The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-08-29
Tho Man
Who Builds
unlIn|n1 Cup
VIVVIVu Defenders.

ture OF man OF ordinary height and
physique. whose blond hair covers a
head that seems rather large for the
small neck under 1t. eyes OF blue whose
very softness speaks the language OF
gentleness and devotion. blond beard
intermixed with auburn that covers
more than half the face and gives the
wearer at times an uncouth appear
ance. This is a portrait OF Nathaniel
G. Herreshoff, mechanic, designer and
builder. Place his favorite rig on this
genius and an old slouch hat is pulled
down over the eyes, an aged coat COW
ers blue flannel shirt and veteran
pair OF trousers reach down over the
tops OF his low cut shoes.
Herreshof likes these clothes be-
cause they are his working togs."
says the N. Y. Mail and Express and
the history of Columbia, Defender, Wig
liant, Colonia, Navajo. Wasp, Gloriana
and so on down to the days OF the
Shadow and the Posy, his early success
ses. shows that the man Is a wonder
when it comes TO work. But what the
man has done is an old story. His per-
sonal characteristics are as little
known as his home life. and even i'm
Bristol where everybody. even to the
clerks i'm "the Boston stores" that deal
exclusively In New York goods, pre-
tends TO know all about the inner life
OF the family, very little is In reality
known.
A SPADE A SPADE WITH NAT"
The Herreshoffs, and by this is meant
Nat and his blind brother John b.. who
Is in partnership with him can draw
their check for more solid cash than
can many OF the yachtsmen who buy
racers OF them. They are Yankees ia
the strict sense OF the word, and while
they want and generally get the best
OF bargain they don't sell boats an
David Harum did horses. II IL be pos
sible for a business man with hun
dreds of hands under him TO be honest.
Nat Herreshof. has i'm every sense been
so. All OF his dealings show this. He
built boat for III. Maitland Kersey,
the former agent OF the White Star
line, once She was a 25-footer and
the friend OF Lord Dunraven called her
FL Chico.
Rersey thought "A lot OF his boat.
wtssh was pardonable. and when soon
after Herreshoff turned out bunch OF
21-footers. including Alpha, the head
OF the Klondike syndicate offered TO
turn over El Chico to the great de-
signer TO try the new dogs on her. AS
a rule. a 25-footer ought TO beat a
2i-footer nine time sout OF ten. and
Kersey probably erticipated a favor
able reply from Nat Herreshoff. What
he received. in answer to his communi-
cation, was
do you think IL advisable? Alpha
and the others would in all probability
beat FL Chico"
FRANK AND HONEST.
Here were frankness and honesty
from man who admitted that he had
built a smaller boat that in all prob
ability was able to defeat a larger boat
that he had built short time before.
The defeat OF El Chico by small but
-nt. hrNa hnxr lsae.
feather in his cap.
1t has been the misfortune of the
Herreshoff family that four of them
lost their sight between the ages OF s
and 15 years. These are John r., Julian,
Lewis and Sarah. The blindness of two
of them at least has been attributed to
the malpractice or several Boston doc
tors who tried new and sure cure
for their failing sight These shut out
the beauty OF the world fror- them for
ever. Nat Herreshoff was quite a tod
dler when he was Entrusted with the |
guidance of his sightless brother, John
B. What a faithful guardian he was, !
The blind lad. considerably older than |
his brother, was petulant and irritable |,
at times. But the little fellow who |
gently led him by the hand never |
sighed over his task, and once when |
theysat alone In n shaded field near |
Pappoosesquash Neck where they were |
y
place with all it's beauty, and finally |
said:
And. John. when I grow up I'm go- |
ing 10 show how hard / can work for |
you
Later in life. when he was In his
teens he heard of the Boston doctors. |
and he wanted to know If they would /
be punished I'm the next world for all |
the eyes they put out i'm tins
The younger designer is not a pillar /
In the church, but, for all at. he fears |
zoo AM loves man. One can not go |
far amiss when he has these two vir- |
tues IL has surprised a great MANY |
people that Columbia has haa $, many |
trials on Sundays. Ii doesn't surprises |
the people around Bristol. Sunday is
Nat Herreshof's lucky dav. ~ doesn't |
Feep open Shop on the Sabbath bl:s
scarcely Sunday goes by without |
finding the designer on the wafer of,
hrs property. either in his own steam
yacht or experimenting with SINE /
craft
INHERITED GENIUS.
Many have been curious 10 know
where Nathaniel acquired his superinr
knowledge OF marine architecture The
Iudiments OF II he did not acquire. but
inherited IL from his father who was
quite successful builder in his day. IL,
lett FAMILY OF seven boys and two
girls, and all OF these were born on the
farm. Pappoosesquash Neck. Original
Herreshoff came to New England eight
generations ago, aud records show he
worked for one roam Brown.
The mother OF John and Nathaniel
was a Lewis. famous ea-faring fam-
liN. OF Boston. When Mats father cstab-
ished az BRISTOL, the place was one of
me liVeliest I'm the chain of down East
Whahng ports and lots OF money was
to he made. Bristol is now what Is
known In the vernaculsr as n one horse
town.
John B.. the blind son. succeeded 10
his fathers business. and what hs |
lacked I'm sight he made up for .n
sense OF touch. He whitfield and ne
hacked at rough pieces OF wood and
soon hal them exquisite models. and n
was remarkable the smoothness and
fine proportions that he managed TO
get out Of them. Nat learned from him
much OF the VluGbe knowledge OF his
early days md afterward when he
went TO the institute OF Technology at
Boston he was recognized as a mechan-
iCal genius In mathematics Too he