Sept. 17, 1898.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
233 
In discussing the motion to adjourn, Mr, Duggan 
pointed out that prompt measures were advisable, as a 
challenge from England might malce considerable 
trouble. 
After some more desultory talk, Mr. Buchen made 
the speech of the evening, in which he p'ointed out that 
a club of the standing of the Royal St. Lawrence 
should be above the cognizance of apparently insulting 
communications. There was no room for elasticity of 
rules or sharp practice. The R. S. L. Y. C. wanted to 
play fair, with no advantage; they preferred to give the 
challenge cup back again. He thought the resolution 
was courteous and dignified, and that it was the duty 
of the club to stand by the sailing committee's de- 
cision. In explanation of a remark, Mr. Duggan came 
down to very plain facts, and pointed out that there were 
few people on the lake who cared to take the trouble or 
spend the money which would be necessary to defend 
the cup, open as it is on its present conditions. 
A little more discussion, and the matter was brought 
to a vote. The motion to adjourn tor a month was 
lost, and Mr. Buchen's motion was carried on a unani- 
mous vote. - 
This means that absolute power was placed in the 
hands of the sailing committee in future dealings con- 
cerning the cup. 
In its issue of Aug. 25, the first after the termination of 
the Montreal races, The Yachtsman devotes its leading 
editorial to the subject of the Seawanhaka cup. In 
view of the feeling which our position has awakened in 
certain quarters, we venture to reproduce what is ab- 
solutely independent opinion, written before the Forest 
and Stream of Aug. 27, as dated, had gone to press in 
New York. This opinion, which is presumably fair and 
•impartial, is based on the main facts of the races as 
cabled to the other side: 
The yachting atmosphere is at present so surcharged 
with the America Cup challengers, QO-footers, large 
schooners, etc., that we are afraid that the latest de- 
velopment of international racing may fail to attract 
the attention due to it. Yet the matches sailed for the 
Seawanhaka cup this year are pregnant with instruction 
to those who wish blindly to rush into a fresh contest 
for the America Cup. Mr. Duggan, who is the main- 
stay of the Royal St. Lawrence Y. C, this year designed 
four or five boats for the defense of the cup against 
the Seawanhaka C. Y. C, and one of these was a 
double-hulled craft. 
This was the boat, Dominion, which was selected to 
sail against Mr. Crane's Challenger, with the result 
that she very easily defeated the American craft in 
every race, though four had to be sailed owing to her 
being disqualified on protest in the first. The result 
gave such umbrage to the visitors that, as a telegram 
from New York says, they returned home immediately 
after the matches, without waiting to be entertained as 
usual by the defending club. The reason for this ire 
seems to us to be very absurd, viz., that they objected 
to the cup being defended by a "freak" boat. 
In this year of grace it is not a little amusing to read 
that our cousins have been so completely beaten at a 
game essentially their own, and the way in which they 
take their beating only serves to bring the absurdity 
of the affair into prominence. What constitutes a 
"freak" we are afraid to say, but probably it is some- 
thing uncommon, useless for any purpose saA'e that of 
racing, and built for that purpose only. If this be any- 
thing like an accurate definition, it applies to the chal- 
lenger's boat as well as to Dominion, and indeed to all 
the boats that have raced for the cup. 
The cup is a direct incentive to the production uf 
"freaks," and the funny part of it is that the people 
vvho grumble now at being beaten by a more "freak- 
like" boa* are the men who made the rules under 
which the cup is held. Defender was essentially a 
"freak" boat, for we cannot distinguish between a boat 
that gains an advantage by means of freak construc- 
tion and one which obtains it through a "freak" shape, 
The latter indeed is the more worthy of praise, for the 
advantage is derived from the more fertile brain of the 
designer, while in the former it comes from mere 
mechanical skill. 
It is interesting to note that double-hulled boats were 
tried under our S. A. rule, and were not successful. Mr. 
Herreshoff, however, thought that he could build one 
that would "whip creation" under that rule, as we have 
stated several times. What Dominion may be like we 
do not know, but probably she differs in some import- 
ant respects from Black Deuce and other craft seen in 
our waters. Such, boats, even had they been success- 
ful here, would certainly have been regarded as "freaks," 
but nobody would have denied their perfect legitimacy. 
