Oct. 17, 189«. 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
repair the hasty and foolish work of 1887, an attempt has 
been made to place upon the clause mentioned an interpreta- 
tion which is contrary to common sense and directly contra- 
dicted by the whole history of the three deeds and of the 
various negotiations between defender and challengers. 
The mutual aereement clause must be interprfted in one 
of two ways: either as referring — as we have alwavs claimed 
— to the immediate details of the races, after a challenge has 
been tendered and the dimensions of the challenger bavebeen 
filed with the holder, or else as applying to all conditions of 
the possession, challenging and racing for the Cup. If this 
latter construction be the correct one, as now urged by those 
who made the deed, all its elaborate restrictions are as use- 
less and unmeaning as the legal verbiag'f in which they are 
enveloped, and any future holder of the Cup may put it up 
for a race of 15-footers. In this connection Sir George 
Newnes's opinion of the new deed is i'sportant; he says, "The 
deed of gift can be altered yearly if the Kew York Yacht Club 
pleases." 
If the new deed was bad in 1887 and 1889— and we be- 
lieve that both the Squadron and the Royal London Y. C. 
stated the case very mildly in their condemnation — it was not 
a whit better in 1893, after the silly device of the mutual 
agreement had been arranged to quiet the scruples of the 
Squadron. The Royal London Y. C has done well to profit 
by the misfortunes of its fellow, as the cases are very simi- 
lar. Like Sir George Newnes, Lord Dunraven was a novice 
in yachting, knowing nothing of its laws and usages, in ut- 
ter ignorance of the history of the America's Cup, of the 
long struggle against the unfair conditions on which it was 
held, or the way in which those conditions had only recently 
been made worse for the challenger. The result, both to 
Lord Dunraven and to the Squadron, is enough to deter any 
club from fostering a challenge from a non-yachtsman and 
under the new deed. 
As to Sir George Newnes. we know nothing save that he 
is one of the comparatively few men who can afford the 
luxury of racing for the America's Cup; he may be a good 
sportsman and he may make a good yachtsman ; but for a task 
like this, requiring to-day the highest technical skill in yacht- 
ing, joined to much good sense and diplomacy, we should 
like to see only a man of reputation in the yachting world. 
TheHk is one very important matter to be settled by the 
holder of the Cup before it accepts another challenge: that 
the challenging club shall give an ample voucher for the 
standing of ' its representative. It is not fitting that the 
holder should be compelled to ask who or what the chal- 
lenger is; but the responsibility for all of Ms actions must be 
assumed by the club which not merely forwards but in- 
dorses his challenge. In the case of Lord Dunraven the 
Royal Yacht Squadron was able to escape all responsibility 
for his actions as the representative of the club, and the very 
unpleasant task of dealing with him was thrown upon the 
New York Y. C. " 
Without reference to this special case, it will be seen that 
it is only in accoidance with the usage in all sporting clubs 
that the individual contestant should be known personally 
only to the club he represents. The contest is in no sense in- 
dividual, but between two clubs, and each tacitly guaran- 
tees that his representative shall be in all respects a proper 
party, and in the event of any failure of the representative, 
the club must assume the responsibility of atoning for 
him. 
This matter has never come up before in connection with 
the America's Cup, the long series of squabbles with the 
late Mr. Asbbury were very different from the case of Iiord 
Dunraven ; but now that attention has been called to the 
matter, it must be made a part of a distinct understanding 
in any fuiure cliallenge. 
One of the details of Sir George Newnes's proposal, which, 
by the way, he has not abandoned, but will keep in reserve, 
is that the races be sailed off Halifax. However grateful 
such a change might be to Lord Dunraven and gome of his 
American friends as a vindication of their efforts to take the 
races away from Sandy Hook, the proposal is too absurd to 
call for serious discussion. 
The committee of the Royal Canadian Y. C. having in 
charge Com. Berriman's challenge for next year has notified 
him that the club is unwilling to accept a challenge from a 
yacht of the proposed size, the reasons being, as given last 
spring, that such a yacht would be of no use save for this 
special series of races. In accordance with this decision, 
Com. Berriman has decided to buiJd in the regular 42ft. class. 
The new yacht will be designed by Poeckel and built by the 
Racine Boat Manufacturing Co. 
It is reported that W. K. Vanderbilt, the principal owner 
of Defender, will not sell her for conversion to a schooner, 
but that she will be kept under the cutter rig for service in 
case of a challenge at any time. 
DTIIIEN& the huriy and bustle of thefracing season it has 
been impossible to continue from week to week the series of 
articles on Yacht Designing which were begun last wmter. 
