Jan. 12, 1895.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
33 
BAIL PLAN OF PILOT BOAT, DESIGNED BY A. OAKY SMITH, 1894. 
The New Smith Pilot Boat. 
There was a time when New York could hold her own in all 
that pertained to shipbuilding and naval science with any port 
iu the world, when from her shipyards were launched the fast- 
est yachts and clippers, the finest passenger steamers for both 
river and coast work; and when loreign powers wore glad to 
buy their warships of the great American builders, the Webbs, 
the Berghs, Bell, Eckford and Steers. After the magnificent 
record of ihe first half of this century, it is sad to think that 
progress has been backward instead of forward, that not only 
lias the shipwright's art died out, but improvement has well- 
nign stopped. For many a year past, progress has bean sup- 
planted by conservatism, until her oldtime glory has departed. 
Wo other city in the country offers the same support to wild- 
cat schemes of a nautical nature ; squirtboats, gasboats, air and 
water ballast, four-day steamers and other impossible or fraud- 
ulent craft all flourish in the great metropolis ; but when it 
curnes to the commonplace effort to keep ahead of or even 
abreast of the times in all that pertains to ships, New York 
hangs back and contents herself with boasting of the glories of 
the past. 
One of the striking examples of this conservatism is found in 
the pilot boat fleet, one of the important adjuncts of the im- 
jnense commerce of the port of New York. There was a time, 
just fifty years back, when the New York pilot boats, especially 
ihose of the talented Steers, were known all over the world. It 
is almost that length of time, however, since all improvement 
stopped, and the models of to-day are no better, if as good, as 
those 01 forty years since. Highly as they are held in the esti- 
mation of their owners and of the general public, it is a fact 
that they are years astern of the times. In each new boat the 
old models are reproduced by the old methods, a blook model 
is chopped out, the lines taken off and laid down more or less 
faithfully, and the frames got out. Boston discovered the de- 
fects of her pilot, and fishing fleet years ago, and availed herself 
of the skill and genius of such men as the late D. J. Lawlor to 
remedy them, the result being such craft as the well-known 
pilot boat Hesper, and later the fine fleet of modern fishermen, 
such as the Fredonia, turned out by the late Mr. Burgess. The 
professional designer long since secured a deserved recognition 
among the pilots and fishermen of Boston, but it would be a 
strange sight to see a New York pilot in conference with a de- 
signer over a new craft. 
That a pilot should come all the way from Florida to order a 
pilot boat from a yacht designer, is something that the pilots of 
New York may well lay to heart; but such an unheard of event 
has lately happened, the pilot being Capt. T. B. Laserre of Fer- 
nandina, and the designer Mr. A. Cary Smith of New York. The 
reputation of Mr. Smith's cruising yachts is widespread along 
the coast, such craft as Iroquois, Intrepid, Fortuna, Lasca, 
Noma and the little Whim ; and it was this that suggested to 
Capt. Laserre the idea ot a pilot boat from the same designer. 
The new craft, which, by the way, will be laid down to the out- 
side instead of the inside of the planking, the thickness ol the 
planking being taken off on the floor, thus insuring a perfect 
reproduction of the design, will be 93ft. over all, 72ft. l.w.l.,20ft. 
beam and 10ft. 10in. draft. The latest theories of the yacht de- 
signers are represented in her long ends, giving life and buoy- 
eney in a sea, and a combination of power and easy form through 
the full waterline and fair diagonals. The stern may be con- 
demned by some as too long for a rough- water craft, but it must 
be considered that it is not the length but the shape of the 
counter which makes trouble in a sea; and the modern round 
sections are very different from the old fiat floor carried out 
over the water in a "fantail." The keel has a strong drag and 
the forefoot is well out away, balanced by a raking sternpost, all 
iu order that the craft may work surely and quickly, as is re- 
quired in her special service. The good work of Iroquois in her 
many offshore cruises suggested the placing of the mainmast 
:and the center of buoyancy of the new boat in the same relative 
positions, and she will lay to under main trysail. By cutting 
away the forefoot, a proportionate reduction of bowsprit and 
ieadsails was made possible, a great gain in sea work. The 
masts were raked on account of the difficulty of carrying run 
ners. The short foretopmast will be used to carry a larg 6 jib- 
topsail when free in light weather, and a small one to windward. 
