464 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Not. 25, 18Q5. 



fachting. 



The unfortunate termination of this year's international racing 

 teaches a double lesson which we hope will no longer be lost on yacht 

 clubs. The Forest and Stream has urged for years the adoption in 

 tbis country of the English method of visible marks at the end of the 

 waterline, placed by the owner and measured and certified by the 

 official measurer; and with this, the enforcement of the rule that a 

 yacht shall be measured and her official measurement properly re- 

 corded before Bhe shall start in a race. It is easy to see now how 

 much trouble might have been avoided bad these two important and 

 practicable conditions been insisted on. 



The marling of the waterline of a racing yacht is absolutely neces- 

 sary under the present rules and conditions of match sailing, and 

 should long ago have been made compulsory by American, as it is by 

 British clubs. It takes the responsibility of a very difficult task from 

 the measurer and places it where it belongs, on the owner who builds 

 a yacht with freak ends; it is fairer to those owners who live rigidly 

 by the rules, and it tends greatly to prevent such charges as are now 

 being made against Vigilant and Defender. It would put a stop to 

 one unfair practice which prevails in some cases. A new yacht is 

 measured within a month of her launch and comes within her class 

 by such a margin as 1 x00 tt. ; in the ordinary course of things she may 

 race on this same measurement for four or five years, exceeding it 

 before the middle of her first season, and always after being far out 

 of her class. Of course, through necessary and open alteration a re- 

 measurement maybe made necessary; but such is not always the case, 

 and protests on measurement are so seldom made here that yachts- 

 men as a rule are willing to submit quietly to an obvious injustics, 

 racing a yacht which is well within the class against one which is 

 known to be over it, rather than to enter a protest. If the waterline 

 were marked this state of affairs would at once cease. 



In the cases of Valkyrie II. and HI., in 1893 and the present year, 

 we see no reason why Lord Dunraven's repeated request that the 

 waterline be marked should not have been acceded to, and every rea- 

 Bon why it should— for the protection of the American yacht, if noth- 

 ing else. 



In discussing the Dunraven matter, the American papers have con. 

 fined themselves mainly to two points, the condemnation of Lord 

 Dunraven and the absurdity of his charge that more ballast was 

 added to a yacht that was concedediy stiff enough already. The argu- 

 ments on the latter point are not only superfluous; as it first remains 

 to be proven that Mr. Iselin was dishonest enough to wish to cheat, 

 and foolish enough to risk the terrible consequences of an almost cer- 

 tain detection; but they are in themselves essentially weak. Lord 

 Dunraven's charges do not imply solely that Defender's normal bal- 

 last was increased by 12 to 15 tons after measurement, which, it is 

 generally conceded, would be no advantage to her ; but they include 

 another supposition, that the normal ballast was decreased by a 

 lesser amount, say 10 to 18 tons, prior to measurement, raising her 

 some four inches above her normal trim; and that after measurement 

 and before the first race this ballast was replaced, bringing her to her 

 proper waterline. The gain from such a proceeding is quite as plain 

 as the loss from the opposite course, of carrying an excess of ballast 

 in light weather; and completely nullifies the argument as to the 

 absurdity of the act. 



At the same time it must be said that such a change would be even 

 more difficult than the other; it would have been necessary to remove 

 the ballast at New Rochelle, where the yacht was haunted day and 

 night by reporters and sightseers, prior to reaching the Brie Basin 

 about noon on Sept. 6. At the Basin there was a crowd of possibly 

 two thousand people eagerly watching every detail of the measure- 

 ment under the eyes of Messrs. Herreshoff and Watson. If the yacht 

 had been recently raised several inches, it is hardly possible that the 

 marks would not have been visible in the discoloration of the bronze 

 to some of the thousands of prying eyes. 



