The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-02
DAY OFTHE SCHOONER RIG
EyOLUTIoN or MODERN SAILS IRON
THE ORIGINAL LATBEN.


On. weakness Of the schooner witch stu
Keeps the square Rig In Ust-Tho Prob.
lem ~ solved for a Time on the Great
Lakes-Big New fore.and-A After Craft.
In ancient times all craft we're lateen.rlsged
90 rig stilli In use and practical enough for small
vessels, though unified for large, A hullI
grew larger the lateen sail changed In shape
losing a small triangle from Its forward end,
which allowed the yard TO rise from the deck.
In this stage Of development 1t had become no
sail now used on Malay proas and ~pirogues.
Time passed and the long, slender yard short
ened to a small spar. the sail received moro
hoist and the lugsaIl was evolved.
From this sail sprung two varieties. the
square sail Of the Viking ship. and. later. the
nameleS-, though familiar, form used A. tbs
principal sail OF schooners and sloops-the frat
best In running before the wind, the other best
in taCking-the square sail obtaining favor ia
large vessels from It's convenience of handling
aloft, the schooner sail-lntil lately-r RELOCATED
TO small craft BECAUSE Of It's swinging gan,
which left the upper and after corner Of the
sail unre4trained by anything but tho altor
leach, or edge. A very large sail Of this pattern
could not be handled with an ordinary crew and
Il series Of small sails. set one above tho other,
could not be controlled by any system ~ gear.
ing. Hence the continuance OF the square rig
in large vessel, long after seamen knew that a
schooner could head two points closer 10 tho
wind than n ship, was apeedier and more easily
handled in all positions except dead before the
wind. and was much cheaper to equip and
maintain.
For mi, last reason, however, the schooner
rig was combined with the square when Ifacti-
cable. Small ships became barhs, small barks
became bHrkentines, the brig evolved into Tho
briRantine, which is now adopting the better
features Of the topsail schooner and the orig.
inal topsail schooner atavistically sent down hes
yards and rclaps.d into the parent type,
But in spite Of the advantage gained in speed,
convenience and economy, the gradual drift
toward the schooner rig has been held in check
by the undisputed necessity Of dividing a large
sail area into parts small enough TO be handed
and perhaps. also, by the one strong point Of tho
square rig safety in running before a heavy
gale and sea. Brig and topsail sChooners have
about Disappeared but ships. barks. barken-
tines and brigantin IS are still being launched
and II will so continue until ship owners and
builders realize the superiority OF the one craio
yet designed which can compete WITH Il largo
ship In bad weather the multi-maetsd sChoon-
er, with its five. six or seven short masts sup
porting an aggregate sail area equal TO that Of
a ship, and but Two stories high-Eithin easy
reach Of the deck.
largest ship: it can be managed by half the men
required aboard the more complicated squares
rugged craft; II can take TO the high sea and
keep II; II can beat TO ~windwsrd in a SCI that
would throw u ship to leeward II can go about
e. head to wind-in a -ea hat would force a ship
Gus points Of wind contact, nearly as safely al
can a ship. ! say nearly as safely. because the
rig has a weak poiRt which asserts itsei II
placed upon the mast faTthest aft. a weakness
which has, been. peculiar TO the schooner rig
since the day when the large sloop DEVELOPED
into the two-masted schooner instead Of tho
evenly balanced and convenient yawl. which
carries her LARGEST mast Just absft where 9
small mast called the jiggermast. That this
nethod Of balancing FIRE and aft canvas is th8
racing yachts adopt the rig in crossing the
Atlantic.
But The Re. early builders Of ssh9qPsrs; for some
f"t!i an" iHitS %@dfS Of ' sSif, hasf iRs two n sssSSSf esTTyss;saa
would have abolished the weakness, they spread
tiRReemm Of a : 'atst Sn ID tsI nISCS9id date a bs Fsss aSs e veg
having been thus established has been adj
hered to, even IN the sparring OF four. five and
The Immense iTanfc on the Great Lake., and
the more frequent action, OF the law OF survival
coming coming of 9,d The d fierce gales ssrt e the {a5mvhiIS
the century now ending, forced the evoipfq3
OF the primitive sailing craft through all tho
in the steam vessel. N the early part Of Ind
century, there were full, rugged ships and brlss
sGbo ths L sSd iaT w,ts slo tas original Tsd al. ' Won s;tsa
but, with a lee shore ali about them, the early
barkentines, brigantlnes and the small schooner
of two masts. Then died the bark, later thu
e eEIs2Rdtip Re h FIae. fTSm the scb1 ssyae1 %its .S w9s
mizzenmast, which for a time retained one
feature Of her parent rig q forward and brs9.
angular sail called a rafee. This RIG. lasted
party through The PERIOD Of depression 10Y
DOWNS owing f aSd P yRa nS HT Ii5h ine Ss' Of sf f2e Sqs1 q T m2a
on the growing vessels, gave It the desthblow,
and finally the last yard was ~struck-ofteh
the craft became a tow barge.
Then, until their final going down In the
Of large, sailing craft ever designed -oak,buils
clipper-howed,, three-masted, centreboard
schooners with short lower masts. long top.
masts, heavy blooms and light Raffs. Their
nasts were proportioned like those of a ship,
tons Of bark and barkentine. In the few
four masters evolved in their short life, tho
jiggermast was still smaller than the mizzen,
and in the one fve-master, the spanker mast
Here progress ceased with the rise Of tho
and to-day there is hardly a largo
schooner on the lakes that has not become q
tow barge: and the fresh water sailor, the best
helmsman, the most intelligent and highest
type of able seaman in the world. has learned d
on shore, or dcgenerated 10 n deckhand.
1t is a pity that the deep waterway now
contemplated between the lakes and the sea.
board could not have been In operation before
the extinction OF these splendid vessels-so
that a few. coming down 20 our seaports, could
have been Inspected by the more conservatives
water builders TO the improvement Of their
minds and methods for. in the rig Of the fresh
water schooner tho weakness of the salt water
schooner the difficulty Of Thing the spapket
before a strong wnd-was removed. Tha
small miz2en as the spanker il Ct allied on the
lakes though smal enough IA be hauled afd
one watch, was still large enough to becalnt
by sktlful al pprinl the large maiDEail inst hnfOTa
which also. b~ecalnSed the ~foresail. Pegins
ming with jibs. air the becalmed Tor,
ward canvas could be hauled over hv
the watch on deck; then, 10 finish. but a few
strong pulls on the light mizZen sheet wera
needed, and the lob was done.