April t, 1880. j 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



175 



CONGRESS AND THE YACHTING LAWS. 



Editor Forest and Sttiam : 



I would liko to call tue attention of yachtsmen through your 

 columns, to u bill relating to yachts now before the Committee 

 on Commerce or the House of Representatives, as it may not be 

 known generally that any such legislation is in progress. The 

 draft of the bill is as follows:— 



"In the House of Representatives, March 1st, 1880. Rend twice, 

 referred to the Committee on Commerce, and ordered to be 

 printed. 



"Mr. Amos To .vnsend (Rep., Ohio), on leave, introduced the 

 following bill:- 



" A bill to amend Section 4,214, of the Revised Statute, relating 

 to yachts :- 



"Be it. enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

 the United States of America in Congress assembled!— 



"That Section 4,iil4, of the Revised Stotulos Of the United 

 States, be amended bo as to read as follows :— 



" Sec. 4,21*.— The Secretary of the Treasury may cause yachts, 

 used and employed exclusively as pleasure vessels, and designed 

 as models of naval architecture, if built and owned in compliance 

 with the provisions of Sections 1,133 to 4,135, to be licensed on 

 terms which will authorize thorn to proceed from port to port of 

 the United States and by sea to foreign ports, without entering 

 at the Custom-house. Such license shall bo in such form as the 

 Secretory of the Treasury may prescribe. The owner of any such 

 vessel, before taking out such lioense, shall give a bond in such 

 form and for such amount as the Secretary of the Treasury shall 

 prescribe, conditioned that the vessel shall not engage in any un- 

 lawful trade, nor in anv way violate the revenue laws of the 

 United States, and shall comply with the laws in aU other re- 

 spects. Such vessels, so enrolled and licensed, shall not be al lowed 

 to transport merchandise or carry passengers lor pay. Such ves- 

 sels shall have their names find port* legibly painted on some con- 

 spicuous portiou of their hulls. Such vessels shall, in all re- 

 spects, except as above, he subject to the laws of the United 

 States, and shall be liahle to seizure and forfitnro for any viola- 

 tion of the. provisions of this title. 



" Sec. 3.— That the said original Section 4,211 be, and the same 

 is hereby repealed, 



"See. 3.— That this Act shall take effect from, and after its 

 passnge." 



The vital differences between this and the old Section l,:;lt re- 

 lating to yachts, aro that the now law will apply to all classes of 

 yachts, small ones, as well as those " entitled to be enrolled as 

 American vessel " it. e., of twenty tous and upward). And in this 

 that the new law requires not only the name, but that of the port 

 also, to be displayed on the bull of the yacht. No yachtsman will 

 object to the name, but everyone will be disposed to use Lad lan- 

 guage when compelled to carry the port also. Much trouble has 

 been inflicted upon yatchtsuien already by the attempted en- 

 forcement of a statute Intended for vessels engaged In com- 

 merce, which required hail-boards on bow or stern. This provi- 

 sion of the new law is not only useless, but vexations. 



By a recent decision of the Treasury Department, all yachts un- 

 der twenty tons were considered in the same light as rowboats . 

 and were not liable for any non-compliance to the laws relating 

 to port dues, hospital lax, talcing out papers, name and port, ete, 

 in fact, " taking one consideration with another, a yachtsman's, 

 lot was quite a happy one," if his era it. was under twenty ions. 



This new law will now put an end to his t.ei m of blissful hide, 

 pendencc, and compel him to decorate some conspicuous portion 

 Of hisSOl'l. darling with her name, and port in three-inch le Iters. 

 I imagine the small yacht owner would be better pleased with no 

 law, uud give up the so-called "benefits of curolenicnt." How- 

 ever, provided the part relating to the name of port were stricken 

 out the newlaw Will doubtless prove a bene 15 1 and an improve- 

 ment on the old one. It is a great pity that Mr. Townsend did 

 not also embody in his bill a clause exempting yachts from com- 

 pulsory pilotage, and if not too late it might be done now. Coast- 



I i ii is a e& i do without 



en performed. I know Of an in- 

 entering Key West from Havana 

 though the pilot never trod her 

 iliged to pay dearly for what you 

 atpabie to need any further illtts- 



West. On o 



iiering say Key Wc 



a pilot as"r< 



llina- oil' a log," a pi 



of pilotage ; 



yet "'in arc oblige 



do not want, 



and that has not be 



stance where 



a New York yacht 



was taxed s 



mietbim." like fso, 



deck. The I 



ljustiee of being ob 



don't wan tat 



d don't gel, is loop 



tration. 