The rule calling for the measurement of a yacht prior to starting in 

 a race is practically the same on both sides of the ocean, and on the 

 other side, at least, it has been strictly enforced up to last year. The 

 first exception was in the case of Vigilant, who raced on the Clyde and 

 on to the Solent, sailing eleven times without being measured. This 

 year the same thing was done, for a different reason, in the case of 

 Valkyrie III., she being allowed to sail her three races on the Clyde 

 without measurement. The example had already been set in this 

 country by the special exemption from the provision of , Rule V. 

 granted to Defender in order to conceal her length and sail area from 

 the chBllenger. Whatever may be said in defense of this action in the 

 cases of Valkyrie III. and Defender, it cannot be disputed that such a 

 rule and its rigid enforcement are necessary to the proper carrying on 

 of general yacht racing, and consequently should be upheld by all 

 yacht clubs and in all cases. It is no defense of Lord Dunraven's 

 latest action to say that his request for the marking of the waterline 

 was fair and reasonable, and that if it had been granted, and if De- 

 fender had, in her first trial race with Vigilant, been compelled to ob- 

 serve the rule of the New York Y. C., just as smaller yachts are, the 

 present trouble could never have arisen. 



The Field of Nov. 19 says: 



Nobody in this country supposes that Mr. Iselin could possibly have 

 been implicated in any tampering with the Defender, but Lord Dun- 

 raven's suspicion that the Defender was deeper in the water on Sept. 

 7 thau previously could have been proved or disproved if the course 

 Lord Dunraven communicated to Mr. Fish had been adopted. It 

 ought to have been done. 



Nobody in this country who is at all familiar with yachting sup- 

 poses for a moment that any one connected with Defender, from 

 Capt. Haff down to the cabin boy, would have cared or dared to have 

 made any alteration on the yacht without the express orders of Mr. 

 Iselin. In all of the yachts which he has owned, from Mary Emma 

 down to Titania, Vigilant and Dafender, Mr. C. Oliver Isalin has never 

 been a passenger, but has been master in every sense of the word 

 His part on these boats has been the same as that of Gen. Paiae on 

 Mayflower and Volunteer, supervising and directing every detail, and 

 it is simply inconceivable that a radical change of ballast, whether 

 permissible under the rules or not, could have been made without his 

 direct orders. Lord Dunraven's charge is to all intents a direct accu- 

 sation of foul dealing against Mr. Iselin, and must be considered as 

 Buch. It cannot be accepted as impersonal and directed merely 

 against some unknown members of the crew. 



The past week has produced but two sensations, and those but 

 mild ones— a renewal of the rumor that Sir George Newnes will chal- 

 lenge for the America's Cup, and a report that Vigilant was guilty of 

 shifting ballast in her British races last year. The facts that Sir 

 George Newnes is not a yachtsman— we believe he Is not yet a member 

 of any yacht club-and that he is a successful publisher and the pro- 

 prietor of several popular and widely advertised periodicals, are not 

 in themselves very promising. The reports as to Vigilant are too 

 indefinite and general to call for special attention. 



We have received too late for publication this week the particulars 

 of a new restricted class of 30ft. l.w.l., for which seven yachts have 

 already been ordered of the Herreshoff Co. 



Lord Dunraven's Charges, 



The full text of Lord Dunraven's letter as it appeared in the Field is 

 as follows: 



CIRCUMSTANTIAL STATEMENT OF THE EARL OF DUNRAVEN. 



Sir— So much has been written and said loosely and from the stand- 

 point of imperfect knowledge concerning the races between the 

 Valkyrie and Defender for the America's Cup, and I have received so 

 many requests for fuller information concerning that matter, that it 

 is, I think, due to the yachting and general public and to myself to 

 make a short statement on the subject. This statement will be mainly 

 extracted from a letter which I sent to the secretary of the Royal 

 Yacht Squadron on September 24 last, I would confine myself entirely 

 to the cause of my withdrawal, namely to the overcrowding of the 

 course, were it not that other matters have been alluded to in the report 

 to the New York Yacht Club, made by the America's Cup committee. 



On August 30 I met the America's Cup committee at the New York 

 Yacht Club, and, after some conversation, mainly on the question 

 whether the races should be stopped after dark and declared off, the 

 agreement as to terms and conditions, which had been previously 

 arranged between us by correspondence, was mutually accepted, with 

 a few small modifications. Among the conditions in this agreement 

 the following have place: 



The competing yachts shall be measured with all of the weights, 

 dead and alive, which they intend to carry during the race on board; 

 but the competing yachts shall not have on board more persons, all 

 told, during any race than is permitted by the club rules. 



If either yacht carries water tanks they must be filled with water at 

 the time the measurement is taken. 



