The evening times., 1899-06-22
ENGLISH YACHTSMEN
CERTAIN OF VICTORY
Have Every Confidence in the
Shamrock's Sailing Skill.
The Best Craft Ever Modelled BY
Constructor Fife
Will Race With the CO.
lumbia.-

Aootoh, june hc POolou
mas the following cablegram from its
yachting correspondent:
London. June 81, 1899.-For the first
time since the work was started ON the
Shamrock Sir Thomas sLipton visited
Thorneycroft's yard today and had look
at the latest. and by far the best of Fife's
creations. He spent all the forenoon in
the closed-in shed and carefully looked
| over the challenger.
THE launch Of the Shamrock said
Sir Thomas. later, will be strictly pri-
vate function, and the date will not be
made public in any form. Fife. Miss Rus
sell. daughter of Hon. Charles Russell, and
few others will make the party. Not
over half a dozen will be admitted"
There is no question in my mind that
Fife feels sure Of victory and that he has
great confidence over the result. and Ho-
garth and Wringe. the shippers, share it
strongly. Especially is this confidential
air seen in Hogarth. When i saw him
couple OF weeks ago on the Clyde all he
would say was, Close race. the ships are
very much alike" As talked with him to-
day he was in the happiest mood, felt con-
fident, and believes Fife this time has been
given the opportunity of his life, and that
the Shamrock will lift the Americas Cup.
Wringe. too. is not worrying bit.
Now that launch time is close at hand,
the detective force has been enlarged, and
the strongest orders have been issued.
FIFE believes he has the chance Of his life.
and he will not let anything slip that
would endanger it. He feels that his client
has given him free hand, and spent quite
a fortune, and he will use every effort to
protect the material interests. He fears
new defender would be built big cartoon
or other racing ship, if the members of
the New York Yacht Club felt serious
doubt over the result, and should .uch
contingency occur he feels that George
Gould would come to the rescue.
The great secrecy maintained cuts both
ways, and shows both fear and confidence
Fear lest. the main features of the Sham
rock be copied, and confidence OF victory If
they are kept absolutely secret. Americans
can well see to what limits the secrecy
business is being pushed for neither Ho-
grath nor Wringe know the day Of launch
ing. neither had they been told up TO
o'clock this evening They simply guess
at the date. and think it will be some day
next week, perhaps Tuesday or Wednesday.
Fife will not tell them. neither will the
builders. so the two shippers will have TO
wait until within few hours of the launch
hour, when they will be officially notified.
There can be no doubt as to the feeling OF
the Irishmen here, on the claim that the
Shamrock is an Irish boat. Many of those
with whom have talked want the Yankee
ship TO win, for they see nothing in the
challenger except the private signal and
name that in any way savors of Erin.
About the yard. and just outside the shed,
is the English contingent of the crew
working on the rigging. The orders are
as severe against them as outsiders, for
not a soul OF them has Yet had peep al
the Shamrock Such are the conditions of
building modern cup challenger. The
Scotch contingent of the crew arrived last
Friday. and some of these have been al
lowed to work on board. They are deaf
and dumb to all enquiries and questions.
The carpenters, like the sailors. are
speechless.
desire especially to call the attention Of
Americans to the confidence of the Sham
rock contingent. All associated with the
new yacht show it, from owner TO crew,
and from builder TO wcrkmen. II is con-
fdence everywhere at this hour. and it is
taking on rather than Stacking off. The
Shamrock shows in her makeup a COM
bined improvement on the 20rater Peni-
tent and the 40-rater Senta- She has full |
body forward and is very thin and fine at
the extreme after end. She has the ideal
Fife stern, with full water lines aft. She
has very soft bilges and not over sharp
dead rise. though she is By no means fiat
on the floor Her forward overhang is
sixteen feet. her after overhang % feet
Her frames are fairly full, in the sense of
her with the Britannia or VAL
kyre ii, and are fairly sharp.
Captains Hogarth and Wringe have seen
her quite frequently of late. Hogarth TO-
day said: Il like her very much, and 10
my mind she is by far the best yacht Fife
ever modelled. AS the yachts are much
alike. the match will be grand one. The
Columbia must be flyer to win
Captain Wringe. who stood by. agreed
with Archie Hogarth that Fife had pro-
duced his masterpiece.
There will be duplicate sets of wooden
and steel spars. also two sets Of rigging.
blocks, halyards and all iron work There
will be at least four sets of light sails, and
three mainsails. Two complete suits of
sails are already completed. 1t looks as if
the Columbias controller would have to
go beyond los feet inches for the main
boom as the steel boom for the Shamrock
will be made long enough for all possible
conditions. and every yard that she can be
clothed with and carry will be hoisted over
her hull. There will be boom length
enough to lace the foot of the largest
malnSall She can swing.
The topmast, mast and bowsprit will be |
made OF wood. but she will have another |
set OF steel. The steel mast will be tried. |
but it will be an experiment and may not |
be permanently used. The makeup of the |
steel mainboom is original with the Thor |
nycrofts. as are all the steel spars, and |
several tons of weight have been saved, a |
gain in construction. The Shamrock from |
the underside of the keel to the bulwarks
is plated with manganese bronze, thinner |
and lighter than your bronze, and just as |
strong 1t was made to the special order |
of the Thornycrofts, and they say it is the |
best metal ever used. and they are quite |
familiar with the American bronze used in |
the Columbia. |
The programme decided on Just now is |
after secret launching, to tow the Sham |
rock to Southampton, and have her there |
by June %. Her mast will be stepped, and |
also the finish of the fit out completed She |
may sail with the Britannia in informal |
practice sails. New conditions may arise |
which will bring her into several of the |
Thames matches.
Sir Thomas Upton is not member of |
the Royal Yacht Squadron, and SO will not |
be permitted to race in any match under |
that clubs auspices, especially as Dunrav- I
en- is a member Of the foremost of royalty |
clubs. The Columbia will thus have a |
great advantage Gin the way Of tuning up,
finding out the weak spots and correcting
them.
If the official card is held to, the Sham |
rock will not visit the Clyde before leav- |
ing for America, for the order of things |
now is to dismantie after the regatta of |
the Royal Ulster Yacht Club. and in the |