The sun., 1914-08-16
SHAMROCK AND ERIN
ARE CLOSE AT HAND
Sir Thomas Lipton's Flotilla Is
Expected to Arrive Here
To-day.
A MIXUP IN MESSAGES
New York Yacht Club Receives
Praise Which Hardly Seems
Deserved.
4 MIXUP IN MESSAGES

The cup challenger Shamrock ". will
arrive here this afternoon. she left Ham
ilton, Bermuda. on Thursday last at noon.
and II she makes 225 miles a day she will
arrive OF the Hook at noon. She is
being conveyed by the steam yacht Erin.
on which Is Col Duncan d. r. Nelll. one
Of 81" Thomas Lipton's best yachting ad-
visers. During the voyage he has alter
mated between the Erin and the Sham
rock
Col. Nell as soon as the yacht ar
rived at Hamilton cablcd to some friends
in this country telling them Of the voy-
age from tine Azores and incidentally Of
the war scare. The Erin and the Sham
rock ". ar, probably worth half a million
dollars, and they were about 500 miles
from New York when wireless message
was received which told that England
and Germany were at war There seems
to have been misunderstanding, however.
about the messages Sir Thomas Upton
cabled to the New York Yacht Club ask
ing permission to have the Shamrock
towed because Of the danger OF her being
captured by German cruisers, The New
York Yacht Club through its secretary
replied that the cup committee did not
have power to change the conditions OF
the deed Of gift. Tn deed OF gift says
the challenger must proceed under sail
on their own bottoms TO the port where
the contest Is to take place"
The next paragraph says: The club
challenging for the cup and the club
holding the same may by mutual consent
make any arrangements satisfactory to
both as 10 dates, courses, number ur trials,
rules and sailing r gulatiuns and any and
all other conditions of the match, In which
case also the ten months notice may be
waived"
The club In 1899 allowed the Shamrock
!. to be towed. The Shamrock II was
tnwed in 1901 and the Shamrock TT. was
toWe,l in 1903. but when there was d. n
ger Of the yacht being seized by Power
at war with the nation whose flag she
! hles the club declined to grant the priv.
| legc Of towing asked for.
/ Col Neill In his cablegram said
I "The Shamrock sailed well under close
I reefs after leaving Azores. and lay easily
through one night when we were obllged
] To- hcave to. In reaching she logged /.
knots easily. When 500 miles from New
! York a wireless was received which said
that the New York Yacht Club had
granted permission to let the yacht h.
towed for the rest OF the passage w,
had heard that England was at war arr
as we were anxious to make the bes
speed possible that permission was yer,
welcome After getting that message
We were not favored much by the weather
We ran into heavy storm and wer'
Obliged to heave to for twenty hours and tn
Erin stood by all that time, When tn,
weather moderated we headed for Ber
muda and reached Hamilton last Sunda,
afternoon.
"Our reception there was most fatter
ing. We were greeted with great enthu
sasm by the residents OF the island AM
by the American and English tourists.
II cannot express too strongly our ap
probation OF the sportsmanlike attltud
OF the New York Yacht Club In extend
ing to us under these unusual circum
stances the privilege OF towing. We neve
doubted that the sporting spirit of tn
American would prevail In such Al
emergency. We fccl too, that tho iucI
dent serves to draw stll closer the tie
that bind the British and Americans"
Just what the Shamrock will do whe
she arrives here has not been settled
1t IN rumored that she will be fitted ou
and tried and that she also will be pu
n the dry dock so that n thorough ex
! animation may be made to iind out II sh
has been strained At all in crossing tn
Atlantic or II she has been pulled out q
shape II she Is put in racing trim
will be only for short time, and then sh
will he dsmantled and laid up, just a
the Resolutc and the Nanitie have been.
. The Shamrock will attract much al
$ tention as soon as she arrives. Yachts
men have wondered about her peculia
model her enormous rig and her othe