The measurement referred to above covers all restrictions as to 

 weights, system of measurement, time allowance, and the racing rules 

 at present in force in the New York Yacht Club shall govern all the 

 races. 



The rules of the New York Yacht Club at page 142 say, among other 

 things: 



The official measurer, at the time of making his measurement, shall 

 affix a distinctive mark at each end of the load waterline. 



I was under the impression at the time that this rule meant that the 

 competing vessels would be marked on stem and stern, iu such a way 

 as to make the marks externally visible, as is the case under our 

 Yacht Racing Association rules. I learned, however, at the time of 

 the meeting with the Cup committee on Aug. 30, that according to 

 the practice of the New York Y. C. load waterline length is marked 

 by a couple of copper tacks driven into the deck. 



I did not consider this method of marking satisfactory, as it obvi- 

 ously afforded no means of judging whether the vessel was sailing on 

 her proper measured length or not. I contented, myself, however, 

 with observing that it did not appear to me to be of much practical 

 value. I went no further than this, as I did not feel justified in de- 

 manding any departure from the ordinary usage, without some strong 

 and definite cause. 



On Sept. 4 Mr. James D. Smith, the chairman of the Cup committee, 

 informed me that Mr. Iselin was anxious that our agreement should 

 be amended so as to insure the intervening of one clear weekday 

 between each race. To this I agreed, and I took advantage of the 

 opportunity offered by this reopening of the agreement to preBS upon 

 the Cup committee, in the following letter, my views on the subject of 

 measuring and marking, which I had previously expressed in conver- 

 sation: 



No. 439 Fifth Avenue, New York, Sept. 5.— Dear Mr. Cajifield: I 

 have received your letter notifying me of a contemplated alteration of 

 racing dates. That question having been reopened, I wish to call your 

 attention to another matter which, on reflection, I do not consider 

 satisfactory. 



This contest may possibly extend over a period of ten days, or, per- 

 haps, a fortnight. It is obvious that alterations in the load waterline 

 length of either vessel may, under present conditions, be made with- 

 out orders, without the knowledge of the principals and without the. 

 possibility of detection. It is, of course, impossible to guard abso- 

 lutely against such an occurrence. 



But these contests cannot be compared with ordinary races, and in 

 the interest of the public and of the owners, who have to do their best 

 to Bee that rules are obeyed, it is surely right and necessary that the 

 America's Cup committee should take every precaution to see that 

 both vessels sail on their measured load waterline length. 



For this reason I bave to request that the official measurer be in- 

 structed to mark each vessel's measured load waterline length on both 

 stem and stern and to take any further steps that either he or the 

 committee thinks advisable by remeasurement at any time, or by any 

 other means, to ascertain that the load waterline length, as measured, 

 is not exceeded in sailing. 



To mark vessels in this way is a perfectly simple matter. A scratch 

 with a file or chisel or a distinct paint mark would suffice. Yours very 

 truly, Dunraven. 



To that letter I received no written reply, but I was given verbally 

 to understand that the committee saw no object in reconsidering the 

 points involved, I did not further press the matter, as I considered 

 the committee responsible, and that, unless necessity compelled, I had 

 no right to insist on my points. 



The agreement involving the conditions of the race was signed by 

 Mr. Smith and myself on board the Valkyrie's tender, the City of 

 Bridgeport, on Sept. 6. 



The first race was sailed on Sept. 7. 



I am of the opinion that the Defender did not sail on her measured 

 load waterline length during that race. 



I should first explain that, to the best of my belief, none of the gen- 

 tlemen interested in the Defender lived on board her or on board her 

 tender, the Hattie Palmer; that the Defender's crew slept on board 

 her, and that, in consequence, a good deal of material— men's coats, 

 etc. — had to be transferred backward and forward between the Hattie 

 Palmer and the Defender. A good opportunity was afforded us of 

 observing Defender when she lay close to us in the Erie Basin pre- 

 vious to docking after her final trial race with Vigilant on Aug. 31. 

 When she came into the same basin to he measured on Sept. 6 it was 

 plain to me— as it was to all on board the City of Bridgeport — that she 

 was floating considerably higher then than she floated on the former 

 occasion, but that was, of course, quite unobjectionable. 



