The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-04-12
CUP DEFENDER IS
LAUNCHED AND
CHRISTENED
Three Thousand Persons
Greeted the Initial Plunge
Of Reliance : Miss Cora
Iselin Breaks Bottle of
Champagne With Silver
Hammer-NeW Boat Diff
ferent From Previous
Yachts.

BRISTOL, r. L, April 11.-With an
American eagle at her bow the cup de-
fender Reliance was launched at the
Herreshoff works just before shutdown
today
Five hundred persons stood beside
the glistening underbody of the yacht
when at 5:31 o'clock this afternoon
Miss Cora Iselin, daughted of C. Oliver
1selin, the managing owner of the boat
broke with the sturdy blow of a silver
hammer, the traditional bottle of
champagne, saying at the same time:
L christen thee Reliance, and may
God bless thee"
Laurel Wreaths and punches Of pinks
tied with red and black ribbons. the
racing colors of Mr.. Iselin, were fes-
TONED forward and as the yacht slow
ly drew out of the shop, the American
yacht ensign was raised at the stern
with Mr.. Iselin's private signal amid
ships, and the colors of the New York
Yacht club at the bow.
Three thousand persons in steam
back on the street behind the shops.
greeted the initial plunge of Reliance
with, lusty cheers, while a bugler on a
torpedo boat played THE Star-Span-
gled Banner"
Among the yachts anchored off the
works was the Constitution, the I'M
successful candidate for cup honors
two years ago, and this year destined
70 1Na =,
Reliance. Constitution was gaily be-
decked with flags and as Reliance lay
for few minutes alongside her older
sister, some comparison of the lines of
the two boats could be made. 1t was
then seen that the bow of Reliance
turns out of the water more sharply,
that her stern is lower and fiatter and
that she has a trifle less free board.
The new boat was soon hauled back
into the dock where she will be rugged.
1t is expected that she will have her
trial spin in about ten days, after
which she will have a thorough trying
out, meeting both Constitution and Co
lumbia in series of thirty-f1ve races
in Long Island sound, off Sandy Hook
and at Newport. Should she prove su-
perior to her two rivals, she will meet
races on Aug. 81.
Not Like Other Yachts.
Reliance is a decided departure on
the part of Herreshoff from his other
cup defenders and is an excellent ex-
ample Of the American type of fiat
flOOred, fin-keeled boats. She is not
such an extreme sl1imming keeled dish
as was independence, but she never
the-less resembles the Crowninshield
boat more than she does any of her
predecessors built here.
Her lines are very easy, with few
hard places and a graceful, sweeping
curve from the bilges into the gar
boards. Her stern is very fiat, so that
she will leave but little wake, while her
bow, although not quite so broad and
fiat as that of independence, is still
very much different from the bow Of
either Constitution or Columbia. She
has a long keel, but owing ia her good
beam, does not carry so mteh lead in
the bulb as the other cup defenders.
Her bow, toward the end, Is quite
sharp, while her taft rail measures
scarcely eight feet. Her. greatest beam
is well up in the shoulders and is car
ried aft many feet. At the water line,
forward, she is curved like the inside
of a saucer.
1t is believed that her strongest point
of sailing will be with started sheets in
q comparatively smooth sea. She is
also likely to go very fast down the
wind, her long keel holding her we'll on
her course. Her weakest point there
fore will be on the wind with fattened
sheets, a point on which Shamrock III.
is said to be very fast. The broad floor
Of Reliance will probably cause her to
pound considerably, especially in
lumpy sea.
The boat, however, with her easy
lines and her tremendous sail spread Of
over $4,000 square feet, will be easily
driven, and 1t seemed to be the unani-
nous opinion of those yachtsmen who
saw her today that she would prove the
fastest sailing vessel ever built.
Launching Success.
The launching was a great success.
The weather was perfect, with a light
breeze blowing off shore, so that there
was no danger of heavy seas rolling
into the dock and throwing the craft
against the side of the pier. The gath
ering of yachts began about noon, when
the steam yacht Mona, owned by w. B.
Leeds, once Of the Reliance syndicate,
but loaned to Commodore Bourne for
the day, came in from New York. The
tender of Reliance, the steamer Sun
beam, was moored alongside the south
pier and Mr.. Iselin, with several of his
yachting friends, kept open house" on
her all day.
After the Mona came in, Commodore
Bourne, together with Secretary Cor
mack. eX-Commodore Brown, Fleet
captain Robinson and several members
of the different club committees came
ashore and called on Mr.. Iselin. After
their return to the Mona, a party of
Boston yachtsmen, friends of Mr. Iselin,
arrived. At o'clock the steamer Satel-
lite, the tender of Constitution, with
P august Belmont, who controls that
boat this year, came up from Newport.
With him were E. D. Morgan, who will
have charge Of Columbia during the
coming season. A few minutes after
the Satellite arrived, Constitution was
formally placed in commission.
The doors of the south shop were
opened to the ticket holders at o'clock
and within a few minutes the floor be-
meath the boath was we'll filled, while
many had taken places of vantage on
piers The FURNISHED underbody of Re-
nance as she stood propped up In her
cradle caused much admiration. 1t
showed up Well, and so we'll had it been
rubbed down by the sailors that It
seemed as If the very bolts must have
been parts Of the plates. The seams
were scarcely discernable, while the
rudder was marvel Of workmans hin.
Christening Party Arrives.
The christening party came ashore
from the Sunbeam just before $3.50 and
at once mounted the little scaffolding