420 



FOREST AND STEEAM. 



LJun U, I860. 



tern followed in her construction. The builders are confident, 



and will, we believe, inianintee higher rates when called upon. 

 If we are naked to assljrn the reason for the lack of high speed 

 in New York built pachta, and to explain the phenomenal per- 

 formances of the Bristol craft— which, hy the way, 'are rapidly 

 taking ntnk with the " Thorneycraf b " or England— we would 

 point to the different practice in hull and engines as offering- a. 

 ready solution. In New York we have been only following the 

 ancient methods handed down to us from time immemorial. We 

 have the same clumsy build, innumerable little pieces or heavy 

 scantling in the frames, braced with keels, keelsons, bilge strokes, 

 «lamns, wales, deadwood, knees and hooks, all of which contrib- 

 ute to increasing wi! I ■ lit only in a moderate degree 

 to strength. Then we load the hull down with the old fashioned 

 type of boiler, carrying a great body of water besides, and at- 

 tempt to get speed out of the same old tugboat engine of the in- 

 verted type which has been passed down to us from previous 

 generations. Of course, in model we whittle a little away here 

 and All uut a little there, and give to engine framing a little more 

 suitable form ; but, for all that:, there is a great amount of useless 

 find damaging weight, which must, ever remain one of the fea- 

 tures of the old wav of building. In the Herreshoff system, how- 

 ever, We detect; a radical departure from all the shortcomings of 

 tbe past aud discover in their vessels and fittings an adaptability 

 to purpose to be found in no others. Lightness and strength arc 

 tho two great requhutes of high speed, and these the Bristol 

 builders have combined In a most striking and successful man- 

 ner, to »ay nothing of the incomparable design and beauty 

 of their models, alongside of which our efforts in New 

 York seem clumsy and almost uncouth. They adopt the 

 composite stvle of eoi true m i jn frames ami wood Bkiu ; se- 

 lect both from the highest quality in the market: remv bolt the 

 plank to the frames, and as o resnli obtain l.he lightest, strongest 

 and toughest, hull Imaginable. This is then supplied with power 

 from their patent coil boiler, weighing just one-half of the an- 

 cient shell affairs, besides needing only a few minutes to raise 

 working pressure. The strain is passed at high pressure into eom- 

 pound or simple engines, which again are marvels of lightness, 

 combined with strength, and through which the maximum 

 duty is got out. of the steam. In addition, they supply a very 

 effective propeller of their own design, obtained after numer- 

 ous competitive trials between launches and yachts. As they 

 themselves design, build snd equip, from keel to truck and 

 from stem to stern, everything worksin harmony and to best ad- 

 vantage. It is no wonder that with such superior adaptability of 

 all the parts the Herreshoff high speed yachts find uo difficulty 

 in keeping ahead of almost anything afloat; in America. 

 Some very erroneous impressions have naturally gone abroad 

 that their work Is too light and cannot stand the usual wear 

 and tear. As wo have numerous testimonials and indorse- 

 ments at hand from gentlemen who have given their sys- 

 tems the mo9t thorough test, and as parties building attheller- 

 reshoffs once alwavs turn up at the same place when they want. 10 

 build again, as well as from our own experience with tb.eh-yacb.ts 

 and hollers, we are prepared to give them the fullest. Indorse- 

 ment as thoroughly reliable and trustworthy in everyday prac- 

 tice, and in point of speed and elegance of design far ahead of the 

 old-fashioned affairs we here in New York dub fast steam yachts. 

 Jn regard to "sea-going" qualities, we venture to say that no 

 Olte knows what able. drv. steady and easy sea-going character- 

 istics a long, high-speed steamer may possess until ho has driven 

 one like the Leila into a head sea at a fifteen-mile rate. Her bo- 

 havior in weather and water, which would have swamped our 

 Lvrlinet, Promises, Ocean-Gems, etc., was astonishing even to us, 

 though our expectations ran high. We propose to revert to this 

 subject at greater length in tho future, and, in announcing the 

 Leila for sale at Bristol, R. I., must rest content with the assur- 

 ance that we have no interest, in these yachts, other than to make 

 a really good thing known to our yachtsmen. For nteatn launches. 

 to hoist to davits, the svstem is especially adapted for obvious 

 reasons; and for general use, attached to country seats and villas 

 located at or near the water, their quickness for raising steam 

 renders them ever ready adjuncts for sport or for business. 



