r>Ec. lO, 1885.3 



FOREST AN£) STflEAM. 



§9B 



6 



A HANDY SPORTING LAUNCH. 



Editor Forest and Srream: 



I send you drawings of the Green wing-, a small lauuch built for 

 pportsmen, purely for sporting purposes, by Messrs. Powell & Doug- 

 las, of Waukegan, 111. She is owned by Col. B. H. Polk, of Lincoln, 

 Neb., Mr. A. Warner, and the writer, of Vicksburg, Miss. Her length 

 is 27}^ft., beam 6ft. The hull is the work of Mr. C. W. Connett, in the 

 employ ol Messrs. Powell & Douglas, and is a faithful piece of work- 

 manship. The model is as graceful as the greenwing teal itself, the 

 material is of the best of its kind, and the fittings neat and strong. 

 The keel is white oak, frame of the same and steam bent. The boiler 

 is an upright tubular, 42 3in. flues, steel, .30x60in., the plates having a 

 tensile strength of 55,0001bs., and has all the necessary, fixtures, such 

 as guage cocks, glass gauge, steam gauge, whistle, pop safety valve 

 and fusible plug. It is fed by a Hancock inspirator, and also a snug 

 little pump which is worked by an eccentric upon the shaft. The 

 engine has a 5x6}^iu. cylinder. The wheel is 30in., is well below the 

 waterline and extends below the Keel, where it gets good purchase on 

 the water and is not so liable to be interfered with by drift wood. 

 The one objection is the draft, which will occasionally annoy us, it 

 being 40in. at the bottom of iron shoe under the wheel. This shoe is 

 about 15in. broad and serves as a protection to the wheel against 

 fouling. Curtains extend all the way around the canopy, so that the 

 seTOrest storm can be comfortably shut out. There is provision for 

 sleeping forward and aft by making down beds on a level with the 

 seats. Four persons can be accommodated, though generally for 

 camping a tent will be used, and the boat resorted to only in cases of 

 emergency. 



Before shipment to this point the Greenwing was tried on the lake 

 at Waukegan, by the makers. In a heavy sea with fifteen men aboard 

 she is reported to have behaved admirably and ran fast, giving a 

 promise of making ten miles per hour under favorable circumstances. 

 She was shipped through to this point by rail and attracted no little 

 attention in her elevated position on the car after arriving here. She 

 is just launched. Our trial here is not sufHcient to make a report on 

 as to speed, as the boiler is not yet thoroughly washed out, and. In 

 consequence, foams some, and the engine wants use to limber it up. 

 She is very steady in the water, and answers to the call of the pilot 

 wheel admirably, and we hope for the ten miles after a bit. 



With this little steam launch we will be able to reach points of 

 interest to the sportsmen at any time we may desire to go. Duck 

 shooting in the winter season is generally very good here. The 

 Greenwing is to take us near the localities of their feeding grounds. 

 We also bought of Messrs. & Powell Douglas one of their white cedar 

 "Boss" hunting boats, especially made for duck shooting. It is an 

 odd looking concern and looks more like a snow shoe than a boat. 

 This boat is very flat, light draft, easy to conceal, and we have a 

 notion that she will prove a good one for our use. We have also a 

 good skiff 4x20ft., with two pairs of oars, which will carry comfort- 

 ably four persons and their outfit of decoys, etc. W. L. P. 



VicKSBUEG, Miss., Nov. 9. 



NOTES FROM THE DELAWARE. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



On my return from a late bay trip I was surprised to And many im- 

 portant alterations in yachts already completed. Mr. Collins, of this 

 place, has lengthened Dr. H.'s Sea GuU with a long sightly fantail, 

 that in a great measure dispels her former bulky appearance. But 

 while the after body helps out the rotundity of a barrel-shaped mid- 

 ship section, it bn'ngs out by comparison very conspicuously the 

 fault of a bad entrance. Some years ago she was a fine littie cat 

 yacht, perfect in every detail of form and rig, and I almost envied 

 the Doctor the possession of so fine a craft. That gentleman, how- 

 ever, fell deeply in love with the yawl rig as a cruiser, and submitted 

 to my inspection drawings of the sail plan, etc. I disapproved, and 

 soi-ry I was to see her hauled overland from Humes's sparyard to 

 Collins s shop to have twelve inches of topside piled up on her like 

 a haystack. It was this excessive freeboard that caused ner to foun- 

 der at sea, a description of which appeared in Forest and Stream at 

 the time. I doubt very much if this would have occurred in her nor- 

 mal condition. With so much weight above her loadiine and so little 

 below, it became necessary to place iron outside on her keel; this, 

 from her flat round form, did little or no good, and again the "doc- 

 tor" is called upon to save the dying patient. Before she leaves Co!- 

 lins's yard I would respectfully suggest that she be lengthened Ave 

 feet forward, with long, easy-curved lines. Then it would not be a 

 bad scheme du-ing her "doctoring" to shim her down and make her 

 two feet (at least) deeper in the submerged body. By this time suf- 

 ficient data will have been stored away iu the deep recesses, and 

 enough money spent to build an Irex. 



