Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 September 1895 — THE CUP AGAIN OURS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE CUP AGAIN OURS.

VALKYRIE HAD NO CHANCE AND DUNRAVEN KNEW IT. Beaten in the First Race, He Fonls the American Boat in the Second and Demurs to the Club's DecU'on— Salks and Refuses to Play. Story of the Fiasco. New York correspondence:

-GAIN the Arnerj/rjlf ica yachting cup stays on this \ //jll B ‘de of the At- \ jlj 111 lantie, and the J II Britishers who IX v have vainly tried KV since 1851 to wrest it from our Ib A Yankee boats ■EOPunk may this time to discomfiture over failure chagrin attaching to childish jgL behavior of their champion. I n St-' — the first heat the Defender outsailed the Val-

kyrie so clearly on every point that it was confidently expected she would win three straight heats. Just before the start of the second heat, the British boat, possibly not Intentionally, but none the less in violation of the racing rules, fouled the Defender, and crippled her so that she could not carry two of her sails. Valkyrie crossed the starting line nearly two minutes ahead of Defender; but crippled as she was, that gallant yacht gave her opponent such a chase that at the finish there was but 47 seconds between them; she was more glorious in apparent defeat than she would have been in a repetition of the first victory. But the club committee, conforming strictly to the rules, gave the heat to Defender, and it is believed this was what caused the remarkabledisplay of t>ettishness on the part of'Lord Dunraven in Thursday’s contest. Ho made no attempt to put his boat in racing trim, but loafed across the starting line with short canvas, and what was spresid was slovenly. Hardly had he made the start when he put about, tod with the signal of acknowledged defeat flying, laid hie course for the club house. The Defender sailed the course alone, an 4 was awarded the cup. Dunraven alleges as cause for his action that he was hampered by excursion boats. The incidents of Tuesday’s race are worth recital. Both boats were standing for the line, wind on their starboard beam and booms to port. Valkyrie was leading by fifty yards, fully lOO'vnrds to

windward. The committee boat was about 200 yards ahead and somewhat to windward of Valkyrie, which was not at all close hauled. Defender was in no position to interfere with Valkyrie. The start was close at hand, and if, as has been claimed by some of the Englishman's apologists, Valkyrie was in danger of crossing before gunfire it could have avoided doing so by luffing, which would have put it still more to windward of Defender nnd in a still more advantageous position. Instead, it bore broad off and run down on Defender so straight that to many, spectators It seemed the English boat was going into the American. Then, by rounding up sharply on Defender’s bow, Valkyrie’s boom was made to descrit e an arc over Defender’s deck, with the result that the American’s starboard topmast shroud was torn from its fastenings at the. spreader. The essential objection to this maneuver is that Valkyrie had no business to make it. It was forbidden by the rules of the New York Yacht Club and the sailing regulations of nearly every yacht elub in existence, besides being contrary to the rules of the road on the high seas. How, then, could Defender be blamed.for the accident? It must be said again the effort to place the blame on Defender was at once ridiculous and dishonest. As to Dunraven's charge that the excursion boats interfered with him in Saturday's race it is well founded, but he suffered IeBS from their interference than Defender, so that except for the expression of a querulous disposition he had

nothing to complain of. In Tuesday’s race the,interference was much less, but again Defender suffered as much if not more than A’nlkyrie. To sum up the evidence we have Dunraven resting apparently satisfied with the- conditions of Saturday’s race until Tuesday’s race had demonstrate d beyphd a doubt his boat could not,sail with Defender. Then he suddenly displays a querulous spirit while trying to back up a dishonest claim as a means of escape from an inexcusable breach of the regulations under which he was sailing. The conclusion, therefore, seems unavoidable that, being satisfied by Saturday’s race his boat could not win a race from Defender, and bejng chagrined at the prospect of returning a second time to England without ‘scoring a single victory, ho deliberately planned t> foul and disable Defender so as to wi a at least one race of the series. Undoubtedly he foresaw the race would be protested and

the protest would decided against him and his boat disqualified, but that would give him the opportunity he was seeking—namely, to refuse to sail the last race of the scries and thus throw up the oontest. It is deplorable to be forced to this conclusion, but Dunraren's conduct fully warrants it. Earl Dunraven gave an exemplification Thursday of the English sportsman that it uot pleasant to American eyes. The attitude of the sujker and the churl is not a creditable one ander any circuuMstances; in the field of international sport it is at once disgraceful and disgusting. By his action Lord Dunraven placed himself squarely in that attitude, and forfeited the respect of sportsmen the world over. By crossing the line with bare topmast, “en deshabille” as it were, and at once putting about, he ’deliberately intended to icsult the American people, but he has injured himself aud the name of English sportsmen far more than he has affronted his hosts.

AMERICAN YACHT DEFENDER.

ENGLISH YACHT 1 VALKYRIE III.

THE AMERICA CUP—THE TROPHY FOR WHICH THE DEFENDER AND VALKYRIE III. FOUGHT.