Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-08

1t is a pleasure to turn to the orig.
inal inception Of those races which
have interested so many thousands Of
Americans and Eng1ishrnen, as well as
yachting enthusiasts of other ma
tons.
First Race Recalled.
The very first race, the one that
started the succession Of Contests
continuing down to tho present yoar,
brought out a fine bit of aportsman-
ship on the part of the Engfishnan
and one which should never be for
gotten.
TIE, New York Yacht Club, the Nrst
yacht club organized in America.
formed in 1914 by g body OF nine en-
thusiasts had held races for n fs4x
years between yachts owned by mem
bers. Two OF the most enterprisins
We're ], C. Stevens and j. H. Perkins
In 1851, at the time when the great
Worlds Fair was held in England,
the royal yacht squadron, an organ
ization that antedated the New York
Yacht Club over 80 years, offered
cup to be raced by the yachts of all
nations.
Mr.. Stevens that year had oon-
structed a racing schooner to be en-
tered in the contest for the Queens
Cup at Cowes. This schooner was
named America. When Mr..
Stevens arrived on the other sida, he
found that in the race for the Queens
Cup the rules provided a time allow
ance which was foreign to his ideas.
and the impression upon which he
had sailed For this reason he de-
clined to enter the contest.
Objection Is Met.
The members of the Royal Yacht
Squadron decided that they would
meet the visitor on his own grounds
and they therefore contributed for
and put up another cup in order to
see that the stranger received fair
race under his own conditions.
The consequence of this was that
on August %, 1851, The America"
with fourteen other yachts. commended
for what proved to be the beginning
OF a set of races continuing down to
the present day.
The America was ono OF the last
boats to go over the starting line, but
It had overtaken ten of the others
in the first fifteen minutes, and be-
fore the course was half covered had
passed every yacht in the fleet, and
had practically distanced all OF thern
except the Aurora and was con-
siderably In the lead even OF that
cutter. At the finish the America was
eighteen minutes ahead of the Au-
rora.
Now this incident of Offering an
other cup and without time allowance
in order to meet the views or MT.
Stevens had had little prominence In
the minds of those interested In yaoht
racing of to-day.
AS a matter of fact, Il 10 worthy
Of note that even with the time al
lowance, while the race would haye
been very close, the America would
have won by nearly two minutes,
which, of course, was great salts
faction to Mr. Stevens and the New
York Yacht Club.
Tennis Convention.
On February 13, at the Waldorf
Astoria, will be held the meeting OF
the National Lawn Tennis Assocfas-
ton. The proposed officials new
amateur rule. as drawn up by Palmer
Presley and others of the commit
tee. is stirring up a hornets nest
and the question is whether IL win
be able TO carry q two thirds vote of
the association The proposed rule
allows the payment OF legitimate SIX
penses Of competitors In only three
special classes Of tournaments ana
makes such payments Illegal In all
other classes. Seymour, Of the Pitts
NAs-J - D-na IN HaI,,pap &