Arizona weekly citizen., 1884-11-29
4 VANISHING LEGEND.
That to the Effect That Two Boats Oanno'
 be Built to be Just Alike,

''Is it true, when fast steamer Ina,
 been brought out, that all attempts to
 build her equal. even by following the
 lines of her model. are failures?" was
 asked of Mir John Roach, the iron ship
 builder.
 ''The Mary Powell is given as an in-
 stance of the kind" said he. There
 are other cases where fast boats have
 been built and other builders have tried
 to initiate them without success. The length and beam and the various di- | mansions are obtained. and the frames
 are laid down on the floor accordingly.
 but when the boat slides into the water
 1t Is found that they have quite a differ
 ent craft in speed, if not in other partic-
 ulars. An imitation is never equal to-
 the original. The truth is, the imitation
 cannot be built on the lines of the origi-
 nal boat Builders do not tell the SC
 crets of their models to others. They
 may hang up pretty model in the of-
 flee. and label it with the name of the
 fast boat. It is not the model of the
 boat, however. If boat is ordered at
 one yard, to be exactly like some other
 one built in that yard, an approxima-
 ton can be obtained. If the old draw ings are on hand they can be transfer red to the floor and patterns made from | them, and the frames and beams will | be made from the patterns. But humar | skill is not so perfect that it can make 8 | piece of iron, thirty or forty feet long. | that will be exactly like q piece that
 was made year or two years before
 Slight variations will be made ia trans | ferring the draft tO the floor, in making | the patterns, and in bending the frames
 When an order is given for two or more steamers to be built at once and exactly alike, the problem is simpler Within a year we have built six steamers. three from one model and three from another. They are the San Juan, San Jose and San Bias, and the Finance. Advance and Reliance. The Reliance. for in- stance. will be found to be exactly like each of it's sister ships, by any system of measurement that can be devised. There is g difference in the time made between ports by these vessels.
 Handling q ship is delicate matter as we'll as building ship. Some allow ance must be made for difference in the ohAAA VI AitAN -sAtOAN anu bA anu firemen. l can build ship and guar antee any speed required within certain limits, but l must have her handled in my way to attain the contract speed. Some men make fire two feet thick. Others take a pride in their business. and keep q thin fire that makes steam half faster with less coal Some navi- gators know how tO trim their cargo tO give their ships the highest speed. But with all those things equal there are differences in ships which are apparent ly just alike. The difference will usual ly be found very slight. It could be found if looked for.
 Mir. A. Perry Bliven. who has modelled { a number of fast yachts, was asked if he thought that two ships built on the i same lines could have different speeds He said: Certainly; but it does not follow that there is any mystery about it. Iron ships can be built to run any |, desired speed inside the limit, and the , limit is growing larger. Many yachts, have been built on the same model that were as far apart in speed aS clipper ships and Dutch galleys. The ] search for the difference did not always reveal it. Apparently slight differences . in the set of the sails, in the rake of the 7 mastS, in the trim of the ballast, in {, weight of the timbers used, will make all the difference in the world in the !: speed of a vessel. Some vessels sail ou ' one tack better than on the other. The | Maine shipyards are full of such stories i It is well known that engines can be | built that are exactly alike. The differ V ence in steamers must therefore be in |, he hull. If an elaborate series of ex- Deriments was made with two vessels \ built on one model the cause of the diff n terence in speed would be found. The end to be attained is hardly worth the V expense. The mystery of the thing is . one of the vanishing legends of the fore f castle "-NctC YOrk Sun. |