Evening star., 1901-11-16

needed. In all the world there are perhaps
not dozen of her building today, except
In compromiSe-part fore-and-aft, part
square-rigged, like bark or a barkentlua.
1t was about 1850 sailing vessels began
TO nave three maStS; four-masters appeared
In 50; fve-masters only a few years later.
Ihe beginning of the new century saw
two schooners with six masts-fore, main,
mfzzen, spanker. jigger and driver th,y
are called in order from stem to stern-the
George w. Wells and the Eleanor A. Percy
and already the keel is laid on which pres
emily to step the seventh stick, which Cap
tain Crowley, it may be announced with d
due sense of the Importance of putting a
word into print for the first time, has de-
clded to call the "pusher."
Matter of Economy.
The reasons for this rapid growth are.
like most others, reducible down to dollars
and cents. 1t was discovered long while
ago that schooners. in order to make long
voyages profitably, must be large-as large
as possible. The pilotage, towage and
wharfage Of large boat were measurably
less in proportion than for a smaller one.
The number of tons vessel could carry
increased much faster than the number of
ropes to be handled, and. consequently,
than the size of the crew. The only serious
objection at first was the difficulty of nan l.
ling heavier weights-anchorS, for instance
and as fast as mechanical improvements
removed these objections schooners grew.
They trebled their tonnage in the ten years
previous to 1894 and have since doubled IL
again; but here they came to limit. They
had already come to several limits, for Tat
matter. They could grow no deeper OH ac-
count Of shallow harbors, and therefore no
wider without spelling their models; and no
higher out Of water, of course, without
sinking deeper into 1t. 1t only remained,
then for them to grow longer. But for q
while there seemed to be a very definite
limit as to length, too; for even in the five
mast stage they began to show symptoms
OF breaking in two in the middle as ,aey
pitched over the long swells, first supported
at the ends, sagging amidships, then hung
In the middle on wave crest with bow
and stern unsupported.
Ihe evident cure was more stiffness of
backbone; SO, when 1t came to the six
masters, the Percy and the Wells, they
built up great keelson of timbers excend-
Ing from the bottom clear up to the first
deck, widening out pyramid-fashion ct the
base, and running from one end of The ship
to the other. But all this subtracted from
the cargo space and was little ship load
of lumber In itself; that, although the
schooner was bigger outside, inside she hdd
hardly increased enough over the five
master to pay for the difference Even with
this great stiffening keelson, by sighting
along the rails of the six-masters when
they are travelling light, and in a head sea.
you may see them lift and sag several
inches in their length; and designers and
builders seemed to agree that a seven
ndSler similarly constructed would De an
unwise undertaking. 1t Is even possible
that no more wooden six-masters will be
built. so that those now in existence, out
Of sheer loneliness, may continue to look
each other up on foggy mornings, as they
did the other day off Cape Cod, and rub
noses In collision with more or less disas-
trous results. For with them the wooden
schooner, apparently, has reached her
limit.
To Be of Steel.
Therefore the new seven-master is to be
of steel, and she is building. accordingly,
not at one Of the wooden yards where
schooners have come from before, but at
a modern steel battle ship yard" On the
Fore river beach she will extend on her con-
crete foundations nearly 100 feet further
than the Des Moines only about fifty feet
Island, building alongside; and the same