The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-12-12
ARE BUILT HERE.
A Handsome Steam Yacht Now
in Course Of COnstruc-
ton.
Built for Citizens of This CITY
To be Launched in the
Spiing.

Great Falls can soon lay Just claim to
the honor of building and launching the
first vessel of any size ever built in the
state of Montana. The writer had the
pleasure yesterday of being shown the
model of a steam-yacht that is destined
to pillow the waters of the Missouri as
soon as navigation is open next year
Part of the skeleton of the new vessel is
already constructed and the builder
hopes to have the whole completed in
three months. Then we will have the
pleasure of chronicling the launching OF
a beautiful little craft that will afford
no small amount of amusement To all
who are fond of boating.
The writer confesses his ignorance of
anything in the ship-building line, yet
he is forced to admit that from a hasty
inspection of the model of the proposed
craft he derived a good share of gratiti-
cation and satisfaction.
In Longfellow's beautiful poem on
the building of the Ship" there are
many appropriate and inspiring i~nstruc-
tons offered, but none seem more to the
point than the wish that it be built
strong and shapely. The designer of
this boat, Mr.. Scagel, has followed the
poetical idea to a remarkable degree
insuriDg for the vessel strength and
speed. Mr.. Scagel came here recently
from Sarnia, Canada. where he built a
number of vessels, large and small. From
an inspection Of the plans and the model
of this boat one can readily see the de-
signer is al ole hand at the business. To
build from a model only a few inches in
length a vessel of the same style and
comparative size. capable of carrying
several tons, no little skill and mechani-
cal ability is required. Boys are often
seen whiting little boats, miniatures
of larger mes they have seen, and they
don't think it is anything
wonderful to do, but let
them try to make a large one from
a like model. They will find it a diff
cult undertaking hat should only be at
tempted after they have devoted years of
study and have made many experiments
in the art of ship-building. In this west
ern country, SO far from large bodies of
water. we are all more or less unfamiliar
with hat class of work. For that rea-
son this piece of work now under way is
of more than passing interest.
The boat Mr.. Scagel is working on will
be a steam launch, owned by residents of
the town. 1t will be what is known in
nautical p%arlance as a clipper-built and
light draught craft. 1t will have a forty
two foot keel and will be tifty-four feet
in length over all. The beam will be
ten feet and the depth Of the hold four
feet. With an average load it will draw
about thirty-two inches of water aft and
about twenty. two forward. II it gets
fast on a bar by shifting its load fore or
aft it will easily glide off.
1t will be propelled by twin screws.
driven by two twelve and II half horse
power engines. The latter will have a
seven inch stroke and cylinders Jx7. The
steam will be furnished bv a vertical
marine boiler. 1t is calculated this
steam yacht will easily carry seven tons.
AS it is designed for a pleasure boat
there will never be any need to carry
anywhercs near that weight. Fifty PEG
pie will be able to be comfortably seated
in the vessel.
1t will be able to make twelve miles
an hour. The rapid current and shallow
places in the river will not as Il rule adj
NIT of that rate of speed. The gentle
men for whom the boat is being built
have not decided ON any name though
some one suggested il be called The
Spray of the Falls" The skeleton of
the boat is half finished and the boat
will be completed in ample time for a
ride IN the early spring.