PkB. 3, 1501. j 
0© 
penalty is fixed — flie offending yacht "shall be disquali- 
fied." There are, however, cases, where the violation of 
the rales fs purely technical, that may be dismissed as 
tnvolous, especially if the complaint comes from a com- 
petitor who is clearly trying to snatch a decision, where 
he had no chance of winning a race. There are a few 
sea lawyers who are regularly looking for this sort of 
thing. A prominent man once told me that most of the 
members of his club looked upon the racing rules as 
designed to prevent collisions, but there were a few who 
openly afhrmed that the rules were made "to win races 
with"— these were the exact wordSj neither sportsmanlike 
nor grammatical. Fortunately such opinions are rare, 
and even when men are found holding them we must 
not judge them too harshly. It may be only their way 
of looking at things, and from their standpoint they may 
be acting fairly and honorably. The duty of a regatta 
committee is, however, clear enough. Rules must be 
observed, but tricks and sharp practices discouraged, and 
above all the high standard of the sport must be main- 
tained. 
In conclusion I do not know whether to apologize to 
the editor for the length, the discursiveness or the in- 
completeness of this article. I trust, however, that in 
spite of imperfections it contains a few hints that may 
be useful to those who are called upon without previous 
experience to serve on a regatta committee. 
WiT-LiAM Q. Phillips. 
Clinton, Ont., Jan 7. 
Our Boston Letter. 
Boston, Jan. 26. — This evening B. B. Crowninshield, 
designer of the Boston Cup defender, acting under, agree- 
ment with Thomas W. Lawson, owner of the ya?h*" gave 
the principal dimensions to the press. Mr. Lav -'^ri issued 
a statement, in Avhich he explained his position m regard 
to secrecy and his knowledge of the chance^ which he is 
taking. His statement, like previous ones h*» hps given to 
the public, was very simple and straightforward. 
He said that as he had originally intended to give the 
public the dimensions of his boat, when it was deemed 
advisable, he was now ready to stand by his word. He 
did not in any waj^ intend to reflect upon the methods of 
secrecy which have been successfully adopted by other 
yachtsmen and builders. He allows that in making the 
dimensions public he may be running great chances of 
defeat, but will stick to his original intention, whatever 
the cost. 
The following are the official dimensions of the prin- 
cipal parts of the hull: 
Length — 
Over all - 140ft. loj^in. 
Designed waterline 90ft. 
Overhang — 
Forward 27ft. 5 in. 
Aft 23ft. 
Beam — 
Extreme 23ft. iijXin. 
Designed waterline 23ft. 5 in. 
Draft — Extreme 20ft. 
Freeboard- 
Stem head 6ft. 11 in. 
Least 4ft- 
At stern 4ft. 8 in. 
Beam — 
Forward end of waterline. ........ 15ft. 
Aft' J- end of waterline i8ft. 9 iii 
Ste.n lift. 8 in. 
Center of lateral plane, aft of forward end 
of waterline 51ft. 5 in. 
Center of buoyancy, aft of forward end 
of waterline 47ft. 3 in. 
Area — 
Lateral plane 772.6 sq. ft. 
L.W.L. plane i,i7i.S sq. ft. 
Wetted surface 2,913.5 sq. ft. 
Her displacement was not given out, but as it has been 
generally talked about, there is no harm in comparing it 
with Columbia's. Her displacement, on a designed water- 
line length of 90ft., is a little over 146 tons. Columbia's 
displacement was 145 tons. As the Boston boat is nearly 
lift, longer over all than Columbia, and her draft and 
beam very nearly the same, it follows that the Boston de- 
signer has gone to a reduction of dead rise, maintain- 
ing the flat floor,, and has given a harder turn to the 
bilge. 
The displacement of 146 tons is on a waterline length of 
90ft., but it is not likety that the boat will float exactly 
at this length. It is more than possible that she will be 
somewhat less. In this case her draft, which is only 3in, 
more than Columbia's on paper, Avill not exceed that of 
the defender of 1899. She is simply a much bigger boat 
than Columbia and with greater sail-carrymg capacity on 
about the same displacement. 
It is not the designer's wish at the present time to dis- 
close the dimensions of the sails which the boat will carry. 
