The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-23
MEASUREMENT AND TINE ALLOWANCE.

To THE EDITOR or TIE HERALp:-
Yachting may now be CLASSIFIED as one OF the leatl-
ing pastimes Of the citizens Of the United States,
ana 1t Is credit to the country that sport which
requires the exercise OF all nobest faculties OF
man has become generally popular. Tne sporl
OF yachting may fairly claim to be the nealtniest,
the most scientific aud the most instructive OF our
outdoor amusemenls and IL brings into play nerves
courage, foresight, energy, endurance ana most Of
the other noble qualities Of the mind and body.
What can be more eXhilaratIng than standing ~
the helm OF q noble craft with every inch OF canvas
stretched 10 ITS utmost ten5i0ns her bow dashin2
through the water at lively rate and leaving q
line of boiling foam to mark the course through
which the breeze has safely borne her And, then,
she Is gaining on that other white-winged lyer-a
Thought which sends the blood courslng through
the veins; but yet, amid all this Wild excitement,
foresight and prudence must be possessed by the
successful yachtsman, or else-now the breeze
fresnens, bang away goes the, jb, Lopsau
or the limoer topmast, which was bending
under The pressure Of the balloon kites that nave
been making her dance saucy through tn6
walters. Hall the course Is run and the road home
Is open before US with our adversary stil ahead 1T
is now that courage and nerve are brought into
play and, sending up more canvas sne shoors with
increased speed through the boiling SURF. Another
mile 90, and some dlty yards behind, maSeS
the race Intensely exciting. NOW science Is
brought 10 work, and bearing down on the adver-
sary with redoubled speed as our course IL held
point or TWO more Tree, take his wind aud dasn
by the stakeboat the winner OF the race.
specimens OF naval architecture nave added
10 our amateur navy that have uone credit TO the
brain which furnished the model and the skilled
mechanic who fashioned the working machine rom
the inventors Sample. There has been trouble
however, upon which there appears TO be put little
unanimty or Thought thar Is measurement--and IL
Is most essential tat In order to arrive at the n0sc
perfectly constructed sea-going craft combining
speed with STABILITY, tnat al should work from the
same fixed basis.
The success OF all great undertakings Is mainly
a A "A
ing that should carry every one forward, shoulder
to shoulder with one mutual object to be arrived
al. Under the existing laws that govern measures
ment and time allowance all yacht clubs OF any
magnitude have some peculiar IDEAS upon which
tney base tner code, and upon wnicn all their
yachts are constructed 30 as 10 obtain the greatest
power with the smallest measurements On the
Otner side or the water their yachts constructed
TO the very extreme in the way OF length and depth,
not from CHOICE but In order 10 produce the Largest
and most powerful vessel OF given tonnage. They
bulld according TO their code OF measurement,
winch is obtained by the produce OF the length mul.
the beam.
This accounts for the deep draugnt OF all English
yachts and their narrow beam. Now by the above
will he seen the utter Jolly OIL broad beam Ameri-
can craft competing under sucn laws. Although
the different systems or measurement thrOuxhOuE
the clubs of the United States would not make
such u vast difference as the one we have sampled.
1t ~ still necessary that we should be oete in
our own organization before appealing for an IN
ternation2l code OF measurement To govern the
construction OF all yacnt modes.
AS IL Is hardly necessary to walt until the
war breaks out oeiore we lay our plans
OF action. IL might be o JudiclOuS arrangements
TO call meeting or delegates OF yacht clubs
in the United States TO lay down soma
fixed code OF laws upon which they should mutually
determine. IL Is subject which requires much dis
Cusslon, as even after the system VI measurement
has been selected there Is much 10 be done In
ranging graduated scale OF time allowance TO De
used hereafter III all races sailed under the reguae
tons ald down by the Congress.
In coming TO any definite decision upon the SUBJ
ject OF measurement the members OF the Congress
would do well to base their deliberations win q
view to coming TO some arrangement that would
In no way cranp the Ideas vi the naval architect.
so that II they we're given two blocks Of wood oil
equal cubicaf content they might fashion their
MODEL In whatever shape or design their peculiar
skill ana science may lead them 10 judge best. So
that two blocks OF WOOD the one meas
feet deep, and the other 10 feet long, ~
feet wide and 90 deep, although they would
serve 10 give entirely different model would each
contain the same cuoical content With that Ide1
as given base there would be restriction to the
lines or the naval architect, and We should soon
rive at the perfect model. The system OF measure.
ment would then be oDtained from the cublctl
gether the length breadth ana depth. WlGn that sys
TEN III vogue all dimensions would receive their uud
award, and IL would soon be determined whetner
the deep, narrow -beaned yacht can be constructed
OF equal speed 10 the broad swallow vessel Oh me
same cubica contents.
There ale various other matters connected witR
yachlng interests tnat would naturally come before
the Congress, aud upon which 1t would be well 10
have unanimous 0pinlon. win so many yacnts-
men in consultation should probably nave ar.
rangcments made for somc nltiol1l prize, III wncns
perhaps the arcnltec might nave an interest as wen
as the yacht owner. oucn an idea woulu lenu an
additional interest IN tine Held oil competition.