The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-28
FLUKE CHEERED Upton UP.
It Seemed to he the First Touch Of Luck
He'd Had--G0Od Word for Fife.

Sir Thomas Upton was greatly cheered
by the bit OF luck that came to him In the
calling off Of yesterdays race just in time
to prevent his defeat. He went on deck
and circulated joyously among his guests,
invited and unlimited, laughing and joking
about the first touch Of luck that had come
to him. They sang to him and cheered him.
In pause he took OF his hat and said
Il am greatly obliged to you all. want
10 say that do not desire to win by any
huke do not want to win unless / have
the best boat 1t would give me no salts
faction to carry away the Cup II knew the
opposition had the best boat l want to
win fair and square OF not at all. If Re-
lance wins am sure no American in all this
land will cheer more quickly or more heartily
than In honor Of her victory.
Sir Thomas did not reiterate the belief
he has expressed before, that he has tn
best boat in spite OF bad racing luck. He
has not said so for publication, but his
friends report that he has come to full
realization that in design and in handling
the Reliance Is minutes faster than Sham
rock III He objected yesterday a pub
lshed statement that William Fife, the de-
signer of Shamrock Ill, was unraithful
to him and was indifferent To the races.
He said:
"Mr Fife has done everything in the world
for me. He gave up all his business to
come over here. He has given me the
best his brain apd experience knew how
| to do. Whatever be the result, it il wrong
| that any mean motives should be imput ed
| to him or that there should be any insinua-
tions about his Loyalty TO me. l have had
| the ut most confidence in him and he has
deserved it Thoroughly"
"But, Sir Thomas, said reporter,
-Wringe has been criticised, too, Do you
object to that, too?'
az object to nothing that La in the line Of
| crit icism Of facts as any man secs them
! If man thinks my'buat ia not designed
as she should be or that she is not sailed as
! she should be, have no quarrel with him
| for saying SO. The facts speak fer them
selves But it is not right to impute mean
motives IT'S the insinuations that I dis
| like and which give me my first cause for
complaint Of unfairness by any newspaper
in this country"
There were not quite so many unlimited
F, guests on the Erin vest erday as there were
al the other races The publica,iun Of
the facts regarding them walked the dor
mant sense ~ pro priety in al least twenty
seven Of them and they called up Sir
Thomas's offices here and asked II they
we're not expected. They were told tina;
if they had been invited they We're ex-
pected, and that if they had not, they were
not. A few ame in spite Of this somewhat
explicit explanation.
When le folks who have been sponging
on Sir Thomas began escorting his real
friends and guests down the bay on
the Willilm Fletcher and began scramb-
ling TO g.t in front of his real friends and
guests when lunch and tea were served
there were lot of little trihes of some in
terest as brio brac about the cabins,
There were silver ash trays bearing the
name of the Erin in enamel, There were
cut glass match safes. These have van
ished They were not slowed away on
board; they were q? ken from the ship by
guests" Two years ago the Erin was
nearly stripped by souvenir thieves. AT
that time a well-known American yachts
man congratulated Sir Thomas, after look
1 ing over tho stripped cabins and pantries
"You ought to be thankful that they left
the keel, said he:
Among the real guests on the Erin yes
terday were Gen. Joe Wheeler, Willard III
Taylor, Sir Thomass solicitor; Commodore
Tod of the Atlantic Yacht Club, and John
F., Woodruff. the son OF e1-1icut. Gov
Woodruff. Young Woodruff had a suit oil
white fannels and picturesquely folded
Panama hat that quite put into the shade
any reputation his esteemed father may
have had for attiring himself in a way tc
delight his fellow men. He also led Sill
Thomass guests In song on the way ur
the harbor in the William Fletcher.