The evening times., 1899-05-25
WORK ON THE DEFENDER.
Her Steel Mast stepped without Ac'
cident in Fifteen Minutes.

c1Oent
Bristol R. l., AMY 25.-Defender's new
steel mast was stepped a few minutes af-
ter II o'clock yesterday morning by Cap
tain Perry, of Fall River, who brought
over with him the steam lighter Archer,
which has performed like service for all
the cup defenders turned out by the Her
reshoff Manufacturing Company. The
delicate task was accomplished with neat
ness and dispatch. Nat Herreshoff had ar
ranged all the details and helped Captain
Perry to carry them out. Last night the
last work was done on the mast, which
is 100 feet inches long, the steel-wire
rigging being twisted around the mast out
of the way of the workmen.
When the Archer arrived yesterday
morning she was moored close TO the north
shop. where the mast was built. and used
her derrick to lift il aboard when work
men pushed it out on rollers. Then pick
ing her way carefully past the submerged
launching ways op which Columbia Will
slide into the harbor. the Archer steamed
slowly to Defender, which was an eighth
of a mile of the south wharf. Once more
the powerful derrick was set at work and
the operation of stepping the big steel
mast was finished in about fifteen minutes
without hitch or incident. Captain Rhodes
and c. Oliver Iselin were interested spec
tators, Nat Herresboff giving direction 20
the crew When the mast was in place
the wire rigging was quickly unwound and
by noon some progress had been made to-
ward putting the standing rigging in
place
The mast is much lighter than the Ore
gon pine stick now on the south wfar:.
and at a distance looks so much like sea-
soned pine, with its straw -coiored coating
of paint. as TO deceive the unwary. Its
shell is made of steel plates bent into
semi circular form. each plate being about
nine feet long They lap by each other on
opposite sides about half their length. The
frame OF the mast is the longitudinal steel
angles and the transverse disks OF stiiIen-
ers of steel plate. The angles are Dubbed
like Columbias frames and deck beams
are in long lengths. At their ends they
are Joined by tapping and rivetIns. There
are eight of these angles and they rur. the
whole length of the spar.
All of the stiifening are circular disks
Of steel, about twenty inches in diameter
In the centre IS cut fourteen-inch noie
to decrease the weight and to allow a man
to crawl through. around this large hole
are several smaller holes cut out to save
weight. Spaces are cut for the angles. The
outer edge of the disk is f1anged and riv-
eted to the plates of the shell. The inner
edge is fianged in the opposite direction.
All the shell plates are rivetd on their
edges to the steel angles. and on their
ends 10 interior butt plates so that the out
side surface is perfectly smooth. The
plates are also securely riveted through
out their lengths to the angles. making the
mast exceptionally strong. In riveting the
plates il was necessary for a workman to
crawl inside the spar to hold a sledge on
the head of the rivet being worked u.on.
The masts diameter is about twenty -one
inches and the stiffening disks are placed
about four and a half or five feet apart.
If ii is deemed desirable after thor
ough test is made of the steel innovation
II will be used in the Columbia in her races
with the Shamrock.
After the mast was stepped Mr. Iseiin
went through the shops with Captain Nat.
When he boarded the train for Providence
Mr.. 1selin expressed himself as pleased
with the outlook for a successful launch
ing on the evening of June S.
In the meantime Defender will go to
Piepgras' City Island yard Cor her steel
boom and gaff, and later return to New
DOrt.