S54 
FOREST ANO STREAM. 
[May 6, 1899. 
slits of various sizes cut in it; a slit of the proper size 
is placed over a portion of the line to be erased, and 
the rubber is applied through it. In some cases the 
sharp steel erasing knife will be needed in addition to 
the rubber. After the line or blot is erased and the paper 
brushed clean, the surface is rubbed with an ivory paper 
cutter or the end of an ivory pen handle until it is hard 
and glossy. Especial care is needed in re-inking after 
erasure, as the new surface of the paper is much more 
absorbent than the original one. On cloth the processes 
of erasure and re-inking are still more difficult. 
There is a very great difference in the fluidity of the 
various inks; and a pen should be tested with every 
change of ink. For this purpose a small piece of paper 
may be kept on the table beside the ink saucer, a much 
better plan than the indiscriminate marking up of the 
margins of the drawing. Even in the same mixing of 
stick ink a difference will be found, as the pen is used 
for a little time, and after each filling it should be tried 
on the paper until it gives precisely the same line as at 
first. 
Colored inks are a great aid in a marine drawing, set- 
ting out clearly to the eye the many complicated lines. As 
previously explained in Part XIV., red, blue and green 
inks can be used to good advantage in indicating various 
classes of lines. For this purpose the colors may be mixed 
from ordinary artist's water colors, in small cakes, or 
they may be had already mixed. The latter are the 
more convenient, and relatively better, as compared to the 
cakes, than the liquid India ink compared with the stick 
ink. The fluidity of the different colors varies greatly, 
however; red works easily and freely, but by no means 
as easily as green; a pen that is set right for red ink, 
making a sharp fine line, will give a broad ragged line if 
used with green ink. Of course, a pen must be thoroughly 
cleaned in working from one ink to another, but in addi- 
tion, it will probably need to be readjusted as well. As a 
safe precaution, the pen should be tried in all cases be- 
fore applying to the drawing. 
As a rule, fine, sharp lines are the best for marine work, 
with distinct and clean-cut intersections, these being far 
more important than pictorial effect. It takes longer, 
however, to draw a very fine line than a moderately heavy 
one, and the draftsman must decide for himself just tiow 
fine he can afford to work without expending too much 
time. It should not be necessary, however, to use a 
much heavier line than those in Figs. 57, 58 and 59. 
The dividers are so contantly in the hands of the 
marine draftsman that a complete mastery of them is in- 
dispensable. The method of holding them is shown in 
Fig. 67; they are picked up with the thumb on top of 
them and the first and second fingers beneath, just below 
the joint. They should just balance on the two fingers, 
while the thumb lies between the legs. Held in this 
way, the legs may be closed by the pressure of the two 
fingers on the outside, or opened by the pressure of the 
thumb on the inside. A better description of the move- 
ment is that in closing the instrument the inner leg, 
nearer the body, is held by the second finger and thumb, 
the first finger, on the outside of the outer leg, pushing 
it in. In opening the legs the grasp of the thumb is 
transferred, to aid the first finger in holding the outer leg, 
while the end of the second finger, on the inside of the 
inner leg, forced it out. The motion is really a simple 
one, though some practice is necessary to acquire it. 
When first picked up the dividers lie poised with the 
legs nearly horizontal, a turn of the wrist brings the 
points down to the paper, and one, usitally the inner, is 
held just over one of the two required points. The 
instrument is now adjusted very nearly to the other point, 
one leg is dropped until it rests on the paper at the point, 
and the other is re-adjusted until it coincides exactly \vith 
the second point. This should be done not merely with- 
out jabbing a great hole through the paper, but without 
making" more than a slight indentation on its surface. 
The distance thus picked up will be transferred to some 
other part of the drawing, either to check a measurement 
already made or to mark a new one, in which case one 
of the points is used to teatil a very small hole in the 
surface. 
It is possible to use the dividers constantly on a draw- 
ing without making a mark that shows through on the 
other side, and it should be the aim of the draftsman to 
do this. After the distance is taken from the drawing, 
as just described, the position of the thumb and fingers is 
slightly shifted, until the instrument is firmly grasped 
by the joint instead of by the legs, as shown in Fig. 68. 
