The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1883-11-11
SOME BIG THREE.MAsTERS.
Bigger Than Many square-Risged Vessels.

On the Atlantic side big schooners
with three masts are becoming the fash
ion. Except for round-the-worldv voyages
the S, hooner as now built is the most
economical vessel afioat, She costs less
TO build, because there are no yards TO
make and rig. The masts cost less. A
smaller crew can handle her with equal
safety. When ship is going about from
one tack to the other, what with rising
tacks and sheets and bracing around the
yards and getting everything snug again,
il is job that is performed when the
watch is called, so that all hands can
have a chance at the sport. Besides, the
ship when in stays often loses her head
way and drifts astern part of the time.
But when a schooner is beating TO wind
ward the helm is put down by the man at
the wheel. She comes up with her can
vas shaking fore and aft. A man shifts
the topsail tack and the bOoms swing
over. The mate looks on with his hands
in his pockets. Two men only are on
deck. She never loses headway for an
instant, but gains several lengths to
windward every time she tacks. Once
around she will run from one 20 two
points nearer to the wind than the ship.
The schooner rig Is an American inYen-
tion. Capt. Andrew Robinson, Of Glou-
cester, Mass, built the first one IN lib.
Ii had two masts. 1t was rig that came
10 stay. As the coasting trade increased
the vessel owners built larger schooners
and rugged them with loftieT spars and
greater spreads of canvas. They all had
two masts only. About 1850 or 1856 they
began TO see that the great mainsail was
1 . l.. 80 .. -, ..T
schooner. The schooner spread too much
canvas for a gale of wind even when
close reefed. So they put three masts
into the schooners, making three sails
out of the canvas formerly used for two.
After the war. as the coasting trade in
creased, large schooners were a neceSs-
ity, and the number of three-masters in
creased. One-fifth of the schooners in
Lloyd's American Register have three
masts. Nearly one-hAlf the schooners
launched in 1882 had three masts, and
all schooners of 800 tons burden and up
ward are now rigged in that style.
The advantages of having three high
and narrow and therefore light and easi-
ly handled sails IN place of two high
broad and heavy ones are SO obvious that
schooners of only 200 tons are rigged
with two masts. The John s. Case, a
three-master of Rockland, Me-, is only
LIP feet in length over all.
VIM. Ingersol d Co.'S Nollie j. SaHRd-
erS is one of the largest. She was built
by David q. CARL, at City Island, in 1882.
She will carry Zoo to 1,600 tons of coal.
That would have been considered good
cargo for ship once. There are larger
schOOners than she Is but not many. At
that size the sails become pretty heavy,
and then resort is had to four mPsts, all
,fA III. ~
Il. Church. belonging 10 j. B. Phillips d
Co., Taunton. has four masts. They are
called the fore, main, mizzen and
spanker. That schooner Is 1872 feet long,
30 feet beam. and l6 feet deep. She will
carry more than 1000 tons. There are
plenty of barks that will not carry so
much.
The whole question of rigging a ship
is 10 get the necessary spread of canvas
in the most convenient shape. For long
voyages schooners have not done so well
as vessels with square sails, because the
square sails are more easily handled In a
gale of wind. After gale il is impossi-
| ble to spread canvas to steady the vessel,
for in a schooner there are no braces to
steady the gaffs, as there are on a square
rigged ship to steady the yards. When
schooner Is rolling around with no wind,
the sails sway and surge across the deck
with a report like that of a cannon. The
sails have TO be lowered TO keep them
| from Stating out, and there the vessel
lies wallowing in the swells like a por-
poise. That Is an experience 20 make
any man sick. On a square-ricged YES
sci the lower tOpsails could be set.
The first iron vessel built in this co1n-
try was the John W. ErermGH. She Is a
steam vessel now. She was a three
masted schooner when launched, in 1855.
She was built by Harlan & Hollingsworth,
at Wilmington. In 1865 wooden bull
warks were built up above her deck and
another deck was put on over all. Ma
chinery to convert her into a steam YES
sci was put IN. She is the property of
VIM. p. CLYDE & Co. The only iron
schooner afloat of American build is the
Josephine, a center-board schooner, built
by the Cramps in the Spring Of 1880. She
is 129 feet inches long between perpen-
diculars, 2f feet beam, and 10 feet
inches deep. She registers 366 tons. She
is the property of John Middleton OF
| PhiladelDlla