The Portland daily press., 1886-06-21
FROM BATH.
Successful Launching of the Largest
Schooner in the World.
rspecial to the Press.1

Especial to the Press.l
BATH, June 19.-The coastwise freighting
business is not much more remunerative to
vessel owners that in the foreign trade 1t
is said that only the largest carriers can make
more than expenses. This has led to great
increase in the size of schooners. Capitalists
contract for bottoms that will carry $500 tons
of coal while few years since they thought
1900 was an enormous capacity. In the New
England shipyard of this city where in years
gone by huge ships reared their oaken
frames, to-day schooners are the only sail
ing vessels to be seen; into schooner building
the brains, the skill and the capital of ship
builders has been turned, and this branch OF
marine architecture is being developed with
astonishing results. This afternoon was
memorable in the history of Bath for the
launching !of the largest schooner in the
world, schooner that is remarkable for
more than size and more than beauty. Into
her has been put degree of inventive
genius and constructice skill that makes her
an example of the highest ideal of marine
architecture. As she stood upon the ways
her keel stretched for 203 feet beneath a
graceful black bull that measured 1400 tons
burden, 45 feet beam, % feet hold and 235
feet over all. When she had done the usual
graceful sliding down the ways and had be-
come the property of the Kennebec her keel
was eight feet from the surface of the
water. Forward she drank 6a feet, aft 81.
Marine Architect VIM. P. Patten was GER
tainly inspired when he draughted the lines
of the graceful model. The broad deck
sweeps gracefully from a wide stern to
keen bow In no particular do beholders
fail to praise the lines of beauty that give at
once speed, safety and carrying capacity.
AS she lays at the wharf let us go on board
and view the appointment of the largest
schooner that floats Forward hang from
the cat-heads two large anchors. One
weighs 1850, the other 1890, from them two
inch chains 70 fathoms in length lead through
the hawser pipe aft seyenty-fve feet, along
fair way to the middle house. Here is the
power that works the running rigging, an
chors and loading tackle of the whole schoon-
er, noiseless, friction-gear, hoisting engine
from the iron work department of the New
England Shipbuilding Company The
windlass one of the Bath Iron Works best
is situated on the forward part of the house.
The matches, four in number, are immense
in size, being 20 feet square. The depth of
hold is over twenty-three feet at these rais-
ing, beneath which, the keelson feet high,
is covered with iron straps, protection
again st the falling coal, for carrying which
the Lawrence is especially designed.
The cabin is exceedingly large and very
handsomely finished in hard woods. The
captains cabin is nearly as large as a draw
ing room. 1t is furnished in cherry, with
raw silk upholstering. Both the middle
house and the cabin are below the level OF
the deck, their roofs being just on level
with the rail. The deck is flush. with tight
waist. Going below decks we find that the
Lawrence is almost as vast as ship. About
ten feet below the main deck is spar deck,
which adds greatly to the appearance of
thorough workmanship apparent in every
timber. The hull is lined or ceiled with thir-
teen inch yellow pine, the wood of the plank
ing The frame is of oak and hackmatack.
Long ''pointers,.' or beams of oak, run OBJ
liquely from the deck forward down on the
ceiling to the stem as additional bracing.
The knees are of as large dimensions as in a
large ship.
This schooner is to have the four tallest
masts af1oat They are Ito feet in length.
With the topmasts they will measure 156 feet.
To raise them to their places no sheers could
be found long enough. A jibboom 70 feet in
length, % inches in diamer, and jgger
boom, rs feet in length and IS inches in diam
eter, are to be used. All of these massive
spars are of Oregon pine. The bowsprit is
the largest ever put into any style of vessel.
1t is 40 feet in length and 80 inches in diam
eter. The spread Of canvas on these sticks
will he about 600O yards. The standing rig
ging is entirely of wire. The Sarah Law
renee halls from Taunton, Mass where she
is owned She is to be commanded by Capt.
Jacob Phillips, of the home port
The New England Shipbuilding Co. con-
tracted today to build 1900 ton propeller, 225
feet in length, to run between New York and
Boston. The Iron Works will build the en-
gine.
The LOO ton four masted schooner Eva B..
Douglas, of New York, is ready for launch
ing, having been rigged upon the stocks. She
is a beauty. She will slide into the river on
the 2Sth. Capt. T. T. Anderson will COM
mand her. Her sister ship, the Cassie f.
Bronson, will be launched Suly 10th. She
will be commanded by brother of Capt.
Anderson, Capt VIM. A: Anderson. Both
commanders are of New York.
The keel for 400 ton schooner for Balti-
more parties has just been stretched. Another
for 200-tonner for Philadelphia parties has
been laid.
An Soo-tonner for New Haven parties has
been commenced.
A 800 ton whaling bark for New Bedford
parties is timbered out.
The Mt. Waldo, the New York Paving
Block Co.'s freighting steamer is receiving a
steeple compound engine at the Iron Works
Department.