Mr. Towns 



aid's bill is the eito 



noble and tu 



anly sport, and if n 



ao all he eat 



to improve what 



I. of 



trt 



sist ! 



attention they deserve from him, 

 the benefit of yachts, all yachtsm 

 it covert he ground thoroughly ai 



In regard to the present form ( 

 to procure from the Custom Hon: 

 wanhaka Yucuf blub is about for 



Treasury »• petition signed bi 



country, asking that a pat tktll 8 

 and when n yacht is sold the ne 

 out his license to extend during 1 

 quirements of the law wiR be 

 method as by the old way, and yt 

 amount of trouble and bother e\ > 



The probabilities are that the 

 sory pilotage " will be abolished, 

 old, dried-up barnacles should fa 

 upon the community been use the 

 than a set of cobblers because tin 

 are too many pilots for the busi 

 rageously heavy. It is one ol 

 American commerce, ami is pure 

 are justly surprised that, we sunn 

 morants. 



t too late he will without doubt 

 e has so well begun. Anysug- 

 icn would probably receive the 

 for if a bill is to be passed for 

 in must be Interested in having 

 d satisfactorily, 

 f yacht licenses we are obliged 



tl'I.V 



Til, 



rding lo the Secretary of the 

 yacht clubs in all parts of the 

 nse extend during ownership, 



owner to give bond and fake 



f "compul- 

 Why a set of 

 beneficiaries 



r. There 

 are out- 

 ns upon 



UK MP OR WIRE ? 



Editor Farext and Sttt 

 This being a slack 

 quently the best seaso 

 myself of your kindnt 

 tnore the oft discuss 

 shrouds of yachts. I > 

 fess to being- still unc 

 merits of cither. The: 

 jeet, and irhere learned 

 sume to oiler an opinion 

 yachtsmen who road y 



me of year with yachtsmen, and eonso- 

 'or the interchange of opinions, I avail 



ti US I'm i !i ",-:!■;. i !:■ wave to montonee 



', p eml • i ih, Iml.cnn- 



tit id be to lire absolute merits and de- 

 lias hecu a great deal written on the aub- 



u : hoi ittes so widely dilfor. I do not, pre- 

 I will merely ask the many practical 



paper to contribute, their share of In- 

 formation, lam much interested, belli as a cruising and facing 

 man, In Jilting my yacht in the most perfect manner, and what J 



eof r 



who have i 

 e shrouds. 



Hide 



■is, thei 



1 i-'L'ie 



other 



want to get at just now is 



comparative tests ,,i the -, 



III course, we all know I 



portion than hemp, and a 



1-inch wire rope being 

 weight per fathom. Thei 

 aloft, and, awing to the reduced size, a diminution of wind- 

 draught— two important considerations. The rigging can also be 

 made neater— a point worth noting. But— there is a '• but"— wire 

 requires to be set up taut, or it looks slovenly; and slovenliness 

 is inadmissible on a. yacht. Hemp shrouds, on the other hand.while 

 heavier and catching more wind, require lo beset up very much 

 of toner, and indeed mn-t be looked after constantly, as they 

 stretch and take up a great deal, according in the weather. This 

 isa decided disadvantage to the Corinthian, who, perhaps, keeps 

 butone paid hand, and in this respect wire is more likely to give 

 satisfaction, not stretching neatly as much. Now, the elasticity 

 ol" hempen shrouds, it is claimed, is of great value as a help to 

 speed, as it prevents the binding up of the boat, while the wire 

 ties her up, unless the lanyards arc made very long to compen- 

 sate for the loss ol elasticity, or spring or indla rubber relievers 

 Ore used for the same purpose. In conversing with seamen tho 

 general consensus of opinion was, I. found, In favor of slack 

 r for speed— a conclusion diametrically opposed to the 

 txiom that the flatter the sail the faster wiR the yacht 

 travel. Personally I incline to wire rigging set up taut. I know 

 this is almost heresy, but, authors to the contrary notwithstand- 

 ing, it seems to me thai unless tho mast is made so stout as to 

 bear iq, under the attain "t tho sail without, buckling— as is the 

 ease ol some of the Newfoundland fishing boats— well setup 

 rigging is absolutely necessary to obtain flatness of mainsail. I 

 think it will be found that the advocates of slack rigging have 

 their yachts' masts pretty stout, and consequently heavy. 



