The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-26
Race for Americas Cup
Next Summer Is Practi-
cally Certain.
SMALL BOAT REJECTED
New York Yacht Clubs Action
Fails to Daunt Thrice De.
feated Challenger and Hes
Will Try Again, but Not
With Shamrock Model.

LONDON, Sept 26.-Sir Thomas Lip
ton is bitterly disappointed at the fail
ure of the New York Yacht Club to
accept his challenge for another series
of races for the American cup, and is
anxiously awaiting official information
on the subject through the royal Irish
Yacht Club. which he hopes will give
in detail the reasons for the Ameri-
can Clubs action. In an interview to-
day he said that he had not given up
hope of sending yacht to Sandy Hook
in 1908. and already had telegraphed
to William Fife. the designer, to come
to London for a consultation.
There was but one thing which Sir
Thomas was emphatic about. and that
was that he would not challenge under
the old rule. One reason for this is
that there Is no designer of note in
Great Britain which includes both Fife
and Milne, who will design a boat sim
liar to the previous Shamrocks They
say that to do so would necessitate the
production of even a greater freak than
those which have already gone to de-
feat. Besides, the danger of sailing
such "a boat across the Atlantic must
be taken into account, and Sir Thomas
Is not prepared to again risk the lives
of men in such venture.
Sir Thomas, however, authorized the
statement that he was prepared to
challenge with a ninety-foot boat under
the New York Yacht Club rules.
"In sending the challenge" said Sir
Thomas, "I conformed with the deed CT
the gift of the Americas cup which
says that sloops must be over sixty
five feet ON the water line and under
ninety feet. adhered in this respect
to size. inasmuch as the boat | chal-
lenged with would have been about
seventy-six feet on the water line. This
also conforms with the New York Yacht
Clubs rules for the Glass J. boats.
II am prepared, now that they have
declined to accept my challenge for this
class of boat. to enter a ninety-foot
boat under the New York Yacht Club
rules. There is no class expressly de-
fining such boat. but the next class
CHO, providing for boats of eighty
two-foot rating, is capable of producing
a boat up to about ninety-four feet on
the water line"
NEW YORK, Sept. 26-Yachtsmen here
in discussing the rejection by the New
York Yacht Club last night of Sir Thomas
Liptons latest challenge for the America
cup think that in nominating a boat to
rate in the sixty-eight-foot class, that is
TO say, a class smaller than the one which
has hitherto always prevailed in races for
the Americas cup, and In not complying
with the deed of gift with its stipulations
as to statements of the water line and
other dimensions of the challenging boat.
Sir Thomas antagonized two distinct
classes OF the club.
He antagonized the class which believes
the trophy Is offered for speed only, and
that there should be no restrictions to
limit boats, and he antagonized the ele-
ment, which, though favorable to a race
under the new rules, wants to see the cup
raced for with nothing but the largest
class of boats permitted by the deed of
gift. Both of these parties feel that to
race with small boats under either the
new rule or the old. would lower the cup
from the high position 1t has always held
and would rob 1t of all significance.
There are those who believe that Sir
Thomas's purpose in challenging as he did
was nothing else than to have the con-
for the cup clearly defined.
II this were his end he succeeded. In
to the general demand within the
club that the question Of rules to govern
future contests be settled definitely, so
that In future such situations as this may
be avoided, the club declared its opinion
that the cup should never be defended by
any boat smaller than the limit set by the
deed of gift, ninety-foot waterline In sloops
and lis feet waterline in schooners, and
that It should not be hedged about with
any conditions which might prevent de-
signers from turning out the fastest boat
that could be built irrespective of type.
1t reached this conclusion on account of
the well-defined sentiment that the Ameri-
cas- cup should stand for the yachting
championship of the world, and that to
race for it with handicaps or artificial
limitations would be to destroy its Whole
significance.