The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-04-14

Bristol, r. l., April 11.-With an
American Eagle at her bow, the cup
defender Reliance was launched at the
HerreshOrf works just before sundoWn
today. Five hundred persons stood be-
side the gIistening underbody of the
yacht. when at $50 this afternoon, Miss
Nora Iselin. daughter of c. Oliver Ise-
lin, 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:
Il christen thee Reliance, and may
God bless thee
Three thousand persons in steam
yachts, rOwbOatS, on the two piers and
on the street behind the shops, greeted
the initial plunge of the Reliance with
lusty cheers, while a bugler on a tor
pedO boat. played the Star Spangled
Banner
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
Reliance. The Constitution was gaily
bedecked with flags and as the Reliance
4
old sister, some comparison of the
lines of the two boats could be made.
1t was then seen that the bow of the
Reliance turns out of the water more
sharply, that her stern is lower and
fiatter and that she has a trif1e less
free board. The new boat, however,
was soon hauled back into the dock
where she will be rieged. 1t is eX-
pected that she will have her trial spin
in about ten days, after which she will
have a thorough trying out, meeting
both the Constitution and the Columbia
in a series of thirty-five races in Long
Island sound, off Sandy Hook and at
Newport. Should she prove superior to
her two rivals, she will meet Shamrock
III in the first of the cup races on Au-
gust 21st.
The Reliance is a decided departure
on the part of Herreshorf from his 9TH
er cup defenders and Is cn excellent
example of the American type of fiat
fOOred fin-keeled boats. She is not
such ar extreme skimming dish as was
the Independence, but she nevertheless
resembles the Crowninshield more
than she does any of her predecessors
built here. Her lines are easy, with a
few hard places and a graceful, sweep
ing curve from the bilges into the gar
boards. Her stern is very fiat, so that
she will leave but little wake while
and fiat as that of the Independence.
is still very much different from the
bow of either the Constitution or the
Columbia. She has a long keel, but
owing to her good beam does not carry
so much lead in the bulb as the other
cup defenders. 1t is believed that her
strongest point of sailing will be with
starched sheets in a comparatively
smooth sea. She is also likely to go
very fast down the wind. her long
keel holding her we'll o" her course.
Her weakest point, therefore will be on
the wind. with f1attened sheets. point
on which the Shamrock III is said to
be very fast The boat, however. with
her easy lines and her tremendous sail
spread over fifteen thousand square
feet will be easy driven. and it seemed
to be the unanimous opinion of those
yachtSmen who saw her today that she
will prove the fastest sailing vessel
ever built.
The launching was a great success.
The tender of the Reliance. the steam
er Sunbeam was mOOred alongside the
south pier and Mr.. ISelin with several
of his yachting friends, kept "open
house on her ali day. The chriSten-
ing party came ashore from the Sun
beam Just before half past five and at
once mounted the little staging and
ran out toward the starbOard bow of
Suspended by a wire from the boat
was quart bottle of American cham
pagne. around the neck were the 1Selin
cOlOrS Miss Iselin, who was goWned
in dark blue velvet and wore picture
hat was accompanied by her father
and Newbur-- Thorne, Captain Wood
bury Kane, Colonel William Goddard
Mr. 1selinS father-in-law and her Sis
ter. Miss Fanny Iselin.
At 5:31 o'clock there came rings OF a
bell and Immediately the boat begun to
move As soon as she was fairly start
ed Miss Iselin smashed the bottle OF
champagne with a silver hammer. As
she did so. she named the boat. There
was cheering and a general dash for
pieces of the broken bottle as souvenirs
while the fOaming wine drenching from
the low bow of the boat, splashed on
the floor below.
II took just ten minutes to launch the
Reliance.