Brett, in his " Notes on Yachts," devotes a whole chapter to a 

 comparison of hemp with wire, and decides in favor of the former 

 on all counts, having evidently a strong prejudice against the 

 latter; but since Brett's day a deal has been learned about wire 

 rigging, and its use has become much more general than was an- 

 ticipated. " Vanderdeoken," in his " Yachts and Yachting," long 

 a standard work, and even now a most useful book of reference 

 acknowledges the splendid performance of vessels fitted with wire 

 shrouds, while vofiug for hemp in a " weak-built vessel, whose 

 hull works and springs even moderately." Marett does not touch 

 On rigging In his book, and Frazar's " Boat-Sailing," the only 

 American hand-book on yachting that I know of, also passes over 

 it in silence. Not so Dixon Kemp, who enters very fully on the 

 subject In his valuable " Yacht and Boat-Sailing." He quotes Mr 

 John's report to Lloyds, on the dismast-ng of ships, In proof of 

 wire-rigging set up taut* and of the considerable stretch of wire 

 rope. At the risk of being lengthy I quote his words, as his book 

 may not, though it should be, in the hands of all your readers: 

 " So far as the requirements of match sailing go, there can be no 

 doubt that the more rigid the rigging can be kept the better are 

 the results. The old-fashioned theory is that the rigging should 

 be Very elastic, and that the masts should have plenty of play. 

 This curious fallacy has been maintained by still more curious ar- 

 guments and theories ; and we have known some sailing-masters 



to slack up the 

 vious that tin 

 such cireumsf 



ots 0* BlRfli 



that anything i 



polling force in 

 duce its effect, 

 speed of 



pigging to give it, the required elasticity. It is ob- 

 mast would have to supply the elasticity under 

 rices, as the strain would not come upon the rig- 

 last had been very considerably bent— perhaps al. 

 aking point. We need not dwell upon the bad 

 Waging ami a yielding mast further than to say 

 ,ni, i i, i 1 tu render the application of thepro- 

 termittent, or to absorb any portion of it and re- 

 must in some measure detrimentally Influence the 

 isel; and if rigid rigging is necessary for the good 

 of sailing ships, It is eq ually necessary for the attain- 

 ment of the highest results in competitive yacht sailing." 



I might fill a column-only you would not thank me— with in- 

 stances of the reported good effects of slacking up the rigging in 

 a race. It Is only the other day that, discussing (he point with a 

 friend, whose yachts arc noted for their speed, he told me he al- 

 ways slacked up his shroud lanyards before starling iua race, and 

 lliis with Russian hemp shrouds. At this rate i do not see what 

 the shrouds are there for, especially as I know his masts are very 

 stout in proportion to the Size of his crafts. But I am open tu 

 conviction, and during the coming season I shall endeavor to test 

 carefully the advantages of slack r.«. taut rigging, and meantime 

 should be glad to hear what others have to say on the subject. 



Rouge Croix. 

 We incline to the opinion that there is nothing in slack 

 shrouds, but prefer setting theiu up taut as a bar. The 

 idea of slack shrouds should be classed with bellying sails. 

 There is no danger in wire being set up "taut as a 

 harpstring," and there is nothing like turii-buokles of 

 large thread to do it with, in place of the everlasting 

 trouble of easting adrift lanyards to get a pull on them, 

 and then lose all you gained while seizing then) Off, leav- 

 ing shrouds in a bight worse than before— an operation we 

 have witnessed more than once. There is danger, how- 

 ever, in setting up hemp like a bar, especially with light 

 rigging, for when wet it will shrink and either buckle 

 draw down the deck about tho partners, lift 

 or telescope the houndbaml. The trouble with 

 there is more stretch than elasticity to it. 

 teems to indicate strong preference for wire, as 

 raters it has about superceded hemp altogether 



he :::r, is 

 Practice 

 in these 



for yachts or all tonnages. 