VALUE OF BULKHEADS. 



Editor Forest runt Stream :— 



The recent sad calumitj in tho Sound occasioned by tho Sinking 

 of the Narroganwt by collision will bring to the mind of 



of the great faul' 



I bad 



_. The 

 m, although caused 



..with nautical matters thi 

 of construction in all our passenger steame 



is e.-e of water-tight bulkheads, of whl 

 steamer ought to have live or more accord] 

 same to be compulsorv by law. It the ill-fat 

 been constructed with bulkheads she would 

 fire, which added to the horror or the situatt„. 

 Indirectly by the collision, is not alwavs the sequence of it. 



Tho efforts of tho Board of Inspectors ought, to be directed 

 toward this evident fault, in construction. Since the object of 

 this institution Is— Hrst, so to equip steam vessels that lives may 

 not be lost ; and secondly, merchandise. No greater boon could 

 be vouchsafed to the public then the compulsory construction ol 

 vessels with this important liie-saving addition— not only life- 

 saving, but adding greatly to the strength and durability of the 

 vessels. Hebreshoff Mfg. Co. 



BrutoUR.h, June 18th. 



We entirely concur with our correspondents In relation to the 

 necessity of devoting a little more mechanical skill and a little 

 less gorgeous and ostentatious display to our river 

 Many yachts are open to the same criticism. 



THE GOOD OLD KEEL. 



IT affords us great pleasure to publish the following terse and 

 witty appeal in favor of the good old keel, from no less an 

 authority than Henry Steers, Esq. The composition was de- 

 livered as a speech before the New York Yacht Club at their re- 

 cent annual dinner, and pointedly refers to what is patent to un- 

 prejudiced observers, that keel yachts oan be built every bit as 

 fast as center-boards :— 



" I had hoped that some one of the owners of the keel schooners 

 would have responded to this toast. Tho subject of keels aud 

 center-boards has been for a long time a prolifio theme for discus- 

 sion, and the respective owners of each of these kinds of vess 

 have proved conclusively to the world in general and themsel 

 in particular that their own boats are much superior to the others 

 in speed, comfort and safety in all kinds of weather, particularly 

 when it blows. They thoroughly understand the subject, and 

 talk very learnedly about it, to the edification of the public at 

 large, and with great satisfaction to themselves. 



" The matter has been so often and so thoroughly argued by both 

 sides that 1 am afaid there is little left for me to say which wou 

 be either new or interesting, and if I fail to convince you th; 

 the keel schooner is the best vessel, the keel schooner owners wl 

 have nobody to blame but themselves, in not having ohosen som 

 one more oompetent for the task. 



"I want it distinctly 'understood, however, that 1 am not to 

 suffer professionally for any remarks that I may make which 

 might be construed as detrimental to center-board vessels, for if 

 anynon-boat owners believe in center-boards, and want one built, 

 I am ready to take back all I have said or may say to their dis- 

 paragement. I learn that one of our oldest and best yachtsmen 

 to respond to the center-board schooner toast. He will undoubt- 

 edly tell you that center-board vessels aro vastly superior to keel 

 boat*. He will toll you what Is perfectly true, judging from his 

 own experience, but when you take Into consideration that his 

 experience has been limited to the ownership of two boats— one a 

 keel sehooner, not a first-class boat, and the other one of the 

 the most famouB and fast sailing center-board ;craf t that this or 

 any other club ever possessed— I think it will be obvious that ay 

 center-board friend's opinion in this caee should not be entitled 

 to that waight which it would have ia the minds of all yachtsmen 

 on any other subject conneeted with yachting. I myself 

 have had not any auoh opportunity of comparison, and therefore 

 eon look attho subject unbiased by any previous prejudices. But 

 even were it otherwise, it is suseep table ef proof by mathematics 

 that the keel boat la muoh the bBtter and more reliable vessel. 



It can be shown that we get better proportions in the oireum- 

 scrlbed area of tho parallelopipedon in keel boats than in 

 center-boards. We also get a muoh lower center of system, and 

 while, the mefa center may not be as high, still we can regulate 

 the distance between the meta center and the center of system 

 better in the keel boat, and these two points are the true guides 

 to stability and safety. Again, by getting a greater distance be- 

 tween the center of system and the water line in keel bouts than 

 be done in center-boards, we certainly derive abctieiit from 

 the increased pressure of water between these two point?. Fur- 

 thermore, the Stability being mostly artificial, the requisite 

 lount of stability to the amount of power or sail can be ac- 

 curately determined, thereby insuring a thoroughly safe boat— 

 which result has not been aud cannot be reached with Center- 

 boards. 

