378 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 8, 1886. 



fashion of lying down full length in the bottom steering by the feet, 

 or, midway, the Pearl plan of sitting up against the weather side by 

 means of a side-deck flap. It was pretty generally concluded that 

 sitting on deck in the circumstances 'would have been a sight all 

 would have liked to see. especially some of the competitors and the 

 professional boat keepers (they ao not get a chance of a bit of sal- 

 vage work often). 



On the whole, Hcndon Lake, though the races have this season 

 been set a good bit too early, has produced some very good racing; 

 and has showu that, though Nautilus comes out of it with first prize 

 for each start, and Pearl close up. the other canoes, notably Nina 

 and Diamond, are by no means out of the running, and Sabrina, for 

 the " second-class " matches on the Thames, will start the favorite 

 with a great number on the home waters. 



A paddling race came off at Kingston on Wednesday last. The 

 distance was half a mile, and the competitors, G. J. B. Porter, E W. 

 Lewis, and H. K. Bridger, were started by Mr. A. B. Ingram at 7 P. 

 M. Porter at once showed in front, and was never headed, eventu- 

 ally winning easily by several lengths; Lewis second. 



There will be a mile race in second class Rob Roys on Wednesday 

 next, the 26th inst.— The Field, May 15. 



THE A. 0. A. TROPHY. — Editor Forest and Stream: I beg to 

 acknowledge contributions to the American Canoe Association inter- 

 national challenge cup, as follows: James K. Hand, Shattemuc C. O, 

 $2; "Eo," $1, Hy. N. Sweet, Boston, $1; Frank Brewster, Cleveland, 

 fl; W.P. Couch, Dubuque, 81;. J. M. Gildert, Halifax, $1 ; Walter 

 Launt Palmer, Albany. $1; Reade W. Bailey, Pittsburgh, second sub- 

 scription. $5: J. T. Hubbard. Clayton, N. Y. , $1 ; A. Bain, Clayton, 

 N. Y., Si; F. R. Webb, Staunton, Va., $1; W. B. Lesslie, Kingston, 

 Ont., $1; Emile Ruff. Dubuque. la., $1; J. P. Jefferson, Warren, Pa., 

 $1; J. L. Welter, Brighton, Out., $1: Will Brooks. San Francisco. Cal., 

 $1; previously acknowledged, $204; total to date. §225.— Wit. Whit- 

 I.OCK, Chairman (37 West Twenty-second street. New York, May 1). 



ESSEX BOAT AND CANOE CLUB— The first annual regatta of the 

 Essex Boat and Canoe Club, will be held off the club house, Passaic 

 River, north of the Erie Eridge, on Saturday, June 26, 1886, at 2 P. M. 

 The programme is as follows: Paddling classes, 3 and 4; sailing 

 classes, A and A; tandem paddling classes, 3 and 4; upset race, tub 

 race. Suitable prizes will be given for each race. Geo. O. Totten, 

 Wru. II. Hiliier, A. W. Evenden, Regatta Committee, 



LAKE ST. LOUIS C. C. OPENING CRUISE. — The Lake St. Louis 

 C. C. enjoyed a very exciting run on May 25, down the Ohatenaugenay 

 River. A party of thirty-four went to Huntington by rail, with their 

 canoes, and starting on Monday morning ran down the river for a 

 distance of 75 miles, shooting eight rapids in which many canoes 

 came to grief. Besides a thorough wetting and some damage to the 

 boats, no' harm was done and all enjoyed the trip. 



"CANOE HANDLING."— If foolish, go it alone, experimen t, and 

 learn tbe ropes by main strength. If wise, equip yourself with Yaux's 

 book and study it. It won't make you a canoeist before you go on to 

 the water, but you will be surprised to fiud how simple a thing it is 

 to master canoeing, when tutored by so adept and accomplished a 

 master as "Dot." 