MEASUREMENT. 



Editor Foi'est and Stream :— 



Let. me Orlelly state ui.v reasons for (so far as I have investlga 

 ted) believing that the cubic contents of the circumscribed par- 

 allelopipeilou of a yacht's hull are an adequate and fair measure 

 Of tier capacity In comparison with the same cubic contents from 

 any other yacht. No vessel ever exceeds in cubic contents 70 per 

 cent, of the cubic contcn Is of her circumscribed puralleloplpedon, 

 and no vessel ever has less than say 40 per cent, of it. For yacht- 

 ing purposes no vessel can vary more than about 10 per cent, of it, 

 and I donbt whether, practically, our modern yachts vary more 

 than 5 per cenl ., taking Into account the necessities of structure 

 [Phli h , found to be essential to speed. I speak, of course, of 

 keel-yachts. And the sume is true of eeutr-r-liuard yachts com- 

 pared one with another. Practical! therefor he cubic con- 

 tents of the parallelopipedon is in a certain ratio to the actual 

 contents of its yacht in all cases, because he who departs from 

 that ratio Is put. on I of hope of compel it ion. Hence, as all " cubic 

 contents " measurement Is but an approximation to the actual 



cubic contents of the yacht, length, breadth and depth will prac- 

 tically give about as near an approximation with those of modern 

 build, since it makes no difference in comparing two yachts 

 whether we adopt the actual cubic contents, or tho cubic con- 

 tents of larger solids which bear the same ratio to the actual con- 



Agaiu, looking at it In another way, length is a factor of power 

 and speed, breadth is also a factor, depth is alsoafaotor. Com- 

 mon sense says, estimate all tho factors In comparing one with 

 another, and allow the builder to make use of all other dimen- 

 sions within those factors as ho pleases. These three factors are 

 necessary and fixed. All others are arbitrary and optional. The 

 natural laws which go^ ern naval architecture will compel a cer- 

 tain approximation lo uniformity between them to subserve the 

 best purposes. Let the builder once be free to find these propor- 

 tions without being obliged to violate the natural proportions of 

 length, breadth and depth to meet some jockeying rules, and we 

 shall See our builders turn their attention to those proportions of 

 form, aside from those, which will lead to true progress and im- 

 provement in naval architecture, fso much for my present pro- 

 gress in the study of the subject. Finally, the measurement 

 which includes the three dimensions. If not absolutely perfect, Is 

 so far ahead of all others as to leave them out of the question. 

 David Ham, Hice. 



MOTORS FOR LAUNCHES. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



A short, time since, a street ear made a trip over the Third 

 avenue line of some sixteen miles with the usual load of passen- 

 gers and making the customary stops, propelled by a pneumatic 

 engine with but one charge of compressed air. Why could not 

 the samo means be used in operating small steam-yachts and 

 launches, thus doing away with all smoke, steam, coal-dust and 

 danger of explosions? 



The air compresser could bo located at a convenient, place on 

 the docks, and the boat call for a charge when wanted. 



Constant Reader. 



THE CANOE CONGRESS. 



THE call for the Canoe Congress to be head at Caldwell, head of 

 Lake George, August 3d, 4th, fith and nth next, state9 that It 

 is proposed to organize a National Canoe Convention, that 

 is a cluh, the membership of which shall be composed entirely of 

 residents of the United States. It is also stated that English and 

 Canadian canoeists will bo invited to attend, with their canoes, as 

 guests. It has been suggested, and with good reason, that the 

 proposed organization should not be exclusively a United States 

 canoe club, but that it should be, in the broadest sense, The 

 American Canoe Association, to membership of which any canoe- 

 ist, be ho, or she, residents of Canada, Unitod States, or Mexico, 

 shall be eligible, There is certainly no reason for excluding our 

 Canadian cousins; they are canoeists to the paddle born and they 

 can be counted by thousands. They are cruising canoeist b 

 and can make valuable contributions in tho way of cruising notes 

 to the canoe paper that it is proposed to publish. I ant assured 

 that several gentlemen in Canada, who have been consulted 

 warmly second the move for the American Canoe Association, 

 and that many Canadians will attend the congress. Such an asso- 

 ciation, it is confidently believed, may be formed with a member- 

 ship of at least 2<I0. In the United States the double-bladed pad- 

 dle is generally used: in Canada, the single-bladed. Canoes for 

 one person are as rarely seen in Canada as cauoe3 for more than 

 one in the State3. These differences and the great variety of 

 models in this country have brought out the questions as to what 

 constitutes a canoo and as to what the classification should be. 

