The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-21
Upton WILL NOT TRY
TO LIFT THE CUP
Sir Thomas Upton Hesitates
About Expanding Another
Big Fortune in Attempt.
(From a Staff correspondents

(FTO1Q SldIl
LONDON, March 9.-Under the con-
ditions imposed by the deed of gift
which require that ten months notice
be given of a challenge for the Amer
ica's cup, no race for the historic tro-
ply is possible this year, and among
British yachtsmen it is now consid-
cred improbable that any challenge will
be sent for a race to be sailed next
year.
Sir Thomas Upton values money
solely for what it will bring him, but
that it will ever bring him the cup
seems now more unlikely than ever.
Liptons Limited having suffered from
the prevailing trade depression, with
diminished profits from his business,
Sir Thomas is not bit anxious to ex-
pend another fortune in a fourth at
tempt to capture it. He has intimated
to his friends that he would be delight
ed if some other yachtsman would
step into the breach and relieve him
of the task of lifting the cup, which
he rashly set himself when his faith
in British yacht designers and spare
no-eXpense policy was much greater
than now.
ton to the New York Yacht club Sir
Thomas has received a reply stating
that a committee had been appointed
to consider the points raised by him.
Chief among them is the question
whether the New York Yacht club will
make it's revised measurement rules
applicable to future contestants for the
cup.
These rules, say British yacht design
ers, will have the effect of penalizing
heavily in time allowance the extreme
types of racing machines which have
competed for the cup in late years. If
they are made to apply to the cup
contests boats might compete for 1T Of
a more wholesome and SeaWorthy, If
less speedy form, and which would, to
some extent, be available for general
racing in English and American wa
tiers. But these same rules would not
only practically exclude from the con-
tests such yachts as Constitution, Re-
lance and Columbia, but render them
useless as trial boats for subsequent
challenges
For this reason Linton Hope, one of
the foremost of the young designers
here, doubts very much whether the
New York Yacht club will so far extend
the application of its revised rules.
BESIDES, ne Sd1Q the WTlIST, 1
do not think that Sir Thomas would
stand any better chance-orr possibly
so good a chance-of winning the cup
under the new rules as he would under
those which have governed previous
contests. They are very complicated,
and it seems to me it would be very
hard matter to design a yacht that
would fit them and at the same time
take full advantage of what opportuni-
ties they offer for evolving the speedi-
est form. With the rules under which
recent yachts here have been built,
our designers are fairly familiar and
would encounter no such difficulties.
Providing a man is forthcoming who
is willing to spend a fortune on the
chance of winning the cup, speaking
for myself at least, I should much
prefer working out a design for him
under existing conditions. But taking
a broader view of it-that yacht built
to race for the Americas cup should
be good for something else besides that
one race-there is no doubt that the
application of the revised rules to the
cup contests would be a distinct gain
for yachting generally"
Another difficulty that confronts
Sir Thomas should he decide to chal-
lenge again for the cup, is the selec-
tion of a designer. Watson. who de-
signed InS thistle, NdlhyI1c IL. dIlu
Shamrock Il, added nothing to his
reputation by building boats that were
beaten, and as he has plenty of orders
on hand he is not anxious to tackle
the job of designing another cup chal-
lenger. Fife is impossible.
Sir Thomas" said one of his friends
takes defeat like a true sportsman
and does not seek to blame others for
his failures. No one has heard him
utter a harsh criticism against Fife
not, at least, where it would find it's
way into print-but if ever man
had just complaint against a yacht
designer Sir Thomas has against Fife.
Such an egregious blunder as he COM
misunderstanding yacht that in
racing trim was over a foot longer
than her stipulated water line length
was ineXcusable in a designer of his
wide experience. The result was that
so much ballast had to be taken out
of her to make her float within the
ninety-foot limit that she could not
stand up under her canvas. Poor Sir
Thomas chueked away a fortune on
her and did not even get decent run
for his money. He has not said much
about it, but he has done a heap of
thinking and it will snow ink before
he places another order with Fife.
it would be very interesting to see what
Shamrock III. in her best trim would
do against the Reliance, but she will
go to the scrap heap before she gets
that chance