" CANOE AND CAMP COOKERY" is a collection of the recipes 

 prepared by "Seneca" and published in convenient form for all outers 

 who have occasion to do their own cooking in camp or on a cruise. 

 A dollar cannot be better expended in the way of outfitting than 

 when put into this useful manual. 



A. C. A.— The following candidates have been proposed for mem- 

 bership: Geo. M. Cole, Dr. J. E. Brouse, J. TC. Bagg, Brockville, Ont., 

 Canada: Lieut. -Col. Villiers, J. B. Carruthers, T. Y. Greet, Lieut. 

 Rivers, Kingston, Ont., Canada: Chas. P. Weekes, Chas. G. Balmann, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y. ; J. H. Ten Eyck. 



THE SPRING MEETS.— Successful meets of the canoeists were 

 held at Rondout and Cal la Shasta on May 30, accounts of which will 

 appear next week. 



Don't twist your neck off, but use Allen's bow-facing oars. Little 

 talogue free. Fred A. Allen, Monmouth , 111.— Adv. 



Jachting. 



THE LOSS OF THE OONA. 



THE details of the sad accident by which five lives were lost, are 

 given in the last weed's Field from which we quote them at 

 length, with the accompanying cuts, in order to correct the false im- 

 pressions created by the first garbled reports here of the "capsize of 

 a cutter." The dimensions of the yacht are much less extreme than 

 at first reported and it is evident that she was in very heavy weather, 

 and while it may be that a racing yacht of her construction is not the 

 best boat for such work, there is little doubt but that boats of her 

 size and of other types w r ould have fared no better. In these days 

 when the lead fever has fairly set in here there is a valuable lesson 

 to be learned from her loss. How many of our small boats, whether 

 newly built or altered, have half the strength iu the floors that the 

 Oona did? In this point a very large number of them are very weak, 

 but it is a fault that is not apparent until fatal consequences are at 

 hand. Owners and builders are most directly interested in this 

 most vital question. The Field says: 



Some remarks have appeared in print calculated to convey the 

 impression that tbe late Mr. W. E. Paton was an "amateur yacht de- 

 signer." but so far from this being the case, he went through a prac- 

 tical and theoretical training for his profession such as no other de- 

 signer has had. He was with Messrs. John Inglis & Co.. the ship and 

 yacht builders. Glasgow, for some years, and then went through a 

 three years' course of study at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. 

 After this he weut to Sir William Armstrong. Mitchell & Co., Elswick, 

 at the invitation, we believe, of the present Chief Constructor to the 



) Wrec/r 



Hoskm's 

 Patch 



training for his profession, and had achieved such success with small 

 racing yachts, that his career was full of promise. He had made 

 many friends, and his gentlemanly manner and modest bearing could 

 not be otherwise than attractive. The news of his sad fate was heard 

 by all who knew him with genuine sorrow, and every one regretted 

 that a life which promised to be so useful should be swept away at 

 its very opening. In speaking thus of Mr. Paton we must not forget 

 his friend Mr. Plunket, whose death excited no less sorrow among a 

 large circle of friends. The master of the yacht, E. Porter, leaves a 

 widow aDd five children to mourn his loss, and, as they are totally 

 unprovided for, a subscription has been opened for them at South- 

 ampton by Messrs. Fay & Son, who will be glad to receive donations 

 to the fund. 



From the drawmg we publish of the mid-section of the Oona, it will 

 be seen that she has practically no bilge, her underwater form being 

 flatter and straighter than any other similar yacht, although three 

 or four are a very near approach to it.- Besides the fact that, in de- 

 signing such a narrow sailing yacht, the lead keel must be of great 

 size, Mr, Paton had an idea that, by doing away with, the bilge he 



SECTION SHOWING CONSTRUCTION OF 5 TONS YACHT "OQBA" 