It is not likely that he will give these out until both con- 
testants are in the water, for such information would give 
too much comparative data to the Bristol designer. There 
is every reason to believe that the Boston boat will have 
a greater sail spread than Columbia, although even with 
the same sail area she should be faster on form. 
Everything was put in readiness to begin work on the 
Boston boat at the Atlantic Works during the week. All 
of the angle bars for the frames are there. The bending 
slabs were put in place and a shelter erected over them. 
The furnace was kept going full blast for twenty-four 
hours to get an even heat, and then a small bar was turned 
as an experiment. The result was very satisfactory. To- 
day two frames were bent into shape. The work of bend- 
ing will now continue rapidly, so that as many frames as 
possible will be ready when the keel frame arrives from 
East Braintree. The metal for the keel frame was run to- 
day, and it is expected to arrive at the Atlantic works 
some time next week. 
On Tuesday a big Oregon pine stick was towed over 
from Pigeon's Basin, at East Boston, to Lawley's, and 
Wednesday, at high water, it was. hauled into the west 
shop. It is intended for a hollow mast for the new 
boat. It is now nearly squared up and will be ready for 
splitting in a few days. It is a beautiful piece of wood, the J 
rich grain showing through plentifully, M 
The remarkable feat of building a 50ft. steel steam 
yacht in five weeks was accomplished at Lawley's recently. 
The boat was designed by T. S. Poekel for Lawrence B. 
Gray, of Boston. She is of peculiar design, her keelson 
taking a decided rise at the stern, forming double bilges, 
and it is in this space that the propeller is placed. She 
was expected to start for New York to-day. Arriving 
that she will he placed on the deck of the steamer Prins 
Frederick Hendrick and taken to Paramaribo. Dutch 
Guiana, where Mr. Gray has large interests in the coal 
mines. She will cruise on the Surinam River. 
Several yachts have been finished at Lawley's and 
hauled out of the west shop, and new ones in process of 
construction have taken their places. The Canada cup de- 
fender, Illinois, is being planked. The 120ft. steamer for 
W. P. Eno, from Crane design, is being laid down. This 
yacht was intended to be iisft. on the waterline, but the 
plans have been changed. The keel is ready for the 46- 
footer for Theophile Parsons. An 85ft. steamer for C. B. 
Borland, from design of Arthur Binney, is being laid 
down. The oak keel is ready for a 25ft. cruiser for F. E. 
Peabody, from Purdon's design. F. D. Lawley is de- 
signing a Bar Harbor 2S-footer for Mrs. H. B. Gibson, 
and a Y. R. A. 21-footer for Mr. Wiggin, of the Anms- 
quam Y, C. 
The following officers have been nominated by the Bos- 
ton Y. C, to be voted for at the annual meeting: Com., 
A Collision On the Solent* 
Ik the Admiralty Court on Wednesday last week an 
action was brought by the owner of the schooner Lasca 
to recover the damage sustained by him by reason of a 
collision which occurred about i :45 P. M. on Aug. 16 last 
on the Solent, a little to the eastward of Calshot Light, be- 
tween his )'acht and the defendants' steam vessel, the hop- 
per No. 2. The plaintiff's case was that the Lasca, manned 
by a crew of sixteen hands, was cruising on the Solent in 
the neighborhood of the Calshot lightship, on board which 
vessel was a photographer, who was engaged in taking 
photographs of the Lasca. The wind was about E.N.E., 
light, the weather fine and clear, and the tide the last of 
the flood. The Lasca, which was under all plain sail, had 
shortly before stayed from the port to the starboard tack 
and was being kept on the wind heading about from N.E. 
by N. to N.N.E. while certain sails were being reset, and 
was making about one knot. In these circumstances the 
steam hopper No. 2 was observed distant from a quarter 
to half a mile and bearing about five points on the port 
bow. The hopper approached in such a direction as to 
involve risk of a collision, and thoi:gh loudly hailed to 
keep clear shelvvith her stem struck the port side of the 
yacht just abaft the main rigging, doing her great dam- 
age. The defendants' case Was that the hopper No. 2 was 
LASC.\ Designed by A. Cary Smith. Photograph by Jackson, Marblehead. 
B. P. Cheney; Vice-Com., Walter Burgess; Rear-Com., 
E. F. Smith; Sec'y, A. C. Fernald; Treas., D. A. Dorr; 
Measurers, G. F. Lawley a»d Jefferson Borden ; Trustees, 
B; P. Cheney, J., A. Mitchell, C. W. Jones and W. L. 
