SBFt. 11, 1897.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
^15 
tocks, broken glass and other harmful things; and When oh 
a path which has its little side hills and miniature hills and 
valleys, he rides so as to take every advantage, and avoid 
unnecessary shocks and strain. 
And yet the careless rider seeks causes outside of himself. 
The careful rider is considered lucky; the many little acci- 
dents of himself are attributed to his ill-luck. The many 
visits to the repair shop are credited to the inferiority of the 
wheel. No wheel, be it ever so well built, if badly ridden 
and subjected to collisions with one thing or another, will 
remain sound. Though a wonderfully perfect mechanism, 
it Will succumb quickly to ill-usage. It becomes old When it 
should be new, in the hands of the rider who rides only with 
his feet. 
Although so airy and fragile in appearance, so delicately 
beautiful in its lines, and so powerful within proper limits, 
yet it quickly yields to the mastery of stupidity or careless- 
ness. It is truly wonderful that it carries such great weights 
at ail, yet there ire riders who give no more thought to its 
considerate use than they would to the use of a hand-car. 
Besides careless riding, there may be all the ills of neglect. 
Bearines are not oiled, and there results all the evils of rapid 
wear and laborious effort in riding; loose or broken spokes 
are left unmended, and the wheel twists out of true and be- 
comes weaker; nuts are allowed to become loose, straining the 
mechanism and jeopardizing the rider's neck; and rust, sand 
and mud arc permitted to contribute a supplementary harm 
totheowner'sown carelessness orindolence. And yetthecare- 
less and indolent r'der is prone to think th>it his vigilant 
brethren have Ibetter luck or better wheels. Let him use his 
wheel with care and intelligence, and he will find that luck 
is generally associated with those qualities. 
i"'> -a 
Russia, by the way, has only recently developed into a 
cycling country Up to February of the present year ladies 
were not allowed to ride on the streets of St. Petersburg, and 
without ridtrs of the fair sex we can well imagine the sport 
would never reach its full bloom and development. 
What would the Boulevard or the. Coney Island Cycle Path 
be without the pretty girls! 
Russia, too, is behind the times in requiring a license from 
riders. When applying for this license the cyclist must at- 
tach a photograph of himself, so that in case of an infraction 
of the bicycle ordinance he may the more easily be appre- 
hended 
One of the seventeen regulations each rider is forced to 
obey expressly forbids riding "without a coat or such a cos- 
tume as would attract special attention." Bloomers are no- 
where mentioned in the regulations, from which we nre in 
doubt whether to infer that they are still unknown in Russia 
or that the latter part' of the shirt sleeves section covers the 
case. The number of registered wheels in St, Petersburg is 
7,000. 
Permanently Humped. — "Our landlady had to lower the 
dining-tables three inches." "Why did she do that?' 
"Nearly all the boarders aie scorchers." — TJie Indianapolis 
Journal. 
The racing and measurement rules of the Yach Racing Union of 
Lonrj Mund Sound (the SeawanliaTca rule, with alloivance tables) 
can be had of Thompson d; Co , 65 Dey street. New York; price 10 
cents per copy. 
The hawiboolc of '■'Yacht Flag Etiquette" can be had of Behm & 
Co., 1S7 Fulton street. New York; price 10 cents per copy. 
YACHT RACING FIXTURES 1897. 
The following list o£ fixtures has been compiled from many different 
sources, some of cbem noc official, and it may contain some errors. 
We shall be glad to have notice of corrections and additions. 
Races of the Sourd Y. B. U. are marked with the letter S; those of 
the Massachusetts Y. E. A. with the letter M: 
SEPTEMBBE. 
M 11. Chelsea, Boston Harbor. 
M 11. Y. R A. rendezvous, Hull, Boston Harbor. 
S 11. Eiverside, fall rac^, 4.3, 36, 30 and 25ft. classes, and SO and 25ft. 
classes of cabin catboats. 
11 Winthrop, club, Winthrop, Boston Harbor. 
11. Roy. Canadian, skifE class, Toronto, Lake Ontario. 
11. Beverly, 5th cham., Wenaumet, Buzzard's Bay. 
11. Burgoss, Cham., sail-off, Marblehead. .viass. Bay. 
II. Columbia, annual, open, Chicasro, Lake Michisan. 
11. Larchmont, schoonfrs (Larcbmont cup) and smaller classes, 
Larchmont, Lons: Island Sound. 
11-12. Cor. Pan Francisco, cruise, Marin Islands, San Francisco. 
S 18. American, fall reeatta for all classes. 
18 Queen City, 22ft. class, Toronto, Lake Ontario. 
21. Absequan, open, Atlantic City. 
2 -26. Cor. San Francisco, cruiise, Dillon's Point, San Francisco. 
5.^. Buffalo, closing cruise. Lake Frie. 
