236 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[March ig, 1898. 
Fig. 16. 
Fig. 17. 
Yactit Measurement* 
Stockholm, Sweden, ^Feb. 22, 1898.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
We have seen that all rules of measurement from "the old 94 
rule" to the last one have been "beaten." This has been the 
case in about all directions, but most in what concerns the 
sail-carrying power. In England, for instance, when the beam 
had to be measured this was cheated by means of decreasmg 
that dimension and increasing the depth and displace- 
ment. A little further on and they cheated it again 
by placing all the lead outboard and lightening the construction 
of the hull, spars, etc. Later on in the Seawanhaka and English 
length and sail area rules these were "beaten" by making the 
displacement more effective to carry sail by increasing the lever 
for the righting moment. The sail-carrying power itself could 
not of course be altered materially, as that would affect the 
sailing too much, but all that could be of influence on that 
power has been a subject for the designer's ingenuity. 
Now the designers, as you know, have, I believe, had quite 
sufficient time and practice to get all out of this kind of de- 
signing. Of course other details have not been entirely left 
by themselves, but the most of the designer's skill has been 
engaged in this direction. 
After all this it would appear that the time has come when 
the sail-carrying power ought to be treated in a more direct way 
by measuring the righting moment at some angle of inclination, 
llie larger yachts, which ought to have depth of hull, to be 
measured at say TVz°, and the smaller ones, where beam and 
initial stability is more wanted, say at 15° of an inclination. 
I suggested about four years ago a rule of measurement in 
such a way, which in its details should appear as follows: 
L. +10 ^Vm, 
Corrected length = Lr = ^ for large yachts, and 
L. + 8 Vm 
Corrected length = Lr. = ^ for smaller. 
L. being equal to L.W.L. and M. to righting moment at 7^/^° for 
large and 15° for small yachts. , ^ 
This rule is designed only with respect to speed. For whole- 
some yachts where it is desired to have room on deck and be- 
low in a fair proportion to cost, one must put in an element in 
the rule of measurement answering to this desire; for instance, 
Sg. 
as proposed by another yachtsman, -g^, Sg. being the girth 
taken from rail to rail along the actual outline of the vessel, 
and Kg. being the girth from rail straight round the heel to rail. 
The formula would then be: 
Fig. 1 8. 
for large and small yachts respectively. 
Perhaps it might be objected to these rules that it would be 
very difficult for the designers to calculate M. That is true at 
the start. But we may recollect that under such a rule there would 
not be any pressing necessity to place all ballast in a fixed keel 
outboard. One could very well have part of it inside and 
movable, as only the actual stability should be measured. With 
for instance 25 per cent, of the ballast inside it would of course be a 
small matter to get the desired rating by trimming the vessel. 
The advantages of such a rule of measurement may be in a few 
words summed up as follows: A free hand to the designers to 
turn out a yacht safe in all conditions of wind and weather, 
combining a maximum of room on deck and below, with a 
minimum of prime cost; -i. e_., a seaworthy, roomy and strongly 
built vessel, fast in proportion to desired room and stability, 
and of good appearance; that is to say, the designers should not 
by a taxation of beam be forced to take all out of that dimension. 
A free hand (and no restrictions whatsoever wanted) for the 
builders to make improvements in construction, without compel- 
ling them to build too light or too weak, and a free hand to 
owners in racing to take all the possible speed out of the sea- 
worthy and roomy type of yachts, which they have desired. 
With all this, there is liberty for skill to devise improve- 
ments. I think the rule would not be cheated in any way, and 
the best of it is that such a rule would make yachting much 
cheaper and more pleasant, and that one could get more value for 
the money. 
I have not perhaps gone sufficiently into details, but I think 
that all interested may by an investigation of reasons for and 
against reach my conclusions, that this is practically and theo- 
retically the only right way to avoid cheating the general desire 
of the yachting public without binding the hands of designers. 