I may further mention that, according to the statement of Mr. 

 Hyslop, the official measurer, Defender was some 6in. shorter when 

 measured for the America's Cup races than when she was measured 

 for the Goelet cup race. 



Both yachts lay inside Sandy Hook on Friday night. Defender's 

 tender, the Hattie Palmer, lay alongside her, and her crew were at 

 work from dark to 1 o'clock in the morning. Early on Saturday 

 morning my attention was drawn by those ou board the City of Bridge- 

 port, including representatives of her American crew, to the effect 

 that Defender was visibly deeper in the water than she had been when 

 measured. She so appeared to me, but as her tender was alongside 

 and engaged apparently in taking material out of her, it was impossi- 

 ble to form a definite opinion at that time. 



When, however, I put Mr. Henderson, my representative, on board 

 Defender, about 9 A. M., after the Hattie Palmer had left her, I 

 felt perfectly certain that Defender was immersed deeper than she 

 was when measured. Not only was her bobstay bolt nearer the water 

 (which might have been the result of alteration of trim), but, judging 

 by the line of bronze plating and by the fact that a pipe amidships, 

 which was flush with the water when measured, was now nowhere 

 visible, she was, In my deliberate opinion, floating about 4ia. deeper in 

 the water than she was when measured. 



I was reluctant to make a formal complaint to the Cup committee 

 on a matter which it was, of course, impossible for me to verify. 



In any case, nothing could be done before the race waB started, but 

 as soon as Mr. Latham Fish, a member of the committee, came on 

 board the Valkyrie as Defender's representative, and before the race 

 was started, I stated the whole case to him. 



I told him I thought some mistake had been made, and that all of 

 the weight put into Defender after measurement had not been 

 taken out of the before the race. I added that I was positively cer- 

 tain she was sailing at least 1ft, beyond her proper length, and re- 

 quested him to take the earliest opportunity of mentioning" the matter 

 to the committee. 



Mr. Fish asked me what suggestions I could make, and I replied to 

 the effect that I wished the committee to put one of their members, 

 or some reliable representative, on board of each yacht immediately 

 after the race, and to have both vesssls remeasured, if possible, that 

 evening. 



If that were impossible, then I said I would suggest that members 

 of the committee, or their representatives, should stay on board in 

 charge of both vessels until they were remeasured; that the load 

 waterline should be marked on both vessels, externally, in such a way 

 as to be plainly visible, and that the committee should take any other 

 steps they thought desirable to insure that both yachts should not 

 exceed their load waterline length when racing. 



I met Mr. Fish on board the committee boat immediately after the 

 race. No action was taken that evening beyond ordering the vessels 

 to be rameasured and marked externally on the day following. 



No members or representatives of the committee were placed in 

 charge pending the remeasurement, as I had requested should be 

 done. Had this been done, my contention that Defender exceeded her 

 measured length and the extreme limit of length imposed by agree- 

 ment and deed of gift, namely, 90ft., would have been proved or dis- 

 proved. 



Defender lay Saturday night at Bay Ridge, with the Hattie Palmer 

 alongside her. 



Both yachtB were remeasured on the following day, Sunday after- 

 noon, when their load waterline length was found to be practically the 

 same a3 when measured on the Friday previous, but obviously that 



tact afforded no proof that either or both of the yachts had" not 

 exceeded their measured length when sailing on Saturday. 



My action in making this complaint has been severely criticised. I 

 will only Bay that I considered it my duty to act as I did, and that I 

 asked for nothing that I was not ready and willing to submit to 

 myself. 



The first race, on Sept. 7, was fifteen miles to windward and back. 

 The starting line was so dangerously crowded by all sorts of steam 

 vessels under way that it was impossible for the boats to maneuver 

 properly or in safety. Craft were constantly passing in front of the 

 markboat, and it was impossible to pick up the line accurately. When 

 Valkyrie came near the line, the lee markboat— a small tug— was com- 

 pletely hidden from view, and, not knowing where the line was, and 

 fearing we might be too soon for the gun-fire, we bore away fdr a 

 time and spoiled our start. 