In answer lo many inquiries we may say that we shall re- 
sume the publication of the articles very shortly; just at 
present we have in hand several more designs of modern 
yachts, such as those of El Heirie and Ethelwynn, which 
must appear first. 
It now seems probable that the 20ft. class will be adopted 
in several localities to supersede a larger and more expensive 
class with crews of six to ten men. The expense of racing 
these latter boats is in itself no small objection to many, and 
apart from that is the serious difficulty of getting and keep- 
ing together a properly trained racing; crew, and the useless- 
ness of the boats for pleasure sailing when not racing. 
With the modern 20-footer and a crew of three, many of 
these difficulties disappear, the racing is quite as keen and 
the speed as great. 
We note with regret in the discussion of the new class a 
disposition to adhere to the obsolete and incorrect term, 
"one-rater," just as the 15-footers are frequently termed 
"half -raters." There is no good reason whatever for apply- 
ing the English term to an American yacht when it does not 
fit in any way; not only has the rating rule been abolished, 
but even if in existence the yachts of the 30ft. class would 
not measure to one-rating, nor would the 15-footers measure 
to one-half rating Even the few yachts of t^ese rating 
classes import^ from England have l)een canyased out of 
their home classes after arriving in America. The new boats 
are in no sense "raters," and it is a foolish affectation to ca,ll 
them so; let them have their proper names, as 20-footer8 or 
15-footerg. 
The case is entirely different in another instance, tha,t of 
cutter and sloop. For some years the sloop rig has been ob- 
solete in America on all yachts of over 30ft. ; it is found 
to-day only on the special 30-footers, the special 31 -footers, 
the 20 and 15-footers and yachts of the older types of 30ft. 
downward. Not only all of the Cup defenders, but all 
smaller single-alickers, old and new, have been rigged as 
cutters, and should be classed as such. So far from this 
being the case, even the largest clubs continue to class such 
yachts as Queen Mab, IJvira, .Jessica and Minerva as sloops, 
apparently for no better reason than that they <ire not 
schooners. It is not a little absurd and confusing to see 
these yachts, or even such cutters as Waap^ Gloriana and 
Gossoon, regularly classed as sloops. 
A BROKEN TILLER. 
When the little Roamer came into existence she was 
looked upon by few friendly eyes. She was born amid tlie 
turmoil of a fierce yacbt designing controversy, for it was in 
the ear] J 80s when she first slid into her natural elements- 
back in that time when, gallant and alone, the Fortsst knx> 
Streak stood boldly forth and championed the principles 
of scientific design. 
This was the time when the brilliant but unfortunate C. 
P. Kunhardt was even slandered by some opponents, who 
were as weak in argument as they were strong in abuse, and 
for no other reason than that this powerful writer expressed 
his honest convictions. His opponents were blind to sound 
scientific ideas on yacht building. Theirs was blindness in 
its very worst form ; they would not see. 
Inch by inch, step by step, was the battle fought; surely 
it was a mighty bittle too. It was the cause of the first 
adoption of those features which thorough trial has long 
since demonstrated to be correct, the lead keel and full cut- 
ter rie first introduced to the American yachting public by 
the Forest and Streasi. They have been the direct means 
of preserving to this country, on five different occasions, the 
much coveted America's Cup. 
Arrayed against the Forest and Stream, in this great 
fight, were what may properly be termed the hysterical 
forces of a patriotic delusion. These forces were composed 
of a mixture of sharpie and other shallow, centerljoard 
"death-trap" advocates, who innocently imagined that the 
centerboard was an American something that must not be 
attacked, even though lives might be saved by introducing 
better ideas. These persons were compelled to abandon 
their first line of breastworks when, to their false patriotic 
indignation, progressive Americans came to the front and 
demonstrated, with both time and money, that the im- 
ported lead keel was superior to the originally imported cen- 
terboard. 
This was the first decisive victory for reason, and to the 
Forest and Stream belongs the journalistic credit for the 
same. When it was further demonstrated, however, that, in 
order to study (from a distance generally) the beautiful lines 
of the graceful, symmetrical overhanging sterns of the much- 
abused "lead mines" (especially in a heavy weather race), it 
would require almost superhuman exertions on the part of 
the retrogressive contingent to get their skimming dishes 
near enough, even in the first part of a race, then their in- 
dignation changed to consternation, and the Forest and 
Stream had won progressive victory number two. 
Flow this lead keel innovation (combined sometimes with 
the centerboard) was followed by still other new ideas in 
yacht designing, advocated by the Forest and Stream, 
such as flush decks, housing topmasts, pole bowsprits and 
the full cutter rig, is an old story and a matter of true yacht- 
ing history. 