If it is merely a matter of testing or transferring one 
distance, this new hold is not necessary, but it is whfere a 
distance is to be set off any number of times. In this 
case the instrument is held lightly but firmly by the 
joint alone, and it is rolled over between the thumb and 
fingers, not continuously in one direction, but back and 
forth, describing first a semicircle on one side of the 
line and then on the other, as in Fig. 68. All spacing 
of distances, with the plain dividers or the bow_ instru- 
ments, is done in this way, alternately to one side and 
the other. 
There are some points that are used so constantly that 
it is almost impossible to avoid wearing through, one of 
these is the central point on the body plan, the intersec- 
tion of the L.W.L. and the middle vertical, from which a 
large number of measurements are taken. In this case 
the proper method of working is to place the point of the 
dividers on the outer spot, merely poising it over the 
central spot without actually touching it. The reverse 
of this is usually done, the point of the dividers is placed 
at the center for each separate measurement, so that by 
dint of fifty or a hundred applications, however light, 
a hole is finally made. By the other plan the same 
number of applications is divided among a large num- 
ber of spots, on frame stations at L.W.L., diagonals, 
inclined waterlines, etc., each individual spot receiving 
very little injury. It may be noted here' that much of 
the work thits done by the dividers can be done as well 
by means of a strip of paper and a sharp pencil, the meas- 
urements being marked on the margin of the paper. . For 
this purpose a good quality of writing paper may be cut 
into strips. In taking off the half breadths, for instance, 
the paper is laid to the proper level line, a corner just 
touching the center line, then all the half breadths of the 
fore body are marked at one time. The same process 
is followed with the diagonals, inclined lines, etc. With 
this method, there is, of course, no injury to the paper 
and the work can be done quickly and very accurately. 
The compasses are handled precisely as the dividers, 
adjusted in the same manner and then grasped by the 
joint and swung around, the head rolling between the 
thumb and fingers. Some compasses are furnished with a 
handle on top of the joint, but this is a doubtful advan- 
tage. The thickness of the line drawn with the pen point 
of the compasses depends very largely on the pressure, 
and by a little manipulation the compasses may be made 
to draw a circle of varying thicknesses, as is necessary in 
shading. In all cases the compasses should be held 
exactly square to the surface of the paper, and the 
joints in the legs should be used, according to the span 
of the instrument, to keep each leg square to the paper. 
Where many circles are to be drawn from the same 
center, a device called a horn center is used, a ring of 
metal enclosing a small circular piece of transparent horn, 
on which a central dot is marked, the ring being provided 
with very small points, which hold it in place on the 
paper. The horn is adjusted over the point and carries 
the needle point of the compasses. 
The needle point, shown in Fig. 45, has already been 
described; a very fine point with a .shoulder above. It 
is an awkward instrument, more difficult to adjust to a 
given point than the plain conical points shown in Figs. 
49 to S3. In making really accurate measurements, either 
in plotting with the pencil or in using the dividers or 
compasses, it is a great help to have a long fine point to 
work with, instead of the large leg and set screw and the 
thick shoulder of the needle point. 
[to be continued.] 
Columbia. 
The Boston Globe continues to publish information 
concerning the new Cup defender, which is interesting 
and we believe sufficiently true to entitle its yachting edi- 
tor, Mr. Robinson, to the first prize in the guessing con- 
test. During the past week it has given two important 
pieces of information, including the actual measurements 
of the spars and a description of the yacht from personal 
observation, as follows: 
Just seven weeks ago to-day (April 26) the first of the 
Tobin bronze plates of the new Cup defender Columbia 
was put in place. To-day she lacks but about a strake and 
a half of the six strakes of plating that will shut her in, and 
the prospects for a launch in about four weeks' time seem 
to be fairly good. 
The first four strakes of plating, counting from the 
keel upward, are in place, and most of the plates are riv- 
eted. The sixth, or top strake, shows plates for about 
half the length of the boat amidships on each side. None 
of the plates of the fifth or next to the top strake are in 
place, so that the extreme ends of the boat are not shut 
in, and show the frames as originally set up. This makes 
the boat something more than half plated and riveted, 
but there can be no slacking up in the work if she is to 
be out on time. ^ 
Nearly all the plates to complete the shutting in of the 
boat have been bent and have had the rivet holes punched 
in them, so that it is only a question of putting in place 
and riveting. At the same time the work on the bilge 
stringers and all the interior strengthening of the boat is 
so well along as to make it practically certain she will be 
ready for launching with the completing of the plating. 
