Evening star., 1907-06-29
HARTMAN CALLS IT 4 JOKE
SENDS A LETTER TO SETTLE THE
NEW LONDON FUSS.
Did Not Know the Rules Of the Course.
Regatta People Were Peevish,
He Surmises.

NEW YORK, June 29.-E. H. Hartman
| who was arrested Thursday for following
| up too closely in his power boat the Har-
ward and Yale crews when they were rae
Ing at New London, had cooled of some
| what when he talked to inquirers at his
Office in the Equitable building yesterday
and treated the whole matter as @ joke.
The trouble was tho result Of his ignorance
Of the rules, he said. He had written q
letter to the regatta committee and sup
posed that would end the matter. II II
didn't, or II any question Of annulling the
license Of the power boat, which he was
running himself at the time, came up, he
would defend himself.
He was quoted as having said Just after
his arrest to c. H. Schweppe, chairman Of
the regatta committee. You'll hear from
me later" and is reported to have empha-
sized his words by shaking his fist.
Had Gained Down.
This was not at all his attitude yester-
day. He began by telling one of the news
paper men who came to ask him about 1t
all that he looked like Presbyterian and
the only time that he showed any signs Of
irritation was when he described the dis
courteous way he was treated by the oo-
cupant of a boat that was running along
near his at the time Of his arrest.
This man." he said, used language
which I can only characterize as vulgar.
called him a coward for talking that way
to me when he knew 1 could not get at
him because Of the water space between
us. He would not have dared say it If we
had been face to face, and he was a
younger man that I, too"
Mr.. Hartman said that a copy of the
regatta committees rules had not been
delivered on his yacht, Sultana, because
she was lying some distance from the line.
cordng to the original schedule. the crews
were to finish. When 1t was decided to
row the race the other way on account OF
the tide this left the Sultana at the start
instead of the finish.
With Mr. Hartman were his son, w. A.
Hartman. and one Of his schoolboy friends
at Groton. Their disappointment at the
prospect Of missing the finish was SO great
that Mr.. Hartman decided to follow the
racers in his power boat.
Caused Crews No Trouble.
1--WE were never near enough to the
crews to cause them the slightest incon-
venience," he said. "The only notice I saw
was the sign keep astern' on the referees
boat. and took that to mean that as long
as kept behind that boat I was entitled
to go anywhere I Ileased. 1 did not hear
anybody calling to US. I was steering my
self and the noise of the exhaust was
enough to drown all halls.
''Ihe nrSt 1 kne" tnaI anything was
wrong was when, one of the boys in the
boat with me said that somebody was
calling to US. 1t was Mr.. Schweppe. be-
lieve. and he said that he was going to
put a man aboard Of u.s. I should never
have allowed that II I had known what
1t was for. Our boat was one of the small
est near there, and a sudden turn one way
or the other might have caused us to cap
size on account of the wash from the larger
boats. I guess the regatta people were in
a peevish mood on account of the delay in
starting the race and the little annoying
things that always turn up on occasions
view of the committee my arrest was JUS
titled by the rules. but 1 had not received
the rules and did not know anything about
them till afterward."
Hartman on His Future.
ldr. Hartman was asked about the
rumor that he was going to retire from the
active management of his railroads.
II am going to-" he said.
"When?"
IT hope you will all come to my funeral" !"
do you mean by that that you will not
stop work until you die?'
Perhaps. II people go on troubling me
the way they have been. The sooner they
leave me alone the sooner I will retire"
"How about the suggestion that you are
| to become chairman of the board of the
railroads that you are now president OFF,
'"There is no such Office in those roads. !
am not looking for any more gold lace.
| saw all the gold lace 1 wanted to yesterday
| on the revenue cutter"
1t was to the revenue cutter that Mr..
| Hartman was taken after his arrest.