It must be admitted by the conscientious truth seeker, 
however, that there are still narrow-minded individuals who 
will stubbornly persist in calling a cutter a sloop if she wins 
a race, and who will just as stubbornly pronounce the same 
boat a cutter if she siiould lose the next race The truth 
seeking yacht historian of the future, however, will not tol- 
erate nor be controlled by such stupid prejudice as this, but 
will properly classify boats with cutter rigs as cutters, whe- 
ther they have centerboards or keels; and he will also give 
to the Forest and Stream full credit for its gallant fight, 
and the good it has accomplished. 
About the time when this controversy had reached a boil- 
ing point, there appeared in the columns of the Forest and 
Stream the lines of a small yawl named Windward, if I am 
not mistaken, designed by W. P, Stephens It was from 
this design that I had constructed the little Roamer, which 
took part in a race from New Haven to and around Block 
Island and return, an account of which appeared in a for- 
mer issue of the Forest and Stream. 
Unhke Windward, however, Roamer was rigged as a 
liiloop. While I think that, on account of her small size, 
she would have given better satisfaction rigged in a less com- 
plicated manner, still Roamer proved herself on many occa- 
sions an honest and able little cruiser. Many a time have I 
taken a dash on the Sound in her under single reefed main- 
sail and jib when the sails of no other yacht could be seen. 
Roamer's length over all was exactly 23ft. ; waterline, 
18ft, ; beam, 6ft ,and she drew 4ft. 6in. Her least freeboard 
was 30in. She had a lead keel of 2,0001bs. m weight, and 
her inside lead weighed 1.8001bs. and was cast to fit. The 
cabin roof was raised 12in. above the deck aft and 9in.. for- 
ward. This roof allowed 5ft. 6in. headroom. The cockpit 
was a small- self-emptying well 4ft. in diameter. There were 
two bunks, so constructed as to allow sleeping accommoda- 
tions for four persons if needed. Back of and under the 
companion stairs there was placed a galvanized water tank, 
which filled through a lead pipe that led from the cockpit 
rail. The water was drawn from the tank through a small 
brass faucet in the cabin. There were plenty of lockers and 
a small table. This table was hinged to the side, and swung 
up and buttoned when not in use. She was constructed oi 
cedar, oak, mahogany, and white and yellow pine. Her 
fastenings throughout were of copper and galvanized iron. 
She carried two anchors : one 45) bs. , the other 351b8. Her 
tender was a small, handy skiff, 9ft. long and 3ft. beam. 
I had owned alone or had been part owner of a number of 
boats of different kinds before Roamer was built; but I 
never realized the amount of real solid comfort that it is 
possible to extract from a cruise in a small boat until 1 ex- 
perienced the same aboard this little lead keel craft. 
Now that I have given a rather long description of 
Roamer and the causes that led to her construction (the lines 
of Windward in the Forest and Stream, and the lead keel 
controversy), I will tell of a short cruise taken in her in the 
month of August, 1885. On this cruige. we met conditions 
that I feel sure would have resulted disastrously to us had 
we been compelled to depend on a turn-turtle skimming 
dish. Especially am I sure that such would have been the 
result if I had had anything to do with the handling of such 
a boat. I confess that T do not like them, and to a feeline 
of insecurity when aboard of one. I haye myself succeeded 
on one or two occasions in getting their bottoms where their 
decks should be. 
It was a warm morning and the faintest of zephyrs 
breathed out of the hazy southwest, barely rufliing the 
bosom of New Haven Harbor and the Sound. Under main- 
sail, topsail, jib and jibtopaail, Roamer slowly made her 
way, with the assistance of the ebb tide, in the direction of 
Southwest Ledge Lighthouse. Although we made slow 
progress, we did not mind that much, as it was still early 
morning. 
Our ship's company consisted of three — Thomas Humph- 
reys, George Humphreys a,nd myself. We were jolly and 
contented: why shouM we not be? Each one of us was 
captain and we were all members of thi^ crew at the same 
time. Under this arrangement individual members of the 
crew could sass the captain to their heart's content, yet there 
could be no mutiny. 
Past the mounds of old Fort Hale we slowly drifted. It 
took nearly two hours to reach the mouth of the harbor, and 
it was six bells before we passed Southwest Ledge Light. 
From here to Pond Point Buoy it was nothing but drift. 
The Sound appeared like a huge glaring mirror, encircled 
by a smoky halo of mist. Out of the edge of this mist 
would creep now and then a serpentine-like string of coal 
bareres, or perhaps a stray .steamboat or steam yacht would 
put in an appearance. By this time the sun was making 
deep impressions on our memories, for his greetings were 
wai'm. 