The vessel will be built in Florida, the keel of live oak, sided 
16in. amidships and tapering to the siding of the stem and 
sternpost, 7 and 8in. respectively. The deadwoods and keelsons 
will be of yellow pine, the latter sided 7in. and moulded lOin. 
The frames will be of live oak, single, as far as possible, sided 
3%in., moulded 6in, at heel and 3%in. at head, spaced 16in. ; 
floors also of live oak, sided 4%in., arms 3ft. 6in. long. The 
shelf will be of yellow pine, 4x5in. ; the clamps, three on each 
side, of yellow pine, 2x8in. amidships and tapering at ends, the 
planking of yellow pine, fastened below water with copper. The 
sails, spars and ironwork will be made in New York. We have 
no doubt that tue vessel will prove successful, and lead to 
others of her type. 
The Value of the Alva. 
The report of Commissioner Frederick Cunningham, who was 
appointed by the United States Court to assess damages in the 
case arising as a result of the collision between W. K. Vander- 
bilt's yacht Alva and the H. M. Dimock,was made public on Jan. 
4 in Boston. Mr. Cunningham finds that the yaoht was five 
years and five months old, cost $388,291, but that she could not 
at the time of collision have been sold probably for more than 
$125,000. He concludes that a fair value of the yaclit was $190,- 
000, to which should be added $5,000, the value of Mr. Vander- 
bilt's pjrsonal effects. From this total should be deducted 
$3 500, the amount received from the sale of the yacht, making 
the total value $191,500, with interest from July 24, 1892. The 
grand total found due Mr. Vanderbilt is $22J,000. 
Mr. Cunningham finds further that the amount due the sea- 
men on board the yacht for loss of personal effects is $4,827.35, 
with interest from the time of the collision. In the present case 
it is claimed by the owner of the Alva that she could not be re- 
placed in the market ; that she was always kept in the best condi- 
tion ; that there had been no deterioration, and that he is, there- 
fore, entitled to recover substantially what the yacht cost him. 
The Commissioner says : "This proposition I cannot accede 
to. The courts have never gone so far as to give a new boat for 
an old one. It was shown that the Alva was a vessel of its own 
kind, one which could not be used to any advantage for com- 
mercial purposes, of a sort very rarely bought and sold, whose 
market value bore such a small proportion to her actual value to 
the owner that she could not in any just sense be said to have a 
market value. To hold that the measure of damages for the loss 
such a vessel is her market value would be, as the Supreme 
Court of Massachusetts has said in a case involving some- 
what similar principles, 'merely delusive.' To give the 
owner of the Alva what she would have fetched in the market 
would be to give him much less than full restitution." 
It now looks as though the ease will be bitterly contested in the 
courts, although the Master has found that Mr. Vanderbilt and 
his seamen have suffered a loss of $225,000. Counsel for the 
steamship company say that there can be no recovery of any such 
sum in any event for the reason that the liability of the Metro- 
politan Steamship Company has been limited to the value of the 
Dimock, and the value of the -after has been appraised at $95,- 
395.33. 
Mr. Vanderbilt did not want the case tried in Boston. He be- 
gan his suit in New York, but the lawyers for the company filed 
in the Federal Court a petition to limit the liability in the case to 
the value of the Dimock, and the New York court decided that 
this gave the Massachusetts court jurisdiction, and abated the 
suit in New York. 
The R. Y. S. Meeting. 
