746 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Nov. 7, 1908. 
consuming .8 pint per horsepower hour. If, 
however, .75 per horsepower hour were found 
to be a better average the equation would be 
P equals 4-3 P- . , , 
“The disadvantages of this system of calcu¬ 
lation appear to me to be less than those under 
any other system and are completely out¬ 
weighed by the advantages, which may be stated 
briefly as follows: 
“(1) The new system can be applied to all ex¬ 
isting formulae without alteration. The multi¬ 
plier would, of course, be varied to suit the 
various liquid measure in use abroad. 
“(2) It puts a premium on motors of good 
and economical design, because the engine 
which uses the least fuel for any given result 
is the lighter-rated; or, in other words, the en¬ 
gine which gives out the most utilized power 
per unit of fuel consumed secures the greatest 
advantage. 
“(3) The skill of the operator is encouraged 
because the more economical running on the 
official trial the lower the rating. 
“(4) The revolution difficulty is entirely 
eliminated. 
“(5) Two four, and six-stroke motors can 
race together on equal terms without giving 
ground for controversy. 
“(6) Equal chances are given to engines of 
equal efficiency regardless of type. Fast or 
slow-running motors with high or low pres¬ 
sures. long or short stroke, are all treated 
equitably. This is conducive to development 
on practical lines resulting in improvement of 
type. 
“(7) The possibility of error is small. Any 
trifling error which may occur in the measure¬ 
ment of the fuel would result in an almost 
equally small inaccuracy in the rated horse¬ 
power. The several 100 per cent, errors which 
are present under the M.M.A. rule would be un¬ 
heard of. 
“(8) Whatever faults the system may have it 
must be conceded that it has absolutely the 
merit of being impartial, and should therefore 
be popular. 
“Any governing body adopting this_ system 
would, of course, have to make certain rules 
bearing upon and defining the method of meas¬ 
urement. It can safely be left to the associa¬ 
tions and clubs adopting the method to arrange 
rules for the guidance of measurers. _ In addi¬ 
tion, I suggest that competitors be instructed 
to declare the following, particulars, which are 
to be verified or subject to verification by the 
official measurer during a trip on board on a 
calm day: 
“(1) The average consumption of fuel at full 
speed during a continuous run of. three hours. 
“(2) Mean speed on measured mile taken dur¬ 
ing the course of the three hours’ run. 
“(3) Makers’ selling power. 
“Perhaps some explanation is necessary to 
show the necessity for the last two declarations. 
It is necessary that the maximum speed be 
published, so that the committee and competi¬ 
tors would have some ground on which to base 
a protest. If a boat without assistance from 
tide or wind be found to exceed her declared 
speed, it might be reasonably assumed that she 
was also exceeding her fuel consumption, and 
consequently her rated horsepower, which 
would be sufficient reason to request a remeas¬ 
urement. A similar inference would be drawn 
if a boat equaled or nearly equaled her de¬ 
clared speed when running against a strong 
tide or wind. 
“With regard to makers’ selling power, I 
would suggest that it might be advisable to 
have a rule that no engines will be rated at less 
than .9 or .85 of the makers’ maximum selling 
power. This would act as a check or the tend¬ 
ency to overlist. If an engine is not fit to race 
at its maximum selling power, it is not fit to 
be sold at that power. This figure must be 
arranged so as to tax an engine of great 
economy, and one which gives more than its 
rated power by reason of consuming less fuel 
than the average, which it may be decided 
to adopt in the formula. 
“I do not mention disadvantages, because at 
the present time I see no serious objections, but 
in publishing the idea, it is with the hope that 
it will be fully discussed and any possible 
weaknesses pointed out and improvements sug¬ 
gested, with the result that in the near future 
we may have a system of rating horsepower 
which will encourage efficiency and economy, 
and thereby improve type, to the lasting bene¬ 
fit of marine motoring.” 
Small Craft of Australia. 
