The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-19
Big ALLOWANCE TO SHAMROCK
RELIANCE MUST GIVE 4 MINUTE
As SECONDS TO HER OPPONENT.

Feet Less Canvas short Spins To-day.
The Shamrock III and the Reliance are
now tugging at their moorings in Sandy
Hook Bay, both ready for the contest which
ia to begin tomorrow. They have been
thoroughly groomed and yesterday after
the finishing touches were put on their
underbodies they were foated and then the
measurer, Charles d. Mower of tho New
York Yacht Club, put his tape over the
two boats to find out how much time the
| Reliance has to allow in the races
The amount had been figured from a
minute and a half to two minutes, but as
the exact lengths Of the waterlines OF the
| two boats could rot be ascertair e ! this was
largely guessworb. When all the work
had been done IL was officially announced
| that the Reliance allows minute IS seconds
| time to the Shamrock III. in each race
| This is a large allowance more than many
Of the admirers of the Reliance thought
she would have to give, and those who
believe in the ability Of the Shamrock TO
win are very much pleased.
Measuring the two boats was long job.
but patient crowd stood around them
all day long. Early in the morning
the Erie Basin began to fill up, and by 10
O'Clock there was no standing room around
the dry docks in which were the two boats.
| Metal workers were busy on the Reliance,
fixing her damaged ruc,der and hammering
| out the dented plates in the bow, new
piece of bronze WAS put on the pintle, and
it showed in marked contrast to the rest
| of the bronze, being much darker in color.
The bronze of the Reliance shone like
FURNISHED gold, and the bottom is beautifully
smooth and clean.
The Shamrock also is looking fine. Her
underbody is like piece of delicate por-
celain. The paint has hardened well
| and has been rubbed down until il is az
! smooth as piece OF glass. The scaffolding
around the two boats was removed early
| and everyone had chance to compare
the two models. The Reliance looked
big and powerful, while the Shamrock is
small, delicate and dainty. She is a big
little boat, and more than one in the basin
commented on the fact that she looked
very much like the Defender.
In 1895, when the Defender was built,
the Englishmen who came over called her
big little boat. The Valkyrie that year
was the brute. She was bigger in every
way than the Defender, but the Defender
won. This year things are just the oppo-
site. The Reliance is the brute. The
Shamrock is the little boat. She has shown
in her trials that she is fast. Shs has
beaten the Shamrock I. by large margins.
and she Ia to receive large allowance
from the Reliance.
Sir Thomas Upton and c. Oliver Iselin
we're early in the basin looking over the two
boats. As usual Sir Thomas was the centre
of an admiring crowd. He was besieged
by all and had to shake hands with many,
until he got tired and took refuge on the
Shamrock, where he had long talk with
Capt. Wringe and William Fife.
Later in the morning he met Mr.. Iselin
on the dock and the two yachtsmen chatted
for a time. While they were talking a
young woman approached Sir Thomas
shook his hand and said, "We all hope
you will win the Cap, Sir Thomas.
Sir Thomas laughed and thanked her.
but Mr.. Isein said: "Oh, no, we don't and
we are not going to let him win If we can
About o'clock Charles D. Mower, the
measurer and A. Bradlee Hunt, a member
of the club, went on board the Shamrock
TO measure her spars. Capt. Wringe and
II.
ton. Head sails were sent up in stops and
Mr. Mower was soon at work. He measured
from the end of the bowsprit to the forward
side of the mast and then the length OF
the main boom and gaf
This work was comparatively easy, but
when the hoist was TO be measured Mr.
Mower got in a boatswan's chair and was
soon swinging from the masthead of the
boat some lT5 feet above the bottom OF
the dry dock. IL did not take very long
TO measure the spars Of the challenger az q
then he went over TO the Reliance and os
il was almost high tice the sluices were
opened and water was let into the dock III
which the Shamrock was resting. Mr.
Mower finished his work on the Reliance
and by that time the Shamrock was floating
and he went back TO that yacht to get her
water line length while the water was LEI
into the dock in which The Reliance was
standing.
To measure the water line length Of
modern Cup yacht is delicate job. The
forward and after overhangs Of these boats
are so low over the water that it is easy TO
make a mistake. The crew on the yacht
was gathered amidships. There were fifty
six on board. Sir Thomas Upton sat on
board in the middle of the deck OF the
yacht and near him we're DR.. Neale and
Col Sharman Crawford. Capts. Wringe
and Bevis stood watching the operation,
and the sailors were seated on the deck.
Mr. Mower dropped two plumb lines,
one over the bow and one over the stern
and then he and Mr. Hunt, William Fife and
Nat Herreshoff got into a punt and Went
to the bow of the yacht. long batten
was then foated on the water and care
fully placed 80 that it rested against the
spot where the hull of the yacht left the
water at the forward end Then mark
was made on the batten just where the
plumb line hanging over the bow cut it.
The same operation was repeated at the
after end Of the yacht, and then the length
of the forward and after overhangs was
marked on the deck and the space between
these two showed the length of the water
line Four small black marks were put
on the hull of the yacht to show her fota
tion lines.
While the Shamrock was being measured
the Reliance was foated out of the smaller
dock ard warped around into the same
dock in which the Shamrock was lying,
and as soon as the Shamrock was measured
Mr. Mower, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fife and MIR,
Herreshoff went to the Reliance to get her
water line length.
There were sixty-four men on the de-
fender. The amateurs on board were
C. Oliver Isein, W b. Duncan, Jr,, Herbert
&. Leeds, Newberry ID. Thorne, Wood
bury Kane and DR.. Monahan Mr. Mower
soon did the work, while the two designers,
Fife and HerreshoN, watched the operation
II was quarter to s o'clock when the two
yachts had been measured and Mr.. Mower
went to the New York Yacht Club to figure
out the allowances and the measurements
The Reliance and Shamrock were at once
warped out OF the dock and their tugs were
waiting to cast line TO them and tow them
Il ~