The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-09-30
SPORTING NEWS.
The Fast Yachts Are In Dry
Dock Preparing.
Much Work Being Done on
Shamrock and Columbia.
IN GOOD CONDITION.
Englishmen Think Our Boat a
Trim Craft.
IN GOOD CONDITION.
Both Nearly Ready For Inter
national Contest.

New York, Sept. 3O.-Fr1day was a
particularly busy day for the crews of
both the American cup defender, the
Columbia, and the challenger, Sham
rock. From early morning larger
portion of the men on the Columbia
were busy scraping and polishing her
metal underbody. The electric FURNISH
ers were discarded after several trials
for the men found that they could do
the work faster and better by hand.
The Shamrock's underbody is prac-
ticaly finished 50 far as polishing is
concerned. The fact that the work on
the challenger's hull is more advanced
than on the Columbia is due to the
division of the crew into two watches,
one working all night and the other
working all day. When the Shamrock
was first exposed to view, everyone
was of the opinion that her keel was
not covered with metal, similar to the
COlumbia's, but when the underbOdy
was polished off it was seen that the
1 lead was protected by sheet copper,
over which a coating of red anti-cOr-
rOSiVe paint had been put Today the
copper was polished up we'll and the
very bottom sheets were given a coat
of dark red paint.
The work of polishing up the Column
bias hull Will take at least another day,
as at o'clock in the afternoon, when
the men quit work, there was still con-
siderable surface about the bilges that
d.
therefore, will not be hoated out Of the
dock until Monday morning
me new bObStay for the Columbia
has arrived from the Herrshoff works.
The new piece of wire rope is about
one and One-quarter inches in diameter,
slightly larger than the one which
broke last week, and as it had been
given a two hundred ton test before it
was sent here from Bristol, it should
carry the boat through the races. When
the bObstay was secured at each end
the slack was taken up by turning the
bowsprit out board. There is still a
chance to work the bOwsprit out six
or seven inches and when the wire
stretches more the slack will be taken
up.
The port side of the Columbia was
given a coat of fresh white paint and
the starbOard side will be repainted to-
day. The top sides of the Shamrock
were painted a delicate shade of green
also, so that both crafts will go into the
races as they were originally painted
Notwithstanding the theory that there
was a loss of speed by so doing. Among
the most interested of the spectators
that saw the Columbia today were Can
tainS Archie Hogarth and Wringle and
Sailmaker Ratsey, of the Shamrock
These gentlemen were piloted to the
navy yard by Painter Mitchell, who has
been experimenting the painting Of the
Irish yacht, and Mate Allen of the
American boat met them just outside
the yard.
At the dry dock the party found Cap
tain Barr and MeaSurer John HySlOp
and for an hour the rival captains talk
ed over the relative merits of the two
boats and viewed the CoIumbia's hull
at close quarters. The Englishmen did
not care to express any opinion other
than to say that the Columbia was a
fine looking craft.
Besides repainting the top sides and
securing the hull of the Shamrock there
was considerable other work done
about the boat. Most important of all
was the putting on of a new bobstay.
Designer Fife evidently did not care to
run the risk of carrying that important
piece of rigging away during a race,
and instead of having the new stav a
single wire rope it was made double
and was wound for more than half its
length with marlin to prevent chatting.
There was some talk about the Erie
basin that the Shamrock would be
hoated out of the dock tomorrow after
noon and as the craft is about ready to
leave there may be some truth in the
rumor, but John NJ. Hyslop, official
measurer of the New York Yacht club.
said this afternoon that he would put
the tape on the two boats next Monday
morning. He will first measure the
Columbia at the navy yard before she
leaves the dry dock and will then board
the Shamrock's tug Lawrence and go
around to the Erie basin to measure the
Irish cutter.