dmiralty, who at the time was manager of ^the Elswick wwks He 

 robablv would have remained at Elswick had not his fondness loi 

 achts and y^cht sailing turned his thoughts solely to yacht ^sign- 

 ing His first, notable achievment m the way of des gnmg was the 

 THdent 5 -tormeV, which he built for himself and sailed during his 

 rst year at Greenwich when only eighteen years of age The 

 esiern was worked out. with all the care as to weight of materials 

 nd^tabflity. bestowed on ironclads, and she proved a successful 

 r¥ft He next designed tbe 5 cornier Olga, also while at Greenwich 

 or Mr. J M Heyn, and it will be remembered that she was ; s unk 

 in Kingstown Harbor by a email steam yacht o wned ?b y Mr Talbot 

 Power after a remarkable series of victories. She was 

 recovered by Mr. Power, who had her repaired and after 

 finistog up asuccessf ul season, he sold her to Mr. G. B. Hhomj^m .in 

 1884 While iu the hands of the latter gentleman she was opposed 

 by Shona and Belvin, and was finally agaiu sunk m the Mersey by a 

 steamer but has since been again raised and repaired. During Mr. 



aC^ 'st^a^ Elswiekhe also designed the well known 3-tonner 

 Currvtush which has had even a more successful career than Olga, 

 n d lasf year he turned out the Luath for Mr. G. B. Thompson His 

 arest effort was the Oona, and she is numbered as ' No. 38 design" 

 in his own hand writing on' the plans. It may be concluded from the 

 f oreeoiug that Mr. Paton was in no sense an " amateur designer ; on 

 the lontrary; he went through a very arduous and quite exceptioaal 



would get rid of some of the enormous transverse wave-makings 

 to which these craft are prone; but whether he succeeded or not in 

 reducing the wave-making, the features of the design had nothing 

 whatever to do with the loss of the yacht. 



The Oona was built bv Messrs. Fay and Son, of Southampton, from 

 a 'most elaborate specification, drawn by Mr. Paton, wherein the 

 whole of the construction and sizes of all ironwork are most minutely 

 described. Beyond this, Mr. Paton supplied the builder with detailed 

 drawings of the construction, and constantly visited the yard to see 

 that his instructions were faithfully carried out. He fixed the sizes 

 of all ironworir. and was most anxious to keep everything as light as 

 possible consistent with strength, so as not to throw his calculations 

 out It is only right to say that both Mr. Paton and Mr. Plunket ex- 

 • id themselves highly satisfied with the manner in which Messrs. 

 Fay had carried out all instructions. The following condensed ex- 

 tracts from the specification will show the quality and sizes of tbe 

 material used in the construction of the yacht: 



The builders to supply and fit a lead keel of 9 6 tons, to be cast 

 from a pattern, the latter to be most accurately moulded from the 

 drawings, and if when cast it is found short of the calculated weight 

 to the extent ;of more, say, than 2cwt., as much as possible of the 

 difference is to be made up by a thick layer of white lead between 

 the wood and lead keels, the former of which may be gouged out a 

 little on the under surface, so as to retain more white lead. _ 



Keel bolts to be 1 in yellow metal ; side bolts % yellow metal, six- 

 teen in all, the builders having put in two extra. 



Wood keel of English or American elm, in one piece, om. deep and 

 2ft 3in. broad amidships, tapering to stem and sternpost. fetem and 

 sternpost to be of British oak, 4in. sided. 



The transverse framing to consist of eight frames of L iron 2m.x 

 2in.x3-16, spaced 3.4ft., so as to divide the length of L.W.L. into ten 

 equal parts. I We should here say that the builders substituted steel 

 for iron for these frames and |the floors of the sizes stipulated tor 

 iron 1 The L frame near the mast to be omitted, and two L lramcs 

 20in. apart substituted. The heels of lall these angle frames to 

 be kneed down across the keel or deadwoods. In the ends of the 

 yacht the spacing to be continued 3.4ft., but with oak timbers, -fern. 

 x2Min. The foregoing framing to be supplemented with bent frames 

 of American elm 2^in.xlMin. and j^iu.xlM'm. one of the larger and 

 two of the smaller between each pair of iron frames. 



