The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-09-24 00:00:00

THE MERSEY YACHT CLUB-CLOSING TRIP

OF THE SEASON.

On Saturday last, the closing trip of this highly-promising
club` for the yachts already equipped, took place, and the
fine appearance of the vessels formed a new and interest-
ing feature in our estuary and outward channel. The
Commodore hoisted his flag on board of the Mermaid,
and, accompanied by several friends, started from the
Royal Rock Ferry at about half-past ten o'clock. Several
of the yachts also got under weigh at the same time from
the Rock, and the whole (each with several gentlemen on
board) assembled lower down the river, and at half-past
eleven—the commodore taking the lead—proceeded down
the Formby Channel. The day in the early part was
the
Channel North-w
wehstiehLtihgehyt-
somewhat hazy, with the wind about E.N.E. They soon
passed the Bell Buoy, and, with a flowing sheet, steered to
srletrnedl), a Innearing
breeze t he
sprang Horse
up, and several of the yachts lay to for a short time to
take in a reef, others continuing to carry all sail, and the
whole so manoeuvring as to keep well together in the rear
of the commodore. They numbered six in all namely,
the Mermaid, 25 tons (the commodore's) ; the Leander,
31 ; the Seagull, 31 ; the Ileynard, 15 ; the Edith, 10 ;
and the Jane 12. The Osprey, 45 tons, and Elizabeth, 20,
would have been present, but had previously been laid up
for the season. The Psyche, 60, belonging to B. H.
Jones, Esq.—a beautiful craft, though not yet of the
club—however, joined " the fleet" outside, in compliment,
making eight crack vessels. In beating up the Horse
Channel with a stiffish breeze, the larger and more pow-
erful vessels got a head—the Leander, in particular, show-
ing great adaptation for turning to windward. Good
seamanship was evinced throughout, and the trip was
altogether delightful. The sight of the gallant little ves-
sels, with their towering sails, stooping to the breeze, and
dashing along in friendly convoy, was exceedingly exhila-
rating ; but we shall manage these matters still more im-
posingly in a year or two, when we fully expect to muster
a fleet of thirty or forty clippers. The respective parties
on board of each yacht enjoyed themselves to the top of
their bent, and lunch ; dinner and tea were regularly pre-
pared and served on board. The joke and the song went
round, and as one neared another, the word of recognition
and friendship was treely passed. We did not expect so
many vessels to turn out at this advanced period of the
season—when most of the yachts were laid up; and the
muster on the occasion affords a gratifying proof of the
rapidly growing popularity of the club. On board of the
Seagull, two gentlemen who played the cornopean enli-
vened the day's proceedings with an occasional air on that
favourite instrument. On the next occasion the whole of
the amateur band to which they are attached will be in
attendance. The sight of the yachts coming up the river
in the evening, " homeward bound," was at once novel
and interesting. Most of them afterwards anchored
in the Sloyne, and reciprocated hospitalities, one vessel's
crew end party visiting another. The commodore (J.
Grindrod, Esq,) handed round to his visitors the handsome
silver cup he bad recently won at the Fleetwood Regatta,
not forgetting to fill it with sparkling wine ; and Mr.
Hazlehurst, owner of the Leander, who afterwards came
on board, brought " a shot from the locker" to replenish
it. The cabin accommodations of the larger yachts are
all that could be wished both for neatness and comfort,
and we need scarcely say that on board the Mermaid
" Success to the Mersey Yacht Club" was cordially drunk
by the guests. Most of the company landed in Cheshire,
and returned to the town by nine o'clock, after a day of
unmingled enjoyment and gratification. We should not
omit to state, that the smallest of the "fleet" that turned
out was a fine new vessel, built (we believe on speculation)
by Mr. Edwards, boat-builder. She fully proved herself
one of the fleetest amongst them of her class, keeping well
up at times with even the largest. We may add in con-
clusion, that we have learned that leave has been granted
to prefix the word " Royal" to the club, and its style and
title will hereafter be—
"THE ROYAL MERSEY YACHT CLUB."

CORRESPONDENCE.

