The evening times., 1896-09-23
ODD ARROW STEAMER SOLD
Brings Thousand Dollars at Public
Auction in Baltimore.
Failure of a Novelty in Ship Designing
Which Cost SI25,OOO to
Construct.

The arrow steamer. Howard Cassard, was
offered 1T public auction yesterday on boa I'd
the vessel, when is lying at anchor in Can
ton Hollow. Baltimore. The auctioEeers
received Two bids. tn. iirst being 500 HON
the representative of i large Juuk-deaiing
firm. The vessel was Knocked Down 10
Leopold riidt. OF East Baltimore. who was
stockholder III the vessel, at his bid Of
81 900.
Ihe Howard Cassard was built in Eaiti-
nore oil lines that were claimed by the i'll
vcnior. Robert NJ. Fryer, to BE entirely
,-iginal in ship construction. The steamer
w1s la,ncilcd On November q. 1880, from
what were then RansIy's machine shops. A
great crowd gathered TO see The launch.
among whom We're several Officers of the
Unled states Navy. As the steamer moved
the ways spread, aud bags of coal ballast
shifted. and the vessel took the water on
her side.
The CaSsari is one OF the marine curiosi-
lies of the age. and is remarkable for her
narrowress. being 22O feet long and 10 feet
extreme beam. She has Is feet 4 inches
extreme depth anidsiips. and ORA ws feet
forward aud 10 feet aft. She has u turtle
back deck. ard the lines ainidship give il an
eliiptical shape.
She IS extremely pointed a the forward
end. Mr. Fryer designed her is model Tor
an cccean racer. which, when huilt on a
igIg.r scale. would lard passengers fDal
New York In Liverpool in four days. Mr..
Fryer said that thirty-five miles an hour
would be easily reached, but no trial trip Of
the vessel ever developed more than u
fu,irth d tina speed Her displacement was
re. koned at about 35O tons.
The great basis Of The structure is q keel
tEatwcgh 6S ,Uc0 pounds. IL is made of Il
series Of pl9tcs laniiUatcd, ard as hon, ge-
ueuus Tho; gu solid. This keel runs from
nuthir 8 at che boz to depth OF ftwenty- FIVE
inches outside of the hull. at tie stern, and
inches outside of the null, at the stern, and
cunies up tnrot gl thcrhull sufficient dis
lance toform the backbone for all the other
parts Of the ship-thc frames, the hedplates
for the engines. boilers, condenseIs and I'll
heavy We ghIs in the ship-and all uf which
are placed directly upon this rgd and ill
destructible keel.
Just over the condenser are two coil
boilers, separated from every other part of
thevcSsel The ei g.nc, which is Of the COM
pound type. has cylinders. respectively, 80
inches and 60 inches diameter by pa inches
stroke. and Il horsepower of about 900,
which cal be increased by forced drarght.
The shaft is 80 feet ioi and 10 l-2 inches
i'll diameter, with a fourhlaGed screw 9
feet = inches in diameter.
tits said more than SIPS ,OGO W ere sunkin
the building of the vessel. which was never
n success. Mr. Fryer and the stockholders
had some friction, and he left the Cassard
in Baltimore in an unfinished state. II WAS
then stated that his own valve cearing-a
secret with hIm-had net developed suffi-
GENTLY 10 be applied to the machinery.
Mr Fryer came to Washington, where.
under another name AMI working under his
own patents, lie organized another company
to build steamers of the sametype The Cas-
sard was then towcd to this city. and it
was stated tire stockholders in the new con-
cern would experiment upon iier. and aftSr
a successful trial, buy her from the original
stockholders A form OF transfer was gone
through. but soon after Mr. Fryer ceased to
have any connection with the vessel.
The Cassard came TO pubic notice again
last winter by being towed to Newport
News, where it was understood, after some
changes, if her speed developed. she would
be bought by the Cuban revolutionists This
failed and she started for Baltimore, but be-
fore reaching port an accident occurred, and
she had to be towed to her present anchor
age.