The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-20
SCHOONERS STILL GROWING.
One Giant With Five Masts and An other With Seven Now Being Built

olle iIdHl WllH flNe NdSlS anu All
 other With Seven Now Being Built. Twenty years ago a schooner that
 could carry 800 tons of coal was con-
 sidered to be a good-sized vessel Now 1 there are afloat several four masters
 carrying 5000 tons or more, and a con siderable fleet of five-masters whose
 cargoes range from 3,2OO to 4,6OO tons, while the iX-master George w. Wells
 carries close to 5000 tons and the
 Eleanor A. Percy about 5,40O tons. | Any one of the larger schooners has about the same carrying capacity as 1 the average Atlantic freighter Their anchors are heavier than those carried by the old frigate of the navy their immense sails are hosted by steam
 engines and their accommodations fore and after, are luxurious compared with what was Furnished 10 years ago.
 When steam heat, electric lights, steam foghorns, steam Winches, bathrooms, mahogany furniture, velvet carpets,
 libraries and even pianos are carried
 in the giant coasters it might seem that
 the limit had been reached in that di- rection, but the limit in size has not yet been reached
 There are now in process of construc-
 tion two vessels of the schooner rig
 that will outrank anything now atioat
 schooners. The five master is of wood,
 Boston which will carry more dead weight than either of the masters, and a seven-master at Quincy Point,
 Mass. which will be the king of all schooners. The fivt-master Is of wood, and is expected to carry close to 5000 tons of coal, while the seven-master is of steel, and will carry about $500 tons.
 This monster will be 375 feet long on the keel, and 3SS feet on the load-water line end 395 feet on top 50 feet beam and 34 feet 5 inches depth of hold. She will carry 3S,Q00 Suare feet of sail, and all her standing rigging will be of steel wire. She will have two large vertical boilers, a large steam engine in the forward house and five hoisting en- zines on deck, steam steering gear, steam heat and electric lights in the houses and in the hold.
 She is expected to carry her cargo of 6.300 tons of coal on draft of only 25 feet and 6 inches. The only question seems to be as to her stiffness A NeSSel or neT lenSI0, II IS argued Dy some, is likely to be weak without the bulkhead systen, which Is used in steamship construction which of course. g. coal schooner does not have The builders however. are confident that they can so brace and strap the vessel that she will be as stiff as many of the shorter craft What would hap pen to her in case she should be grounded amidsliip or be hung up at both ends in a loading berth, is another question. Old timers say that wooden vessel will give when strained and then come back again as soon as re- leased by floating, but that the steel schooner will surely break in half should she get nipped. The same pre- dictions, however, were made regard ing the siX-masted wooden schooners. and those long vessels seem to be get | ting along all right.
 Nothing, apparently can stop the | progress of the giant schooners The | bugaboo of the barges no longer wor- ries the owners of sailing craft. The | big schooners carry immense cargoes, and even with half the number of men carried by square triggers of like size, are easily and quickly handled, make fast trips and coin money where small |