^^^-tBC^ 



Boston Pilot Schooner Hesper, built at Chelsea, Massachusetts, by Dennison J. Lawlor, in 1884. Her 

 register dimensions were 92' x 22' x 12', 98.94 gross tons. She is represented in the VVatcrcraft Collection by 

 the builder's half-model (USNM 76037; see p. 91). {Smithsonian photo jyy^/~b.) 



Between 1830 and 1857 a small number of schooners 

 was employed by the New York newspapers to obtain 

 the latest news from incoming ships; these ranged from 

 small schooner-rigged decked boats to small pilot 

 schooners, some of which were built on the Chesa- 

 peake. These were all swift-sailing craft, as the com- 

 petition between the newspapers was very great; the 

 newspaper schooners raced for incoming ships in the 

 saine manner as the pilot boats of the period. 



In thelast half of the 19th century the use of the cen- 



terboard sharply increased; centerboards were to be 

 found in coasters, pilot boats, fishermen, and yachts 

 and e\en in vessels of large size or those intended for 

 long voyages. The centerboard proved very useful 

 in the 3-masted coasters, for it was found that those 

 with a centerboard sailed much better when light 

 than did those with a keel. The period between 1870 

 and 1895 was one in which the centerboard was most 

 widely used in American commercial sailing craft, 

 large and small. 



54 



