The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-12
YACHT RELIANCE
 GLIDES INTO SEA
Boat Which Will Defend the
 Cup a Beautiful Graft
WILL BE TRIED IN TEN DAYS
Within Short Time After Striking the Water the Reliance Was Hauled Back to Be Rlsged-Mlss Iselin
 Breaks Champagne Bottle.

| Bristol R. l., April 11.-With an Amer ican eagle at It's bow, the cup defender Reliance was launched at the Herresbon works just before sundown today. flVe hundred persons stood beside the glisten- ing underbody of the yacht when at 5:31 o'clock Miss Cora Iselin, daughter Of c. Oliver Iselin, owner of the boat broke with the sturdy blow of silver hammer the traditional bottle of champagne, say | ing at the same time
 T christen thee Reliance, and may God bless thee"
 Laurel wreaths and punches of pinks tied with red and black ribbon, the racing colors of MT. Iselin, were festooned 1or- ward and as the yacht slowly drew out of the slip the American yacht ensign was raised at the stern with MT. lselin's prl- vate signal amidships and the eolors or the New York Yacht club at the bow. Three thousand persons in steam yachts, in row boats, on the two piers and on the street behind the shops greeted the ini- tial plunge of the Reliance with lusty cheers, while a buger on torpedo boat 1 played the Star Spangled Banner Constitution Stood Near.
 Among the yachts anchored off the works was the Constitution, the unsuc- cessful candidate for cup honors two years ago, and this year destined to be one of the keenest rivals against the Re- lance The Constitution was gaily be- decked with flags, and as the Reliance lay off for few minutes alongside It's older companion, some comparison of the lines of the two boats could be made. It was then seen that the bow or the Reliance turns out of the water more sharply, that It's stern is lower and flat ter and that 1t have trifie less Tree board. The new boat, however, was soon hauled back into the dock where 1t VIII be rigged. It Is expected that 1t will have It's trial spin In about ten days, after which 1t will have thorough trying out, meeting both Constitution and Columbia in a series of 35-mlle races in Long Island sound off Sandy Hook and at Newport. Should it prove superior to it's two riVals' Reliance will meet Shamrock III. in the first of the cup races on August A.
 The Reliance is a decided departure on the part of the Herreshoffs from the other cup defenders, and Is an excellent example of the American type Of flat fioored, fin keel boats. It's lines are easy with few hard places and graceful sweeping curve from the bilges into the starboards. The stern is fiat, so that 1t will leave but little wake, while It's DOW, although not so broad and fiat as that of Independence, Is still much different from the bow of either Constitution or Columbia.
 hr Has Long Keel.
 The Reliance has a long keel, but owing to it's good beam, does not carry so much
 af1 O. lenders. Its bow toward the end is sharp while It's taffrail measures scarcely eight feet The greatest beam Is well up In the shoulder, and is carried aft many feet At the water line forward, the boat is curved like the inside of saucer. It IS believed that it's strongest point or sall- ing will be with started sheets In comparatively smooth sea- The Reliance is also likely to go fast down the wind, the long keel holding the boat well on the course The weakest point, therefore, will be on the wind with hattened sheets, a point on which Shamrock III Is said to be extremely fast. The broad floor of the Reliance probably will cause 1t to pound considerably, especially in lumpy sea.
 The boat, however, with It's easy lines and its tremendous sail spread Of l5,OOO square feet, will be easily driven, and 1t seems to be the unanimous opinion or those XaC1IS1ne0 WuO SdW hhV JoShh NA that 1t would prove the fastest sailing vessel ever built.
 No Danger of Heavy Seas.
 The launching was successful The weather was perfect, with light breeze blowing off shore, so there was no danger of heavy seas rolling into the dock and throwing the craft against the sides or the pier The tender of Reliance, the c,,,, TnOVed AlOnRSide the south pier, and MT. 1selin, with sev- eral of his yachting friends, kept "open house. on board all day.
 The christening party came ashore from the Sunbeam Just before 5:90 o'clock. and at once mounted the little staging which ran out toward the starboard bow of the yacht.
 Suspended by a wire from the side of the boat was a quart bottle of American champagne, around the neck of which were the Iselin colors.
 Miss Iselin, who was gowned in dark blue velvet and wore picture hat, was accompanied by her father and Newbury Thorne, Captain Woodbury Kane, Colonel William Goddard, Mir Iselin's father-in- law and her sister, Miss Fannie Iselin. In the meantime N. G. Herreshoff, Captain Barr, who will command the boat, and a dozen of the sailors, had mounted the deck.
 At 5:31 p. m. there came three rings of a bell. and immediately the boat began to move As soon as the yacht was fairly started Miss Iseln smashed the bottle of champagne with a silver hammer. at the same time naming the yacht.
 E There was cheering and general dash for pieces of the broken bottle souven- frs, while the foaming wine, after drench- ing the bow of the boat, splashed on the floor below. It took just ten minutes to launch Reliance.