Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-03
DIR. PARKER'a NEW sURF.BoAT.
suceessrui Launching of rt I'm James
River Yesterday.

THIS boat was commenced last fall aud Il
was expected that she would be finished In
a few weeks, but an unexpected delay oc-
CURED and she was ouly ready for the sea |
yesterday. The hour fixed for the launch
ing was O'clock, bat large schooner came |
near the wharf aud il could not be gotten |
out OF the way until the Old Dominion !
steamship left. and the launching did net !
take place until hali-psst O'Clock.
Quite number OF persons, including
some ladies', witnessed the operation, and
seemed TO enjoy the novel sight.
The boat was I'm the New York sheds,
where Captain Allen kindly consented for
her 10 remain until all the upper works
could be finished. This shed Il about II
feet above the water, and the plunging OF this
boat, - by ! feet beam and 9 feet high. from
this point was thought by some to be not
free from danger should any one agree to
get into Der. But DIR. Parker has always
insisted that the conclusion would be trifling
even II the height had been 20 or so feet in
stead Of 10. The experiment yesterday con-
drmed this opinion. The three persons who
were in the boat when she pitched stern
foremost into the water at On angle OF 40 de-
grees say the conclusion was very slight.
Strange to say, though the boat entered the
water At this angle tile water did not 90
above her gunwales.
As the boat moved from the wharf Miss
Nettie. the Doctors daughter, broke bottle
OF wine over her bow, naming her the Ark
Surf-Boat. May she save the lives OF thou
sands.
THE BOAT.
THIS boat differs from the boat the Doctor
eXperimsuted with year ago st Virginia
Beach in the fact that she Is covered with
canvas from stem TO stern, whereas the boat
at the Beach Is only covered three quarters Of
the way, the other quarter being occupied
by The platform for the working OF the sail.
No sall Is needed In this boat, a. she is intend
ed only 10 20 10 vessels wrecked on the coast,
and the distance is hardly ever half mile.
The surf at the Beach only extends 800 yards
from the shore.
This boat differs slso from the other in
having three openings in the roOi-the mid
die one by , feet. the others smaller.
The middle opening is 3 inches above the
top OF the boat and the Others = inches.
These openings are covered with galvanized
lids, hinged like the top OF tin colee-pot.
The middle one has two hinges, and the
two halves meet In the centre. the top being
In TWO sections. The boat will carry thirty
persons beside the crew, and twenty more
iNNINs VI Httu Nfs Ut DAOu-hh W iohh ~
holding on 10 the iron guard that enclr-
cles The boat four inches below the gunwale,
passing through iron eye-bolis. This rail
serves three impoittnt purposcs-iirst, IL IS
a protection TO The boat; second, it enables
the sailor to stand upOn 1t when ready 10
land and pull her on the beach; and thlrd,
II gives better purchase for handling the
boat I'm every respect than can be found IN
any omen boat, besides aiding the sailor Ia
getting in and out OF the boat.
Besides this rail. the boat is further
strengthened by q strong bar Of iron l3X4
inch thick beginning from the top Of the
boat, SIX feet, and extending under the keel
ITS entire length and six feet above the keel
at tho other end. A small bar OF iron con-
meets these two ends st bow and stern, con-
Meeting also al the three openings In the
roof by strong bolts.
WEIGHTS.
Everything ln the boat has been weighed.
The body or wooden part weighs 300
pounds. This Is the lower half OF the boat,
aud il IS three feet deep. The upper bali.
which ia three feet above the woodwork,
weighs az follows: The canvas cover with rs
SIX gAlyanized.iron ard glass Windows.
weighs IS pounds the iron rms and gall
yanizcd-iron covers to the three openings
weigh "a pounds tie sixteen iron ribs or
bows encircling the top, $50 pounds; the
six wooden ribs or bows, 2X3 inches, weigh
- pounds; iron bar from stem 10 stem, 40
pounds, making total say OF 400 pounds.
Add 10 this weight OF the body the weight of
the crew of nine mcn, say l,2O0, and you will
have 4,400 against 400 pOunds-that IL.
If to l-or the lower bali OF this
boat Will weigh eleven times as much ~ the
upper ball, and the Doctor thinks that II Is
physically impossible in any sea or surf, or in
ar-v hqiiid Of any kind, 10 reverse the order
Of Nature and put the 1900 above or on toD
Of the 400 pounds. II you take an empty
cask sud nut into one end and secure II there
100 pounds OF iron and into the other end 30
pounds the latter will keep its position on
iop. il matters not whether the waves be
ten feet or thirty feet high. Here
then. Is difference OF, say, two to
one. In the Doctors boat the difference is,
as before said. eleven 70 one. His boat, he
thinks. is unnecessarily heavy. He wished
TO get an iron boat built here, but could not.
A. this one il Of wood he was anxious that
it qhouid be very strong. After drilling the
crew here a few days he will be tOwed down
10 the capes and row thence to Virginia
Beach eight miles,, and there put his boat TO
every possible trial In the suri, which is as
roush there a. anywhere on the coast. Coro-
ner Taylor took two photographs of the
boat yesterday, copies OF which Will be sent
to Washington.