On the fifteen-mile reach home from the weather mark Valkyrie was 

 badly hampered by numerous boats, being surrounded on all sides by 

 large steamers and tugs, which gave her the full effect of their wash 

 and completely blanketed her. It was not until they had drawn out a 

 little wider that we got anything like a true wind and sea. Defender 

 was also doubtless interfered with, but to nothing like the same extent. 

 This was in accordance with my former experience— that the vessel 

 astern got much the worst of the wash. 



The second race was sailed on Sept. 10. The starting line was 

 again blocked and crowded to a dangerous extent, making it impossi- 

 ble to maneuver with any reasonable degree of safety. So much bo, 

 that after the gybB and when both vesselSjwere going for the line, a 

 large iron coasting steamer, the Yorktown, had to go full speed astern 

 to clear the Valkyrie. While maneuvering for the start a foul occurred 

 which led to a protest by Defender against Valkyrie, and to a decision 

 of the regatta committee awarding the race to Defender. 



The race was over a triangular course, the courses to steer by com- 

 pass being given us by signals from the committee vessel before the 

 start, the first side of the triaDgle being laid off to windward. During 

 the turn to windward to the first mark we had fairly clear water to sail 

 over; and on the reach from the first to the second mark a fairly clear 

 course was also preserved; but on the reach from second mark home 

 the excursion steamers interfered with us to an extent unprecedented 

 in my experience, either on this occasion or in 1893. 



Some eight or nine vessels crossed our bows; a number were to the 

 windward of us, and, what was worse, a long line of vessels, packed 

 closely together and steaming at a high rate of speed, accompanied us 

 to leeward, their wash running against wind and natural sea, giving 

 us heavy broken water to sail through. We sailed the whole way in a 

 boil of wash, and were blanketed on both sides. It was difficult to 

 steer our vessel, and racing was reduced to an absolute farce. 



I make no accusation of partiality. I only say that, whereas the 

 ship which was astern on the first day got much the worst of the 

 wash, the ship which was in front got much the worst of it on the sec- 

 ond day. 



Even assuming the absolute impartiality of intention, the result was 

 a race sailed over a course impeded by some 200 steamers and tugs, 

 and which was an issue of chance. I made up my mind that it was 

 perfectly useless to sail under such circumstances, and communicated 

 my decision then and there to the gentlemen on board Valkyrie. 

 What course I should have taken had I been merely personally inter- 

 ested I do not know, but as representing a British yacht club in an 

 international race I had no hesitation in declining to sail under con- 

 ditions which precluded the possibility of a fair trial of the merits of 

 representative vessels. 



I had come out to race, not to take part in a show. 



It has been stated that in coming to this decision I was influenced by 

 the fact that Valkyrie had been protested against. 



That is not true. 



I was not aware that any protest had been made until we were 

 brought up at Bay Ridge, some hours after I had informed the gentle- 

 men on board Valkyrie (Mr. Kersey, Mr. Glennie and Mr. Rataey) that 

 under existing circumstances I would race no more. On my return to 

 the City of Bridgeport that evening I wrote the following letter to the 

 Cup committee: 



Sept. 10, 1895.— Gentlemen: It is with great reluctance that I write 

 to inform you that I decline to sail Valkyrie any more under the cir- 

 cumstances that have prevailed in the last two races, and for the fol- 

 lowing reasons: 



First. To attempt to start two such large vessels in a very confined 

 space and amid moving steamers and tugboats is, in my opinion, ex- 

 ceedingly dangerous, and I will no further risk the lives of my men 

 or the ship. 



Second. On the reach home from the second mark to-day eight or 

 nine steamers crossed my bows close to. Several were to windward 

 of me, and, what was worse, a block of steamers was steaming level 

 with me and close under my lee. I sailed nearly the whole distance in 

 the tumbling water and in the heavy wash of these steamers. 



To race under those conditions is, in my opinion, absurd, and I de- 

 cline to submit myself to them again. 



I would remind your committee that, foreseeing the trouble that 

 would occur, I urged upon them the desirability of sailing off Marble- 

 head or in some locality other than New York Bay, and that they re- 

 fused to do so. At the same time I wish to testify to my belief that 

 your committee have done everything in their power to prevent over- 

 crowding. 