The L frames to be fitted with J4in. iron floor plates of depths and 

 forms shown in the drawings, and securely riveted thereto. Also at 

 six of these frames there are to be placed at the height of the cabin 

 sole, and supporting it, L iron beams of 2in.XlMiu X3-16m.. so as to 

 give the sides of the yacht a good connection there and to the deep 

 floor plates. Three of the heavy bent American elm frames to be 

 fitted with Min. iron floors. 2in.x2in.x3-16in., and to be securely 

 attached to frame and keel. Two of the ^in. iron floor plates to reach 

 to the sole of the cabin, as shown in the drawing, the remaining nine 

 to be 6in. deep. - . , «, . , , 



The three lower strakes of the planking to he of American rock elm ; 

 garboard lMm. thick. The top strakes to be of cedar lm. thick and 

 the remainder of tbe plank yellow pine lin. thick when cleared off, 

 care to be taken that it does not exceed this. Decked covering board 



t °TlTere i are 1 to be six galvanized iron beams, 2in.Xl%in.x3-lCin., at- 

 tached at the ends of the frames with rivets and. to the L iron angle 

 knees, forming beam arms, the Utter to be through bolted to side of 

 yacht and shelf. Special attention to be given to the hanging knees 

 at the two mast beams and frames, where they are to be kneed along 

 the beams there about 1ft.. and securely attached thereto^ and kneed 

 down the frames to the depth that tbe chain plates go Wood beams 

 between the iron, 2J4in.x2>£in. Shelf of larch, 3m.XlMiu. 



MastTWin. diameter at deck and 6%in. at hounds. Standing rig- 

 ging of steel wire. Channels of galvanized iron, 1ft. 3m. in width 



It is evident from the foregoing condensed abstract of the specifi- 

 cation thatno fault could be found with the materials used; and so 

 car. fully had the calculations been made, that the lead keel came 

 out within half a hundredweight of the stipulated weight, and bal- 



lasted the yacht exactly to the designed load waterline. So the thick 

 layer of white lead was not needed ; and it might here be said that 

 the practice of putting a "thick layer" of white lead between a lead 

 keel and a wood keel is not to be commended, for the obvious reason 

 that it may work out, and thus give play to the lead keel. But of 

 course everything depends upon the thickness of the layer, and 

 where lin. might be most objectionable, there would be no harm 

 perhaps in i^in. 



It will be seen that the weak place in the construction of the yacht 

 is the floor and frame connection with the keel, the only connection 

 beiug two bolts through the eleven (2in.x3-]6ih.) flanges of the L iron 

 knee floors, pierced for %\n. bolts, and there was no dish-plate keel 

 to make this connection with the knees or throats of floors rigid; so 

 practically the first strain of the heavy lead keel was thrown on the 

 garboard strakes, as the floor fastenings were a considerable distance 

 iu from the edges of tbe keel; and directly the garboards gave up 

 the bolts would soon wrench out of the floors. The long lin. metal 

 bolts did not go through the flanges of the floors, but were set up on 

 small plates. Whether the garboards gave way before the yacht 

 struck, or afterwards, it is now impossible to say, but the w-hole lot 

 - lead keel and wood keel— came bodily away from the framing, and 

 the bare planking and framing only were washed ashore. The 

 assumption that the keels broke away before the yacht struck is con- 

 sistent with tbe statement of two spectators that they saw the yacht 

 capsize. On the other hand , the fact that the mast broke in the way 

 it did leads one to think that the mast first went, and then that the 

 yacht drove ashore. The fact of a mast falliug over would lead one 

 to imagine for the moment tnat the yacht capsized. We should like 

 to know if the spectators noticed the position of the- yacht after the 

 alleged capsize. 



