Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-09-28
THE SHAMROCK
Has No Terrors When Seen
in the Dry Dock.
Brittania's Body, CoIumbia's Fin and
Lead and Greater Draft.
Good Boat But Not Good Enough to Garry
Back the Cup.

| New \ Ofk, Sept. 2L-The Irish cup
challenger, the Shamrock. was. today.
safely dry locked at Erie Basin.
! Twenty minutes after she was warned
into position over the u blocks at the
| bottom Of the dock, her keel was rest
| ing securely in place. The huge numps
| that empty The docks were started Mt
1920, but ii was not until $50 that the
deep keel Of the craft was finally ex-
| posed to view. There was no attampt
to hide the lines Of the yacht. The
| yard was open TO the public and hun
| dreds Of yachtsmen stood for hours
While the water was being Dumped out.
| that they might get d look at the IN
| derbody and keel of the challenger.
Everyone had fine look at the craft.
| Early this morning. her crew was nut
to work scraping off the green paint
| that covered her topsides. exposing the
true metal underneath Just what
metal these TWO upper strakes of plates
are composed of is a secret. but IL looks
Very much like a composition Of alum
mum ana nickel. very light and at tho
| same time very strong. Ii is quite
probable that the Shamrock viii not
| have her upper body repainted for fear
it may retard her speed.
| The dockmaster said he was ready
| to iii the docks. az 10 O'Clock. and. 10
minutes later. the right big valves in
the gate were opened. 1t took little
over an hour for the water To reach a
sufficient depth over the blocks at the
bottom Of the dry dock to float the
Shamrock. but when this was accom-
pished the cutter was hauled up along
side the tender Plymouth Then the
safe was pumped out ana warped ~
one side and at II. 20 the Shamrock was
loated into the dock. 1t took some lit
tie time TO put the craft into a position
ST. that. when sha settled with tile
water. her keel would rest on the
blocks az moulded out u fit ILL., De-
sgner Fife took some measurements to
see that She was IN proper position.
and, after being warped ahead bit. he
said everything was all right ana
shorinGs We're put ny on either side Of
the cutter to hold her in place.
Mr.. Fife ordered the pumps started
at 1920. and IS minutes later i.Ie sham
rocks keel rested on the blocks and
her underbody began to SHOW as the
water receded. At the time her Keel
touched, there was about y feet Of
water from the blocks t. the surface.
which makes her draught about the
same figures. or an inch Or two loss.
As the water receded. the body Of the
Shamrock came in view and ii was
seen that she was a big powerful craft
with her greatest beam about where
the masthead runners fasten to the
deck. The underbody. which Is Of
bronze. was covered with sort OF
slime, which readily came off.
When the hull and keel were fully
exposed there were expressions Of dis
appointment heard on all sides. The
experts eXpeC ted to see something new
and q radical departure from the old
type Of English cutter. The Irish cut
ter can be described as a vessel with a
Brittania body and Defender fin and |
lead. including the latter's rocker keel, |
but with greater draft than either
In comparison with the cup defender |
Columbia, Shamrock is fuller bodied. |
especially amidships, with about z foot |
more beam and with a draught about |
10 inches greater. Her overhangS are |
shorter. 50 that the lines of her hull |
are not 50 we'll carried out as in the |
Columbia and. being short increase the |
look of bulkineSS. Her lead keel is |
rounded up like that of the 95 cham |
pion. but a little more at the bow than |
the latter. Her lead keel is about as |
thick as the Columbia's, but not nearly |
50 deep. The lead on the keel weighs |
about II tons less than the Columba's. /
or about so tons. but as it is about five !
feet longer than the latter's. or about
SO feet. and not nearly 50 deep. it puts
the ballast lower and therefore gives
the Shamrock fully as much, if not
greater stability.
The Shamrock carries more sail than
the Columbia as her mast is stepped |
about two feet further aft. giving her
more head sail. while the mainsail is also
larger than the cup defenders. The
Shamrock's amidshirs sections arc con
tinuous curves from the deck lines to the
turn of the carhoard. Her bilge greatly |
hardens at the quarter: Just opposite %
the Columba's. ana gives one the i'm
preston that il will retard her progress
in sailing.
When the lead keel was exposed it was
found to be unlike the Columbus in tina
it is unprotected by bronze. 1t is painted
with some sort of red composlLon to pro
tect il from the action of the salt water
W. Butler Duncan. Jr.. Of the Defender.
Woodbury. Kane. were among those who
saw the Shamrock. Capt. Woodbury.
Kane. who sails with G. Oliver Iselin on
the Columbia, in all her races in an advis
DRY capacity. said, after taking a good
look a the Shamrock:
she resembles the defender in general
appearance but her lines af, are not as
fine as the Columbias. She seems to be
good looking boat but think not as fast
as Columbia
William Butler Duncan. Jr., the de-
tenders managing owner, was not in
clined to make any comment on the
yacht. but this he did say: She looks
at all worried about the result Of the
races"
DR.. J. c. Barron of the New York I
Yacht Club, and one of the best of our I
racing yachtsmen, said: II am rather dis
appointed in the Shamrock's under body.
don't see that she is any radical depart
ure from the modern I'm keel boat. Her
lines are harder much harder than | eX- {
pected. They certainly have got me leaI
down at the lowest possible point"
THE COLUMBIA ,