New-York tribune., 1899-03-24
YACHTING.
THE NEW DEFENDERS MAST ALMOST
FINISHED

THE NEW DEFENDERS MAST ALMOST
FINISHED.
Boston. March % (SpeciaD-The mast OF Oregon
pine that will be carried by the new Morgan de
fender Is now almost completed the sheds OF
the Boston Spar Company in Condor-st. East
Boston. and 1t has been pronounced TO be the hand
soonest stick that turned out by this firm
To win this commentator the mast has to be
better than those which used by the Colonia
the Nigilant. the Navahoe, the Defender and many
other Herreshof boats all OF which were produced
by this same company The stick which
with the others. will be shipped TO Bristol inside OF
a week. is lG feet long and about twenty three
and one-half inches thick peculiariy is that the
step OF the mast is the upper part OF the and
that the 2foot masthead is hewn out OF the thick
est part Of the trunk. 1t seems like taking liberty
head and make 1t do its work upside down, but
THIS method is sao TO give the best strength al
est strain. 1t also permits the working Of the
cheek pieces 10 support the hounds out OF the solid
stick SO that no boiling on OF extra pieces will be
The Herreshons have also ordered from the spar
company for the new boat two topmasts. two bow
SPIRITS, two spinnaker booms and several sets OF
elubtopssh yards and clubs for topsais OF differ
gon pine. while the other poles are Of spruce. All
these se. sGe finely % worked hsyt out and finished nS.Hia
that full reliance is 10 be placed in the steel main
use Of Similar s,ee spsrs by the Defender hs, me-
doubt satisfied the Herreshofs that they per
ever. that because steel mast Is being made at
Bristol II will be used in preference to the
wooden Experienced sailors know Just where
they with wooden stick. and they know
absolutely nothing about the OF huge steel
for n large racing yacht. One built for
Nalkyrie III, bu never used and II Is thought
that the prejudices OF men who have good deal
TO say about the boat may make difference I'm
favor OF the kind OF stick they are accustomed To-
The wooden spar Is finished from the bottom 10
within twenty-five feet OF the top Here the head
has been simply "roughed out" and the finishing
and fitting OF the hounds. caps and other ironwork
will be done in the Herreshof works al Bristo.
This absence of finish at the head gives opportunity
for another guessing contest as 10 the length OF
the spar when ready to be stepped As II Is now the
extreme dimensions be told, but not the
amount that the Bristol workmen viii cut away
before completion. II is thought that the finished
length will show spar eight feet longer than that
Of the Defender IL may not be quite so much as
THE but the increased length OF this stick con-
firms tho statements that the sail plan OF the new
boat will be larger than that Of the Defender
fact which Is sufficiently vouched for by the In
creased size and general bulk OF the boat
compared with the old one.
The great length and thickness OF the new spar,
It's wonderfully straight grain and whiteness. and
it's surprising freedom from knots. checks and sap
company furnishing II. On reason for making II
stand the opposite way from the natural tree is to
bring the few knots that show down close 10 the
foot and II Is doubtful II any or them viii be seen
above the deck when the mast Is In place.