In accordance with the proposal in the Forest and Stream 
of Jan. 29 that all contributions be given simply a designating 
letter, which I think very just, I for publication only sign 
J. E. 
Osceola, steam yacht, designed by G. Hilmann and built by 
Samuel Pine for Thos. L. Watt, American Y. C, was launched 
on March 9 at the foot of Twenty-fourth street, South Brooklyn. 
She is of wood, ■128ft. o.a., 116ft. l.w.L, 18ft. beam, 10ft. hold and 
7ft. 6in. draft. She will be schooner-rigged and Capt. Clausen, 
formerly in command of Intrepid, schr., for Mr. Watt, will be 
her skipper. 
The new secretary of the British Yacht Racing Association, 
succeeding Mr. Dixon Kemp, is Brooke Heckstall-Smith No. 2., 
Haarlem Mansions, West Kensington, W., London. 
Fig 23. 
YACHTING NEWS NOTES. 
The annual meeting of the Rhode Island Y. C. was held in. 
Providence on Feb. 28, the following officers being elected: Com.,. 
Tohn Jenckes; Vice-Com., Hon. Frank F. Olney; Rear-Com., 
Wm. B. Bannigan; Sec'y, A. M. Potter, D.D.S., P. O. Box 1200; 
Treas., E. T. Herrick, P. O. Box 1200; Race Committee: E. T., 
Banning, chairman; A. M. Potter, Samuel Whiteley, E. O. Law, 
F. E.' Field. The club voted to join the North American Yacht 
Racing Union and Elmer E. Hubbard and Arthur M. Potter were 
elected delegates to the Union. A committee of five, of which 
Capt. F. P. Sands, of Newport, owner of Daffodil, is chairman, 
was appointed to confer with the other clubs in Narragansett Bay 
and if possible to form an association there similar to the one ex- 
isting in Long Island Sound. 
On March 1 the Harvard Y. C. elected the following officers: 
Com., J. A. Burnham, Jr., '99; Vice-Com., C. M. Whitman, '99; 
Rear-Com., H. Sampson, '99; Sec'y and Treas., G. T. Baker, '99; 
Regatta Committee: E. A. Boardman, '99; C. B. Curtis, 1900; 
G. E. Hills, 1 L. 
The Seawanhaka C.Y.C. has taken active measures to provide sport 
for the golf players of the club during the coming season, and 
a golf association has been formed within the club, under the 
management of a special committee: Messrs. George Bullock, 
Henry W. Hayden, Chas. W. Wetmore, Nelson B. Burr, B. 
Watkins I^eigh and F. T. Underbill. A nine-hole course will 
be opened on Center Island on May 28. Mr. Nelson B. Burr, 
31 Nassau street, is the treasijrer of the committee. 
Mongoose, 21ft. knockabout, has been sold through F. B. Jones 
to W. D. Ford, of New York. 
Gossoon, cuttpr, has been sold by P. T. Dodge to W. Rosen- 
garten, of the Philadelphia Y. C. 
The Brooklyn Y. C. held its annual meeting on March 9, the 
following officers being elected: Com., C. H. Humphreys, sloop 
Kangaroo; Vice-Com., James L. Lyons, sloop Mary A.; Rear- 
Com., Chas. H. Oliver, catboat Carrie; Meas., Robert C. Hopkins; 
Treas., Willard Graham; Sec'y, William Cagger; Trustees: S. S 
Golding, P. H. Jeannot, R. L. Neville, E. H. Chandler, E. H. 
Converse, Edward Salt; Race Committee: Louis Wunder, Frank 
L. Townsend, H. W. Kilbourne; Membership Committee: A. S. 
Richoffer, Charles H. Frost, John N. Gans. The club adopted 
the racing rules of the Sound Y. R. A. 
Mr. Richard Grant, for many years secretary of the Royal Yacht 
Squadron, has resigned that ofHce. 
The Forest and Stream is put to press each week on Tuesday. 
