The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-28
DUNRAVEN NOW STEPS DOWN.
HIS RESIGNATION As A MEMBER OF
THE YACHT CLUB AT HAND.

OeAehueFs OWherS FROM hnOWi-
edge of the Fact-The Letters Very
Courteous, But Firm in Tone.
New York. Feb. 27.-The following let
ter was received from Lord Dunraven to-
day:
London, Norfolk Street, Park Lane,
Feb. 19-To J. V. 5. Odie, Esq, Secretary:
Dear Sir: In supplementing my cable
gram and letter of Feb. IA, 1 wish to en-
phasize the fact that my letters to Messrs.
Rives and Phelps were written and dis
patched before 1 had heard of the motion
of Capt. Ledyard.
without commenting upon the grounds
or terms of the motion, as to the justice
of which l don't agree, 1 wish to say in
view of the fact that a motion of such
nature has been made and is a matter of
record, 1 don't desire to remain a member
of the club, whatever may be the result
of the motion. /, therefore, beg that you
will lay my resignation before the club,
a course which will probably be approved
by majority of the members. 1 remain,
yours faithfully, Dunraven."
On Feb. u, Lord Dunraven addressed a
letter to Hon E. J. Phelps, as follows:
Dear Mr.. Phelps: The attitude OF as
siSting the inquiry as a witness and not as
prosecutor which in the nature of the
case l had to adopt and which have con-
sistently maintained. prevents me from
presumng to accept or reject, or to criti-
else aflmatively or negatively the COM
missions report officially. But in view
| OF the many MISUNDERSTANDING which
| have occurred, l have felt myself iusti-
| fed in writing briefly to you as l should
| be sorry if you or the committee misun-
| derStood my silence, and in saying a few
| words to which you may give such publici-
| ty as you may think fit or necessary. My
| complaint was made in good faith, on the
| dlrect evidence OF the eyesight, of my own
/ and competent men, as to the effects the
| cause OF which they did not know or at
tempt to define
1T WILL in my opinion, be impossible to
| md stronger reasons upon which action
! could be taken, or as justification for
/ complaint of like nature to that which
| most reluctantly made, and 1 am unable
| therefore to agree that the complaint was
| unreasonably originated / cannot admit
| that there was a mistake in the observed
| facts, as suggested by the employment of
/ calculations which We're accepted by the
| committee as mathematically proving that
| we did not see the actual objects, which
| we did see. The only time for absolute
| proof or disproOf of the complaint that the
! Defender did not sail the race on Sept T.
| under her measured load water line
| length, must have been on the day of the
| race. My conduct after the first race and
my attitude towards the inquiry when L
| offered to go to New York, and before the
| inquiry when l was present in New York,
| all show my belief in that proposition a
| proposition which in my opinion was self
evident, and / think admitted in the evi-
| dence OF the cup committee. Feeling as l
| DO upon this point, was unable to adopt
| toward the judgment of your committee
the attitude which l should unhesitating-
| ly have taken had the inquiry been con-
! Quoted at the proper time by authority un-
| der which / sailed, to which / made my
complaint and whose decision was bound
to accept fully realized the difficulty of
| the situation which had arisen, l think,
| largely through mutual misunderstanding
and on the evidence before them.
Il must willingly accept the main con-
| cluS1OnS of your committee and am only
| too glad to consider the dispute closed.
| I-haVe throughout frequently stated that
| l had no charge to make against Mr.. Ise-
the Defender. and and "i' do not %
! agree that he and his friends and
all connected with the vessel must have
been aware of it if the Defender sailed
her first race deeper than when she was
| measured. AS this is a matter personal
to them have written to those gentlemen
to make the point perfectly clear
| There are two less important matters
to which l may briefly refer 1 believed,
and for the reasons given in the evidence
| think l was justified in believing, that
the owners of the Defender knew of my
complaint at the time it was made but L
fully accept Mr.. Iselins statement that he
only became cognizan of it on Oct "A.
Il have also written to Messrs. Garfield
and Rogers admitting the error in my
belief that the vessels were ordered mark
ed in Difference to my request made to the
cup committee on Sept. Z, though neither
nor any one connected with the Valkyrie
III understood that the yachts would be
marked on Sept s. 1 fully accept the
statements of Messrs. Canfield and Rog-
ers that they believed they had explained
the intentions of the committee to me. |
remain, my dear Mr.. Phelps, yours truly,
"Dunraven."
On Feb. 8, Lord Dunraven wrote to Mr..
George L. Rives, honorary secretary of
| the special committee, as follows: 81 beg
to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of
the report of the proceedings Of the spe-
cial committee of inquiry for the New
York Yacht Club, and trust that you will
express to the members of the committee
my appreciation of the courtesies and pa
tience with which the conduct of so diff
| cult an inquiry has been marked. Faith
fully, Dunraven."
The letters of Lord Dunraven to Messrs
1selin, Garfield and Rogers, mentioned in
his letter to Mr.. Phelps, are not embraced
in the correspondence made public
Dunraven refers in his letter of resigna.
ton to Mr.. Odie was introduced at the
annual meeting of the New York Yacht
The New York Yacht Club met tonight
in special session pursuant to adjournment
and expelled Lord Dunraven by vote oi
| 80 to l. Commodore e. NJ. Brown, pre-.
sided. The foregoing letters were read
and also the following in reply to Dunra.
ven's letter to Mr.. Phelps: New York
Feb. % 1S96-To the Commodre of the New
York Yacht Club: Enclosed herewith will
be found a communication from Lord
Dunraven. AS the committee at it's re-
]
of the yacht club from further considerae
ton of this matter, this communication is
transmitted to the club for such action as
it thinks proper. The committee has ac-
knowledged the receipt of the letter and
has notified Lord Dunraven of it's trans
mission to the yacht club.
'"They cannot submit this letter with.
out observing that Lord Dunraven mis-.
states their report in an important par.
! ticular He says that a diagram was ac-
| cepted by the committee as mathematt
| cally proving that we did not see the ac.
tual objects which we did see. Nothing
in the report justices this statement. II
was not denied or doubted that we saw
the discharge hole of the bilge pump
above the surface Of the water on the day
before the race, and that it was below
/. | the surface of the water on the followine
day. The fact demonstrated by the evi.
dence and found in the report is that the
hole could not be visible above the water
| when the vessel was on even keel anC
consequently that II was made visible or
the first day by the vessel having a slight
list to the starboard the probable cause
of which the evidence pointed out The
| apparent change in the relative position
| therefore afforded no evidence whatever
that the immersion of the vessel had beer
increased in the meantime. Very respect
fully yours Edward j. Phelps, j. Pierre.
] ~ = ~