Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-04-09
MANY VISITORS TO THE ALLAN
TIC
mbing up slippery PlRnks-The
Look of tho New Yacht.
From ne Nelo Yort Tri5uue.


The Puritan-Genesta races last fall
gave yachting great 'boom,' the effects
OF which are still noticeable. The pre-
Hminary struggle between the Priscilla
and the Puritan, which excited the local
patriotism OF New York and Boston, will
probably have its counterpart this year.
Gen. Paine's big sloOp which is building
in Boston, and the Atlantic, whose
stately lines are Undertaking in timber
and planking at Bay Ridge, will dOubt
less come together and there Will be
another battle OF the giants in whicn
Wall street and Beacon street will get
intensely interested. One result OF last
years racing was to render a species OF
spy-glass and excursion boat steamship
b0tb popular and general. Beuighted
landsmen, who never knew a centre
board from a lap-bOard, read their six
columns a day Of Yachting news and
talked Of starbOard tacks, fOrestaysails,
club t0psails, and "out-po ntlng' until
they acquired an intensely saline flavor.
That there is plenty of the Old enthu-
siasm left is shown by the crowds Of peo-
pie " no 90 down 10 Bay Ridge on week
days aud on sundays to look at Capt.
EllswOrth's sloOp, the Atlantic. Tley
are not content with looking at her.
They elmo over her and crawl undu
her. They stand before her sharp bow in
rapt contemplation, "getun' her lines,
as the uninitiated are TOLD, and they wan
der under her counter and nearly twist
their heads of looking up al her V shaped
stern. Doubling ThOmases, who viii
not be convinced Of her promised speed
and beauty, stick their fingers into her
nall-hOles and pick at her caulking.
Yesterday was not a model day for
climbing about the hull OF vessel that is
prOpped up in an open shipvard, but there
were lots Of people who defed the wealth
er and did their climbing just the same.
Every time the important little dummy
came changing and putting down Third
avenue, it stopped at Fitty-ffth street,
and let out more or less of a crown bound
for Mr. Mumm's shipyard and a look at
the Atlantic. They kept along in the lee
OF the fences to dodge the snow as much
as possible and picked their way over the
damp ground and the shavings bestreWn
shlpyard till the sloop stood before them
or TIN they stood before the sloOp. After
they hsd viewed her from all points the
next thing was to climb up on the narrow
plank staging and get on deck. This
operation was more amusing to the on
lockers than to the performers. The
pianks were covered with sic and in
cliued at a steep angle. The man with
an inquiring mind would labOriously
work his way up, holding hls umbrella IN
one hand and clutchlng every hing with
in reach with the other. When he had
gained a foothold on the horizontal stagin
he would gaze around " iIh look that was
equivalent to a recitation OF "EXcels iOr, :"
with nall dozen extra canlos. After he
had got used TO the elevation he would
trot around and closely scrutinize the
BALI finished plankIng OF the rail with an
air of doubtful approval. After awhile
he would gain sufficient courage 10 climb
over the rail aud peer down through the
cherry wood combings OF the hatcnes as
though he expected to find the solution 10
the Oregon mystery in the hold. Then,
having explored and conquered the little
world or the Atlantic, nothing remained
but to retreat. This simple manmuvre,
however, afforded the spectators, WAC
had o0ntented themselves with staying
under the shed, more pleasure than any
otothers. The planks We're growing more
slippery every moment, SO that when the
explorer and critic was once started, ne
kept going faster and faster until the last
half OF the descent was performed with
more rapidity than grace, and nothing
but tne parachute-like umbrella kept him
right end up.
The Atlantic is of about the same
dimensions as the Puritan, though of
quite different model. She is hollow
backed, like IS broken-down saddle horse
or a Chinese junk. She has great breadth
of beam amidships, but tapers quite
sharply to bow and stern. The latter is
OVerhanging Ike the Puriian's. 1t is said
that her canvas IS to be cut in an ALTO
Sether new style SO as to give a more
effective sail area. She Is planked and
cRulked both deck and hull, but the first
coat Of paint only covers a few planks ON
either side. At the first opportunity af-
forded by the weather the work on her
Will be pushed rapidly.