 " I have now demonstrated theoretically, practically and mntho. 

 latically that the keel boat is the only kind of craft worthy of 

 notice by the thorough sea-going yachtsman. 



Before concluding, I will trespass upon your patience fur a 

 few moments to glance brielly at the keel boat from three im- 

 portant points of view not hitherto touched upon, namely, the 

 historical, tho poetical and the artistic. 



" First, tho historical point of view. The very earliest keel boat 

 of which we have any authentic account is entered upon the page 

 of history as the Ark, commanded by Capt. Noah. The news- 

 papers of that period having all been destroyed, we have no 

 records of her qualities as far as regards speed, and we find her 

 to connected with but one important race, namely, the 

 human race, which to-day would cut a very small figure had she 

 not been a stanch, seaworthy, A No. 1 keel yacht. There appears 

 to be no doubt, that at one time at least she was fast, very last, 

 upon Mount Ararat, and her captain and crew appear to have 

 i eminently satisfied with her performance in that regatta' 

 She distanced all her competitors, and left 1hem so far behind 

 that they have never been heard of since. As they are now some 

 (1,000 years behind time, they would probably be ruled 

 race, even should they yet arrive. It is probable that the rest 

 were center-board boats, which fact would account for their 

 failure to put ill an appearance, as the weather upon that occasion 

 was exceedingly stormy, and they, without, doubt, came to grief 

 in the heavy gale which prevailed, and which nothing lint a kee.l 

 boat could have hoped to live through. This melancholy result 

 appears to have put a damper upon center-boards for many suc- 

 ceeding centuries, and it is only within the, last fifty years that 

 they have begun to emerge from obscurity, and arc now sfi-ug- 

 gb'ng to recover from the utter demoralization consequent upon 

 that untoward evont. 



" Since then the keel boat has sailed triumphantly down the sea 

 of time, and has survived the wreck of empires Which il raised to 

 the sen I ( h of commercial prosperity. We behold the keels adapt- 

 ing themselves to the various tastes of the successive nations of 

 antiquity, diverse and changing as to her upper structure, but. 

 always with the same deep, underlying principle of keel. Atone 

 time she appears tho gorgeous galley of Cleopatra, adorned with 

 silken sails, bearing that illustrious but scantily-clad young 

 woman ou her various missions of love and vengeance across the 

 blue waters of the sparkling Adriniie. Again we behold her (not 

 Cleopatra, but the keel boat) carrying Commodore- Julius OBBSM 

 with his cohorts of Homan noses to the shores of Great Britain! 

 and distributing civilization and the arts and sciences among tho 

 henightcd inhabitants of that heathen island. Still later, we see 

 her wafting Captain Columbus and his crew Of adventurous 

 mariners over the trackless wastes of the unexplored Atlantic, on 

 a voyage of discovery, with whose momentous results probably 

 most of us are moruorless familiar. Where would now- be the 

 British lion hud it not been for Commodore Ctcsar and his keel 

 boats? Instead Of standing on the Tower or London, with bris- 

 tling mane and erected tail, roaring defiance to tho world, he 

 would have been sitting upon Iris hauuciies in his nattfve eava 

 on tin- banks at the Thames, glaring with hungry eyes upon a 

 howling wilderness. MTiere would now be the American eagle, 

 had it not boon lor Captain Columbus and his keel boats? Not 

 where he now is, perched upon the dome of the Oapltol at Wash- 

 ington, surrounded by a halo of Star Spangled Banners and Fourth 

 of July orations, and waxing fat upon the inexhaustible supply oi 

 buncombe which flows continually from the halls beneath him. 

 Instead of enjoying all this luxury, he would he sitting upon 

 stump beside some solitary lake in the Kooky Mountains, igno- 

 mlniously watching for a chance to steal from some tlsh-hi 

 his hard-earned supper. Without the assistance of these keel 

 boats one-half the globe would be a trackless forest, and the civ- 

 ilization of the world would be co nfin ed to the mainland ot the 

 Eastern continent. 



