The Portland daily press., 1891-06-06
S. S. KITE, new YORK FOR GREENLAND
She VIII Sail Today With Lieutenant
Peary and Party.
The Tight Little Brig Well Fitted to
Battle With Ice.
Mrs. Peary's Only Fear Is That She
May Be Hungry.

NEW YORK, June 5.-At the foot of Baltic
street, Brooklyn, lies the little steam brigan-
tine Kite. that is to start at 3 p. m. tomorrow
for Greenland, with the exploring expedi-
tion of the Academy of Natural Sciences of
Philadelphia. The Kite arrived on Wednes-
day from ST. Johns, N. F., in ballast to Bow
ring and Archibald. of IS Broadway, having
been chartered by Lieutenant r. E. Peary of
the United States navy, for three months.
Her captain is Richard Pike, who went cut
with Lieutenant Greedy in 1881, and was also
one of the Greedy rescue party in 1883.
All was confusion on the deck Of the Kite
yesterday. as the crew were taking aboard
provisions and were making everything
ready for the long sea voyage. The Kite is
a small vessel, the smallest. 1t Is said, which
has undertaken so perilous voyage in re-
cent times: She was built in Norway In 1873
for seal fishing, and was used constantly be-
tween 1873 and 1877 from ST. Johns. She
was changed to barkentine when Bowring
Brothers of st. Johns bought her, the sails
being removed from her miZzenmast. The
Kites dimensions are 117.6 feet long over all,
26 feet beam, and IA feet hold. Her ton
mage Is $50 gross and 100 net. The engine Is
OF 30 horse power and, being vertical en-
gine, the builder was enabled TO place 1t well
aib' 1ulS gives tno PiupcuoI ouOit u ain
shaft and lessons the liability to breakage,
while there Is less friction, and consequently
a development of greater speed than in many
vessels of higher horse power. The prOpel-
Ter is so constructed that 1t can be triced up
In thick ice and the rudder unshipped. Her
normal speed Is 7l knots with steam, and
with both sails and steam fully nine knots.
As a protection against ice. while running
free, the Kites bows, Is feet back, are SOL
Id mass of wood, the timbers being dove
tailed together. A vertical strip of iron
der the water line, and some distance along
the keel. The iron Is four inches wide and
one inch thick. Straps of iron four inches
wide and one and one-half inches thick are
bound around the nose horizontally to snub
the ice. From the stern, two-thirds OF the
way forward, the sides are d0ubly planked.
Both sides, down to the keel, forward, are
also dOubly planked. Under the deck aft
there is little saloon. approached by COM
panionway In the middle OF the deck. The
companionway Is small, winding, steep and
narrow. The saloon is barely large enough
to accommodate dozen people standing. A
few feet from the saloon, in front, are the
engines and stater0Oms, some with two berth
and others with one, are on each side. In
all there are eleven berths. Captain Pike
and his crew are to live in the forecastle,
over which are turned two sealing boats,
covered with rubber cloth.
Mrs. Peary Is a handsome young woman,
and she will accompany her husband from
tourist iD her appearance There is only one
thing l am at all afraid of, "tshe said, laugh
ing, "and that is that there won't be enough
to eat. When l went to Europe was so
hungry on board the ship that 1t seemed as
If couldn't get enough"