Now this little episode goes to emphasize the oft- 
repeated statement that international racing is more like- 
ly to lead to squabbles than to an increase of concord 
between the yachtsmen of two countries. This has em- 
phatically been the case with the America Cup races, 
and therefore any attempt to challenge for it again 
should be most carefully conducted. If we may take the 
attitude of Mr. Crane as an example of what American 
feeling would be if the America Cup were won by a 
foreign challenger, it would be far more satisfactory to 
send out some craft that could have no earthly chance of 
winning it than one carefully designed and built for 
the. purpose, or, best of all, to send no challenge at 
all. And we very much fear that the Crane spirit is not 
uncommon among the yachtsmen of America. 
In its "Notes and Notions" The Yachtsman con- 
tinues on the same subject: 
It seems that there is ,a little-sore feeling on the part 
of the Seawanhaka C. Y. C. because the Canadian boat 
is of what some members denominate the "freak" type, 
and they consider it unsportsmanlike to have defended the 
cup by a boat which they Say was not contemplated 
and can scarcely be considered as a practicable vessel. 
There is a certain serious ground in this argument, but 
was there not "a hair of the same dog" in a bigger in- 
ternational contest a while since? We never heard it 
advanced, however, though surely it could not have 
been because it then would have cut the other way. 
Upon account of this feeling, and in view of changed 
conditions since the rules governing the events in which 
small yachts compete were formulated, it is stated that 
the R. St. L. Y. C. has decided to return the Sea- 
wanhaka challei.ge cup to the States. If this be so, 
what a chance for another "new deed!" 
The following is the letter presented by the race com- 
mittee of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Y. C. at the special 
meeting of the club on Sept. 3, and then endorsed by the 
club : 
To the Royal St. Lawrence Y. C, Dorval, Montreal, 
Canada. 
Gentlemen: By resolution of the Seawanhaka Corin- 
thian Y. C, adopted at a special meeting held at Oyster 
Bay on Sept. 3, we are instructed to send you this let- 
ter. Members of the race committee had fully intended 
to be present at the recent match, but, much to their 
disappointment, were prevented at the last moment by 
engagements of controlling importance. Mr. R. W. Gib- 
son kindly consented to serve as our representative, and 
in consultation with Mr. Clinton H. Crane was fully 
authorized to act in our behalf. On Aug. 12 the Domin- 
ion was chosen to sail the match as your representative 
yacht. Mr. Gibson thereupon addressed to your sailing 
committee the following protest: 
"Montreal, Aug. 12. — To the Sailing Committee of 
the Royal St. Lawrence Y. C, per A. F. Riddell, Esq., 
Chairman. — Gentlemen: The race committee of the Sea- 
wanhaka Corinthian Y. C. have instructed me to lay 
before you their opinion in regard to the eligibility of the 
yacht Dominion, which, I am just informed, has been 
selected by you to defend the Seawanhaka international 
challenge cup. 
"We are of opinion that the universally observed cus- 
tom of classifying vessels with. two hulls in classes dis- 
tinct from one-hulled boats as catamarans should be con- 
sidered as applying to the yacht Dominion, inasmuch 
as she has two distinct immersed hull sections and two 
separate water lines, constituting two hulls, which are 
connected only above the waterlinc. 
"It seems to us that the reason catamarans were not 
specifically barred in the agreement was because the 
custom of classifying them separately was so settled as 
to amount to an unwriten law requiring no mention. 
"Under these circumstances we feel obliged to make 
a formal protest against the selection of the Dominion 
to defend the cup, and we appeal confidently to the sail- 
ing committee of the Royal St. Lawrence Y. C. as um- 
pires to give this question a new and impartial con- 
sideration for the welfare of the sport in which we are 
all deeply interested. 
"We cheerfully leave the decision in regard to these 
races in your hands, and will abide by your ruling. 
