Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-05-19
BATHS SIx-MASIED SCHOONER.
Great Interest in the 33OO-Ton Marine Mon
ster Now Being Built.

One of the attractions in the Ship
ping City at the present time that is
drawing many visitors into town is
the big six-masted schooner under
construction at the yard Of Percy &
Small at the South End. People are
coming from all over the State to see
this mammoth craft. She is not
wholly framed as yet. but will be the
last of the week. The names of out
of-town people who have already Wis
tied the yard would make a goodsiZed
book.
The yard in which the craft is being
built is 50 situated that a visitor can
not get a good view Of the size Of the
vessel. as the yard is narrow and one
is unable to get a good look at her all
at once.
The five-masted schooner being
built at the Mcdonald yard by Percy
x Small looks larger than the six
master on account Of the commanding
site where she is being built. al
though the five-master's keel is over 80
feet shorter than the six-master's.
The report that there is a rivalry
between the Bath and Camden build
ers as to the construction and size of
the two siX-masters now under con-
structiOn is absurd. as far as the Bath
builders are concerned.
The plans for the Bath vessel were
made by Architect Ridcout. a long
| time ago, and the figures given to the
Times and since then no changes have
been made from the original plans.
The measurements arc: Length Of
Keel. sol feet and s inches; breadth.
30 feet: depth. 2S feet. 6 inches. She
is the first six-master built in this city
and has the longest keel Of any wood
en sailing vessel ever built on the Ken
nebec The ship Roanoke built by the
Scwalls is a larger vessel. as she is
little deeper but the keel is inches
shorter.
In the construction of the new six
master the heaviest kind of material
is being used and there is a combina-
ton of wood and iron that experts
say will be perfection for strength and
dura bility. The Keel is 15x26.
An important feature in the con-
struction of the new craft is the in
PRODUCTION of long plate Of steel 2S
inches wide and inch thick which is
to be placed between the third and
fourth streaks and fastened through
and through with inch and n quarter
iron every IS inches apart. The length
of the plate is 800 feet.
The hull was also strapped diagon-
ally and have a belt strap of 6-S steel
II inches wide. This combination in
| the keel is not new idea on sailing
vessels as the barks Matanzas and
Havana. built by Hon. VIM. Rogers.
had a similar plate but of lighter ma
terial. Miles NJ. Merry, who was mas
| ter builder on these craft, is master
builder of the big siXmaster.
This plate is heavier than the keel
plates or the steel straps in the Sewall
| fleet. The keelson is 14x14, nine
streaks.
The frame is hard wood oak to sec
ond buttocks. hack top and hard wood
floor. The ceiling is IA inches to hang
| ing knees. The planking will be six
| inches. The stem is 521a feet long.
The vessel will be timbered out the last
| of next week.
1t is estimated that the vessel will
| measure about 5000 tons and Will have
a carrying capacity rising 5000 tons.
| The tonnage of some of the big ships
| in the Bath fleet are as follows: Ar
thur Sewall 32O9 tons. Erskine NJ.
Phelps 2999 tons. Dirigo 3005 tons. Roa-
| noke $3.50, Edward Sewall 32o6, Susque-
| hanna $3.50. Shenandoah 3407.
In the schooners the five master Gov
ernor Ames will be small craft in
comparison to the new six-master. The
| Ames measures 1873 tons. the Nathaniel
T. Palmer PAL The Helen w. Martin,
| the last one and the largest five-mas-
| ter built by Percy e Small, has a
. gross tonnage of 2263.
| The date of the launching of the big
| six-master is not settled upon but 1t
| would not be surprising if arrange
| ments were made to have the launch
| ing the main attraction in Bath dur
! ing Old Home week.
Can't. Lincoln w. Jewett of the
| schooner Charles p. Notman is going
| in command of the six-master.-Bath
| Times.
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