George has a reputation for improving opportunities, so 
took advantage of this chance to manufacture large quan- 
tities of claret lemonade. I like to take advantage of some 
opportunities too, so I drank large quantities of George's 
manufact^ired article, while Tom blasted his eyes and whis- 
tled for wind. We lay motionless halfway between Pond 
Point and Charles Island from four bells A. M. until seven 
bells P. M. before we were favored with any wind. When 
the wind did come, however, it was with a rush and out of 
the S.W. By two bells the conditions that had existed up 
to within an hour of that time were completely reversed. 
Instead of there being no wind there was more than a sofii- 
ciency of it. Tbe sea, too, rose so considerably that we 
were soon pounding our way laboriously through it against 
the tide under Tmainsail and jib. 
We had thrashed out through the white-crested seas, five 
miles to windward, and were off Stratford Point, one mile 
out; George was at the tiller, and Tom and I were hanging 
on with fingers, toes and eyelids, while we kept a vigilant 
watch to windward, ready to dodge any stray sea that might 
be inclined to take a "snap shot" at us over the weather 
bow. Suddenly there was a sharp snap, and George 
tumbled into the cockpit with the broken tiller in his bands 
Tillerless, of course any boat is at the mercy of wind and 
wave. This time, however, there was to be no sacrifice of 
human life to Davy Jones. That we were in a dilemma, 
however, goes without saying. Had we been compelled to 
face such conditions with a bob- tailed, .triangle-shaped 
trap we undoubtedly would have had to swim for it. We 
had hardly time to think-, let alone act, when Roamer came 
up into the wind of her own sweet will and swung off on 
the other tack; as the wind then hit her with all its force 
she went down, down, down, until her sails were nearly 
flattened on the water. 
Neptune and his legions found this time, however, a little 
antagonist fully capable of meeting them in a contest. This 
was no sandbagger to turn turtle and sink! Gradually eat- 
ing her way into the wind, she slowly righted until her sails 
were ashake, then as she fell off she received another knock 
down like the first one. 
The wind and sea toyed with our little vessel in this man- 
ner until we managed to disentangle things forward, so as 
to allow us to lower tbe sails and let go the anchor. Then 
as she swung to her cable and bowed defiantly to each on- 
coming billow, as though challenging them to continue tbe 
contest, we realized what we owed to the lead keel. 
Six fathoms of cable ran out before our 451b. right bower 
found the bottom. As Roamer plunged heavily into ihe 
seas, she dragged her anchor and drifted_ steadily in the 
direction from which she had come. The tiller had broken 
off close up to the rudderhead, and in spite of every effort 
on our part we found it utterly impossible to drive the 
broken end out. After considerable trouble we managed to 
lash the boom crotck in such a manner to the rudderhead as 
to answer for a tiller. 
It was after four bells, and we were pretty thoroughly 
drenched by the time we succeeded in getting our anchor 
and were away once more, making the spray fly on our 
way to windward. The tide was running ebb again and Ihe 
wind came as hard as ever out of the southwest, so we were 
a good half hour pounding our way back to where the tiller 
had broken. Although awkward and clumsy, otir boom 
crotch served very well as a tiller. The sun cast long, lance- 
like shafts of gold aslant the white-crested seas of emerald, 
or shimmered on schooners' sails and sandy beaches in soft 
glimmers of light, ere we reached a position that enabled us 
to start sheet and lay our course for Bridgeport Light. Out 
on the Middle Ground the lantern of Stratford Shoal Light 
twinkled in the sun's rays like a far-off" star. GayJy we 
swung in rhythmic time, quartering each snowy crest as we 
raced over the tui'bulent billows half a mile off the sandy 
shore of Long Beach. Out of the golden western horizon 
rolled masses of snow-white clouds, which, as they mounte 1 
the purple vault, burned with all the hues of the rainbow in 
the rays of the westering sun. 
It was nearly eight bells, and the red and white eyes of 
the lighthouses were silently peering through the dusky 
night shadows, when Roamer passed the inner beacon in 
Bridgeport Harbor and cast anchor to the southeast of the 
long wharf that makes out from the west side of the har- 
bor. After partaking of a substantial supper we retired for 
the night. 
A glance out of the companionway next morning revealed 
no sign of wind. When breakfast had been disposed of we 
set to work on the rudderhead, and after considerable 
trouble we managed to remove the broken tiller end. Taking 
the two pieces of tiller, we set out in the skiff tor a boat- 
building establishment on a wharf on the west side of the 
harbor. Here I had constructed, from the toughest piece of 
wood I had ever seen, a new tiller. I do not remember to 
what variety this wood belonged, but distinctly remember 
that it took the edge off the tools which were used in turning 
it out. When the tiller was finished we went aboard aad 