Dean ; Regatta Committee, Walter Burgess, W. H. Bangs, 
Jr., B. D. Amsden, C. A. French and W. A. Ruddick; 
Membership Committee, W. C. Lewis, W. D. Turner, E. 
H. Tarbell, Albert Geiger, Jr., and C. G. Browne; House 
Committee (three years), W. D. Turner. 
Crowninshield has sold the Bar Harbor 25-footer Scud, 
formerly owned by Edward Morrill, to Harry W. Weeks, 
of Boston. He has an order for a S4ft. schooner from 
W. F. Mayo, of Boston. She will be built by Rice Bros., 
at East Boothbay, and Avill be used by iVIr. Mayo at 
Marblehead. 
MacConnell Bros, have sold the 25ft. cat Alma, for- 
merly owned by Ex-Com. C. A. Heney, of the Winthrop 
Y. C, to Stanley H. Eldridge, of Harvard College. 
Graves, of Marblehead, has finished the Crowninshield- 
designed i6-footer for A. D. Irving. 
John B. Killeen. 
Lasca* 
Lasca was designed by Mr. A. Cary Smith, and was 
launched in 1892. She was built by Mr. Henry Piepgras 
at City Island. Lasca is a steel centerboard schooner. 
She is 89.9ft. on the. waterline, 119ft. over all, 23ft. beam, 
1 1.2ft. deep and draws 10.8ft. Mr. James S. Watson sold 
her to Dr. Walter von Bruening, of Berlin, in December 
of 1899. Mr. Watson had Mr. A. Cary Smith design a 
larger boat with auxiliary power after selling Lasca. She 
is knoAvn as Genesee, and her cabin plan appeared in 
Forest and Stream a short time ago. Lasca was in col- 
lision with a steam hopper while sailing on the Solent 
last summer, and a full account of the incident is given in 
this issue under the heading "A Collision on the Solent." 
at the time laden with about 500 tons of mud, and was 
proceeding down Southampton Water, manned by a crew 
of five hands, on her way to sea to discharge the mud. 
She was heading about S.E. by S., and was making be- 
tween four and five knots. In these circumstances the 
schooner Lasca was observed distant about half a mile, 
and on the starboard quarter of the hopper. The hopper 
kept her course and the yacht overhauled and passed her. 
When the yacht was about 300 to 400ft. away, she sud- 
denly put her helm down and threw herself into the wind . 
across the bows of the hopper. The helm of the hopper 
was at once put hard-a-port, and her engines were stopped 
and reversed full speed, but almost immediately the colli- 
sion occurred, doing damage to the hopper, for which her 
owners counterclaimed. 
Mr, Justice Gorell Barnes, in giving judgment, said 
that tlie real point in the case was whether the j-acht 
suddenly put about when just ahead of the hopper in such 
a way that the hopper had no time to act for her, .or . 
whether she was when she put about at such a distance 
from the hopper that the latter could have avoided her 
by the exercise of reasonable care and skill. His Lord- ■ 
ship then reviewed the facts, and stated that, having regard 
to the evidence, and particularly to the excellent photo- 
graphs which had been taken by Kirk & Sons, of Cowes, 
and which had been put in, he had come to the conclusion 
that the yacht went about without any one on board of 
her taking the least trouble to see if the hopper or any- 
thing else happened to be close by. and that the hopper 
could not in the circumstances do more than she did do to 
avoid a collision. On the story told by the plaintiffs it was 
quite impossible for the collision to have occurred, and 
he could not believe that the hopper continued for some 
minutes to steer straight for the yacht, which must have 
been visible to all on board the hopper. The Lasca must 
be held alone to blame. — ^Yachting World. 
The new si-footer building for Mr. Edward Kellv, 
N. Y. Y. C, by Mr. L. D. Huntington, Jr., will b*- " ..me'd 
iHuguenot. 
Mr. William Vanderbilt's steam yacht Valiant sailed 
for the South on Jan. 26. Mr. Vanderbilt will board the 
yacht at Palm Beach, Fla. After .that he intends to 
make a short cruise in West Indian waters, returning to 
New York early in February. 
