The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-02
THE HULL VERY SMOOTH.
Thousands at Erie Basin to See
the Lines of the Fast
Boat.
READY FOR THE CUP RACES.
There Are No Signs Of Injury From
the Groundings at Hog Island
and Newport.

NEW YORK, n. Y, Sept. 1.-The De-
fender attracted thousands of people to
Erie Basin, where she was drydocked this
morning to have her bronze hull put in
shape for the coming contest with Val
kyrie III for the blue ribbon of the sea.
Under the supervision of Dockmaster Nc
Givney the yacht was taken in the dock
before 6 A. NJ. The pumps were set at work,
and at o'clock the hull was dry. Captain
Half and small portion of his crew were
at New Rochelle. They arrived later, and
the canvas-clad sailors set at work rubbing
down the hull. The manganese bronze
underbody was in very good condition, but
the men worked at it all day, polishing the
metal with sandpaper and filing down
boltheads until it presented a perfectly
smooth surface and shone in the sunlight
like FURNISHED gold.
The upper part of the hull, which is
made of aluminium, was rubbed down and
given coat Of white enamel paint. In
stead of being dead white the paint has
q decidedly blush tinge. While this was
going on below other men were busy on
deck. The gooseneck was strengthened by
riveting a fiat plate to it so that the great
strain on the strap that attaches the boom
to the mast will be amply met. Wooden
caps were made and fitted into the outer
ends of the new boom and gaff. These
spars are hollow steel tubes, tapering from
center to ends, and are made of steel plates
three-sixteenths of an inch in thickness,
riveted together as boiler is made. The
boom is LOG feet long, and has diameter Of
about sixteen inches in the center and
eight inches at the ends. 1t has no flanges
inside or outside. The spars worked well
yesterday, and practically do not buckle
at all.
The boom does not seem to be half as
heavy as the lighter one of the two which
Dunraven's boat has used. As hollow steel
booms were first used in England and the
fact that the Valkyrie was to have one was
kept secret until almost the last moment,
the yankee ingenuity which has taken up
the English idea has vastly improved up
on it in time to fit the Defender with both
boom and gaff far superior to Valkyrie's,
is to be commended. To Nat HerreshoH
is due the credit.
There is absolutely nc signs of injury to
the hull from the various groundings the
Defender had at Hog Island and Newport.
Aside from the work ON the new boom and
gaff, and rubbing down and painting the
hull, there was nothing done to the boat
to-day.
Crowds swarmed the dock and watched
the crew fitting the craft for next Satur-
days race. Early tomorrow morning the
Defender will leave the dock and 60 to
Sandy Hook for spin.
The Valkyrie remained at the dock close
to the Defender all night, as the storm
prevented her from being towed to the
Horseshoe yesterday afternoon. At $50
A. NJ she was towed out to the basin and
across the bay to an anchorage off Staple
ton. For once the custom of giving the
British crew rest on Sunday was broken.
At II 40 A. NJ. the mainsail was hoisted, jib
and staysail shaken out and the Valkyrie
sailed down past Quarantine, out through
the Narrows, and with light westerly
wind reached down the lower bay. AT
80 the Valkyrie anchored in the Horse
shoe.