" Thus we see, that the keel boat is preeminently the boat of 

 history, and is associated upon its pages with many of its most 

 glorious and important achievements. We also lind that it is the 

 only kind of vessel recognized by literature, poetry, painting 

 and the arts. We read of 



'" Tho hardy mariner whose keel plows through the realm of 

 discoverd seas,' and not. 'the hardy mariner whose center-board 

 plows through the; realm of undiscovered seas.' Also 

 " " The thunder laden fleet 



Whose oleaving keels o'er the rebellious crest 

 Of angry ocean ride,' 

 and not 



" ' The thunder laden fleet, 



Whose cleaving center-boards o'er the rebellious crest 

 Of angry ocean ride.' 

 "Instances innumerable like these might be cited to prove that 

 poetry not only deals exclusively with keel boats, but also con- 

 siders the keel itself an essential olement in t heir construction. 

 This fact isapplicable in an equal degree to painting. Who ever saw 

 an idealized boat represented on the canvas with a center-board? 

 Take, for instance, that celebrated series, Cole's 'Voyage of 

 Life.' Do we behold that allegorical infant embarking in his al- 

 legorical boat with an allegorical center-board stioklng up In the 

 middle? By no means. A genius at once as poetical and practi- 

 cal as Mr. Cole would never think of intrusting as important a 

 matter as the ' Voyage of Life,' to anything else than a keel boat. 

 " And now to return to the level of actual life, and the eirole of 

 our own observation and experience. I would ask what descrip- 

 tion of craft has reflected the greatest credit upon the association 

 to which we belong ? What kind of a vessel was it that twenty' 

 Ave years ago left this port, and, having crossed tbe Atlantic 

 to meet on the other side the assembled yacht fleers of Europe, 

 sailed a race in which she so far distanced her competitors, that 

 when the news arrived that she was ahead, and the question was 

 asked, 'Who la second?' the answer came back, 'There is no 

 second— the keel yacnl America .' ' 



" What Med of a vessel was it, that a few years ago went from 

 here to Cewos and amused herself by sailing around the fast 

 yachts of that locality, and, after waiting six months in the vain 

 hope of finding some one beld enough to accept her nbslieng*, 

 left in dlsrust ? The Jf«l hoal Sappho, 



We find, therefore, that the keel boat Is the boat of history, 

 the boat, of poetry, the boat of painting, and the boat of the prne 

 tical sailor. It has been handed down to us from the remotest 

 ages, hallowed by elassic associations, indorsed by all tbe nations 

 of antiquity, and through all the vicissitudes of thousands of 

 years has never been superceded or excelled. It has been the 

 successful boat of our forefathers from time Immemorial, and 

 Will be the successful boat, of our posterity through all future 

 generations l ,: 



FIXTURES. 



June SR— Dorchester Y. C. Regatta. 



Juno ai— Washington Village v. 0. Spring Regatta. 



June37-Quaker City Y. C. Harbor Cruise. 



June 38-East Kiver Y. C. Annual Regatta. 



JuneUO— N. V. Y. C, Brenton Iteer challenge Cup. 



July 8— Beverly V. c. Championship Races, Nahan 



July3-5-QuakorCny V.c. Spru;- Crui«e. 



July4r-San Francisco Y. C. Cruise to] pa. 



July 6— Quaker Cilv V.C. Petuisgrovc- I legal ta, 



July 5-Clcvcl and Y. Assu. Open Regatta. 



July S-Provincetowu X". C. Annus 



July -Seawanhaku Y. C. Corinthian Cruise. 



July 14— Qulnoy If. 0. Championship tfegatnt. 



July Hi-:"--? San Francisco Y. C. Annual Cruise. 



July 17— San KraneL-co V. C. Annual Regatta. 



July 17-T'r.H-inect.owii Y C. Regatta. 



Julv is— Quaker City Y. C. Harbor Cruise. 



July 31— Salem Ray 1*. C. Annual Regatta. 



Julv -Bull'ulo Y. C. Regatta. 



.ink ;;i Beverlj t, C Championship Races, Swampse 



Aug. 1— Provineetowu V C. Union Regatta. 



Aug. 3-Crinuc Congress R'-jraHa. Lake George. 



Aug. 4— Canoe Congress Iteirattu. Lake ileorge. 



Aug. 5-Canoe Congress Regatta, Lake George. 



Aug. H— Canoe Congress Regatta, i..iki George 



Aug-. S-Qimker Cilv V. ' . Harbor Cruise. 



Aug. Si-New York LCavK 



Aug. 11— x. Y. t.C innual Ornlse Fast ward. 

