434 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[June i, ipoi. 
SHAMROCK 11. 
From The Yachtsman. 
Our Boston Letter. 
BoHTON. May 27.— Mr. Thomas W. Lawson's letter to 
Com. Lewis Cass Ledyard. of the New York Y. C, which 
was sent Saturday, ends a controversy that has been pain- 
ful in the extreme to yachtsmen in this city. There are 
some who claim that 'Mr. Lawson should not have re- 
ceded _f ron\ the stand he had originally taken, but the 
majority of the fair-minded ones are glad that the Bos- 
ton man has taken the means at hand to qualify his yacht. 
All are glad that Independence is to have an opportunity 
of competing in the trial races and this feeling at present 
seems to outw^eigh all others. 
The mast of Independence was stepped last Friday. It 
took several hours to complete the work, but it was 
carried out without a hitch, and there was no trouble in 
fitting the spar when it was lowered into the boat. Be- 
fore the inast was sent up. the wooden topmast was fitted 
inside the mast head and a spar was lashed to the mast and 
to the topmast. With tliis stiffener the two were sent 
up together. Independence was havded out from the north 
side of the dock, and when the mast swung clear she 
was hauled forward to the end of the dock and the two 
spars were lowered into her. 
After the mast had been stepped she was agam hauled 
to the north side of the dock, where her bowsprit was 
fitted to place. The bowsprit passes through tsvo gammon 
irons. Directly over the stem there is a band with two 
sreat steel rods passing aft, on either side of the gammon 
Trons. Tliey do not come quite to the after gammon 
ii-on. The ends of these rods are threaded and carry big 
nuts. The rods pass through a steel fid, which is run 
through the bowsprit, and the spar is held in place by the 
two nuts pressing against the fid. The position of the 
bowsprit can be regulated by the nuts "on the steel rods by 
turning them forward or backward as may be necessary. 
Billman started to fit the bowsprit Thursday night, but 
it was found to be tao large and would not pass through 
the irons. The heel was put in and the riggers tried to 
force it in by jumping it, but it woidd not work. A becket 
was Ihen put around the spar and a luff tackle put into 
it. The crew set up on the hauling part of the tackle, but 
could not get the spar in but a little distance. Under 
the strain the hauling part of the tackle parted and the 
block came inboard like a shot from a cannon. Henry 
Billman. the rigger, was bending down close to the stem 
at the time and had his hand on the rail. The block 
caught him before he realized it was coming. Blood 
spurted from his hand, but he calmly wound his handker- 
chief around it. stuck the hand in his pocket and went 
along directing the rigging. It was learned the next morn- 
ing that two of Mr. Billman's fingers were crushed, which 
speaks well for the grit of the Boston rigger. .... 
When the mast and topmast of Independence, jomed, 
were lying on the wharf, their combined length seemed 
enormous. As they, were hauled up under the shears, this 
appearance seemed exaggerated, arid it seemed that the 
topmast looked very small. When the mast was stepped 
it commenced to look proportionate, but it has a very lofty 
look vet. The spreaders Avhich have been put in place 
since," have greatly modified this. The lofty look of the 
spar caused several spectators to express doubts as to her 
being able to carry it, but' they evidejitly did not figure 
that there are 20ft, of boat and keel below the wat-it- 
line. which was visible to them and that there is much 
more stability of form in that under body than one 
would imagine from looking at her as she floats in the 
dock. 
■'The riggelrs have been hard at work since the mast and 
bowsprit were put in, but the wire rigging is very'hea\^y 
anfl takes considerable time to, splice, and the work is 
necessarily sh5w. The eye splice for the turnbuckle on 
the big bobstay was made Saturday, but it was not screwed 
up, There arc two shrouds on either side in which the 
fiye 5pUe?§ hgv§ in^4«f 3?}4 }^9¥ fe??!^ 
to the turnbuckles. Most of the standing rigging has been 
cut. All of the splices .on the standing rigging are served 
with wire. The ma.st head runners have been .spliced 
and fitted to the tackle. Only the hauling part of the 
tackle of the mast head runner is manila rope, the rest 
being all plow steel wire. 
With the mainmast, topmast and bowsprit in place, the 
stem of Independence is brought nearer the water and the 
bow line shows less of that distinct rise which was seen 
when the yacht was first launched. In fact, the forward 
overhang is going to lay very close to the water. The 
whole appearance of the boat is now changed by this and 
she conunences to look the racer all over. One thing that 
is particularly noticed is her small beam as compared to 
her OA^er all length. She certainly has the promise of 
speed, and from what I know of her model, she certainly 
should show much of it when sails are hoisted on her. 
That extreme forward overhang does not seem so ex- 
treme as many sharps have tried to make it — in fact, it 
does not look any longer in proportion than the 25-footer 
Flirt's. It has something the look of Flirt's forebody, ex- 
cept that it is much flatter. There is not much to lie 
obtained by looking at a boat in a dock, and to say posi- 
tively that Independence would defeat all competitors 
would hardly be the statement of a .sane individual ; but 
one can perhaps be pleased with the lines shown. Inde- 
pendence is certainly pleasing to the eye. from a racing 
standpoint, and there are man3r who think that Crownin- 
shield has turned out a boat that will keep Constitution 
busy at all times. 