The Globe's yachting man had a good look at the boat 
to-day for the first time and therefore speaks of the 
progress of the work from personal observation. Perhaps 
the Herreshoffs invited him to visit the shop, and then 
again perhaps they didn't, but "How do you like her?" 
was John B. Herreshoff's pleasant inquiry after the ob- 
servation had been taken, and he seemed satisfied at the 
expression of admiration for the boat that was given in 
response to the question. 
And the expression was given in all sincerity. Colum- 
bia is certainly the finest of the many Herreshoff produc- 
tions and excels even the handsome and smooth-looking 
■ Defender in the beauty of her lines and model. She is 
the thoroughbred racer all over; a legitimate develop- 
ment and improvement from other Herreshoff models, 
and promises to be a boat to which the American people 
can confidently pin their faith in the contests with Sham- 
rock in October. 
Little more than a general idea of her model can be ob- 
tained from a look at her in the shop. She is so big, she 
fills it so completely, she towers so high above an ob- 
server on the floor of the shop that dimensions of beam 
and depth could be little more than an estimate. Re- 
course m\ist be had for these things to something more 
than simple observation, but a good idea can be had o! 
the sweep of the lines of her underwater body and its gen- 
eral shape. Fortunately these dimensions have been pre- 
viously obtained, and are as follows: Length over all, 
131ft.; water line, 90ft.; beam, 24ft.; draft, 20ft. Length 
and beam are slightly under what the boat shows. The 
waterline is designed at as close to the limit of 90ft. as 
the designer dares to go, while the draft is likely to be 
under than over the figure given. 
The midship section shows a little flatter floor than in 
Defender, but the bilge is the same easily rounded one 
that has marked all the Herreshoff designs. It looks a 
bit harder than Defender's but is very easy at that. The 
lead keel shows more of the plate shape already described 
m the Globe than of the bulb shape of Defender, and the 
weight of the lead is carried considerably lower than in 
the old boat. 
Columbia is cut away forward more than Defender, and 
the line of the stem as it rises toward the water line, 
after curving upward from the lead keel, is almost a 
straight line. From the waterUne upward the curve is not 
so shai-p as in Defender, but is more marked than in 
Vigilant. The bow will be a handsome one. The bow 
frames show about half way between -the U and the V 
shape, or lUore of the former than in Defender, thus 
showing a design to use the overhangs considerably when 
heeled. The whole effect of the bow is for a more pow- 
erful one than in Defender. 
And this is also true of the impression of the boat as a 
whole, she is a more powerful and finer-lined boat than 
Defender. She c<^nnot only carry more sail, but carry it 
better, and at the same time be more easily driven. She 
ought to beat Defender on model alone. 
The common in-and-out system of lap plating has been 
used on the boat, except that the plates of the second and 
fourth, or two lowest "in" strakes, have had their upper 
and lower edges turned inward or flanged, the flange be- 
ing something over an inch deep. The plates have not 
been abruptly bent in working the flange, but the bend 
is an easy one. Spaces are cut in the flange for the frames 
to pass through, and the flanges do little more' therefore 
than stift'en the plates themselves between the frames. 
They do not in any way take the place of bilge stringers. 
There is of course no evidence of this flanging from the 
outside. It is not "knuckle joint" work, for the bronze 
plates could not be bent to such a joint, but is the simple 
flanging of the 'in" plate as described in the Globe weeks 
ago. It stiffens the plating where the greatest strain 
comes, and that is all. 
The lower strakes of plating are }iir\. in thickness. The 
bronze shoeing on the lead keel is J^in. The top strake' 
plates look too handsome to be ever covered with paint, 
and it is shrewdly argued that had paint been intended, 
nickel steel would have served the purpose better than 
bronze. So the outlook for a bright boat above the 
waterline is still a good one. 
The boat rests in the cradle, built Specially for hauling 
out Defender. Consequently she sets level as she will 
when affoat, for she is intended simply to float out of the 
cradle when it is lowered into the water. The bottom of 
her lead keel is level and parallel with the waterline, as 
already told. < 
Mr. Herreshoff was not inclined to say definitely when 
she could be launched, but pointed out that she was being 
finished as rapidly as possible. In the north shop the 
workmen are busy with the steel mast, working from the 
middle toward the ends. The semicircular steel plates, of 
which the shell of the mast is being made, are about 9ft. 
long, and lap by each other on opposite sides for about 
half their length. The frame of the mast is the longi- 
tudinal steel angles and the transverse disks or stiffeners 
of steel plate. The angles are bulbed like the frames and 
deck beams of the boat and are in long lengths. At their 
ends they are joined by lapping and riveting. There are 
eight of these angles, and they run the whole length of the 
spar. 
