Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-26

NEW YORK, September 2s.-By an almost
unanimous vote last night the NV York
Yacht Club declined the fourth challenge OF
Sir Thomas Upton for an international
yacht race to take place in American waters
in October 1908
The salient reason given for this refusal
that the baronet had failed to name
any dimensions for the competing English
yacht. This is contrary to the conditions OF
the deed of gift OF the Americas cup. the
trophy which Sir Thomas has thrice striven
vainly TO win.
Another reason was that the club will not
race with smaller yachts than ninety
footers.
The meeting lasted only thirty minutes,
and while the members cheered at the close
it was plain they felt anything but CHEEKY.
]. Parpont Morgan and c. Oliver iselin and
others who have taken part in previous cup
races were present
Surprise and Disappointment.
The outcome Will be a vast surprise and
a keen disappointment to many who have
looked forward confidently to an accept
ance of Sir Thomas challenge under the
new rules.
So insistent had he been that these new
rules govern future yacht races that it was
deemed foregone conclusion that his chai-
lenge would adhere strictly to the lines laid
down at the international conference In
London in January, 1906.
The meeting of the club was in the model
room of the new clubhouse in West 44th
street. There were forty-siX present. in
Guiding forty yacht owners. when Cornelius
Vanderbilt, commodore of the club, called
the meeting to order.
AS Secretary George a. Cormack read the
challenge the members listened ntently to
-Or1 hon, IA 1Al et1.
could have been measured by five seconds
succeeded. to be broken by murmurs of dis.
appointment and annoyance and then the
buzz of excited converse
Sir Thomas instead Of adhering to the
ninetyfoot class, had challenged for a
fourth race with stxty-eight raters-that Is,
yachts measuring seventy-five feet on the
water line. He proposed In his challenge to
build two boats and to bring the faster OF
the two to this country to race against a
similarly built craft, without time allow-
ance
Upton Avoided Dimensions.
Revond stating that the competing boats
would be sixty-eight-raters, the baronet had
not named a single dimension. He had In
sisted that they be built under the new
rules, which would mean that they must be
cruising well racing yachts. His chal-
lenge made this one point clear-that he
would not undertake another race with rae
ing machines and undertake to construct
d
atlantic voyage and then compete for the
cup.
From the first it seemed foregone con-
clusion that the challenge would be defeat
ed, and when, after "A brief discussion. the
matter came to a vote, yacht owners who
alone Of the membership had the power Of
decision quickly declined the challenge.
That the members. and especially the
yacht owners were disappointed and irri-
tated by the terms of the challenge
evident when they left the meeting room.
Of 10 "Af.lr -f-,NG N4rIs QUA In
silence but one of them, who declined to
allow bis name to be used, prophesied that
race would be possible, even il Upton
sent a modified challenge along the same
lines.
1t was said last night that the yacht
owners of the clue would not consent to
under the new rules. but would
insist on the right to Toe unrestricted as
to the Dimensions OF the yacht to defend
the cup This would mean that they will
hold to the old rules that allow racing ma
chimes of which the Reliance. tn last cup
defender IS an extreme type, to be used.
A History of the Rules.
AS a matter of fact the New York Yacht
Club is not bound by any of tEr rules
made either by tho committee appointed
at the Atlantic coast conference in 1895,
nor the triple committee at the Internal
tional conference in London In January.
1906. The club at first accepted the rules
of the American committee. adopted by
many American yacht clubs. thar racing
yachts be built cruising lines and that
the scantng measurement which should
insure stability prevail IN their construc-
ton.
Later the New York Yacht Club re-
pudated these rules though Lewis Cass
Ledyard, one of ]. Pierpont MorGans
handy legal aids. vino has been irrev"rently
referred to by yaChtsmen a sea law
yer urged that they be retained.
Hence the club last night was in a posi-
ton to decline TO race under the new rules,
and it was freely said that when Sir
Thomas gets his answer 1t Will be made
clear that no challenge that does not in
volve race with ninety-foOters viii be ac-
ceptable. 1t was said too. that 1t would
be pointed out to the baronet that the Eng
lish first began to build what Is termed the
freak type of racing yacht and that tho
Americas cup was won under these cond-
tions. The conclusion VIII be that ii IL
fair that ii should be recovered by an Eng
llsh yacht under the same conditions