Dr. IT. B. James, of San Francisco, who is 
an ardent yachtsman, has recently visited 
Australia, and while there he watched races in 
which sea wrens, as they are called, or sailing 
dinghies took part and was much interested in 
the way the small boats were handled. On his 
way home he stopped at Honolulu, and there 
gave an account of the racing, which was pub¬ 
lished in the Pacific Commercial Advertiser, of 
Honolulu. 
Dr. James says the Australians have tried 
several types of small boats and have come to 
the conclusion that the 14-footer is the best all- 
around craft. The Advertiser says: 
“This has decided the local sailors to give up 
the idea of a longer boat and to adopt the 
regular sea wren model. They are influenced 
in this decision by the fact that the regular 
model has been abundantly proven a success in 
the East and in Australia, and as the. parts are 
cut out to form, and in great quantities, they 
will be able to get them at a very much lower 
figure than if they ordered special parts made. 
“This has not been passed on officially at a 
meeting of the yacht club yet, but there seems 
to be no doubt that this will be the action taken 
at the next meeting, judging by the opinions 
expressed by influential members who are 
greatly interested in the one-design class. 
“Small boat racing in Australia has been 
brought down to a fine point. These little craft 
are really miniature racing sloops and carry a 
cloud of sail that is almost unbelievable. In 
beating to windward they carry merely a main¬ 
sail and jib, and they carry it in any kind of 
weather, as they have eight men on the boat 
and this live ballast piles up to windward and 
holds the boat up even when it is blowing a 
gale. 
“But when they round the buoy and start on 
the run down the wind,, sail after sail is spread 
until the little craft are packing an expanse of 
canvas that looks enough for the Shamrock. 
They have, of course, the regulation spinnaker 
and ballooner, hoisted to the head of a long 
topmast, but after these are set, other sails be¬ 
gin to 'make their appearance. First a spar 
slides out from the end of the gaff, and then 
one from the boom, extending both a matter 
of 10ft. to 12ft.. On these additions is spread 
a ring tail, or studding sail. Up above the 
mainsail a topmast makes its appearance, and 
finally a water sail, which hangs below the 
boom above the water; spreads out to the 
breeze, and every puff of wind that comes that 
way is caught and held by the enormous kite 
of canvas above the tiny boat. 
“The handling of all this sail on so small a 
hull calls for the most expert sailorizing, and a 
man has to prove himself a genuine sailor be¬ 
fore he is honored by a place among one of the 
racing crews. 
“Capsizing is, naturally, frequent, but they 
don’t mind this, and always go prepared for 
such an event by wearing nothing but a sweater 
and a pair of loose knee pants. The sharks are 
fierce in those waters, but these yachtsmen have 
learned to have no fear of them, as they have 
found that a shark will not come near a cap¬ 
sized boat, as the sail in the water frightens 
them away. 
“The keenest interest is taken in the small- 
boat races, especially in Sydney, and it is a 
wonderful sight when a dozen or more of these 
little racers spread their canvas for the run be¬ 
fore the wind. Each one of them carries a 
large distinguishing mark on the sail, so that 
each one can be easily made out from shore 
during the race. Two of the boats have half 
moons; they are the Violet I. and II., a descrip¬ 
tion of the latter of which is as follows: 
“Violet II., champion 14-footer of Australia. 
1905-6-7. Dimensions of sail area off the wind 
1,273 sq. ft. Sails consist of mainsail, topsail, 
spinnaker, ringsail and watersail. Her per¬ 
formance for seasons 1906-7 is seventeen starts, 
nine firsts, three seconds, two thirds and two 
fourths, which include the championship of 
Queensland, and the Australian championship. 