The stiffeners are circular disks of steel, about 2oin. in 
diameter. In the center is cut a i4in. hole, both to de- 
crease the weight and to allow a man to crawl through. 
Around this large hole are several smaller ones cut out 
to save weight. Spaces are cut for the angles. The outer 
edge of the disk is flanged and riveted to the plates of the 
shell. The inner edge is flanged in the opposite direction. 
The shell plates are riveted on their edges to the steel 
angles, and on their ends to interior butt plates, so that 
the outside surface is a smooth one. The plates are also 
securely riveted all along to the angles, making a very 
strong spar. In riveting the plates it is necessary for a 
workman to crawl inside the spar to hold a sledge on the 
head of the rivet being worked upon, and it is a curious 
sight to see a man half in and half out of the iron shell. 
The diameter of the spar looks to be about 2iin. The 
stiffening disks are placed about 4)4. or 5ft. apart. Ap- 
parently a length of some So or 6oft. has been completedi 
If the spar is the same length as the Oregon pine mast 
now finished and awaiting shipment at the Boston Spar 
Company's shop, in East Boston, it will be about 107ft. 
in length. The steel gaff has been completed and is lying 
on the north pier, where the Defender is moored. Ma- 
terial for the steel boom has been got out, but the work 
of putting it together has not been started. 
Red lead has been freely used in the interior of the steel 
spars, and also on the frames of the boat, so that her 
colors are at present red and gold, the red showing on the 
still uncovered frames. 
But later she will be gold from keel to rail. 
Mast, 107ft. 6in.; topmast, 64ft.; bowsprit, 38ft., and 
spinaker pole, 73ft. 
These are the lengths by actual measurement of the 
Oregon pine spars for the new Cup defender Colurnbia 
now building by the Herreshoffs at Bristol. 
The spars have been made by the Boston Spar Com- 
pany in its shop on Condor street, East Boston, and have 
been carefully kept from public observation. To-day 
(April 29) they were put overboard from the shop, were 
lashed together with other Herreshoff spars in a com- 
pact raft, and were towed to the wharf of the Magee Fur- 
nace Company in Chelsea, just across the channel from 
the spar company's shop, and were there made fast. 
There they will stay imtil Monday, when they will be 
towed to Fiske's wharf in the city proper and be put on 
board the schooner Nat Ayer, which has been specially 
chartered by the Herreshoffs for the shipment of the 
spars to Bristol. Fiske's wharf has been selected as the 
place of shipment because of the big shears there, which 
can handle the big spars as easily as the smaller ones. 
The part of the wharf in Chelsea where the raft is now 
made fast is not a good point for public observation, since 
a building rises direct from the cap sill, but there are such 
things as boats, tape measures and foot rules, and the 
Globe has men who know how to use them. There was 
no watchman in sight near the raft about sunset last even- 
ing, and the big spars in the raft were not bard to pick 
out and measure. _ ' 
The mast for Columbia and the mast for W. O. Gay's 
70-footer form the sides of the raft. Between them are 
the topmasts, bowsprits and spinier poles of the two 
boats, with the boom of the Gay boat. On top are piled 
the gaff of the Gay boat, the double sets of club topsail ' 
poles for Columbia and a set of spars for a 56ft. yawl 
which the Herreshoffs will soon launch. This com.prises 
the entire Herreshoff order to the spar company. With 
the exception of the mast there are duplicates of all the 
spars for Columbia, so that a spare one may be handy in' 
case of accident. No wooden boom or gaff has been 
made for Columbia, since these spars are to be of steel 
and built by the Herreshoffs themselves. 
The lengths of the principal spars of Columbia are very 
close to those given in the Globe three weeks ago. The 
mast proves to be 6in. longer, the spinaker pole ift. 
shorter, and the topmast 2ft. longer. The length of the 
bowsprit is the same as then given. The mast where it 
i§ squared 3t the hounds is just gain, in diameter. At 