2.i. American, closing race, Newburyport. 
OCTOBER. 
9. Miramichi, Gould cup, Chatham, N B. 
9-10. Cor. San Francisco, cruise, Corinthian Cove, San Francisco. 
16. Cor. San Francisco, closing day, San Francisco. 
17. Cor. San Francisco squadron, cruise, San Franc sco. 
Mr. Charles F. Adams 2d has declared that he will not 
challenge for the Seawanhaka cup next year, nor build for the 
trial races should an American club challenge, his business 
preventing him from giving the necessary time to the work. 
The annual regatta of the New York Y. R. A. on Monday 
was a failure, there being no wind in the Lower Bay. Only 
a few yachts had finished at a late hour, and no official re- 
turns were ready at the time of going to press. 
Mayflowee, steam yacht, sailed from Southampton on 
Sept. 4, bearing the body of her late owner, Ogden Goelet. 
The family came to New York by one of the liners. 
By order of Com. J. Pierpont Morgan, N. Y. Y. C, the 
following has been issued by Fleet Oapt. J, Beavor-Webb: 
"On the day of the funeral of the late Capt. Ogden Goelet, 
of which notice will be given by the daily press, the club 
burgee will be displayed at half-mast from colors until sun- 
set at the club house, at all stations and by all yachts in 
commission. 
It is with deep regret that we learn of the death of a 
valued correspondent and old friend, Capt. Henry E. Bayly, 
which took place at his home in Exmouth, Eng., on Aug. 25. 
No particulars have reached us, but Capt. Bayly, who was 
well advanced in years, had been ill for a long time. 
GOSLING.— Designed by Geo Lawley for Messrs. F. A. North and L. M. Clark, 1897 
the proposed new knockabout class. Mr. D. LeRoy Dresser, 
of the race committee, who has been busy for some time in 
perfecting the scheme, acted as chairman, and explained the 
details. Preliminary sketches and estimates bad been re- 
quested of several designers and builders, and W. B. Stearns, 
of Marblehead, was represented by a very complete design, 
the lines, construction and accommodation, and sail plan, 
accompanied by a handsome model. Messrs. Gardner & 
Cox sent in a sketch of a sheer and sail plan, with an esti- 
mate by the Spalding St. Lawrence Boat Co. Mr. Stearns's 
design was very similar to that published in the Forest AND 
Stream of Jan. 23-30, 1897, but with less draft and a small 
metal centerboard below the floor; the xlimensions being: 
Overall, 33ft.: l.w.l., 21ft; beam, 7ft. 8in.; draft, 4ft., with 
board, 7ft. The sail area, mainsil and jib, about 550sq ft., 
with 3.3001b8. in keel. The estimates showed that the yacht 
could be built for about $800, fini.=hed in excellent shape, and 
it was voted to accept Mr. Stearns's bid. Some small changes 
will be necessary; the house will be enlarged to give at least 
8ft. length and oft. headroom. Eleven members put down 
their names on the list at once, and it is expected that at 
least fifteen yachts will be ordered. Regular races will be 
sailed by the class next season. 
Gosling^. 
The knockabout Gosling is thus far the most successful 
yacht of the class, the official record being as follows: 
Cock Robin 325 4 3 .. 1 5('^ 
Gosling 1000 2i 6 6 4 ^5^,1 
Cockatoo 'iOO 1.5 3 r, 2 '10 
Fly 8"0 21 7 1 4 i-fi-'-.^.. 
Mongoose 675 18 2 l\ H SU',;, 
Hszard 5t5 21 2 4 5 2fi 
Sally III N..,. ........ 300 22 8 .. i 13',, 
.Jacobin......,! ..,<,..,,.., 50 13 .. 1 .. S^^ig 
When the victorious Cock Robin was winning everything 
last year, Messrs. F. A. North and L. M. Clark went to Law- 
ley & Son for a boat to race against her, the result being' 
Bopeep, designed by George Lawley. While not good 
enough to beat Cock Robin, Bopeep proved herself easily the 
next best boat of the class last year. This season the same 
gentlemen placed another order with the Lawleys for a new 
boat, finally named Gosling, also designed by George Law- 
ley. As the photo shows, she is a very handsome craft, with 
nothing of the freak about her. She has at least proved that 
Cock Robin is not invincible, and she has defeated the. four 
new Herreshoif knockabouts of this season. 
About thirty yachtsmen were present on Saturday evening 
at the Seawanhaka C. Y. C. bouse at Oyster Bay, to discuas 
The New Measurement Formula. 
I^ditor Forest and Stream: 
Answering Sextant, in your issue of Aug. 31. Third: "The 
subject of classification is entirely distinct from the subject 
of measurement." An absolutely perfect measui-ement for- 
mula would equalize all yachts and so make classification 
an optional matter of convenience; because the measure- 
ment rules are imperfect, we classify in order to avoid gross 
differences. Our difficulties are decreased by a subdivision. 
