The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-29
THE ctr DEFENDER.
some of the Details and Dimensions
of the New Boat.
From the New York Commercial Adver-
tfser

From the New York Commercial AdVer-
tiser.
There is now very little doubt but that
the new cup defender viii be constructed
Of bronze, and this fact is very much in
evidence at the boat shops in Bristol Dur
ing the past few days experiments have
been tried on the various kinds Of metal
plating in order to test their adapta5ility
to the special work on hand.
Another important matter has transpired
which plainly illustrates that the new
boat will have a style Of plate joints all
over her hun which is entirely new in the
construction of cup racers but not I'M
known IN ship building. This plan Is what
is termed as "knuckie joints that Is, the
different strakes of plating will not lap
one on top of the other like the method
used ia plating the Defender. Instead,
both edges and ends of every plate viii be
Hanged and pointed inbOard and abut one
against another throughout the shell.
These langes viii be so abutted at the
edges so as to be easily riveted together
on the inside of the plates, thus present
ing a surface Of hull that will not show
rivets at the joints when viewed from the
outside. If the inward projecting Ranges
are an inch or more in width ali through
the boat; such backing as can be readily
seen will present a very stout frame,
which viii doubtlessly be needed 90 lug
along the cloud of canvas which the W
defender will carry a question here may
arise as to how these joints can be made
watertight, but il is possible that cement
or some other adhesive substance could
be placed in the seams, that is, between
the hanges of the plates, and these press
ed tight against each other, so that II
would make a perfectly waterught seam.
This plan would not only do away with
corrosion on account of the rivets being
inside the plating and away from the
water but would leave a rather smooth
hull. Then if there were any bother with
these riVets they could be removed ana re-
placed without the trouble OF taking the
boat out on the marine railway In the
knuckle joint method where a frame IN
tercepted the fanges a slot would nave 10
be cut through the latter to make good
fit.
Though the actual plating of the boat Is
vet several weeks off. enough has been
done at the shops to show which way the
cat is going to jump. This Hanging of the
bronze plates has been carried on eX-
tensively the last week, giving the metal
a test as to its pliable qualities. Even the
Hanged plates have been riVeted together
to test the plan and found to be all right.
This sort of work ia given without the
least explanation to the workmen, ana
obeving an unWritten rule they ask no
further questions. Drawings in which the
"l1nuckle Joint" method was portrayed
have been in evidence a the Herreshoff
works. but very few have seen them. They
show the sheer line drawn in for the lap
ping of plates The frame rivets viii be
used in rows as i'm the Defender.
The laying down of the new boat is all
comDleted by the mechanics, who were as
signed 10 that work in the south shop.
In performing such work it is next to i'm
possible to keep all plans out of sight
from everybody. The trained eye can an
ticipate many things that so to make up
the craft from the fact that one thing
suggests another as the work proceeds.
Here are some figures obtained relative to
some of the hull dimensions as exhibited
by angles and curves.
From the base line of the lead keel up
ward to the top of the deck will be TWEEN
ty-ive feet. This refers to the mid sec
tons. At this point the deck will have a
crown of ten inches upward from the ac-
tual beam. From the line where the beam
is measured downward straight to the
base of the lead keel Is "A feet inches.
Allowing a freeboard of feet inches
and SuDtrdCtlnB the same from tAle li6HN
of the boat from the base of the keel
upward exclusive of the deck crown,
would give a draft water of 20 feet 3
inches AT the mid section the lead keel
will he 6 feet and in shape and construc-
ton will be altogether unlike the old De-
fender
It'has also been accurately ascertained
that the beam of the new craft will be "A
feet 21s inches. The curved bronze cast
ings which arrived from Bridgeport,
Conn are for the collision bulkhead and
fit in a short distance back from the ends
of the forward plates. Some of the other
castings which arrived at the same time
were for the stern overhanging just above
The rudder. These castings and stern
post are now being FURNISHED up at the
machine shop.
The old Defender has leaked through
some of the rivet heads since she was
launched, but these have been tallowed,
Steel angle bars from 20 to 30 feet in
length were deposited al the works yes
for1aKr FThav vvithOut bulhS