PROPOSED IMPROVEMENT IN SHIPBUILDING

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

Sts,—As your great commercial paper is always anxious
to promote improvements in science which tend to the
welfare or safety of mankind, I shall feel obliged to you
by your insertion of the following remarks on the con-
struction of ships.
As regards the present mode of shipbuilding, there is a
difference of opinion as respects the strength arising from
a different connection of pieces, on which subject I beg to
offer the following remarks :
In the first place, as regards the framing. The timbers
are sided and then moulded, and these several pieces are
fastened by bolts, called frames or ribs ; these frames reach
from the keel to the gunwale, or top of the vessel ; now
the names of the different pieces of these frames are, the
floor timber (A), first futtock (B), second futtock (C),
third futtock (D), and toptitnber ; and it is upon the
butting and compiling of these several pieces that a great
portion of the strength of the ship depends. The present
mode of cutting these is to cut a piece out of the end of
each timber, nearly half the thickness for a cross chock
(F), and these cross chocks are put over the ends of these
buts. which is the very opposite to strength, as the
buts of these timbers should meet each other, and befitted
with a cut of a saw. If put together after this manner,
the middle section of the ship would form a stronger arch
against the external pressure of the fluid, as the strength
of a bridge is proportionate to the size of the stones.
Poops and topgallant forecastles are also of great injury
to vessels, for they are so lofty over the real height of the
ship that they make her labour very much in heavy wea-
ther ; and, besides, the vessel is always crank, and obliged
to carry extra ballast to keep her upright, or stiff, under
canvass. They are also great wind haunts. Ships were
never intended from the first to have them ; but man,
trying to surpass the laivs of proportion, becomes the victim
of his own folly ; and I have not the least doubt b t that
many vessels are lost by these incumbrances. Ships
should be made as compact as possible, so as to blend
strength, capacity, and velocity. The proportions of
vessels should be as follows :—Three times the breadth
and three-quarters the breadth, for the main length from
the fore part of the main stem to the after part of the maul
stern-post. The depth should be two-thirds of the main
breadth. This depth should be from the rabbit of the
keel to the under part of the main or upper deck. These
proportions would make her carry a fair cargo, shift with-
out ballast, and insure her safety very much.
I am, sir, yours respectfully,
ROBERT TALBOT, Ship-builder.
Liverpool, September 20th, 1844.
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MERSEY YACHT CLUB.—The honorary secretary of
this club has received letters from Sir Robert Peel, the
Earl of Wilton, the Marquis of Anglesey, and other
noblemen and gentlemen, consenting to become honorary
members of the club. The note of Sir Robert Peel is
chafacterised by his usual graceful language.
THE " MERCURY" OUT OF HIS WITS ! !—OUT contem-
porary of Friday publishes the following nzorceau:
" Why does the Liverpool Mercury say that Liverpool is the '
capital of the world's railways ? Do you give it up? Because it
finds the " capital" for the railways."
This may be capital wit, if we could only find it out. We
have gone overit again and again, in the hope ofextracting the
point, but with as little success as if we searched fora needle
in a bundleofhay, or, more appropriately, for a midge's wing
in a basket of chaff. Not only are we brought to a pause
to discover the wit of the riddle, but even the slightest
scintillation of reason, and it is positively cruel in the
Mercury, from whom so much is expected, not to have
put his conceit in doggerels (we shall not strain his abili-
ties to the stretch of verse,) so that we might not have
been wholly puzzled and disappointed at the same time ;
for if he could furnish us with no reason, he might have
condescended to supply us with a little rhyme. If he
means that Liverpool supplies all the capital for the rail-
ways we must take leave to differ from his " say," and
inform him that the men of capital in other towns and
places will consider the assumption a capital offence. The
late senior editor of the Mercury, who was a man of con-
siderable acquirements, and withal fond of a juke, used
to say of puns, that " the worse, the better ;" by way of
excuse for his own horrid perpetrations in that " high"
' department of literature. His successors appear to enter-
tain the same opinion as regards the world of conundrums,
" the further-fetched and the more stupid and inexplica-
ble the better." Will the Mercury please to tell us what
he really means, for we would not for a great deal lose a
single intellectual ray from so brilliant a luminary.
THE WORKHOUSE.—We understand that the Rev. S.
Cragg will shortly relinquish his clerical duties at the
Workhouse to his successor, the Rev. Mr. Bannistre,
who has already been introduced amongst his charge.
Mr. Cragg will in future officiate at Harborough Magna,
Warwickshire, to which preferment he was appointed
prior to his resignation of the chaplaincy of the Work-
house. In expressing our regret at Mr. Cragg's depar-
ture, we cannot avoid mentioning that a day or two since
a very well-written and gratifying address was unexpec-
tedly delivered to him, signed by the inmates of the
Workhouse, expressive of their sorrow at his removal,
and of their gratitude for his affectionate and persevering
labours amongst them, and for the benefits which they
had derived from his instructive addresses and patient
attentions. The letter affords abundant evidence that the
rev. gentleman has not laboured in vain, in the discharge
of those incessant and frequently irksome duties which
he was called upon to fulfil. The paupers have suffered,
we fear, an irreparable loss, unless his successor be a
gentleman of more than ordinary zeal and faithfulness.
Although Mr. Cragg has not obtained the very question-
able prize of hearing " all men speak well of him," lie
yet carries away with him many pleasing assurances that
his services are duly appreciated by those best able to
form a proper estimate of their value ; for we may add
that Mr. Cragg has received, during his three years' so-
journ at the Workhouse, numerous testimonies of his
ministerial efficiency, which we should certainly have
made public had we Mr. Cragg's permission to do so,

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