Our yachtsmen are running riot over long flaring sterns, no matter 

 if all else is out of keeping, and 'fantails" will hereafter be found on 

 "creek flats," scows, floating boat houses and bay windows. I am 

 told rafts are now so constructed. The long, slab-sided Minerva and 

 the big bellied Olga each will sporta tail next year. Two "tuck-ups" 

 are now being built all tail. And so, like lead on the keel, we fall 

 into excesses and hopelessly drop in the wake of big fish with the 

 longest tail, as Biddy would do with the fashion trail. Now and then 

 we meet with a pleasing exception. For instance, Mr. Colburn's 

 Veniizia has been lengthened aft by Collins and is nearly completed. 

 This, howevei-, makes this ship nearly perfect, all parts of the form 

 being in keeping, and the job is a credit to the mechanic who did it. 

 She is a beautiful yacht, and the fastest by odds of any on the Dela- 

 ware. I will send you memoranda of my bay trip in another letter. 



Cooper's Point, Dec. 1. R. G. Wilkins. 



Aug. 29 



July 

 Aug. 



Sept. 

 Oct. 



Aug. 



July 

 Aug. 



Sept. 



28. 

 10. 

 24 

 7. 



15. 



23. 

 89. 



80. 

 7. 

 10. 

 17. 



July 4. 



CORRECTIONS IN LIST OF RACES. 



B.Y.C. add sweepstakes for second and third classes, 4 

 starters: Mirage 1. 

 . Island Park, Osh.Y.C. Hattiel. 

 . Sing Sing. Alice J. 1, Cora 2. 



. "Carrie Morgan beat Hattie." This is a duplicate entry of 



match of Aug. 25. 

 . 0.sh.y.C. Third class: Mary 1, Sylvia 2. 

 . N.H.Y.C. Derby Cup: Happy Thought beats Marguerite 



by default. Special prize: Happy Thought. 

 . Mich.Y.C. Jennie J. wins. Partridge ruled out. 

 . Burlington Y.C. Open Championship Race. 7 starters: 



Sharpie wins one leg. 

 . Burlington Y.C. Second Race. 9 starters: Lulu ties 

 Sharpie. 



B.S.Y.C. 6 starters: Edith 1, Cynthia 2. 

 B.S. Y.C— Five starters: Edith 1, Alice 2. 

 B.S."S.C.— Five starters: Alice 1, Vixen 2. 

 B.S.Y.C— Seven starters: Edith 1, Tantavy 2, Cynthia 3. 



S^eries of matches: Edith beat Alice. 

 BurlingtonY.C— Third race, 6 starters: Lulu wins second 

 leg, 



Bridgeport.— Match. Americus beats Moll Pitcher. 

 New^ Bedford.— Match. Atalanta B.Y.C. beats Nomad 



K. Y.C— Dandy ruled out, prize to Maggie. 

 Riverton.— Three starters: Josephine 1. 

 Buf.Y C— Turk 1, E. B. Jewett 2, Ripple 8. 

 J.C— Keels. 4 starters: Judith 1, Zetta 3. Centerboards, S 



starters: Phallas 1, Fanny 2. 

 Point Clear.— Lorena took second prize in catboat class. 



LAUNCH OF THE CHICAGO.-On Dee. 5 the third of the new 

 crmsers building for the Government, the Chicago, was launched at 

 John Roach's yard at Chester, Pa. Work was suspended on the 

 vessel for some time, but has lately been resumed by the Navy De- 

 partment, which will finish the vessel, and she was launched under 

 its direction. She went off the ways about 11:30 A. M., and as she 

 touched the water was christened by Miss Edith Cleborne, daughter 

 of Dr. Cleborne, United States Medical Examiner, who broke a bottle 

 of champagne over her bows. At the same time three birds— a 

 thrush, a canary and an oriole— were liberated, in accordance with 

 an old Japanese custom . The new vessel is 315ft. between pei-pendic 

 ulars, 334ft. 4in. over all, 48ft. 2in. beam, 19ft. draft and 4,500 tons 

 displacement. Her motive power consists of two compound beam 

 engines, each driving a screw. The hull is of steel, 9-16in thick 

 double plated about the waterline, and the rudder and steering gear 

 are below water. She will be barkentine rigged and will carry four 

 Sin. breechloading rifles, six 6in— one 6in. on each bow— two 5m aft 

 and six Hotchkiss revolving cannon. Her fuel will carry her 6,000 

 miles at 10 knots. 



STEAM YACHTS FOR SALE.-We have received from Messrs. 

 Fiela & Young, shipbrokers, No. 6 State street. New York, their 

 qunrterly list of steam vessels for sale, among which are some thu-ty 

 steam yachts of various sizes, from large cruising craft to small 

 steam launches . Messrs. Field & Young can furnish almost any class 

 of steam vessel that may be required, either for sale or charter, and 

 also plans and estimates for building. 



- '^f ^?oIl^*^ NOTES.-The Atalanta Y. C. will hold their last meet- 

 "iS cor 1885 ou Dec. 14. . . .American Y. C— On Dec. 1 a meeting was 

 held at the club rooms at which the cups won last summer were on 

 exhibition, as well as a design for the |lO,000 challenge cup which the 

 club propose to offer for international competition . . . .Leona, Wallia 

 & Gorman, at Bay Ridge, are repairing the schooner Leona. 