The fact is that when a contest between representatives of two 

 yacht clubs creates so much popular interest and attracts such 

 crowds of people (if the race is sailed In the immediate neighborhood 

 of a great city, and if the dates of races and the times of starting are 

 known and advertised), it is impossible to keep the course free from ' 

 the cause of exceptional danger and clear enough to insure the prob- 

 ability that the result of the match is decided according to the relative 

 merits of the competing vessels. 



I have the honor to remain your obedient servant, 



(Signed) Dunraven. 



Finding, soon after my return to the City of Bridgeport, that a pro- 

 test bad been lodged against me, and believing that the Cup committee 

 had heard the protest, 1 did not think it right to hand them this letter 

 pending their decision. I wished to avoid the possibility of appearing 

 desirous of influencing them, or of being myself influenced by the 

 fact of the protest. I therefore handed the letter to a third party — 

 Mr. Kersey— with written instructions to deliver it after the protest 

 was decided. 



As it turned out, this precaution was perhap3 unnecessary, as on 

 arriving at the New York Y. C. on the following morning I ascer- 

 tained that the regatta committee had decided the protest, and 

 that the Cup committee were not concerned in it. I met Mr. Canfleld, 

 the secretary of the Cup committee, at the New York Y. C. about 

 noon, and requested him to call a meeting of his committee to con- 

 sider a letter of importance. My letter was opened by Mr. Canfleld at 

 2:30 P. M., and it was, I believe, laid before the committee then, or 

 shortly after. 



About 9 P. M. Mr. Canfleld and Mr. Busk called upon me at the Wal- 

 dorf, where I was at a dinner party, and we bad a short conversation 

 on the subject of my letter. I understood their proposal to be that if 

 I would sail the followiug day, the committee would not start the ves- 

 sels until the starting line was clear, and that the dates and times of 

 starting any other races should not be published. I did not consider 

 that arrangement satisfactory, and told Mr. Canfleld and Mr. BuskthSt 

 I did not see how I could depart from my decision. 



I begged that the next day's race might be postponed to give me 

 time for deliberation, but offered to sail if the committee would under- 

 take to declare the race off if, in their opinion, either vessel was un- 

 duly crowded. I asked for a distinct proposal in writing and a little 

 time for its consideration. At 10:30 o'clock I received the following 

 proposal in writing: 



'■Sept. 11, 1895.— My Lord: The America's cup committee will post- 

 pone the start to-morrow as long as may be necessary to secure a 

 clear space and plenty of room for the yachts to maneuver and start 

 in. In case of such postponement a preliminary signal will be given 

 fifteen minutes before the preparatory signal. 



"I have the honor to remain your obedient servant, 



"(Signed) A. Cass Canfield." 



The following reply declining to sail round the course, but saying 

 that I would cross the line, was delivered at the New York Y. C. 

 at 12:15 the same night: 



No. 439 Fifih Avenue, September 11, 1895, 11:30 P. M — Dear Mr. 

 Canfield: I have received your letter. I regret that, being engaged at 

 the time you and Mr. Busk were kind enough to call at the Waldorf, I 

 could not give you a decided answer to the proposition made in our 

 short conversation. 



I have since considered the matter carefully. Your proposition to 

 postpone the start until we have sufficient room meets only one out 

 of the more serious difficulties mentioned in my letter of the 10th, and 

 if no solution can be found to those difficulties I must adhere to my 

 decision as expressed in that letter. 



I am fully convinced that the committee have done and would do 

 to-morrow all in their power to keep a clear course, but under existing 

 circumstances they are powerless. As I told you, I would sail if the 

 committee would take it upon themselves to declare the race void if. 

 in their judgment, either yacht was interfered with by steamers and. 

 tugboats. 



I regret that you are unable to agree to that. I regret also that the 

 race fixed for to-morrow could not be postponed In order to give the 

 committee ample time to consider my former letter, and I am sorry 

 my letter was not delivered to you Booner. As I explained to you, I 

 was under the impression that the Cup committee heard the protest, 

 and pending decision I did not think it right to place the letter in their 

 hands. When I learned this morning that the Cup committee had 

 nothing to do with the protest I requested Mr. Kersey, to whom I had 

 intrusted the letter, to hand it to you. 



In case tyou do not receive this letter to-night, I shall take Valkyrie 