 The division into sailing and paddling canoes is established. The 

 definition of the word canoe has been referred by Mr. N. H . 

 Bishop, acting as secretary to the signers of the call, to the com- 

 modores of the three canoe clubs, and they have agreed that : " A 

 nanoe is a boat that is sharp at both ends and not, more than 88-ln. 

 beam. She must be a craft that may be elfectively propelled by 

 a double-bladed paddle, and she may be propelled either by the 

 single or double-bladed paddle, or by one or more sails. No other 

 means of propulsion can be used." 



Tho quest ion, " what is a canoe?" is frequently asked, and fo 

 that reason this definition has been given. There Is no reason 

 why canoes may uot be. sailed or paddled by one, two, four, or 

 eight men, nor why there, should not be single and double paddle 

 races. So long as the craft isa canoe, and the conditions are ihu 

 same for each contestant, it matters Utile what the conditions 

 may bo. Chas. E. Chase. 



ZS1 BniadU'du, Aa'i/J York. 



YACHTING NEWS. 



New JEnsnv SfAOBI Club.- The annual meeting for the elec- 

 tion of officers pf the New Jersey Yacht Club was held last even- 

 ing al their club adusa, font .of Eleventh street, Hoboken. which 

 resulted as follows: Commodore, W. H. Dilworth; Vice-Commo- 

 dore, A.Jeannentt; Recording Secretary, Geo. Uartland; Treas- 

 urer, Chas. Rogers ; Financial Secretary, Ed. Ketcham, ,Tr.; Cor- 

 responding Secretary, Palmer OampheUj Measurer, Harry Teh- 

 nan. Regatta Committee; Geo. Gartland, Frank Dilworth, John 

 Peters. Trustees: Kelcbam, Dilworth, Rogers, Jeannentt, Tehnan. 

 Delegates to National Yachting Association : Theo. Rogers, E. 

 Kelcbam, \V. H. Dilworth. The annual reports of the officers for 

 the past year exhibit a very flourishing condition. The treasury 

 shows a handsome balance in its favor. The members are har- 

 monious and social: the club bouse, is large and commodious, 

 and beautifully located on the bank of the nudson in the Elysiau 

 Fields. The membership comprises about forty gentlemen, most 

 of whom are engaged in business in New York aud Hoboken. 

 They are, with scarcely an exception, ardent lovers of the sport, 

 and lay just claims to seamanship of no ordinary character. They 

 own no very large yachts ; but among the squadron of open boats, 

 •ying from sixteen to thirty-six foot in length, may be found 

 some of the fastest and best that ever floated In New York Bay. 

 The Constitution and By-taws were carefully revised some time 

 id have lust been issued In neat form, a copy of which 

 ■ulsbed by the Secretary to any gentleman 



rho i 



ght.de: 



re to 



D. 



The N. J. Y. 0. is in reality the oldest Corinthian yacht club in 

 the country, having adopted limited crews and fixed ballast since 

 1871. It should receive the support of all amateurs in its neigh- 

 borhood. 



Salem bat Yacht Gltto.— Commodore , Ifm. G. Sallonstall 

 sloop -IriPabCJ, Salem ; Vice-Commodore, Wm. P. Purker, schooner 

 ": Kear-1'omniedoro, David H. Rice, schooner White 

 Bop, Lowell. Directors : President, Henry A. Hale, Salem ; Win- 

 cheater Smith, Boston; Frank A. Brown, sloop Coquctlt, Salem, 

 I.W.Dodge, Sloop Miawn, Beverly; E. Lamson, sloop CewOitf, 



