New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-20
POINTS ABOUT THE BRITISHER
IMPRESSIONS CREATED BY HER LINES
HER GREAT BEAM AND GRADUALLY s"hli'iN"
pow-How WILL SHE LEAVE THE WATER
WHEN HEAVILY PREssED?-cOMPARED
WITH THE DEFENDER AS TO
s,zE-AN EXPERTS VIEW


sIZE-AN EXPERTS VIEW.
The first impression one receives or Na!kyrie
III ls that she possesses enormous power. As she
lies al anchor between Staten Island and the Statue
OF Liberty. stripped Of her booms and safs' and
with only her main and mizzen masts standing, she
reminded the writer of a sight not easily Tor
gotten 1t was that OF huge whale that lay asleep
on the surface OF the ocean until the SerVa OF the
Cunard Line glided silently alongside. In both
views there was the same great beam ana the ends
trained out fine both fore and alta huge body
the very embodiment of unconscious power, in both
whale and boat.
Valkyrie III sits almost motioness In the short
seas and tide rips OF the New-fork Bay while
smaller yachts and pleasure steamers perform gym
nastcs Her two bare masts were well chosen FOR
the work they have had TO perform and her rig
was one emnently fitted for any kind Of bad
weather.
The mzzen-mast is not OF the knitting needle
sort. 1t is one tina, could. perhaps. be counted on
to carry close-reefed sail In the best breeze that
ever blew and under II the boat could lie to com
fortably In hurricane. The trouble with a good
many mizzenmas,s In the yawl rig Is that they
blow out Nat on the water Just when they are
wanted. They are not. rule built nor rugged
to stand the same winds as the mainmast
But the mizzen- mast OF Vakyre III is not OF that
kind Ii was taken from 'the thunder harp OF pine
trees" as Alexander Smith says and 1t has shown
the excellence OF It's fibre on many occasions during
the voyage when the yacht Was hove to and when
her safety depended on this stick.
NOT FAMILIAR HERE.
The ketch rig under which Valkyrie iii has
crossed. is one that u.s. so far as can be remem-
bered. unknown in the United States The boat mat
carries 1t cannot be called yawl, nor can she
be called a schooner. The fact that the mlzzen-
mast Is so high that II reaches above the level Of
the mainmast takes the boat out Of the
yawl class And yet, this afteT-mast is not large
enough to enable the craft to be called schooner.
With these explanations this rig might be regarded
a between the yawl and the schooner-at
least. as far the after canvas is concerned And
1t should also be mentioned that ValkyTc HIS
mzzen-mast. being stepped far forward. adds
another resemblance to the schooner type while de-
Quoting from the yawl appearance. Though as TO
the latter point. It will be remembered that the
mzzen-masts of the racing yawls in England be-
gan of late years to be stepped pretty far nboard
witness the Vanduara and other cracks which
made great names for themselves a few years
ago
This forward Placing OF the mizzen OF
shortens up the space In which the main boom
has to swing. Consequently the Va.kyries main
sail is a most comfortable affair for large cruising
and heavy ether. 1t is all board. and there
Is no Climbing out clear OF the tanrail TO pass or
lash reef pennants when the trucks showed in
an arrangement for which tho Va'kyrie Jacks wero
no doubt truly thankful during those heavy con-
fused seas which the Valkyrie had lately to endure
for 50 many days.
THE CAPTAIN PLEASED WITH IT
Captain Cranheld yesterday expressed to the
writer his satisfaction regarding the general de-
sign OF this rig He pointed out that when the
mizzen was stepped so far forward the end of the
mizzen boom could be reached from the deck and
that both booms thus shortened 10 such
extent that when they Stated about in shape.ess
much better control OF them could be OBJ
tanned than in any cutter or sloop rig. where the