Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-10-07
why Sir Thomas Steps Aside.


have a very small idea of the real ma
ture of the quarrel between Sir Thomas
Upton and the New York Yacht club.
They simply know that Sir Thomas
after his three attempts to win the
Americans cup with British built
yacht which have met three decisive
defeats has expressed a desire to send
fourth challenge, providing the New
York Yacht club, which is the
custodian of the cup, will modify some
of the regulations governing the race.
The club having refused fatty to make
the desired changes in the regulations,
Sir Thomas gracefully withdraws to
the background with the declaration
that he will make no more attempts to
lift the cup at present.
The regulation over which there is
the chief dispute is one which provides
that the challenging yacht must cross
the Atlantic under its own sail. 1t va,
under its own sail that the yacnt
America crossed the Atlantic to British
waters over half century ago and
captured the trophy which it brought
to this side, and the American conten-
ton has since been that any challenS-
ing yacht should do the same thing.
Sir Thomas Upton points out, how
IN"a hat in LOT ton
defending yachts have not been yachts
at all, in the common use of the term.
but mere shells, mere racing machines,
fit for nothing but racing purposes.
He further complains that while he, in
turn, has been obliged to construct
boats which he considers freaks, he is
handicapped because his boat must
meet the possible storms of the ocean
and cannot, Very naturally, be made as
frcakish as its opponent.
But what is the nature of these
machines, these freaks. about which we
hear 50 much every time there is Il
contest on? No better description OF
one has been given than by the New
York World, which explains in these
words:
If Sir Thomas should challenge.
under the generous permission Of
Cornelius Vanderbilt. without any
running boat for boat
without time allowances and regardless
If measurement rules" what sort OF
raft would be built to carry the
flag against him?
Arguing from past tendencies, the
defender, while only 80 feet on the
!, ateriine, might be 40 or 1i5 feet
,vcr all. and when she heclod to a far
breeze would dip from 125 to 1870 feet of
lrr length in the brine Her boom would
b" 20 feet longer than her water-line:
when closrhauled her sail plan would
," the length of a short block" in New
York streets, and when running before
l light wind with spinnakcr boom out
Is width would be about the same; her
opmdst Would rise the height of a
our story house above the lofticst
Joint of the Brooklyn Bridge roadway.
not unlike the old Puritan's. but with
ny NIiSAIl " IL tt toIl lDCO!ilOllht
'drricd twenty feet below the water |
inc on her fin-kecl and this deep |
ballast would be tWo-thirds of her |
'ntirc tonnage. Her ruGder would |
ave the height of Il tWO-Story house |
md weigh $500 pounds.
She would OWN eight or ten tons of |
allS: say two acres, enough to carpet |
Madison Square Garden, galleries and |
III. She would use at times half acre
If sails at once. She would have no
lcck-rail to speak of. Below she
would be a huge, dim cavern, practi-
ally without portfolios, decks, bcrths.
things: without anything that has
weight Her crew would not think Of |
living upon her for a day. She would
}" very dangerous to work even
II summer weather She would |
ost half a million dollars to build and
all and when her mission was COM
'l"trd she would be junk.
Sir Thomas says that he cannot sail
UGH a boat across the Atlantic ana
hat he cannot find q designer who
till construct one So there YOU are.
Mess thcr" can be some agreement
he Gun is likely to remain in the pos
cssion of the New York Yacht club
ntil it is forgotten