The evening times., 1899-10-30
READY TO LEAVE AMERICA.
tn Shamrock Preparing for He
Trip Back to England.

Tn Shamrock Preparing for Her
Trip Back to England.
NEW YORK, Oct. 30.-With her sails
yacht Shamrock lies in Erie Basin ready
to sail for the Clyde on Tuesday. Capt.
Archie Hogarth will be in command, with
Captain Hamilton as navigator and Cap
tain Wringe as chief officer. Forty-three
Of the crew are to sail In the yacht. This
number includes two cooks and two stew
ards. The rest Of the crew will return by
steamer.
Besides her big cutter, which she carries
on davits on the port side. the Shamrock
will have slowed on deck two Bethron col
lapsible canvas boats, life preserver for
each man on board, and plenty Of life
buoys to throw overheard il necessary.
In addition to the big main trysail, with
a bonnet on it, and the mizzen, the yacht
is to carry a large forestaysail, also with
bonnet on it, jib and jibtOpsail,
squaresail and raffee. The latter is tri-
angular sail, which sets over the square
sail. No main boom is to be used.
Waist high to a man standing on deck a
long, light spar OF pine is shipped at the
forward end in the main boom gooSeneck
and aft in an iron crutch. This is used as
a lifesaver 1t will stop man from slid
ing overheard to leeward when the yacht
rolls at sea- and it Will be well provided
with life lines to assist the crew in pass
ling forward and aft.
1t is the intention Of Captain Hogarth
to sail as much as possible when there is
a breeze. The steam yacht Erin. which
will convoy the Shamrock. will tow her
when there is no wind.
Excepting perhaps in the Columbia. such
a combination of strength with lightness OF
construction as exists in the Fife yacht has
not been seen in a racing yacht In these
waters.
Riveted to the seventy-nine frames on
each side of the yacht is stout steel fore
and aft girder, or bilge keelson. Overhead.
but further inboard, under the deck beams,
is a lighter steel girder. also running fore
and aft. These upper and lower girders are
connected at intervals of about twenty feet
by solid round stanchions. which slant out
board from above at an angle OF about 80
degrees. Between these stanchions cross
braces have been placed, bolted at their
junction in the centre to square steel
plate which makes the whole rigid. This
system extends from the fifteenth forward
frame all the way aft on both sides.
There is no skin" in the yacht, all her
frames and plates being visible except
where temporarily covered for the Atlantic
passage. Heavy wooden chocks have been
fitted between the frames forward, where
the strain Of pounding" will come against
the plates in a seaway. They are held in
place by long fore-a and aft planks. bolted
down to the frames and bilge keelsons.
Between the floor and the deck beams
overhead there is a clear space of ten feet.
During the races all woodwork except the
floor was taken out of the yacht Now she
is divided into four sections. An iron bulk
head has been put in. making a water-tight
compartment of the overhead at the stern.
Built of light pine planking, the next Sec
ton encloses space about ten feet wide by
twenty five feet long. which is to be cabin
and sleeping quarters for the captain and
navigator. There is a door on the star
board side of the forward bulkhead OF this
temporary cabin. and the companion lad
der, with its steps facing forward, comes
down in the centre of this compartment
The yacht has such great beam below
that il is necessary to confine the living
quarters OF the crew to width OF about
ten feet. Railings about four feet high run
fore and aft at the sides in the next sec
ton, where the mess tables and benches
are placed, and there the cooking is done.
Forward of this the crews hunks. made of
skeleton gas pipe. occupy the remainder of
the space. The forward part Of the hold is
reached by hatchways and iron ladders.