Birmingham age-herald., 1895-07-08
THE DEFENDER.
OF WORK ON THE cRACKyACHT
The Titanlc Boom Has Been Safely Shipped She Does Not Appear to Be
 0ver-Sparred

Bristol R. l., July 7.-The more that visitors to the Herreshoff works see of the Defender the better they are pleased with her and the less they think of Val kyrie HIS chances of taking the Amer- ca cup.
 Every hour of the working day makes d perceptible difference in the appearance of the syndcate's boat. The enforced rest of the Fourth was merely a spur to the workmen to peg away harder than ever, and the results of their stimulated energy were marked. Even Nat Heres hoff who kept an ever-vigilant eye on every rope that was hauled and every block that was fixed, could not help look
 ing as pleased as Punch.
 Yesterdays work practically began with the splicing of the lower mast shrouds and the topmast shrouds and the setting them up with he turnbuckles. By ? o'clock in he afternoon the hollow gatf had been hung and the peak with i's three brides and the throat halliards had been attached to it.
 Tho next thing in order was the hang ing of the great boom, which was towed around from Walkers Cove by two men in rowboat- The big spar, by the way, had narrow shave from being serlously injured moment after 1t had been pulled off the horses on which 1t lay in the cove It caught between two spiles, and the men in the boat, ignorant at first or what had happened and merely feeling check. pulled away all the harder. The spring that the well-seasoned spar gave when released from the spileS was like the elastic flip of a monster alli- gators tail. But. without even a scratch to mar the shining beauty of it's VarTiSh, the boom was lowed in safety to the De- lenders side. The floating derrcks swung it's bulk aboard in a jiffy, and,
 -Inff irtn on ,1t,1p nd n gang of riggers soon did the rest.
 The hanging of the big boom did not make as much difference as was expect ed in the set of the boat in the water. There; is still a gap of nearly 16 inches between the water and her indicated water-line.
 Not 200 feet away from the Defender is the Colonia and the contrast in the spar ring of last years unsuccessful candidate for the job of cup defender and this years boat is most noticeable. There seems to be almost as much difference between the spars of the Defender and the Colonia as there is between those of the Colonia and the Wasp, which lies to the right of the Herreshoff shops But, lofty though the Defenders sticks may be and portentously long and thick her main boom. she does not leave the impression that her overseas rival, the Valkyrie, left with the experts. even be- fore they saw her under sail that she is oversparred. The Defenders SparS do not strike the observer as abnormal till entrusted with those of the Colonia
 Everything is in graceful proportion, and those who ought to know say that her spars give indication of sail area that will send her humming along in light winds and yet will not render her practically impotent in a stiff breeze and a seaway. An all-round boat. say the critics, built with the specific pur- pose---to quote Lord Dunraven--of de- lending the cup. be the weather fair or foul not for the specific purpose of sail ing in light breezes that, if conspicuous by their absence at Sandy Hook on the day of the race, may prove his lordship to be an indifferent forecaster as well as an unsuccessful cup challenger Not too much beam on her, go on the sangufne critics who point out that in this mat ter Watson has out-Herreshoffed Heres hoff, and probably made bad mistake by so doing.
 Edward Coleman of the firm of Cole man & Sons, block and pump makers in Providence. has received a letter from Lord Dunraven's agents, asking him for his prices on blocks. MT Coleman, who made the blocks for the Vigilant last year, has replied, asking for specified tions. The letter to Mir Coleman is of especial interest. in view of the action of Rstsey, the English sailmaker, who last year refused to supply the Vigilant with a sail in place of one she had split, and who claimed that patriotism was the req son for his refusal.