504 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 24, 1910. 
Scientific Designing. 
Ix the rigging of our yachts there is one very 
common peculiarity, if not an error—there is no 
consistency in the angle of the spreaders. In 
some yachts they are inclined upward, and in 
some downward ; and the size of the angle is a 
variable quantity. In these days of scientific 
(save the mark!) methods of designing we 
would expect to see some definite principle in 
details like this, says the Yachtsman. Should 
the spreaders not be inclined so that they bisect 
the angle of the topmast shroud caused by them? 
In this way there would be a pure "push'’ stress 
on the spreaders and it would be possible to 
design them (if not exactly suited to the inde¬ 
terminate stresses coming upon them) to be, at 
least, in keeping with the strength of the shroud. 
Is it not in this direction that our efforts to be 
scientific should lie? For instance the rigging 
of a yacht can be arranged so that all the de¬ 
tails are of uniform strength, and then no part 
is excessively stressed. 
We can hardly calculate from first principles 
the stresses coming on a mast. But we can cal¬ 
culate the dimensions of a rigging screw to be 
in keeping with the strength of the shroud of 
which it forms a part. Is this class of detail, 
as indicated by the case of the spreaders, not 
neglected in these days of scientific design ? 
Perhaps the writer might indicate the nature 
of the problem involved in an attempt to calcu¬ 
late the stresses coming on a mast. It is, of 
course, possible to determine the righting moment 
in foot tons of a yacht at any inclination. If we 
take, say, the maximum angle of heel as the one 
at which the deck edge is immersed we can cal¬ 
culate the corresponding righting moment. This 
moment must be equal to the moment upsetting 
the vessel when sailing at that angle of heel. 
We are justified in considering that all this 
moment is transmitted by the mast and the 
weather shrouds. There must be a slight amount 
transmitted by the bowsprit and the mainsheet, 
but we may neglect this. So that our problem 
is to determine the system of loading on a canti¬ 
lever formed by the mast and the weather 
shrouds which will give a known moment about 
the axis of inclination. The cantilever in ques¬ 
tion is not one suited to simple calculation. The 
deck will act as a support, there will be concen¬ 
trated loads at the halliards, and a distributed 
load up the huff of the mainsail. In short, we 
shall have a complex structure loaded in a com¬ 
plex manner, and therefore unsuited for ca'cula- 
tion. Even if we could determine the stresses 
there are no data on the strength of timber 
joined by glue, such as used nowadays in built 
masts. Anyone who did make something of a 
calculation of this kind would probably use a 
high "factor of safety,” which would be an ad¬ 
mission right away that the calculation is not 
exact. For what after all is this but a “factor 
of ignorance.” 
News from the Clubs. 
A new yacht club has been organized to be 
known as the Rockaway Point Y. C. It will 
have a club house at Rockaway Point and race 
on Jamaica Bay. The officers of the club are: 
George W. Norris, Commodore; William Mc¬ 
Millan, Vice-Commodore; W. S. Chase, Rear- 
Commodore; P. Howard Reid, Treasurer; L. J. 
Dolfini, Secretary. 
The Bellport Y. C. has elected officers and 
committees for next year as follows: Commo¬ 
dore, Francis H. Holmes; Vice-Commodore, 
Alexander N. Cook; Secretary and Treasurer, 
James R. Watkins; Trustees—Clarence Vose, 
Frederick Edey. William H. Langley, Rev. C. 
F. J. Wrigley, Oliver W. Robinson and D. B. 
Hennessey; Regatta Committee-—A. I.. Starke, 
Chairman, James R. Watkins, Henry Edey. Dr. 
E. P. Crowell, Richard B. Hamel and E. J. 
O’Gorman. 
The annual meeting of the Jamaica Bay Y. 
C. will be held at Holland Station on Oct. 9. 
The following nominations have been made 
and the members will elect officers at that meet¬ 
ing: Commodore. George Emener; Vice-Com¬ 
modore, John D. Stem; Rear Commodore, R. 
T. Kriete; Fleet Captain, James Snyder; Secre¬ 
tary. Charles Griswold; Treasurer. Frank A. 
Cooper; Directors, William J. Moran, Benjamin 
F. Daly, Alexander H. McPhee, Maurice J. 
Calvin; Chairman of House Committee, John 
H. Ferrill; Chairman of Membership Commit¬ 
tee, James E. Lent; Chairman of Entertainment 
Committee, James H. Flynn; Chairman'of Re¬ 
gatta Committee, Walter N. Reynolds. 
Glass for Ships Bottom. 
A provisional patent has been obtained by 
Bernard A. Kupferberg and Captain Neilson for 
a method of preventing the fouling of the hulls 
of ships, particularly in tropical waters, by cov¬ 
ering the hulls with sheets of glass, says the 
Yachting World. The glass is applied to the 
bare metal in pieces about six inches square, and 
is fastened by a layer of a special adhesive sub¬ 
stance formed of wood pulp, resin and linseed 
oil. This layer is about Y% inch in thickness 
and, besides fixing the glass, compensates for the 
difference between the co-efficients of expansion 
of the metal and the glass. It is claimed that 
it is impossible for foul growths to obtain a hold 
on the hull of a vessel which is treated in this 
manner and that the necessity of painting is en¬ 
tirely obviated. Even when the glass is cracked 
with a hammer it appears to remain firmly ad¬ 
herent to the metal plate. 
Alt&ir to be Raced Again. 
The Hollis Burgess Yacht Agency has sold 
the fast Herreshoff 45-foot sloop Altair, built 
by Herreshoff, to Edward Manahan, of Boston. 
