The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1903-03-17
Declares New Boat Can
not Possibly Lose to
the Defender.
SHOWERED BY RAIN
Launching of British Yacht
Witnessed by an En-
thuSiaStiC Crowd.

Glasgow, March I7.-The Shamrock III
was launched at rs o'clock today.
Large crowds gathered at Dennys
yards at Dunbarton in spite of the drench-
ing rain, which, however, ceased before
the arrival of the special visitors train.
Sir Thomas Upton escorted Lady Shaftes-
bury to the christening dais. Among
Others on the platform were the Earl and
Countess of Marandkelie, Lord Overton,
Lord Provost of Glasgow, the Hon. Charles
Russell, Reginald Ward, William Fife and
Captain Wringe and Captain Bevis.
At 1915 o'colck p m Lady Shaftesbury
broke the bottle saying: II chrsten you
Shamrock III. May God bless you, and
may you bring back the cup"
Amid loud cheering the Shamroc, Ill
slid easily into the water. After more
cheering the visitors proceeded to
luncheon.
An examination Of Shamrock III. as
the yacht was revealed in the launching
shed, confirmed the previous dispatches
OF the Associated Press on the subject
and showed that Fife had struck out bold
ly on entirely novel lines instead of trying
TO tinker or improve on either of the
previous Upton challengers. Like her
predecessors, however, the Shamrock III.
is built close up to the oo-foot line limit
Her length of over all is 40 feet. The
most striking feature of the challenger is
here extremely short fin. 1t is Just 20
feet long. Her draught is 10 feet and
the fin is almost level along the bottom.
The lead in the hull is drawn well down
TO the fin, suggesting the deep body typical
OF the British cutter rather than the ex-
tr9me fiat hoored type adapted from the
American center board yachts and used in
all the recent challengers.
The American wheel steering for the
first time replaces the British tiller and
the lesson learned with the Shamrock H.,
through her pounding in head seas has led
TO longer and finer drawn bow, giving
the CHALLENGER the appearance Of being a
boat capable of navigating comfortably
any moderate sea. With lesser draught
and not SO fiat foored as the previous
Shamrocks, the challenger will not have
so much stability, so Fife has either gone
in for light weather boat or he has cut
down her sail area. There are daring
and novel features in the design, the effect
OF which cannot be accurately gaugcd, cx-
cept by actual trial. They suggest the
possibility of difficulty in getting the new
boat to trim, steer and carry her canvas.
IT, however, she accomplshes these OBJ
jects well, she will prove to be by far
the most formidable challenger ever sent
out The under body of the Shamrock
III. is painted with a white ti-fouling
composition. Her topsdes are white and
she has broad bands of green along the
water line and rail. Her hull, frames and
halliards are Of nickel steel and especially
made. The deck is of aluminium plates,
covered with wood fibre, which gives
safe foothold. She is superb in every de-
tail no dent, rivet or joint is visible under
polish of her paint
After the launching Sir Thomas Upton
said to a correspondent of the Associated
Press; my third and perhaps my last
attempt at lifting the Americas cup will
be the most serious and, | think, most
hopeful of my efforts. The Reliance may
beat us, but it will not be because have
not got the best boat British brains and
workmen can produce. If Americas cup
stays in America it will be because of
the extraordinary genius of the American
yacht builders. If he can produce still
further Improvement in his art shall be-
gin to think that he is a bit more than
human. There is no question but that
the best boat wins in the international
races. / believe that the Shamrock III.
will come near filling that bill. To NV
mind she is a marvel in which Fife and
Watson have outdone themselves. With
good trial races and no accidents her ar
rival in New York should mark the COM
ing of the most formidable challenger
ever sent over. ! scarcely need add that
as much as ] long to win and expect to
win, third defeat will only increase my
admiration for people who can beat us
at game that was once our own.
However" he added laughing, "the |
third defeat is of course quite out of the |
question"
In speech after the luncheon. Sir
Thomas said the Americas cup must now |
be SICK He had learned a lesson from
the past and they were never more con-
fdent. They had fifty years experience
with American yachts and American
yachtsmen, and none would cheer a vic
torious Shamrock more heartily than the
Americans.
The toast "King Edward and President
Roosevelt" was drunk with musical
honors. The lord provost proposed sue
cess to Shamrock and her owner, saving
the only thing Sir Thomas Upton ever
failed to do was to lift the cup. He hoped
Sir Thomas would crown the trinity of
Shamrocks by attaining the friendly
supremacy In British and American waters
0 Ia