The first club handicap race of the Winthrop Y. C. was 
sailed Saturday in a strong, puft'y wind from the north- 
vvest, which made reefing the order, some of the little 
fellows being tied down to close reefs. The; preparatory 
gun Avas fired at 3 o'clock, and five minutes later the 25- 
footers were sent away, followed at five-minute intervals 
by the other classes. 
In the 25-foot class there were two Cape cats, Alert and 
Ideal, both of which have won a number of prizes in 
these waters before long overhangs came into use. There 
was a good race between these two, only 42 seconds sepa- 
rating them' at the finish. In the 21-footers Privateer, 
which has always kept the boats of her class hustling in 
the Y. R. A. races, had a pretty soft time of it, finishing 
before the class above her. Harriet might have made a 
good race for Privateer if she had been- traveling in com- 
pany with her, but Harriet started with the t8-footers, and 
was thrown out of her class. Delia won in the i8-footers 
and Clara in the 15-footers, both easily. The following 
is the- summary : •' ' ■ 
25-Footers. 
Actual. 
Alert, B. Ridireway 2 00 32 
Ideal, H. B. Wliittier 2 0114 - 
21-Footers. 
Privateer, John MacConncll, Tr 1 49 20 
y.nc H. Waite 2 04 19 
Ruth. A. S. Richards ,2 06 12 
Ma.gic, C. Field - 2 24 00 
IS-Fdoters. 
Delia, H. Kellv 1 52 04 
Thelma, E. H." TewfcsTjtiry 1 55 57 
Hector, A. W. Hnbl?ard 1 56 46 
Martha. W. Jenkins 2 01 25 
Henrietta, J. S, McCloskey 2 13 55 
15-Footers. 
Clai-a. W. Burgess 157 14 
Flash, W. H. Myrick ., .2 06 13 
The judges were E. P. Morse, S. M. Crane and C. W. 
Gray. 
At Lawlcy's the 85tt. auxiliary schooner Idler, designed 
by C. H. Crane for Henry T. Sloane, was launched Fri- 
day. An attempt was made to launch her on Thursday, 
bttt she stuck in the mud. She was hauled off_ Friday 
morning and h now at the end of the basin fitting out. 
The east shop is now pretty well cleared. The Binney 
7oft. -stcamc-r. the Hcrter 35-footer and the Lowell 25- 
footer are expected to hv launched very soon. The Wig- 
gins 25-foQter is all planked. In the west shop the plating 
is being put on the Crane 70ft. steamer and the Eno 120ft. 
steamer is being fitted up inside. The Boreland 86ft. 
steamer is ready for launching. Fred Lawlcy's 15ft. scow, 
Mclodie, has been launched and was given a trial' spin 
Sunday. 
Hanley has the Canada ctip defender Cadillac nearly 
ready for launching. She is 28ft. on the waterline, 40ft. 
over alLand has lift. beam. She looks like Genesee. She 
will have a bigger centerboard than Genesee, and will 
carry about 1.400 sq. ft. of sail. 
Crowninshield has designed three 20ft. raceabouta, 
which have been bttilt by Graves, of Marblehead, and from 
all accounts they are all proving very fast in- the pre- 
liminary sailing. John B, Killeen. 
New Rochelle Y* C Spting- Regatta. 
The , New Rochelle Y. C. held its spring regatta on 
Saturday, May 25, under trying weather conditions. Mr. 
Charles T. Power, secretary of the Regatta Committee, 
received some twenty entries, but only seven boats showed 
up, and but two classes w^cre filled. In the morning lower- 
ing skies and a chilly wind did not oifer many induce- 
ments for a race. About noon it started in to rain and 
continued to do so for the rest of the day. The race was 
scheduled to start at 2 o'clock, bttt so few boats had 
materialized and the weather was so bad that the start was 
postponed until 3 o'clock. Four raceabouts were ready at 
that time, and the two new HerreshoflF boats Rogue and 
Oonagh. Mr. Frank Bowne Jones was on hand with 
Badger, a, boat of Crowninshield design and a sister ship 
to Jolly Roger and Scamp, and Nirvana, another Crown- 
inshield boat that made a remarkable showing, consider- 
ing she was not intended for racing and was in cruising 
trim. In the Manhasset one-design class three boats 
started — Lambkin, Bab and Arizona. The raceabouts 
were started at 3 :20. Badger had rather the best of the 
start, until Oonagh forced her to give way just as they 
were crossing the line, and Badger had to take the lee- 
ward berth, although she crossed ahead. The starting line 
was a short one, and all the raceabouts were manetivering 
at the easterly end of the line near the stakeboat. Rogue 
INDEPENDENCE. 
Pesigned by B, B. Crowninshield loy Thos. '^V, Luwson. 
Photrv by Cr, 'W. TTow. 
