Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-08-22

valkyrie Looked Over In Drydock
by Those Who Know II All,
General Opinion That She Is
@ Good Article.
Defender Compelled 10 Und ergo General Re-.
pairs al Hcrreshofg Works.

safely drydocked In the Erie basin. Tho
vessels appearance below the water line
only goes to confirm the Judgment thnt
had been formed on seeing her afioat--
that she Is very large and powerful boat
There was somo surprise that she Is 80
very bulky and shows SO few signs Of tho
beauty that one would look for In racing
yacht.
In spite Of Valkyrie's great size, she has
certain lines that easily bespcak the
Watson model This resemblance was
chiefly dsccrnible In the angle from the
bow end downward. From the extreme
forward end Of this stretch down to the
aftermost part of tho keel, there Is not
a straight line I'm her. 1t Is n continuous
bend all the way through. Valkyrie's keel
Is built ut an angle that may bo called
rake Her bow Is very full, and In this
suggests Vigilant.
In the matter OF overhang, both forward
and aft, she exceeds Defender, while In
her spars the difference Is further en-
hanced. In fact, rs ono old sailor re-
marked after he had looked the ship over:
"There Is only one thing about her like
Defender, and that is the rake of her rud-
der post" 1t is at the foot Of this post
that the vessel has her greatest depth.
The boats mast attracted much atten-
ton and comment, because OF It's height
and tremendous diameter. The steel boom
also came In for a large share OF comment.
1t is a very long spar, and men with ex-
perienced eyes said that those who had esti-
mated 1t to be los feet long were
Not n Bit .Exaggerative In the Guess.
There was.every evidence to confirm the
reports from the other side that the Val
kyrie would spread a record breaking area
of canvas, and the old salts who noticed
this added, in their remarks on the sub
ject, that the ship would be well able to
stand up under all that could be crowded
on her, up to "a good, smart breeze Of
wind" Beyond that, they were rather
doubtful.
The longer the yachtsmen studied the
lines of the foreigner the more convinced
did they become Of two things. One was
that her load waterline length was not
nearly so great as her bulky size indicated
Mt first glance, and the other that the
challenger has more depth Of keel Ia it's
deepest part than Defender. Their con-
clusons necessitated deep surmises, and
In both the result was favorable to Val
kyrie. If the length on the waterline is
less than Defenders, it will shorten the
U1Inc allowance WHICH cVcTyDOuy says
Valkyrie will have to give to her opponent.
If her keel is deeper, it will, in all proba-
bility, assist her the more in beating to
windward.
Among the most Interested of the spec
tators on the dock was X. A. Willard,
commander Of the Vigilant. It could be
seen from the expression on his face that
he thought she was a pretty good article.
He would not, however, express more of
an opinion than to say that he believed
her to be "a pretty good boat" He did
add that there was no sign of her having
been strained on the rough voyage across
the Atlantic, but anybody could see that.
The Mishaps to Defender
In Tuesdays trial race were more serious
than had been thought.
A careful examination Of the yacht
showed that the hound-band to which the
shrouds are attached had for some reason
slipped down the mast, allowing the
shrouds to sag three-quarters Of an inch.
Further than this, under the strain Of the
heavy breeze, the mast had "buckled''
about 20 feet below the tOpmast, which
made 1t unsafe.
1t was concluded to take the yacht at once
to Bristol for repairs AS soon as she ar
rives there large force of mon will be put
at work day and might getting her ready
for the next trial A new and larger
mast, which is all ready, will be stepped,
and the necessary alterations In sails will
be made. 1t is hoped that the Defender
will be ready to race by next Tuesday.