The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-10-02
SIR THOMAS SAYS
CONDITIONS
UNFAIR.
Royal Irish Yacht Club Has
Abandoned Race.
BAR0NET GIVES HIS REASONS
Builder OF Shamrocks Says Condi'
lions Make II Impossible For
Challenger to Win.

DUBLIN, Oct. 2.-Sir Thomas LIP
ton again has expressed his deep re-
greet at the refusal of the New York
Yacht club to accept his challenge to
race for the Americas cup, and in a
lengthy letter to the Royal Irish Yacht
club he sets forth his reasons in de-
tail. The committee of the club met
last night and the letter was read:
while recognizing the responsible
ties of the members of the club as
trustees Of the Americas cup" writes
Sir Thomas, lit might be pointed out
that when the deed of gift was drawn
up the developments which have taken
place in regard to the modern racing
of yachts could not have been fore
seen.
Il have already competed three times
under the conditions Of the deed of
gift, with the notifications arranged
under the mutual agreement clause,
and my personal experience of these
contests is such that consider that
the handicap of having to design a
vessel Of the type which has been
gradually developed during recent
years and which shall be of sufficiently
light construction. yet capable Of being
taken with safety on its own bottom
across the Atlantic, entirely precludes
the possibility of competing on equal
terms with vessel which is not COM
PEELED to make this ocean voyage.
my present challenge was drawn
up with the view Of complying with
the principal conditions of the deed
OF gift and at the same time encOurag-
ing the type Of vessel which has been
approved and adopted by the New
York Yacht club. The sport of yacht
ing. apart from the pleasure derived
therefrom, is TO my mind only desira-
bile so long as 1t serves the purpose of
improving the type Of vessel engaged
and ii was in that spirit that desired
TO challenge under the rules SO wisely
adopted by the New York Yacht club
some three months ago for application
in all its races.
II recognize that the members of
this club are well within their rights
in deciding as they have done, yet
am sorry that they have not been
able, under the mutual agreement
clause, to meet me in my wish to have
n race under their own universal rule,
which In my opinion encourages a
very wholesome and desirable type of
yacht.
I'm view of their attitude, however
there is nothing left but to abandon
the idea of contest, although | am
always prepared under mutually salts
factory conditions to arrange race"
The committee of the Royal Irish
Yacht club in cabling its formal ac-
acknowledgement of the refusal of the
challenge expressed the regret of the
committee and all the members Of the
club that race could not be arranged
for 1908.
.'The New York Yacht clubs decision
Is In reality decision Of steam yachts
men," an Irish official of the Dublin
Yacht club said. land 1t is to be re
GREETED that the younger generation of
American yachtsmen could not make
their opinion prevail In the real inter
est of the sport. fear That cup races
are thing OF the past as an object of
interest to the yachting world. Other
spurious interests might revive the
races, but II is not possible to hold II
genuine international contest under the
conditions indicated by the New York
Yacht club. The acceptance of these
conditions would imply that the chal-
lengcr was either no genuine yachts
man or that he had In view some other
object than the interest of sport
$50 far us the Royal Irish Yacht club
Is concerned the question Is at an end. :"