The San Francisco call., 1899-10-03

yachts waterline was then marked on
each quarter with red letter "V." and
at the bow by a white stripe across her
beam.
AT 4 o'clock Sir Thomas Upton and
his party left the yacht. the caisson
was swung open, lines cast off. and the
Shamrock, with housed topmast, was
toWed away from the navy-yard by a
tug. She arrived and made fast to her
moorings in Sandy Hook Bay at 6:1O
p M, receiving salutes as she passed
down the East River and the upper
bay from almost every passing
steamer. Just before leaving the
naYy-yard for his steam yacht Erin
Sir Thomas Upton called his captains
and gave them final instructions about
the preparations for tomorrow event.
which means so much to him and them.
He had evidently gathered from what
he had seen and heard while the yacht
was being measured that she certainly
would not have to give the Columbia
any time allowance, and he was cor
respondfngly cheerful when he came to
take leave of his two shippers.
The weather indications, according to
the special forecast sent out from
Washington, are that the wind will be
fresh from the northeast. If so the
yachts will start from Sandy Hook
Lghtship and run almost dead before
the wind down the Jersey coast to a
point just beyond Long Branch.
According to dispatch received
from Monmouth Beach Life-saving
Station at 10 o'clock tonight there will
be quite heavy sea off Sandy Hook
tomorrow unless the wind moderates
or shifts to some other quarter.
The cup defender Columbia was the
of he J..
When the telltale on the cafssOn
showed that there was twelve feet Of
water in the dock the Columbia floated,
but in order to be sure the ship was off
the blocks the water continued to flow
until there was about four inches short
of tWenty-eight feet. John Hyslop, the
official measurer of the New York Club.
who has put the tape on many a cup
challenger and defender in past years,
performed the task again to-day. He
arrived at the naVy-yard shortly be-
fore o'clock and at once commenced
work getting the length of the boom
gaff mast and spinnaker pole The
crew rendered all the assistance they
could and a man was hoisted in a
boatswain's chair to the top to carry
the tape to the head of the topmast.
In measuring the length of the spinna-
ker boom it was found that the pole
was about three inches longer than the
restrictions alloWed-that is, from the
center of the bowsprit between jib and
jib topsails stays to the mast was a
quarter of a foot too long Captain
Barr called into requisition a fine
toothed saw and cut two inches from
one end and one inch from the other
of the spinnaker pole.
The plans were made to measure the !
water line and over all lengths of the
boat. The crew\and c. Oliver Iselin,
Captain Woodbury. Kane, Herbert C.
Leeds, w. Butler Duncan Jr of the
Defender, Harry F. Lippitt of the
Americas cup committee, Hugh c.. |
Kelley, secretary Of the Royal Ulster
Yacht Club. who will sail on the Co
lumbia as Sir Thomas Lipton's repre-
sentative in the cup races, j. Connell. |
also of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club. |
Captain Nat Herreshoff and Mrs. c.
Oliver Lselin We're aboard the American
boat when the hull was measured Mrs
Iselin, Mr.. Duncan and Secretary
Kelley were in the cabin engaged in
conversation, while all the others on
board with the exception of Nat Her.
reshoff, Captain Barr and Mr.. Con-
nell were placed amidships in order to
bring the boat down evenly 10 the
water line.
Mr.. Herreshoff, Captain Barr and Mr..
Connell assisted Measurer Hyslop in
hang was first measured. A plumb line
was suspended from the very tip of
the boom, and, getting into boat. Mr.
Hyslop, by means Of a long measuring
rod, got the length from the plumb to
the water line on the bow. The after
overhang~was obtained in a similar
manner and after these dimensions
were obtained the measurer applied the
tape from the taffrail to the bow to get
the length over all. After making a few
calculations Mr.. Hyslop announced to
Messrs. Iselin and Herreshoff the result
of his measurements.
Evidently the figure was somewhat
less than the managing owner desired
to sail the Columbia on, for a dozen
men were set ashore in the tender. and,
going to the steam tender Plymouth
carried over to the Columbia twenty
pigs of lead, aggregating about 100
pounds in weight. Previous to taking
the mea surement a lot of dunnage was
brought up from the Colum bias cabin
and put in several large row boats, as
it was the intention of the captain to
clean out from the hull all movable ar
ticles
Mr. Leeds stated that the pigs of lead
were placed in the Columbia to make
up for the loss of weight occasioned by
the removal of the dunnage, but it was
noticed that when the ballast had been
added the Columbia sat lower in the
water than she did before. Then Mr..
Hyslop measured her line again and the
length, 1886 1100 inches, proving salts
factory to the owner and Designer
Herreshoff, V-shaped mark in red
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