The times., 1899-08-14
THE SHAMROCK INDhNGBR
The British Yacht May Meet the
Hurricane in Mid Ocean.
Following the SoutherIy Transact
Iantic Course the Cup Challenger
Hns Smiled One-Third of the Dis
tance between Grecnock and New
York-where She May Be struck

The British yacht Shamrock, westward
! bound in quest of the Americas Cup, and
the West Indian hurricane lately launched
in the hot, wet air east of the Caribbean
Sea, may meet in midocean This is not
remote possibility.
The Shamrock, commanded by Captain
Hogarth and conveyed by Sir Thomas Lip
tons steam launch Erin, sailed out of Fair
lie Roads in the Firth of Clyde. on Thurs
day morning, Augusta. She was to follow
the southern trans Atlantic route and it
was computed that with her jury sails and
one big square sail for going before the
wind, she would make the voyage in one
month Should she lose her convoy the
rendezvous would be at the Azores. The
| Shamrock passed down the Irish Sea, and
| through st. Georges Channel into the At
| lantic, cutting the tenth parallel of west
longitude at about the 50th degree OF north
/ latitude. Continuing southwesterly the
| Goth parallel of longitude was intersected
at about the 41st or AID degree of latitude.
Being eleven days out, the cup challenger is
somewhere in the vicinity OF latitude 40
north and longitude % west Sailing west
ward she will follow the line of the 40th
degree of longitude. Looking west and
starting at the Caspian Sea- this line passes
i a little 10 the south OF cape aApSueTCn, the
/ southeast end of the Caucasus Mountains,
cuts the Kur and Aras Rivers at their
confluence. passes slightly north of Mount
AIarat, touches ErZerum at the head
waters of the Euphrates, crosses Lemnos
| in the Aegean Sea, runs through the Gulf
| of Salonlka passes through Turkey near
| the Greek frontier sweeps through the Gulf
! of Otranto, over Italy, through the Tyr
rhenian Sea, across Sardinia and Minorca
1 A. Dat1 Tel, ,rrl, t1
the south of Madrid, crosses central Por-
| tugal, passes over the vast Atlantic, passing
| through Philadelphia and in close proxim-
| ity to Columbus, Ohio: Indianapolis,
| Springfield, H., st. Joseph, Mo-. Boulder,
| Col; Reno, Ney. Cape Mendocina, Cal. /;
| Mount Moryoshi, Japan; Ham-Heung, Ko-
rea; the mouth of the Yalu River. Pekin,
and to the place of beginning.
| The West Indian hurricane. which was
| first heard OF to the southeast OF the Wind
ward Islands, and which swept over Bar
bados, Saint Lucia, Martinique, Dominica,
Guadeloupe. Montserrat, St Croix, and
| struck with devastating force at Porto
| Rico, has moved up over the Bahama ISL
| ands along the Florida coast and is said TO
| be now off the Carolinas. Following the
precedent set by many hurricanes. this one
will be DETECTED to the northeast at Cape
Hatteras which is about latitude 35 north
ricane turn northeast at Hatteras it will
| at it's present rate of travel reach latitude
40 north and longitude 80 west at about
the same time the Shamrock is due in that
part of the Atlantic Then her ability to
| weather the storm will be tested 1t is
the belief of many men who follow the
sea that, given plenty of sea room, sailer
is safer than steamer. The shamrock
carries two collapsable Berthon boats
! lxhir q rippad A lifeline
tends along the deck and there is fixed
| boom between the masts. Her captain
| knows nothing of the storm which may be
moving upon him. and the first knowledge
of this which can come to him will be
from his barometer. Then he will make
all things snug below and a.oft.
The craft which is coming along with
the Shamrock is an interesting one. The
| Erin was built only eighteen months ago
for Count Ignacio Florio by Scott & Co..
of Greenock, Scotland. When she was
launched she was christened Aegusa, but
Sir Thomas when he bought her from the
Italian nobleman renamed her the Erin, in
order, perhaps, to have a little more Irish
atmosphere to the cuprchallenging outfit.
| When Lipton first announced his intention
of having try for the 'blue ribbon of the
seas he said the challenging yacht would
be built In Ireland, and would be sailed by
Irish shippers and manned by an Irish
crew. But beyond sending his def through
the Royal Yacht Club OF Belfast and nam
ing the challenging yacht Shamrock there
will be very little If any Irish flavor to
the cup races, beyond the name Erin,
which is on the stern tof his new steam
yacht.
However this may be. the Erin is a fine
boat, and before she left the waters OF
Great Britain to convoy the Shamrock or
her voyage to this port she represented
an outlay to Sir Thomas Upton of ovei
$400, 900. The vessel is 252 feet on the
water-line, 264.7 feet over all, 31.65 fee
beam, and has a nodded depth of 1S.5
Her gross tonnage is 994 tons. and her ne
tonnage is 676 tons. She is subdivided bs
four watertight buIkheads. and carries &
set of triple-expansion engines capable o
developing speed OF sixteen knots al
hour. She has two boilers and eight fur
naces, and her high steam pressure at full
speed is $50 pounds.
| Count Florio, for whom she was bull
from original designs is a member of the
family connected with the Florio- -Rubat-
tino big Italian steamship line. Before
war with Spain was declared. in April
| 1885, agents of the United States Govern
ment tried to purchase the yacht, intend
ing to convert her into torpedo boat de
stroyer, but the deal fell through. and she
remained the property OF Count Florie
until Sir Thomas Lipton secured her AL
though originally fitted out in SUMPTION.
style, Sir Thomas was not satisfied. and n
has completely oyerhauled her interior H'
stopped at no expense in redecorating hel
cabins, until today she is one of the mos
regal yachts afoat.
One of the features of the Erin is he
electric-llght plant. Upward of 5000 lamp
have been used and they are so arranget
| hot Yacht ha illuminated alOns
her rails, masts. shrouds, and near tn
water-line 1t is expected that she vii
make a beautiful picture when her iight'
are all turned at night. While she
conveying the Shamrock, neither her own
er nor any of his guests are aboard. The!
will come to this country later on and Joll
the yacht here. The Erin, however, is wei
stocked with everything yachtsmen need
She carries an army OF servants, cooks
Wallets. and is manned by the nnest cres
Sir Thomas Upton could secure.
, A good deal of bad luck has followe
both the cup defender and the cup cnal
lenger When the Columbia left tn
ways two youths were killed by an eX
plosion OF powder which Photographic
was to use in making a fiashlight pictur
: of the launch. Soon after this she ground
5 ed and il was feared that she had beel
t strained, but it being soft ooze under he
keelson she was towed OFF at high waite
/ without damage. During the race betweei
the Columbia and the Defender Off New
/ port the new boats port spreader DroK
and her topmast snapped close 10 the ca
of the mainmast, and the big steel spa
bent 1t is said. like tin putty blower
Mr. Iselin and Frank Allen, the mate
l were close 10 the lee rail When tn
crash came. Mr.. Iselin and Mate Ailel
jumped to windward and just in the niel
of time. The big steel boom, Weighing
| ton or two fell to the deck SO close I