Rensselaer Republican, Volume 28, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1895 — THE CUP AGAIN OURS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE CUP AGAIN OURS.

VALKYRIE HAD NO CHANCE AfCL DUNRAVEN KNEW IT. Beaten In the First Racf, He Fonla the American Boat in the Second and Demurs to JheC-nb's Decia oa— Sulks and Refuses To Play. Storv of the Fiasco, New York correspondence: \

the AmerJDtj ica yachting cup I) stays on this iside of the AtI lantic, and the h/ . II Britishers who AY have vainly tried since 1851 to wrest it from our Yankee boats mIH&L majr •fi’-s time L- add to discomfiture over failure ■— chagrin attaching to childish'' L behaviof of their - champion. In the first heat the Defender o u t - sailed 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 crinuied 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 victoryßut the dub committee, conforming strictly to the rules, gave the heat to Defender, and it is believed this was what caused the remarkable display of pettishness on the part of Lord Dunraven in Thursday's contest. IJe made no attempt to put his boat in racing trim, but loafed across the starting line with short canvas, and wliat was spread was slovenly. Hardly had he made the start When helTuf~S6mrt, amTwTfh the signal of acknowledged defeat flying, laid his course for the club house. The Defender sailed the course alone, and was awarded the cup. Diinrafen 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 theic starboard beam and booms to port. Valkyrie was leading fifty yards, fully 100 yards 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 sjtaj't was close at hand, and if, as has been claimed by sume of the Englishman's apologists, Valkyrie was in danger of crossing before gunfire jt could have avoided doing so by luffing, which would have put it still more to windward of Defender and 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 describe ah arc over deck, with the result that the American’s starboard topmast

shroud was torn from its fastenings at the Bpreffn?r>*ri*p 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 club 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 |he excursion boats interfered with him ui Sal Or-. day’s race it is well founded, but he suffered less 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 my/Ch less, but again Defender suffered, as much if not more than Valkyrie. To sum up the evidence we have Dunraven resting apparently satisfied with

the condition# of Saturday’# race until Tuesday's race had demonstrated beyond a doubt hi# boat could not sail with Defender. Then he suddenly display# 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-being chagrined at the prospect of returning a second time to England without scoring a single victory, he deliberately planned to foul and disable Defender so as to wim at least one race of th*e series. Undoubtedly be foresaw the race would be protested and the protest would be decided against him and iiis boat disqualified, but that would give Mm The opportunity he was seeking—namely, to refuse to sail the last raee of the series and thus throw up the contest. It is deplorable to be forced to this conclusion, but Dunraven’s conduct fully warrants it. Earl Dunrayen_gave an exemplification Thursday of the English sportsman that it nojt pleasant to American eyes. The attitude of the sulker and the churl is not a creditable one under any circumstances; ■ in the field of international sport it is at once disgraceful and disgusting. By his actio* Lord— Dunraven placed himself squarely in that attitude, and forfeited tiie respect of sportsmen the world over. By crossing the line with bare tdpmast, “eu deshabille” as it were, and at once putting about, be deliberately intended to insult the American people, but be has injured himself and the name of English sportsmen far more than he has affronted liis hosts.

AMERICAN YACHT DEFENDER.

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