The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-07-04
Sporting News Of the
World While IFS News
Challenger
Liable to Prove Most
Dangerous o~fCompetitors

New York, July 4.-American yachts
men, who are in close touch with the
preparations being made by Sir Thomas
Upton for his fourth attempt to lift
the Americas cup, have recently re-
Ceived an interesting analysis of the
preliminary showing of Shamrock w.
According to this report the challenger
designed by Charles Nicholson Is likely
to prove the most dangerous yacht ever
sent across the Atlantic in quest of the
trophy. Although the English
yachting experts will not commit them
selves regarding the chances of the
challenger as yet, the impression APP
pears to be growing that If Shamrock
straining she will prove far more for
midable than any of the Shamrocks or
Valkyries that raced for the cup be-
tween 1893 and 1908.
AS in the case with the cup defense
yachts Resolute, Defiance and Vanitie,
there still remains much to be done on
Shamrock " before she sails for Am
erica late this month. Several changes
IN rig and ballast have already been
made and the experimenting and drill
ing OF the crew will continue until the
challenger Is put under jury rig for the
long voyage to the cup course. All this
experimenting and improving meets
with the entire approval of the English
yachting experts, but when it comes to
the crew and skipper the same conf
dence and support Is lacking. In fact
the command and manning Of the yacht
Is the subject of much talk, and wide
divergence of opinion. The old yacht
ing hands, while acknowledging that
Captain Burton, who is to is
probably the best racing man in Great
Britain today, do not like the idea. of
Captain Sycamore, with all his exper-
ience of racing off Sandy Hook, being
entirely eliminated.
This move was doubtless decided up
on to avoid the friction that occurred
IN 9b2 OWING fN q sort rf dual o1~n
mand: This year Captain Burton will be
In sole command. He will have as his
assistant, however, Captain Turner,
who acted in a similar capacity for
Burton in most of the big races in Eng
llsh waters, and recently on Sir Thomas
1ipton's twenty-three metre yacht
Shamrock in English regattas. Aside
from the lack of experience in America
cup races, some doubt is expressed
among racing yachtsmen whether these
two will get as much out of the crew
as would Captain Sycamore, who is bet
ter known among the men forming he
crew.
A yachtsman Who has had expert
ence with each of the yachts Sir
Thomas has sent across the Atlantic.
expresses the opinion that one Of The
been the lack Of training If the crews
or the Shamrocks. The Americans,
he points out, spend weeks in getting
their crews into training, and hour
after hour they are put through prac-
t1ce of lowering and raising sails, un-
til orders given by the captain are
carried out with a q%uickness that is a
marvel and surprise to English yachts
men. While the Americans are prac-
ttctng, he said, the British crews take
life easy. The result is seen when the
race Is on, since ~quickness in carrying
out orders marks the difference be-
tween success and defeat.
That Captain Burton realizes this is
SHOWN DV the fart that the HI m Tnnk
w men are being drilled harder than
any previous cup challenging crew.
Those who are inclined to be pessi-
mistic, however, contend that the real
test will come when the amateur
skipper of Shamrock " endeavors to
arouse h enthusiasm in the crew
necessary for to bring about the ut
most speed and harmony among it's
individual members. They hold to the
opinion that a veteran professional
like Captain Sycamore can always get
better results from the men before
the mast than an amateur. Time alone
far greater Importance than would
appear from surface indications.
With the major league baseball
clubs about to enter Upon the second
half of their 1914 campaign a compari-
son with h records of the past two
years develops some interesting data
regarding the strength and weakness
Of the teams in the National and Amer
lean circuit. In h senior ~organiza-
ton The New York Giants led their
league on July 1st in both 1912 and
1913. Two years g the .McGrawites
were making a race of the
p%ennant contest, having won fifty and
lost eleven games for an average of
800.
Pittsburgh was second with thirty
seven games won and twenty-five lost,
giving the Pirates a percentage of
.597. Chicago with .567 was third, hav-
ing lost twenty-six games and won
thirty-four. Cincinnati completed the