First Head, (a) "A measurement rule is intended to en- 
courage the development of a safe, roomy, speedy and easily 
handled boat." Sextant admits that this has been the ob- 
ject of many of the rnles heretofore made by various yacht 
clubs, from which yachts have been built. The writer, in 
conversation with many yachtsmen, has repeatedlj heard 
this opinion expressed. The yachting press, almost without 
exception, in discussing past, present and future rules, takes 
the ground as above stilted as of the first importance. 
The reason for the unfortunate experience of all rules 
heretofore made has been that they have followed Sextant's 
advice, as given under the discussion of paragraph (6), iu 
which he says that certain things can be secured "by mak* 
ing a supplementary regulation stating in plain terms how 
much breadth, draught, cubic contents, displacement of 
hull, etc , are deemed inseparable for a given L W.L." Sex- 
tant says there are certain strong objections to the plan of 
using a single formula, but gives none of them. 
.Sextant says that "if these were entirely new problems to 
be solved, it is inconceivable that any engineer would solve 
them by the application of the same formula." The pri- 
mary purpose of all yacht designing is supposed to be to de- 
velop forms from which lessons having a commercial value 
can be drawn. This purpose is directly served by a strict 
application of (a); since the larger the hull and the smaller 
the sail plan, the greater can be the carrying capacity of a 
merchant vessel, and the smaller her crew. The very ele- 
ments which in a yacht tend to produce room and ease of 
handling tend in a merchant vessel to produce large carry- 
ing capacity and small crew. Sextant must produce cogent 
reasons to overcome so univers'*l an experience and establish 
what appears to be his contention that the only purpose of a 
measurement rule is to produce spsed. 
(5) "To equalize the chances of winning prizes between 
boats of different types and characteristics." The wriler 
does not clearly understand what Sextant intends to convey, 
each sentence being so long and so involved, and so contra- 
dictory apparently, that it is difficult to ascertain what is 
meant. The assumption of the writer is that every boat 
possesses, either absolutely or in the mind of its owner or 
designer, some meritorious feature; and since speed is not the 
only element to be c6n.=idered, the endeavor should be made 
to consider all of the meritorious features possessed by 
yachts. This cannot be done without equalizing the oppor- 
tunities of the boats for winning prizes. It is by no means 
apparent why the utilization of speed factors should be taxed, 
because it is absoltitely certain that none of them are inde- 
pendent of the lines of the design. If the purpo=e of a mea- 
surement rule is simply to develop a_hull with the greatest 
possible speed, then the only rule which is defensible, is one 
which takes cognizance simply of the propelling power, i. e., 
the sail area; and yachts should be classified simply hy a sail 
area, an arbitrary amount of sail being fixed for each class, 
and no time allowance being gis'en. Sail area is not in the 
least a factor in the speed that comes from length. The 
writer would like to see arguments produced to show that 
it is. Taking the contrary view, the only limitation upon 
sail area is the righting moment of the hull in connection 
with its ballast. 
(d) "To leave owner and designer absolutely free to pro- 
duce anything they please." It is not considered that this 
is repugnant to (a) at all. The designer may produce a very 
undesirable boat, and if he does everybody will soon know 
it, and nobody will repeat that form of experiment, which is 
precisely the thing to be desired, to know what we cannot 
do, as well as what we can. There is no objection to the 
modification of (d) suggested by Sextant, provided it be not 
.subsequently amplified so a.s to produce bad results. 
FoTjrth Head. Taking up the specific objections made by 
Sextant to the formula, it might be well first of all to ex- 
plain to Sextant what the formula actually does, since it is 
very evident from some of his objections that he does not 
know. The formula assumes the L.W L, as a basis, which 
is increased by a certain percentage according as certain 
factors are greater or less, and the extreme of variation is 
such as to make less than a 15 per cent, variation in the cor- 
rection. See (4). 
(1) The universal experience heretofore of rules supple- 
mental to the measurement formula giving arbitrary limits 
to certain factors has been bad. 
(2) The writer has already emphasized the fact 'that speed 
alone is not the prime object. It is admitted that cubic size 
of hull is detrimental to speed. It is also admitted that 
ir gives additional room. The amount of room necessary to 
insure safety and internal accommodation is one that must 
be fixed, at least in the second element, by the owner. The 
formula expressly does not credit excessive size as equiva- 
lent to speed, but credits it as being a desirable quality in a 
yacht. 
(3) It is true that the formula does give topsides and 
deck house equal credit with immersed body. It is a mis- 
taken assumption to say that they are not desirable. See 
last week's FoRKST AND Stream, where the editor comments 
on the fact that those of the small raters with good freeboard 
and large above water bodies are still in use aa desirable . 