The special meeting of the Boyal Yacht Squadron called to 
consider the question of indorsing Lord Dunraven's challenge 
for the America's Cup under the new deed of gift was held on 
Jan. 7 at the Boodles Club, London, with the Prince of Wales, as 
Commodore, presiding. Among the forty members present 
were the Vice-Commodore, the Marquis of Ormonde, Admiral 
Montague, Lord Lonsdale and Lord Dunraven. The latter gen- 
tleman spoke in favor of the Squadron accepting the America's 
Cup under the new deed, and a motion was made by the Yioe- 
Coiumodore, seconded by the Earl ot Coledon, to the effect that 
the Squadron would accept the Cup in the event of winning it. 
The cable reports give no details of the discussion and motion 
further than was intimated in the following cable, which was at 
once sent to Commodore James D. Smith : 
"Having regard to the construction placed upon the deed of 
gilt of 1887 by the New York Yaoht Club, the Boyal Yacht 
Squadron is willing to giye a receipt on the terms contained in 
the deed of gift. Gbant, Cowes." 
A motion was then made and carried to appoint a special 
"America's Cup committee," including the Prince of Wales, the 
Marquis of Ormonde, Sir Charles Hall, Q. C. ; Sir Allan Young 
and Justice Sir Gainsford Bruce. 
After the meeting the following cable was sent to Commodore 
Smith; 
"We cable you to-day the result of a special meeting of the 
Boyal Yacht Squadron, and conclude that the challenge is 
definitely settled. Gbant." 
The statement that the challenging yacht, Valkyrie III,, was 
already well under way has been positively denied by Lord Bun- 
raven, and in the matter of construction, in the event of a race 
being finally arranged, the two sides will probably start on an 
even basis. Mr. Watson ha^ doubtless completed the design, 
and has everything in readiness to begin at once the actual work 
of construction at Henderson's yard. On this side there is a 
general reluctance to take stock in Cup defending syndicates, 
but at the same time the necessities of tne case make it certain 
that the money will be forthcoming from the New York Y. 0. for 
the construction of one yacht. Mr. Herreshoff is prepared, so 
far as the design goes, to begin work at very short notice, and 
to carry .it forward! without delay, so that the yacht may be 
afloat early in the spring. This will give au advantage of about 
two months to the New York Y. C, as the challenger must lose 
that time in making the ocean voyage and fitting out at New 
York. If the challenger is ready by that date, Com. Smith will 
hold the races about Sept. 7. It is reported that Lord Dunraven 
will have Capt. O'Neil and some of his crew to help Capt. Cran- 
field, and also that in place of Capt. Cranfield he will have Capt. 
Sycamore, Admiral Montague's skipper. Our editorial com- 
ments will be found on the first page. 
The New York Y. C. cabled on Tuesday, Jan. 8, toSec'y Grant: 
"Terms of challenge, as modified by your 'cable of 7th, are 
accepted. Smith, Chairman." 
The Satanita— Valkyrie Collision. 
[From the Field.\ 
(Before Mr. Justice Bruce, with Trinity Masters.) 
This was an action for damages arising out of a collision 
between Lord Dunraven's yaoht Valkyrie and Mr. A. D. Clarke's 
yacht Satanita. The collision occurred in the Clyde, near 
Hunter's Quay, on July 5 last, and resulted in the sinking of the 
Valkyrie. 
Sir Walter Phillimore, Mr. Joseph Walton, Q.O., and Mr. L. 
Batten appeared for Lord Dunraven, and Mr. Fitzroy Cowper 
for the master and crew of the Valkyrie ; Sir Bichard Webster, 
Q.C., Mr. Edwin Pollard and Mr. Stuart Moore for the defendant. 
The two vessels were preparing, in company with the Britan- 
nia and the Vigilant, to take part in the fifty-mile race at the 
regatta of the Mudhook Yacht Club. The race wa3 held under 
the rules of the Yacht Bacing Association, there was a fresh 
breeze from the southwest and the tide was flood of no appreci- 
able force. According to the Valkyrie's story, she was off Hun- 
ter's Quay at 10:30 A. M. ready to start, under single-reefed main- 
sail, jib-headed topsail, staysail and jib, close hauled on the 
starboard tack, heading about south, and making from seven to 
eight knots. The five-minutes gun had been fired and the Blue 