Putting aside the necessity of having "everything as light as possi- 

 ble" in the construction of a racing yacht, and to use as little mate- 

 rial as possible, there car be no doubt that Oona was weak from a 

 constructive point of view. She ought to have had bilge striDgers or 

 diagonal braces outside the frames to keep such a deep hull rigid, 

 looking at the weight attached to it. However, these particular 

 weaknesses do not appear to have in any way contributed to her loss, 

 although there is little doubt that the hull was not one to stand much 

 wear and tear any more than some of the other lightly built racing 

 craft do. 



Mr. G- B. Thompson who naturally has taken a great interest in the 

 event and who has designed and built yachts for himself, has furn- 

 ished us with some particulars after visiiing the wreck, from which 

 we gather that the deck is perfect, but the hatches have gone. The 

 stem is perfect up to the scarpb into wood keel. The sternpost is in 

 place, but the rudder has gone. The sides are perfect down to the 

 garboards. The angle steel frames (galvanized), with steamed frames 

 between, steel deckbeams joined to steel frames— all the angle irons 

 joining these are gone in the throats. The two steel frames in wake 

 of mast and at the runners are. however, complete, including the 

 plates across the floors. The floors dropped out everywhere else and 

 both wood and lead keels have gone. The mainsheet horso is rather 

 small and broken two-thirds in from one end. One trysail sheet bolt 

 gone. The runner plates on port side have both gone where they had 

 been pierced to take a brass screw near the gunwale; channels crum- 

 pled and softened by galvanizing. The mast is broken short off under 

 the spider band so straight that casual observers said it had bee sawn 

 through, but Mr.Thompson says that it is without a doubt a "carroty" 

 break. The clew of the trysail is torn out from the close reef cringle 

 downward. 



The yacht apparently made Lambay at about 10 A. M. on Wednes- 

 day, May 12, with the wind— the hardest gale since Boyd's storm- 

 nearly due east, an hour or so before low water. She was seen by a 

 coaster and two smacks, who were at anchor off Little Harbor, Lam- 

 hay. (See the sketch here annexed, but not to scale.) 



Mr. G. B. Thompson saw Mr. Jones, the master of the coasting 

 schooner Prospect, which was at anchor in Lambay when the Oona 

 made her appearance round the south end of the island, but some 

 distance awav. She hauled up on starboard tack, and fetched to 

 within 400 yards of the schooner, and could have laid there at anchor. 

 But the yacht was stayed, and went out again on port tack ; and then 

 stayed to starboard again, but did not fetch so far to windward as she 

 did' the first time. She went out again on port tack toward Hoskin's 

 Patch into the rough water. Mr. Jones saw the foresail lowered and 

 some hands forward, and then tbe yacht was lost sight of, as she was 

 the first time she stood out on port tack. This time, however, she 

 did not reappear, and the probability is that she struck the shoal, 

 loosened her lead keel, or the latter came off, and so she became un- 

 manageable. The trysail was noticed to be closed reefed, and may 

 have got torn when the mast went overboard. She was probably 

 boarded by the heavy seas, which swept boom and all hands over- 

 board. At any rate, from near Hoskin's Patch she drove across, and 

 must have taken the ground nearly half a mile from Old Castle, near 

 Malahide (see sketch), and, as she drove in, bumped her keels out, if 

 they had not previously left her. It is not certain that she actually 

 touched the ground on Hoskin's Patch, but it is possible, as the sea 

 was very hollow. 



Two correspondents of the Field add the following letters : 



In justice to the designer of the above yacht, who unhappily is not 

 here to answer for himself, I trust that you will allow me to contra- 

 diet the extraordinary statement made in the "" Late News" of 

 your last week's issue. 



