The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-02
KING OF ALI SCHI)DNERS
FIRST SIx-MAsTEH AFLOAT HAS
BEEN LAUNCHED ON THE
MAINE COAST
rs NAMED GEORGE W. WELLS
Facts About the Biggest Vessel of
Its Kind in the world
Limit Now About
Reached.

BANGOR, Me-, Sept The largest
schooner in the world the frs: SIX
master ever built, was launched at the
yard of Harvey NJ. Bean, az Camden Me-,
on Tuesday, Aug. IA. This is the schoon-
er George w. Wells owned by Capt. John
G. Crowley, of Taunton, Mass, and par
ties in. New York, Fall River and South
bridge, Mass, and to be commanded by
Capt Arthur Crowley, now of the five
masted schooner John B. Prescott. The
keel of this monster schooner was laid on
April l. She is now practically COM
pleted as to hull, but such is her weight
that the masts were not put in until
after the launching, for fear that the
blocks upon which she rests would col.
lapse altogether. Instead of spilling wine
ut her naming the pretty daughter of
the man for whom the vessel has been
named scattered white roses over her
bows. and as she moved down the ways
a f1ock of white doves We're liberated
after the fashion favored by the jap
anese.
Many giant schooners have been built
in American yards in recent years, but
| none of these now afioat approaches the
George w. Wells in size She is coz feet
II inches long on the keel 345 feet long on
top, 10 feet 6 inches beam and % feet
/ deep. She has two full decks, with
poop four feet deep extending from the
taffrail 10 the forward hatch. Her frame
| is white oak throughout, and all her
planking and ceiling hard pine. The gar
boards are eight inches thick, other
planking six inches; her ceiling to the
lower deck beams is u and IA inches
thick A notable feature of the construc-
ton of this monster is her keelson, which
is Is feet high aft, running up to height
of IL feet forward. In ordinary vessels a
man can easily climb over the keelson, but
in this schooner 1t extends up to the low
er deck beams, which are bolted to it,
and SO 1t acts as q great backbone to
strengthen the vessel. This keelson Is
built up Of hard pine timbers, IA inches
square, and is fastened With fifty tons Oh
13s-inch iron bolts.
So great is the sweep of her deck that
the vessels houses although of generous
size, look very small. Her after house
is thirty-six feet square; amidsh1ps Is the
|, galley, and forward the engine house and
forecastle, while she also has wheel
house for use in heavy weather, some
thing that is seldom found on coasting
vessels.
The six lower masts are splendid sticks
of Oregon pine, each 119 feet long and
thirty inches in diameter in the partners;
the topnastS are each fifty-eight feet
long, the foretopmast being twenty inches
in diameter in the cap. The iibboom
is seventy-fve feet long and twenty inch
es in diameter in the cap. The driver
boom is seyenty-fve. feet long and eigh-
teen inches in the sings. The other
booms are forty-two feet long and four
teen inches in the Sings Her foretop-
mast driver boom and jibboom are of
Oregon pine, and all other spars are of
native spruce. All the standing rigging
is of wire, set up with turnbuckles. The
masts are named as follows, beginning
forward: Foremost, matnmast m1zzen-
mast spankermast jiggermast and driy-
ermast. The vessel will carry $4,000 square
yards of the heaviest duck in the fol-
lowing pieces: Driver, tiger, spanker.
nizzen, main and foresaiis; six gaff top
sails of the same respective designations;
driver jiger, spanker, mizZeR and main
topmast staysails; five jibs
! In the after house are the cabins and
six staterooms, besides chart room The
staterooms will be occupied by the mas
ter, steward, two mates and engineer,
and including the chart room, which
can he fitted up with sleeping accom-
nodations, there will be two spare rooms
for passengers. The cabins and state
rooms are finished in ash, sycamore and
cherry, and supplied with steam heat.
baths, hot and cold water, electric bells
and telephone line to the galley and
engine house
In the construction of this vessel there
have been used immense quantities of ma
terials, including $50 tons of white oak
timber, 100000 feet of hard pine about
100, 600 feet of white pine deck plank and
several hundred tons of iron and copper
bolts Her materials would make a load
for several good-sized schooners.
The George w. Wells is not only of inn
mense size, but also a very handsome
vessel, being much the best looking of all
the large schooners. Her great length
takes away any appearance of bulkiness.
and as she lies on the ways in Beams
yard she looks like an immense yacht.
with her sharp bows, clean run aft and
graceful lines all over. The 2,100-ton Ave-