Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-09-30
STARK NAKED.
Shamrock IN Dry Dock Where
All the World Can See.
WILL REST TILL RACE.

speculation as TO Top Plates; They
Are Thought to BE aluminium and
Nickel - Disa ppOint ment at Hel
Lines Looks Heavy aud Bulky In
Comparison With Columbia
tails of Her Build and Opinions Ol
Leading Yachtsmen.
New York, Sept 28.-The America S
cup challenger, Shamrock, was placed
n the dry dock al Erie basin yesterday.
1t Is expected that Shamrock will leave
The dry dock Friday. but 1t is more
likely that she will not go out before
Saturday. 1t is sure, at all events. that
the Irish yacht will not be under sail
again until Tuesday, the day of the race.
There was no attempt to hide the lines
Of the yacht. The yard was open to tie
public from morning until night aEd
hundreds of yachtsmen stood for hours
while the water was being pumped oGt.
that they might get look at the undc"-
body and keel of the challenger. 1t was
too late in the day for secrecy, and so
the "clouts' and "petticuats" that pre-
vented the people from seeing the Sham
rock when she was launched at the
Thornycrofts' yard in England early
:his summer. ard Sfterward when she
was docked at the Erie basin shortly af-
ter reaching this country, were not used.
Everyone had a fine look at the craft.
Early in the morning her crew was pu.
to work scraping off the green paint that
covered her topsides, exposing the true
metal underneath. Just what metal
| kar If \. pa
composed of is a secret, but it looks very
much like a composition of aluminium
and nickel, very light and at the same
time very strong. 1t Is quite probable
that Shamrock will not have her upper
body repainted for fear 1t may retard
her speed Captain Wringe, when as sked
about the matter, said he did not know
about the paint. but If any was put on
1t would be the true Irish green.
At the time her keel touched there was
about q feet of water from the blocks
to the surface, which makes her draus ut
about the same figures. or an inch or two
less. AS the water receded the body OF
Shamrock came in view, ard it was seen
that she was big. powerful craft with
her greatest beam about where the mast :
head runners fasten to the deck. The
under body. which IL Of bronze, was GOV. 8.
cred with sort of slime, which came o.Y
readily with vigorous application tt
salt water and brushes, leaving the
plates shiny and smooth.
When the hull and keel We're fully eX-
posed there were expressions of diSap-
pointment heard on all sides. Tho eX-
perts expected to see something new and
a radical departure from the old type Of
English cutter. The Irish cutter can be
described as a vessel with a I5rittauia
body and Defender fin and lead. includ-
ing the latter's rocker keel, but with
greater draught than either There Is
nothing particularly handsome about
the cutters lines. except that they are
all curves, there being no straight oy.ts
except from the turn of the guardbuavds
70 the lead
In comparison with Columbia, Sham
rock is fuller bodied, especially amid
ships, with about foot more beam ard
with draught about 10 inches greater,
| Her overhangs are shorter, so that the
| lines of her hull are not so we'll carried
out as in Columbia, and being short. in
crease the look Of bulkiness Then.
again, she is higher sided than Columbia.
| She has rocker keel like Defender, that
| Is, her lead keel Is rounded up like that
of the % champion, hut little more at
| the bow than the latter. Her lead kee,
Is about as thick as COlImbia's, but not
nearly so deep. From Az to 5 feet Is n
lair estimate, while the cup defenders
Is about eight feet. The lead on the keel
weighs about ID tons less than Columbia.
| or about so tons, but as 1t Is about five
feet longer than the latter's, or about rs
feet, and not nearly so deep, it puts the
ballast lower and therefore gives Sham
rock fully as much, If not greater. sta.
bility.
Shamrock carries more sail than Co.
!! lumbia, as her mast is stepped bout two
feet further aft. giving her more head
sail. while the mainsail is also larger
than the cup defenders. Shamrock's
amidships sections are continuous
curves from the deck lines to the tu,n
of the cardboard. Her bilge hardens
greatly at the quarter. just opposite to
the Columbia's. and gives one the i'm.
preston that it will retard her progress
in sailing. Amidships Columbia has
line almost straight from the bilse 10
cardboard. giving her fatter floor, While
Shamrock is full and round
When the lead keel was exposed i. IVES
found to be unlike Columbia S in thar II
Is unprotected by bronze. 1t Is painted
with some sort of red composition to rrc-
tect it from the action of the salt ,ate-.
but the crew had considerable work In
cleaning off the Shiny coating
When the hull Of the Irish cutter had
been we'll scrubbed the crew commenced
putting up a staging about the craft and
will n all ct,tn mol jcb t,n
sides.
Captain Kane. who sails with Mr..
Iselin on Columbia in all her races in an
advisory capacity. said after taking a
good look at Shamrock: she resembles
the defender in general appearance, but
her lines aft are not as fire al Columbla's
From her bilge to the overhang the lines
are more abrupt. Her bilges are well
rounded. and the lead seems to be very
low down. Taken all in all she seems to
be good looking boat, but think rot as
fast as Columbia"
Dr.. ]. c. Barron of the Nav York
Yacht club, and one of the be st of our
racing yachtsmen said: Il am rather
disappointed in Shamrock's underbody.
{ don't see that she Is any radical de-
parture frem the modern fin keel boat.
Her lines are harder. much hai der, than
expected. They certainly have got the
lead down at the lowest possible joint"
George Drakely of the New York ard
Atlantic Yacht clubs said: II must say
I am very much disappointed with he-.
She's nothing like as graceful a boat es
the Columbia. Her lines are hard ard
the two upper steel plates tapping over
the bronze offer lot of resistance that
will not do her bit of good when she
- over in sailing
Will BE Hanged by Law.
Oakland Md Sent 2S.-Sam Johnson.