The Washington herald., 1914-04-12
LIPTON'S BOAT
MAY NOT RACE
Trouble Among Workmen
Will Delay Launch
ing Of Craft.
MORE WAGES DEMANDED
Designer Goes to France to Consult
Sir Thomas-Trials to
Be Brief.
MORE WAGES DEMANDED
sDrc,,l c,b,e to me washington Herald.

special Cable to Tie Washington Herald.
Gosport, England. April lit is a
good even bet right now that Sir Thomas
Iipton will not even attempt to "lIet''
the cup this year. The Herald's CORE
spondent today finally succeeded in un-
corking a bottle of information con-
cerning the state Of affairs existing in
the shipbuilding plant of Campbell &
Nicholson here and the resultant str am
of facts that makes this statement in
nowise exaggerated.
THE truth is, mate" said a workman
employed by the designer and builder Of
the new Shamrock " to the correspond
ent, the blooming boat is nothing but a
set of ribs now-with the proper launch
ing date already here.
IF she goes of the ways the middle
of May, a lot of changes have got 10
happen, not the least of which Is set
Ting the grievances of the riveters and
driIlers, who object to working overtime
at regular time wages"
Every one in Gosport is keenly inter
ested in the progress of the cup chal-
lenger's construction and there are so
many reasons for the unexpected delay OF
the yatchts taking water as there are
names in the town directory. But the
overlooked. 1t is nothing in the world
but a dissemination of the shipbuilders
part to pay the usual extra wages for
overtime work demanded by ths riveters
and drillers, who themselves have wasted
more than a month waiting for special
metal sheathing.
Mechanics Refuse to Work.
Even the lure of extra pay would not
have weighed with the mechanics against
the loss of all time for leisure and recre-
alton, but when the announcement was
forthcoming that the regular hour scale
was TO apply to overtime, they refused
to work at all.
A strike was averted by Charley Nichol-
son, the designer Of the craft and the
active head of the concern. His scheme
Of compromise resulted in the men con-
tinuing work Sundays and overtime for
lar pay, on the understanding that
Balance would be forthcoming from
Thomas. They even worked yester-
Good Friday, which here makes an
rican July 4 look like a bargain
ay so far as holiday spirit is con-
ed.
4 this solves the mystery OF Nichol-
whereabouts. which has been a sub
Of much speculation in Gosport for
last five days. Your correspondent
Is that Nicholson took the train for
hampton and Il boat for Cherbourg
thence TO Southern France" The
iose of the trip is to see Sir Thomas
wi is staying at Nice, in order to try
an. induce him to pay in cash a sufficient
-su I to cover the extra charges of the
ne chanics
II the designer returns with the money
work on the yacht will be rushed through
to completion. but in the meantime il is
interesting to note that the men knocked
4.
be empty tomorrow unless a message is
received from the boss" that he is
coming with bank roll.
Launching in May.
Al the best mighty little time will he
allowed for the trials here. With the
launching in the middle of May as the
earliest possible date. it will be al least
a month later before the spars can be
fitted and the boat mad ready ID be
sailed. Nothing has been done about
recruiting a crew and the trial horse. ="
the twenty-three- meter Shamrock, is still
on the ways at Lee-On-SOlent.
The feeling among the salts along the
water front, who know racing and what
it entails as thoroughly as any body of
men anywhere. may be summed up in
the expression of one who gave this opin-
ion: ANYTHING that floats. from row.
- boat 70 a dreadnOUght, needs first of all
a master. That's what ails this new
Shamrock ". The shipbuilders are all
right in their way but their hearts are
net in the work like the owners. Let Sir
Thomas show himself at the plant and
act a bit concerned and YOU would see
things move and sailurmen ready and
anxious to put in a word for berths. As
it is. nobody amt any too sure there's
going to be any bcrths.'
In the meantime the builders OF the
several defenders in America may pause
Ia consider the possibility that there will
h" no occasion to put their boats to any
tests
New York. April ll.-No comment was
forthcoming AT the New York Yacht Club
last night on the cable dispatches re-
gardins the improbabilty of an America
cup race this year because of the delay
IN building Sir Thomas Lipton's Chal-
lGnger All inquiries on the subject were
referred to A. G. Cormack. the secretary
OF the club. who was not at the club
house in West Fourty-fourth street and
could not bc located elsewhere up TO a
late hour.
HAGERST0WN HIGH WINS.
Spec1al to The Washington Hr-aH