The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-03-27

Sir Thomas Upton has reiterated what
he told me last week OF his decision to send
two yachts over to Sandy Hook. and that
both Fife and Watson will join them in
America. Since my cable Of few days ago
Sir Thomas has been in communication
with Fife, and greater overhaul OF the
Shamrock will be made than was first men
toned. for Sir Thomas has within a week
told Fife TO make such alterations or the
Shamrock as win best improve her, and she
will have longer ends. besides new fore
body. and such other alterations as find ia
Vor with Fife.
when / saw Sir Thomas Lii .On in Lon
don he was more than usually loath to dis
cuss his proposal to renew the challenge, or
say anything which might be construed
into a desire 60 push forward a sporting
challenge while his countrymen were in
tent upon the life and death struggle which
Is taking place in South Africa
When this point had been made scar
he became more communicative. and 1t was
apparent that he was as keeniy interested
as ever in the contest, and more than ever
determined to carry it through until he had
either won the Cup or exhausted every pos
sible chance OF doing So
" I don't mind admitting now, be said.
that in my first challenge for the Cup l
took on hand job much bigger and much
more difficult than I anticipated u is just
possible that IL I had fully realized then
the immense amount Of work there was in
Yolved in a Cup contest and had known
how much of my time the affair would de-
mand, I mi ght have taken a little longer
TO think over the proposal / do not mean
to say that I regret having entered the
, contest. for as a matter Of fact | made
more good friends in connection with tue
race than in anything else ! ever Under
| took and the contest enabled me TO know
/ and appreciate the American people as
| might never have done otherwise. Still. II
/ was rather a big job, and il is going 10 Be
/ a good deal bigger before il is through
AS the winning Of the cup is an honor
| 10 which every British yachtsman might
/ be expected 60 aspire. ] determined 20 sink
I my own desire and TO stand aside and see
/ il anyone else WAS DESTROYS Of entering tbs
| contest. No one came forward and tnet
/ proceeded TO fullfn the promise made OF
| the day that the Shamrock was finally de
/ feated, 10 bring back another yacht carry
ing another challenge.
d" 1 was rather In a difficulty in the mat
| ter OF selecting a designer for / am per
| perctly conscious OF how serious handi-
| cap 70 was 10 Mr. Fife to be laid up at th'
most critical stage Of the racing. SIN
{ Of Mr. Fife that the Shamrock was tht
best yacht he could possibly turn out.
Z make no claim to be able 10 follow the in
/ tricacies Of design or to compare one hui
/ with another. but viewing the matter from
a common sense business standpoint II
, seemed 10 me that We must be prepared e
Z beat the Shamrock handsomely before ",
could have a chance OF beating either tbs
Columbia or a new defender likely 10 b
a more formidable opponent even than the
Z Columbia. 10 view of these facts. there
fore. 7 decided to ask Mr.. George l. Wat
son TO accept a commission TO design ;
( challenger. and / am happy to say that Mr.
I Watson has agreed.
Another matter which influenced me IL
this decision was that Mr.. Fife has not
yet lost confidence in the Shamrock he
admits that she was fairly beaten. but be
thinks there is far better sailing in heI
/ than she has vet shown and he is expert
mentinE Just now with view of ascertain
ing how she might be altered with adyan-
tage. He shall have absolute carte blanche
4 as to expense or anything else 10 enable
Z him to improve the Shamrock as much as
/ possible. and I shall be very glad indeed
IL he succeeds in improving her to any
/ great extent
&c With the Shamrock improved in every
! possible way-even to the extent Of practi-
cally remodeling the hull. and the hest
boat that Watson can produce | think
( can count safely this time on being able
to lay hands on the fastest boat that car
I be produced in Britain. I am determined
TO have at least the satisfaction Of know
ing that | have done everything it was
possible TO do to deserve success
Questioned as to whether there was any
particular change he was likely to make
in his plan Of campaign as compared with
. in haa
Thomas said that while Mr.. Flies Hines:
was undoubtedly against the Shamrock
. chance Of success. he thought the chic
mistake was that the yacht was brought L
the start OF the races without being prop
erly tried. This would be well guarded
against on the next occasion.
60 The Shamrock and the new yacht. h
continued will be raced in fair ant
square contest. and If it should so harper
that the Shamrock can be so altered as L
make her able TO beat the newer boat,
should have little hesitation in employing
her. Naturally. I shall have much NOR,
! pleasure and more confidence if my newer
boat can beat the ShamrOck-even the i'm
proved Shamrock-as handsomely as she
was beaten by the Columbia.
Has anything been settled yet as to tn,
build or construction Of the new boat
VIII she be Of metal2'
emily beyond doubt that a metal hull cal
be constructed equally strong as a wcodel
one. and yet save large percentage Of tn
total weight, il seems TO me beyond doub
that the hull of the new yacht will b
metal sheathed. In saying this however
I speak as a rank outsider. with no par
ticular knowledge of what will be used
This is a matter entirely for Mr.. Watson
Nv concern is TO see that he is not crib
4 through q fav
pense. Mr. Fife had absolute freedom 4
spend whatever h thought necessary 4
produce the fastest yacht that could b
turned out. and Mr.. Watson viii worl
under exactly the same conditions.
so far as the choice Of builders zoe
| am equally in the dark, although looking
to Mr.. Watson's faith in the Scottish firm
and his belief in the advantage Of havin
a boat constantly under the designer
eve during construction, l should think
extremely likely that the yacht will b
built on the Clyde. l had every pOssib,
reason to be satisfied with the work @
Messrs Thorneycroft in building the Sham
rock but this is matter for the designer
| and It is needless to say Mr.. Watson WI
work with an basolutely free hand
In any case, nothing VIII be done wit
the actual work until the challenge ha
| been aSr--sily lodged and accepted, and al
the conditions sttled. I hope to have thi
done in July or August OF this year
we had any intention of leaving it to tn
test races to decide whether the Shamroc
or the new yacht should carry the chal
lenge we would. of course, be under tn
necessity of asking a concession from on
American friends to meet this. but
scarcely think ii likely that We shall hav
such serious doubts of the probable abilit
Of the new boat as to induce US to TAX
| this SteD