The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-24
A CHANCE ron LAwsON's YACHT.

A CHANCE FOR LAWSON's YACHT
For MIR. Thomas w. Lawson of Bos-
ton, personally, the American public does
not care three straws He is popularity
regarded as a wealthy, bumptious and
opinionated person VINO likes to get HIM
self advertised through the medium of
$40, 900 pinks bearing his name, and other
devices that would never be chosen by
well-balanced man with warm feet and
cool head. Nevertheless, in the matter
of the selection of a yacht to defend the
Americas cup against the challenge of Sir
Thomas Upton, the American sense Of
fairness and justice has been aroused in
behalf of Mr.. Lawson. 1t is a source of
satisfaction therefore that the New York
Yacht Club has finally decided to permit
Mr.. Lawson's yacht Independence, to
take part in the trial races.
1t was the idea of the creators of the
trophy now known as the Americas cup
that it should be contested for at arbitrary
intervals by the best yachts of the COM
netting nations. The vessels and their
crews were to illustrate the highest
achievement in marine architecture and
nautical skill attained to by the countries
represented in the races. 1t was never
intended that the challenge and defense
should be limited to any single yacht club
in Great Britain or any single yacht club
in the United States. Any such provis-
ion would manifestly have robbed the
trophy of its national and international
character, and made of it merely BIZ
club cup, of no interest to outsiders. The
original deed of gift, made in 1851, SIM
ply provided for the sailing of the best
obtaiuable American yacht against any
foreign aspirant for the cup.
Under that broad provision the cup was
defended twice in 1885 and 1886, by Bos-
ton boats-the Puritan under the flag OF
the Eastern Yacht Club, and the Volun-
teer as the joint representative of the
Eastern and New York Yacht clubs The
challengers too, have sailed under the
flags of different organizations. There
has been no claim to exclusiveness on the
other side. But in 1887 the New York
Yacht Club altered the deed OF gift, or
trusteeship, under which It was the Gus
todian of the cup so as to admit of the
technical construction that only yachts
sailing under its auspices and flying its
flag might be eligible to defend the
trophy. Thus the club arrogated to Itself
the right of deciding for the American
people, arbitrarily, who should illustrate
them in high class yachting, and declared
that no person should have that honor
unless he was member of the New
York Yacht Club.
That was a pretty high-handed thing
for a mere trustee to do; yet it was upon
that technically that the New York
Yacht Club refused to permit Mr..
trial races to qualify for the defense
of the cup, unless he previously trans
ferred the ownership of his craft to some
member of that club and sailed her under
its flag. The matter has been finally set
tied, however, and in a way that is sat-
isfactory to the public.
The Lawson boat gives promise Of ex-
ceptional speed and strength. She is the
creation of a designer of recognized abil-
ity and originality, Mr.. Crowninshield.
In design and construction she is, in
many details. departure from the
Herreshoff defender of 1898. which, It Is
said, the Herreshoff boat of 1901 closely
copies; and in the Crowninshield boat.
II Is claimed, every departure is an i'm
provement. That, of course. remains TO
be demonstrated. 1t may be that the
Herreshoffs are stlll world-beaters in
yacht construction. but il is no dispar-
agement Of their ability to say that they
have no corner upon genius, and It is
possible that even they may be exceled
in designing sailing racers.