"We remain, gentlemen, very respectfully yours, 
"Race Committee of Seawanhaka Coririthian Y. C, per 
R. W. Gibson." 
We beg to advise you that the action of our represen- 
tatives in making this protest and in sailing the match 
against Dominion has our unqualified approval and that 
of our club. We should not deem it necessary to make 
this formal avowal except for certain incidents made 
public in the press, which may have conveyed a mis- 
taken impression as to our attitude. We allude especially 
to a personal telegram, sent by two members of our 
club to Messrs. Gibson and Crane, which was intended 
to be a personal and confidential suggestion. L^nfor- 
tunately it was transmitted over a private newspaper 
wire from Montreal to your club house at Dorval, and 
came into the hands of a reporter, who made it public 
without authority. The publicity' given to this private 
telegram through comments of the press has no doubt 
led to a general impression that it was in a manner 
official and represented our wishes. We desire to as- 
sure you that it was sent without our knowledge, and 
that we regret the incident, The gentlemen who signed 
it have addressed us a letter, in whicn they assume the 
entire responsibility personally, and specially request 
■us so to advise you. 
Having through our duly authorized representative 
made a formal protest against the selection of Dominion, 
agreeing in advance to abide by the decision of your 
sailing committee, we unhesitatingly accept that decision 
as the expression of the conviction of your committee 
that the Dominion was eligible under the declaration of 
trust to defend the cup, and we therefore regard the 
match of 1898 as a closed incident, not open to further 
discussion. A profound difference of opinion, however, 
exists between us as to the propriety of accepting this 
decision as a precedent for the interpretation of the 
trust declaration and the government of future matches. 
It is our conviction, and that of our club, reached after 
full discussion and deliberation, that a vessel of the 
Dominion type is not within the contemplation of the 
declaration of trust, and that theiefore, without the con- 
sent of our club, expressed by formal amendment as pre- 
scribed in the instrument itself, such a A r essel should not 
participate in future matches for the cup. Some con- 
fusion may perhaps have arisen in discussing the ques- 
tion from the use of the word "catamaran." It may very 
well be that the Dominion technically is not a catamaran, 
and that she may be merely an extreme development of 
the principle adopted without objection in El Heirie, 
Glencairn, Speculator and Challenger. However this 
may be, our point is simply this, that, whatever she may 
be called, or however her conception may be accounted 
for, she is a vessel which in design passes the limit 
of fair competition with vessels not possessing her pecu- 
liar feature of double hulls or separated bilges. While 
not now attempting technical argument, we cannot ad- 
mit that such a vessel, even though evolved through 
the application of principles heretofore" accepted, re- 
mains justly in the class from which she may have been 
evolvedL It can hardly be questioned that, had such a 
development been foreseen at the time when the cup was 
established, it would have been expressly barred by the 
declaration of trust. But, whether this tie so or not, we 
are not willing ourselves to challenge for the cup with a 
vessel Of this type, and we could not regard with indif- 
ference the admission of such vessels to contests between- 
other clubs for the cup which our club has founded. It 
cannot be doubted also that if the recent match is to 
be accepted as a controlling precedent the result wijl be 
either that future contests will be limited to vessels 
embodying a progressive development of the peculiar 
features of Dominion or that competition for the cup 
will altogether cease. Either result, it seems to us, 
should be deplored. As founders of the cup, knowing 
that it has done much, if not for the art of designing, 
certainly what is far more important, for the develop- 
ment of Corinthian sailing, we feel a deep interest in its 
future, and we do not doubt that you, who won it under 
circumstances reflecting such high credit upon your 
enterprise and upon the skill and character of your re- 
presentatives, and have since twice successfully defended 
it, are equally solicitous. While we are firmly of the 
opinion that no amendment is necessary to the declara- 
tion of trust, yet if after final consideration you find 
yourselves unable to concur in our views as to the proper 
interpretation of that instrument, we invite your atten- 
tion to the fact that it was framed in a liberal spirit, hav- 
ing in view the possibility of developments which, in the 
interests of yachting, would make changes advisable or 
necessary, and expressly provides that it may at any 
time be amended in any respect whatever by the con- 
sent of the holder and of our Hub, subject only to the con- 
dition that in case a challenge is pending the con- 
sent of the- challenging club must also be obtained, With 
great respect, we remain, gentlemen, yours very truly, 
. Oliver E Cromwell, 
Charles W. Wetmore, 
Walter C. Kerr, 
Ch\rles A. Sherman. 