 Aug.13— Quinev Y. C. Championship Reg.itia. 

 Aug. 14 or 21- Beverly Y. c. i ii_.-n_Iton-.-ii i«, Nwampsco 



Aug! 18-89— Quaker City Y. C. Annual Cruise. 



huinplonship Races, Beverly. 



umis.j Regatta. 

 Y. C. Fall Regatta. 

 ill Regatta. 

 '. Cpen Matches. 

 lingo Y. C. Regatta. 



Sep i 

 Sept. 

 Oct. 



—Beverly Y 



30— Quaker Ci 

 29— fl. Y. Y.C 

 9— Washing!- 



The Dogs at Heidelberg.— The students' dogs at 

 Heidelberg, one of the great German universities, is thin 

 pleasantly described by Mark Twain in liia new book, 

 : ' A Tramp Abroad :" — 



Nine tenths of the- Heidelberg students wore no badge 

 or uniform ; the other tenth wore caps of various colors, 

 aud heionged-to social organizations called "corps." There 

 were five corps, each with B color of its own | there were 

 white caps, blue caps, and red, yellow, and green ones. 

 Tho famous duel fighting is confined to tho "corps" boys. 

 ■it" .seems to be a speciality of theirs, too. 

 Kneips are held, now aud then, to celebrate groat occa- 

 sions—like the election of a beer king, for Instance, The 

 solemnity is simple: the five corps assemble at night, and 

 at a .signal the}- all fall loading themselves with beer, out 

 of pint mugs, as fast as possible, and each man keeps his 

 own counts — usually by laying aside a lueifer match for 

 each mug he empties." The election is soon decided. 

 When the candidates can hold no more, a count is. insti- 

 tuted, and the one who has drunk the greatest number 

 of pints is proclaimed king. 



It seems to be. a part of corps etiquette to keep a dog or 

 so, too. I mean a corps dog — the common property of 

 the organization, like the corps steward or head seavant — 

 then there are other dogs, owned by individuals. 



On a summer afternoon in the Castle gardcus I hare 

 seen six students march solemnly into the grounds, in 

 single file, each carrying a a bright Chinese parasol and 

 leading a prodigious dpg by a string. It was a 

 posing spectacle. Sometimes there would be about as 

 many dogs around the pavilion as students ; and of all 

 breeds and of all degrees of beauty aud ugliness. These 

 dogs had a rather dry time of it, for they were tied to the 

 benches and had no amusement for an hour or two at a 

 time except what, they could get out of pawing at the 

 gnats or trying to sleep and not succeeding. However, 

 they got a lump of sugar occasionally— they were rood 

 of that. 



It seemed right and proper that students should indulge 

 in dogs ; but every body else had them too — old men and 

 young ones, old women" and nice young ladies. If there 

 is one spectacle that is tinplcasauter than another it is 

 that of an elegantly dressed young lady towing a dog by 

 a string. It is said to he. the sign and symbol of blighted 

 love. It seems to me that some other way of advertising 

 it might be devised, which would be just as conspicious 

 and yet not so trying to the proprieties. 

 ■» 



Thk Cape Hunting Dog.— Among the most recent 

 additions to the Zoological Society's collections in Re- 

 cent's Park, Loudon, is a Cape hunting dog. It is a queer 

 Beast, With shifty ways that give it an appearance of 

 irresolution and occasionally of crazy bewilderment in- 

 duced, no doubt, by the consciousness that its features 

 justify its being looked upon as neither dog nor anything 

 else, but something halfway toward the first hyena and 

 about as far from the last wolf. In a. wild state it is a 

 creature of intense ferocity, and as active as it is fierce, 

 sweeping in packs from province to province, ravaging 

 the colonist's flocks aud hunting down the wild herds of 

 the plains. Nothing is safe from it when at liberty, and 

 in captivity it is said to be untamable. Probably, there- 

 fore, Ho other occupant of the society's gardens will find 

 its new life so miserably circumscribed, so flat and dull 

 s will this wild hyena-hound of Africa. 



^ i i ■ 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Fish Hooked in Gills.— Why do writers on angling write of | 

 uah with "hooks in their gills?" Are fish often, or ever, caught 

 in!*at wayf 



Fish are hooked in the jaws or in the stomach— sometimes ay 

 the aide, hack er tail, but I do net remember ia fifty year! of 

 angling to have seas one taksn with a hock la It* fill a. 



S, «. e. 



