ~, -.
which amount to accusations without pretehuinH ~
POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED.
=. ,,,d ,horofore no evidently mistake to sup
nose that the committee will deal with any one vi
the issues thus raised TO the exclusion Oh III. ~
No doubt the question OF the ballasting Is 'he o
which the public is chiefly aware or put t"e'e a.
other charges which are equally ifrpor 'a'', al"
presence Of the pamphlet facilitates the ca'a
io,,rr ~ the points now In issue before the COM
mittee.
YACHTS LENGTHS NOT MARKED.
Lord punraven's first uniformed accusation
amounts to this. that the club oisregarueu ~
racing rules in declining to mark the ioao wa.
limo lengths on the bows and sterns OF the yac"'S
The pamphlet says that the rules OF '"e '
ma ge 142 say among other things
,r,o reasurer at the time OF making his meesuf Z,
ment shall aflix distinctive mark at each e''N "
l.. W. L. 0oad water-ilhel ,.,,o- NJ
JIere the committee will decide as 10 whethe' VI
no, ord Dunraven was within his rights under the
club rules when he required that the MARKS Sn0uN
be made externally on stem and sterh-"he'"
rule comma nding the club measurer 10 piace ~
,,ro.,vo mark AT each end OF the load water-hiio
was complied with by placing two copper tacKs III
.ho decls overhead-whether 1t was the custom III
the club TO observe the rule In this way oniY-a'''
also ~ the challenger was within MS rlen's u
the rule why the committee declined 10 'opi'
Nth his request in writing placed In their hahus y"
c.,,enoher Z which was two days previous u 'iie
first race day.
ALLEGED ILLEGAL BALLASIlNt'
Not less than sixty will be able TO deny OF
a.. ,b. charge about the wrongful addition OF
We. IN the Defender after her official measure
rnent individuals OF the yachts crew are pe."dp'
the only ones who were aboard her our'"s al '
time which elapsed between her measurement AM
the first race These alone can deny or a'hrr" Dr. ~
tho defenders ballast during this period because Il
,bov we're away from the boat for an interval their
evidence cannot OF course refer to the whole OF TINS
time But It is probable that none OF the men ie't
the boat after the measurement on Sep'emDe, anu
during the hard work necessary 10 prepare loi ''e
.ft- 10 &c pyD
overwhelming mass OF evidence VIII ne ioi ''~''e
TO dsprove the allegations.
At this point and further charge arises NO.
framed as a direct accusation but placed IN such
way that the Investigating Committee VIII Ger
tanv consider Il to the fullest extent In defence OF
a member Of the Cup Committee who Is also one o.
tho most prominent and respected members OF the
New-Yorx Yacht Club In effect. Latham Fish Is ss
one may say, tacit,y charged with dereilctoh o.
duty The suggestion is either that Mr. Fish neg
lected to convey Lord Dunravens verbal protest 10
the other members OF the Cup Committee. or that
this committee refused 10 take measures to detect
the suggested wrongdoing. This is what Lord Dun
raven prints:
told him Nr Fish thought some mistake had
been made and that an the %eign. pI hen taknn
out before the race; that was posltVey certain
length and requested ..rn to take the earliest OPP
portunity OF mentioning the matter to the commit
make and l replied TO the effect that wished the
committee TO put one OF their members or some re
Liable representative. on board OF each yacht inme-
diatey after the race, and 10 have both vessels re-
measred possible that Herng ,b rna
their representatives. should stay on board IN
f fba he Ne should be marked on both vessels
externally IN such way as TO be plainly visible.
and that the committee should take any other steps
they thought desirable insure that the yachts
should not exceed their l.. W l.. length when rae
put Mr. Fish on board the committee boat imme-
diately after the race No action was taken that
ured and marked externally on the day following
were placed in charge pending remeasurement. as
had requested.
COMMITTEE CHARGED AS LIABLE.
tn accusation that the crew OF the Defender al
tered her ballastng wrongfully is really small
matter IN comparison with the more important and
serious charge against the highest officials Of the
New-York Yacht Club. That the paid hands on a
yacht may in their zeal to achieve success resort
to illegal proceedings is one thing. but 1t IS quite
another to charge that the gentlemen who hold the
highest official positions club connived the
wrongdoing.
Here there seems to be only one deduction be
made, which holds the real charge. namely. that
the club officials knew. at least had cause to
fear. that there something wrong aboard the
Defender. Lord Dunraven does not say this, but
he leaves the reader with the idea that the com
nittee must have had some extraordinarily weghty
reason before them when they declined either to
measure the Defender TO place a watch
her overnight
No serious charge than this was ever lodged
against the officials of a gentemen's club. Bui
there are other ways OF regarding this part OF the
matter than those which seem to be suggested by
the pamphlet In the gossip OF the day. say
that Dunraven's protest too trivial to be at
tended TO carefully. while others assert that the
neglect comply with the request constituted SO
grave error that 1t Will make 1t a drawn battle
for Dunraven. even II his charge about the bal
last he we'd n he vii
1t Is difficult however, TO take but one view or
Lord Dunravens deductional charge; and his sub
sequent words sufficiently to show his in
tention Speaking OF his requests TO the committee.
he says
Had this been done. my. contention, that Defender