Race Committee, Seawanhaka Corinthian Y. C. 
Sept. 3. 
The reports of Messrs. Crane and Gibson, and the let- 
ter from Messrs. Dresser and Kerr explaining and as- 
suming all responsibility for their . telegram, have not 
yet been made public, but the following letter sent by 
Messrs. Kerr, Dresser and Sherman, on behalf of the 
race committee, to Mr. Crane some days prior to the 
first race, was given out: 
1. We hesitate to address the Royal St. Lawrence Y. 
C. committee on this subject so long as they have not 
yet chosen Duggan's "freak" as the cup defender. 
2. We fear to bring up the matter after they have 
chosen it, for such choice will doubtless be advisedly 
taken and irrevocable. 
3. This makes it a delicate matter to handle from a 
distance, and we think you should feel your way' as to 
what is the best and most diplomatic method of express- 
ing our views. 
4. Specifically from your description we consider 
Dominion a catamaran and ineligible in spirit, under 
the rules, to race for the cup. 
5. We would prefer to state our belief rather than 
argue or give reason purely to avoid altercation and pos- 
sibly misunderstanding, leading to strained relations. 
6. We therefore prefer to have them withdraw from 
consideration of this freak as a candidate for defender 
without our formal protest, and we authorize you to give 
to them, as delicately as possible, a hint on which they 
can act without it being known or said that we had to 
object to prevent her choice of entry. 
7. We should consider the admission of such a type 
of craft detrimental to the sport of yachting. 
8. We assume that their race committee would have 
jurisdiction in the event of a protest, and we should not 
wish to leave such a matter to any committee who are 
themselves choosing a defender, and therefore it seems 
to us at present our course would be to withdraw rather 
than protest in case this freak is selected. We should 
have to state, very clearly our reason for withdrawing, 
which we have not time now to formulate, and we trust 
it may not prove necessary, 
y. From such consideration as we have time to give 
we consider your demonstration of the reason why one 
hull is an outrigger is good, and can be used in de- 
fense of our decision, if it ever becomes necessary to 
argue the point technically. Kerr hopes that he will be 
able to reach Dorval on Friday, but if you want any 
further advice in the meantime wire or write and we 
shall do the best we can from this end. 
I have asked Fred Tarns to overhaul the archives of 
the New York Y. C, as we are under the impression 
that the definition of a catamaran was clearly made when 
the question of entering such a vessel came up in the 
New York Y. C. some years ago. 
I shall be unable to reach Montreal in time for the 
first two races, but expect to see some of them, and 
in the meantime wish you the best of luck. 
Charles A. Sherman. 
The letter of the committee to the Royal St. Lawrence 
Y. C. covers two important points, it repudiates the 
Dresser and Kerr telegram and relieves the Seawanhaka 
Corinthian Y. C. from all responsibility for this act of 
its representatives, and it also places the club 6n record 
as accepting the result of the races after having once 
started, as promised in the final clause of Mr. Gibson's 
letter. When it comes to the real point of the dispute, 
the eligibility of Dominion, the letter fails to reach a 
final and ' satisfactory conclusion. On this subject the 
committee goes no further than to express its opinion 
that vessels of the Dominion type should be summarily 
barred in the future. In support of this opinion no 
arguments whatever are adduced, a^d the committee 
virtually abandons the original contention that D minicn 
is a catamaran, and also admits the claims that she is a 
direct development of the principle of design embodied in 
other boats of her class. 
It seems to us that this position is by no means what 
is to be expected from such a body as the race com- 
mittee of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Y. C. ; and that 
it will not stisfy the great yachting public of this coun-. 
try and Europe, which to-day is keenly watching and 
studying every development of designing and racing with 
a view to the remedying of many recognized evils. The 
position of the Seawanhaka race committee is, briefly, 
that Dominion is a freak of such extreme and abnormal 
type as at once to place her far beyond the bounds of 
argument and calm scientific investigation. We doubt 
very much whether any number of disinterested yachts- 
men will accept this view as opposed to the other side, 