Having seen the Oona. both at Southampton before she was 

 launched and also her wreck on the beach at Malahide, the day afrer 

 the accident. I am in a position to state that there is not the slightest 

 evidence to show that there was anything wrong with her previous 

 to her being driven on the beach, when she, of course, worked her 

 keel out, as the strongest vessel would have done. The facts of the 

 case, as far as can be gathered, seem to be these : The yacht was 

 seen about 9 a. m. standing to the northward inside Lambay Island 

 under reefed trvsail and reefed foresail, going well ; the crew, ap- 

 parently, not being sure of their position (owing to thick weather, 

 and being strangers to that part of the coast), failed to haul their 

 wind in time, or thev might have anchored in Lambay Roads, where 

 a coaster was actually lying at the time. Finding they were too far 

 to leeward, they endeavored to beat back to the roads, and for a 

 time appear to have gained ground, but afterwards, eitner from in- 

 crease of wind and sea, or some slight accident to sheets, &c, were 

 unable to hold their own ; they were then seen apparently at anchor. 

 After this nothing more was seen of them till about 1 p. m., when 

 the boy was washed ashore on a lifebuoy ; but evidently the chain 

 had parted, and they got among the breakers, which are fully one 

 and a half miles from the shore at this point, and break with great 

 fury. On finding themselves ashore they evidently cut away the 

 mast as it was distinctly sawn, and also hacked with a hatchet ; they 

 then appear to have attempted to form a raft, as the mast and other 

 spars were found lashed together, and towing from the wreck by the 

 rigging, but the poor fellows would seem to have been washed off 

 before they could get it detached. 



With regard to the construction of the Oona. she was no doubt very 

 light, but at the same time strong, as steel was largely used in her 

 construction, and some idea may be formed of tbe frightful smashing 

 to which she was subjected, from the fact of the sternpost (a particu- 

 larly strong one) being worked right out of her. together with the 

 rudder, and sue must nave held together wonderfully well, as it was 

 fully two hours after the body of the boy came ashore before the 

 wreck came in. With regard to the sizes given in the paragraph re- 

 ferred to. thev are too absurd to require contradiction; however, I 

 may point out that the 90-tonner Vauduara has nothing like 60ft. of a 

 hoist, also that the planking of Oona was lin. thick, and that it is not 

 usual to put eight steel frames (2in.x2in. angles), with steel floors (as 

 was done in her case), into a 2()f t. fishing boat. H. McG. 



The natural conclusion to come to seems to be that the Oona, hav- 

 ing made a bad landfall, got embayed, and, owing to the fearful sea 

 and heavy gale, was unable to get an ofling, and so through stress 

 of weather, was literally blown ashore. The heavy lead keel would 

 become embedded in the sand, and the sea would soon detach the 

 hull, w hich came ashore, leaving behind the parts to which the keel 



W A gentleman of experience in ship and yacht building examined 

 the hull soon after it came ashore, and could fand no appearance of 

 straining or other defects-just what might be expected of a boat 

 built by Fay without regard to cost, and designed by Mr. Paton, the 

 naval architect so well known in yachting circles. 



My object in writing to you is to correct what might possibly be in- 

 ferred from a notice in your last issue, that the Oona had been 

 designed by an "amateur," and was unable to withstand any heavy 

 weather on account of the lightness or faultiness of her construc- 

 ts James A. M. Beyn. 



Belfast, May 19 



GALATEA— On Saturday next Galatea makes her reappearance 

 in the New Thames Y. C. match to Harwich, sailing against Ires . and 

 MarTorie and from her performance on that occasion we shall be 

 able to form some idea of the value of the alterations made last 

 winter There is no doubt but that she is a very different vessel, and 

 considering her nearness to Irex even in the forlorn trim in which 

 she sailed then, it is not too much to expect now that she will push 

 the champion very closely for first place, and perhaps between now 

 and her departure for America will win the right to come here as the 

 acknowledged representative of the British racing fleet Speaking 

 of her appearance in a white dress, the Land and Water remarks 

 it is an old saying that nothing but a handsome craft should be 

 painted white outside. Galatea looks well in vestal garb, and she 

 does not appear so bold and high-sided as when ?n raven hue. 