Altair, which was formerly owned by Cord 
Meyer, of New York, is 74 feet over all, 14 feet 
3 inches beam and 14 feet 4 inches draft. She 
will be sailed by Hollis Burgess next season 
and will be raced along the Eastern coast and 
in Long Island waters. 
Big Schooner for R. E. Tod. 
Former Commodore Robert E. Tod, of the 
Atlantic Y. C., has placed an order with the 
Staten Island Shipbuilding Company for a 
three-masted steel schooner, which is to be 
ready for commission next summer. The new 
yacht will be 198 feet . 6 inches long, 38 feet 
beam, 26 feet draft and 17 feet beam and will be 
named Karina. It will cost $200,000. Commo¬ 
dore Tod formerly owned the schooner Thistle, 
which took part in the race across the ocean for 
the Kaiser’s cup. 
Motor 'Boating . 
Through Niagara Whirlpool. 
Klaus Larsen last Sunday took his motor 
boat Ferro successfully through the Whirlpool 
Rapids at Niagara Falls. Larsen escaped with 
a bruised leg. The boat was much the worse 
for the trip. Larsen attempted to reach Lewis¬ 
ton, but the engine would not work after the 
launch had passed the rapids and Larsen landed 
near Niagara University. The launch is 18 feet 
long and 5 feet beam. 
The Ferro left the dock at 5 o’clock and 
headed straight for the rapids. Leaving the 
dock, Larsen sent her to mid-stream and then 
he headed straight for the rapids. He kept 
right in the center. At 5:05 o'clock Larsen 
passed under the railway bridge, and it was 
evident there was no turning back. He was in 
full view as his head appeared above a canvas 
over the cockpit and which protected the body. 
Under full power he drove the launch into-the 
rapids and from then on the tiny craft was for 
the most part lost to the view of the spectators. 
The tossing spray of the giant combers hid it. 
The people, watching breathlessly for a sight 
of the little boat, gasped as they saw it shoot 
twenty feet out of the water when struck by a 
great wave. The Ferro landed right side up. 
however, and continued on to the whirlpool. 
Larsen kept to the outer edge of this treacher¬ 
ous maelstrom and passed out and down with¬ 
out accident. It was just as he left the pool, 
he said later, that his engine stopped. It was 
impossible to start it again and Larsen clung 
to his wheel. 
In two minutes the Ferro was drifting stern 
first and swung from one side of the river to 
the other. Larsen found it impossible to keep. 
a course. Safely passed the Devil’s Hole, the 
little motor boat was tossed toward the rocks 
on the American side. These Larsen had feared 
all along. It was his hope that by keeping the 
engine running he could hug the Canadian 
shore and thus escape the ugly boulders. Here 
the Ferro glanced against one rock and then 
was jammed between two. For five minutes 
Larsen worked desperately to get his craft free. 
Finally succeeding, he was tossed toward mid¬ 
stream, but at the bend in sight of the Lewiston 
bridge he was sucked toward the American 
shore again and ran aground. Roy Rockwell, 
of Niagara Falls, waded into the water and 
caught the painter. Larsen was taken aboard 
a trolley car and rode to Lewiston, where the 
Ferro was picked up later, having been sent 
adrift. 
Larsen’s Ferro is the second engine-propelled 
craft to navigate successfully the Whirlpool 
Rapids. The old Maid of the Mist was sent 
through in 1864 to avoid confiscation. Peter 
Nissen, of Chicago, took an ordinary boat 
through in 1900, and C. A. Percy, of Niagara 
Falls, went through in 1887 and 1901 in an en¬ 
gineless craft. 
Novice in a Motor Boat. 
A small motor boat equipped with everything 
that the new Federal law requires and with vari¬ 
ous things that were supposed to be necessary 
under the regulations that some of the Govern¬ 
ment officials tried to enforce before the present 
law was enacted furnished amusement a few 
days ago to the persons who happened to be on 
a little pier in the lower bay when the boat ar¬ 
rived. 
d'he boat was a dory about twenty feet long 
with a five horsepower motor in it, says the Sun. 
The seats were piled up with new life jackets. 
On the floor of the cockpit was a whistle, a 
bell and a foghorn. Sailing lights and a white 
lantern were in evidence on the little forward 
deck and the owner had two copies of the motor 
boat law in a locker. The boat also carried half 
a bushel of patent fire extinguishers. 
Watchers on the pier as the strange boat came 
in saw that there was excitement on board. 
The boat came nearly alongside and then veered 
off and cut through among the boats at anchor 
or lying at moorings. 
As she circled, a series of explosions came 
from the motor that seemed greatly to alarm the 
occupants. At length as if not knowing what 
else to do the man at the wheel headed the 
boat for the float stage at the pier and ran full 
tilt into it. 
The boat bounded back after the first impact 
and again bucked the float stage. Then the man 
at the wheel caught hold of a short painter that 
was made fast to a ringbolt at the bow, pulled 
back with all his might and veiled: 
“Whoa! Whoa!” 
The others in the- boat seemed to think they 
should help, and they hurried to the front of 
the cockpit and joined in the same yelk Their 
weight forward raised the propeller out of the 
water and the motor raced at a speed that added 
to their alarm, and all the while the motor was 
firing with pops as loud as pistol reports. 
A youngster who was sitting in a skiff along¬ 
side called out: “Shut of the current!” 
“Have shut it off," said the man at the painter, 
“but she won’t stop. Whoa! Whoa!” 
Then the boy climbed over into the motor 
boat, closed the needle valve and opened the 
explosion chamber relief cock, and after a few 
more loud pops the motor came to a standstill. 
The cause of the trouble was ‘the failure of 
the water pump. The electrodes in the cylinder 
had become heated to white heat and they kept 
firing the charges after the spark was shut off. 