“Violet II. is a batten carvel-built 14-footer, 
with a beam of 6ft. Sin. outside of the planking, 
and carrying a 3m. beading. Her moulded 
depth is ift. nin.. depth forward 2ft. 2in., and 
depth aft 2ft. 2j4in. She has a deck sheer of 
about 3in. Across the tuck, which is much sim¬ 
ilar to Violet I., she measures 6ft. The keel 
spring is about 6^4in. forward, but runs out 
nearly straight aft, only carrying iin. spring. 
The keel is out of 7in. by ij 4 in. in yellow wood, 
the stem a natural ti-tree knee cut to fit the 
great flare in the bow, while the stern post is 
of 7in by ij^in. yellow wood. The planking is 
of 3 .^in. cedar, all the planks running full length, 
the top planks running out on the deckline for¬ 
ward, the widest plank in the boat being about 
5in. The timbers are of iin. by J 4 in. in yellow 
wood, spaced 5j4in. centers, and all steamed to 
fit neatly. Sister timbers are fitted under the 
mast thwart, where strength is required to 
carry racing spars and gear. Bilge stringers 
are of 2in. by J 4 in. yellow wood, and deck 
clamps of 3in. by J 4 in. yellow wood. The 
centerboard case is 5ft. 9m. long, ift. 6in. deep, 
constructed of iin. cedar, and tapered to suit a 
dagger-board, which will have a drop of about 
5ft. 4in. below the keel. The decking is of 
y 2 in. beech, the forward deck being 2ft. from 
the stemhead, while side decks are Sin. wide 
and run out on the tuck. The tabernacle for 
the mast is constructed of cedar, while the deck 
thwart is of ioin. by ij 4 in. yellow wood. The 
mast thwart is very well kneed in, the knees 
supporting both above and below, besides form¬ 
ing a bracket to carry the thwart. 
“The chain plates, runner plates, bobstay shoe, 
hawse, and all fittings are of brass. The dimen¬ 
sions of the new Craft’s spars are as follows: 
Bowsprit, Sin. outboard; mast, 22ft. 6in. over 
all; boom, 22ft.; gaff, 14ft.; and the hoist of the 
mainsail will be about 13ft. 6in. The boat is 
varnished inside, while the topsides and under- 
bodv have a preparation of polish on, which 
seems to impart a very good surface. The 
planking is picked cedar, and of high color, so 
that as it ages it will not get too dark, and 
should show up well. With her crew on board, 
the craft will draw about Sin.” 
A. C. A. Membership. 
NEW MEMBERS PROPOSED. 
Atlantic Division.—S. Lawrence Woodhouse, 
4647 Oakland street, Frankford, Philadelphia, 
Pa., by Frank T. Wilson; Raymond M. Cross¬ 
man, 76 William street, New York city, by A. 
M. Poole; Franklin W. Hopkins, 25 Broad street. 
New York city, by Edward Polasek. 
Central Division.-—C. Phillips Hill, 919 Liberty 
avenue, Pittsburg, Pa., by H. D. James; K. A. ; 
Simmon, 800 Penn avenue, Wilkinsburg, Pa.; > 
A. M. Dudley, 2104 Delaware avenue, Swiss- 
vale, Pa., and Howard A. Noble, 7337 Hermitage 
street, Pittsburg, Pa., all by H. D. James. 
Eastern Division.-—Lewis P. Allen, Provi¬ 
dence. R. I., by Wm. A. Heath; Loren Anthony, i 
12 Belden street. Providence, R. I., by L. M. 
Graves. 
NEW MEMBERS ELECTED. 
Atlantic Division.—5610, William McAndrew, 
Kingsbridge, New York city; 5611, William L. , 
Helm. The Crest, Ossining, N. Y.; 5612, G. Rod- ! 
man F. Genet, Ossining, N. Y.; 5613, Leo W. 
Wertheimer, 135 Broadway, New York city. 
Grows Better. 
Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 16. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
* * * One word about your paper—it grows better at 
each issue, and that is saying a good deal, for it always 
has been, I think, the standard publication of its kind 
in America. J • M., J*- 
