The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-29
Upton ASSAILS
RACING YACHTS.
He Says They Are Dangerous and
Useless.

Useless.
A New York special to the Philadel-
phia Press says:
BY special permission of the editors
of the Cosmopolitan, the Philadelphia
Press is enable to print extracts from
the article by Sir Thomas, which is
copyrighted by the Cosmopolitan.
And what If 1 should win. the cup?
If I should, 1 think 1 know what 1
would do. American yachtsmen would
have to build a different kind of boat
from either Shamrock III or Reliance
to bring it back again. Cup challeng-
ers and defenders are dangerous. One
stands upon their decks as one sails
and at any minute a spar may fall, or
a sail may fall, or a piece Of metal
may fall. Yes, racing yachts are dan
gerous and useless.
"Of what use to mankind. of what
use to commerce are these beautiful
white swans? They are of no use at
all. They are a menace. Do they aid
the science of shipbuilding? Do they
teach any lesson to the thousands of
men who earn their livelihood upon the
seas? They do not. They are mere
racing machines, nothing more and
nothing less.
when these races are ended the
yachts are worth only such money as
the metal within them will bring. They
are of no personal use to any one. If
Shamrock III loses / shall have to
throw her upon scrap heap. l love
her because upon her my hopes are
conferred. / want that cup to go pack
where it came from and in order to
meet the requirements. of the defenders
/ had to build her-good for nothing
beautiful creature that she is. But II
she wins the cup l will cherish her for
the glory that was hers. Yet. in this
case, never will her type race again for
the Americas cup, unless it again
leaves it's native shores for the United
States
Despite his condemnation of yachting
as it is. Sir Thomas says it is a serious,
sober, absorbing taste that confronis
all who are engaged in the effort to lift
the cup.
Just when 1 first desired to win the
Americas cup l cannot positively say
The germ of that ambition entered my
mind as far back as the time when
the Genesta was battling for the
trophy. But my first overt act if may
use the. term. was just sixteen years
ago."
Then he tells of an effort to build
an all-Irish boat, designed by an Irish
man, manned by an Irish crew and
commanded by an Irish skipper; then
of his discovery that an all-Irish boat
was not of the question, as there was
neither an Irish yacht designer nor
a skipper for that class of boat at
the time. He did not give up the am
bition to win the bit of silver, but de-
termined that sooner or Eater he would
lift the cup, and the credit should re-
dound to old Ireland.
Sir Thomas then tells of his third
effort TO win the cup, how he came
over with an organization of twenty
five boats and nearly two hundred men
all engaged in the business of try
ing to win the cup. Sir Thomas says
that everything is under the control
of William Fife, the designer
That the crew on the Shamrock is
made up to a large extent by men
who. are racing shippers at home is
one piece of news in Sir Thomas
article. He says the shippers sailors
who have shipped as mere members
of the crew are invaluable.
They came with us in these posi-
tons" writes Sir Thomas, because
they wish the prestige of having sail
ed on the challenger and because
they would move heaven and earth
to bring about victory by all fair
means"
Sir Thomas denounces' gambling on
the yacht races and says: Frequent
ly ! have been asked IL bet on my
own boat. Unreservedly say 1 never
wagered farthing. 1 do not believe
in betting.
ITO my mind it cheapens the sport.
no matter what may be the moral
side of the question. So whether
Shamrock Ill. wins or loses it will
make no difference to my pocket book,
nor. am confident. to that OF any
one connected with me heSe."