The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-21
HOWARD GOULD's YACHT.
1t Will BE Surrendered without Cost
if War Is Declared.

NEW YORK, March 2O.-Some time ago
it was intimated that Howard Gould. the
owner of the ocean-going steam yacht
Niagara, now nearing completion at the
yard of the Harlan & Hollngsworth Com
pany, Wilmington, Del, was willing to sur
render ,his handsome vessel to the govern
ment in the event of hostilities between
this country and Spain. But 1t is now
known that Mr.. Gould has made a formal
offer without cost of the Niagara to Com
mander j. w. Miller, of the state naval re-
serves and that the offer has been ac-
cepted by Commander Miller in the name
of the Governor of New York, who has
thanked Mr.. Gould very heartily, and has
said all manner of handsome things to him
concerning his patriotism and generosity.
1t is also understood that the State au-
thorities have taken occasion to bestow
upon Captain Howard Patterson, of New
York. who. by the way, holds commits
sion as lieutenant and navigating officer of
the Second naval battalion, the most kind
ly congratulations for his share in the mat
ter. for it is believed that the offer of the
Niagara was made through Lieutenant Pat
terSon, whose relations with Mr.. Gould are
of the friendiest nature.
The Niagara will be the flagship of the
naval reserve squadron and the headquar-
ters of Commander Miller and his staff and
also the headquarters af1oat of the Governor
of the State. Immediately upon the out
break of hostilitieS the rather slow work of
finishing and decorating the interior of the
Niagara in the sumptuous manner decided
upon by Mr.. Gould will be suspended and
the yacht put in shape for the service in
tended with all practice bic haste. She will
be brought to New York and equipped with
a battery of 1ive-nch rapid-firing guns and
other offensive armament Should this be
done all the plans made by Mr.. Gould for
the personal use of his yacht, which in
n GrCd ion iGa will nF
course be temporarily abandoned.
The Niagara was launched on Feb 10,
and is stanch and seaworthy as well as one
of the largest in the matter of tonnage of
the worlds fleet of pleasure craft. Her
displacement is about 1900 tons. Mr.. Gould
desired a. boat of moderate speed and com
one possessing the elements of positive
safety The best of judges say that the
Niagara will meet these requirements in the
fullest sense. The general dimensions of the
yacht are: Length over ALL 272 feet; length
on water line, 247 feet; breadth of beam,
36 feet; depth to spar deck q feet; depth
to main deck, 10 feet 4 inches; draught,
16 feet; tonnage, 1900 TONS She is bark
rugged, has three decks and is fitted with
The house on the spar deck, ITO feet long
and is feet wide, is built of steel and COW
cred with mahogany. The accommodations
throughout are of the most spacious char
acter.
The engines Of the Niagara are Of the
triple expansion, inverted cylinder, direct
acting, surface condensing type, with a
working pressure of 100 pounds. The cylin-
ders are is, rs and As inches in diameter
by 30 inches stroke Steam will be supplied
by three steel Scotch boilers, each having
three furnaces. The bunkers have a capac-
ity of $50 tons of coal a quantity suffi-
cient to take the yacht across the ocean
and back at a twelve-knot speed. The cleo
trio plant of the Niagara is complete In
every respect 1t consists of two dynamos,
each capable of furnishing four hundred
sixteen candle power lamps and a storage
battery with a capacity of eight lamps.
If desired the dynamos may be made to OPP
crate nine hundred display lights at night
and powerful searchight on the bridge.