The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-05
FIVE MASTED RARKENTINES
Deep water Vessels OF New Type Proposed
TO BE built In Maine.

BANGOR, Me-. March "A. Sewall a Co
OF Bath. who have built all the full rigged
ships recently turned out in the United
States. have been considering a propo-
stion to construct one or more vessels
of now type-fve masted barkentines.
A design for such vessel has been made
by B. B. Crowninshield of Boston, who has
endeavored to produce a vessel suitable fol
the trade between this country and the
Philippines. a good carrier, fair sailer
and handy in all weathers.
The specifications call for vessel built
entirely of steel. everything first GLASS and
under Lloyds inspection; length on keel,
800 feet beam, AZ feet nodded depth, 81 feet
Q inches, mean draught, % feet; capacity,
$500 tons dead weight on extreme draugh
of Is feet She is to be fitted with water
ballast tanks of 2,iOo tons capacity, which
will give her IS feet draught in ballast trim.
Il j. figured that this sort Of vessel, square
rugged on the foremost and schooner rugged
on the four other masts, could be handled
by crew of twenty men, all told. whereas
a full rugged ship Of equal capacity would
need from thirty-fve to forty men. 1t is
said that several vessels Of this type are TO
be built at once and that the contracts
arc likely to 60 to the Sewall firm at Bath.
While the American registry contains no
such thing as a five masted barkentine, and
il Is doubtful if there is any such vessel
ahoat, the proposed craft would not be a
very wide departure from existing Amen-
can types, for there are many barkentines
of regulation rig and few four Inasted
barkentines. such az the Josephine, which
loaded deals at Bangor last fall for Rio dc
Janeiro.
This vessel, with others OF the came rig,
and several three masters, was built ex
pressly for the coffee trade between Rio
Jane!ro aud Baltimore, and the whole feet
met all expectations, both in sailing and
carrviug-the Good News. Glad Tdngs.
Standard. Josephine and Frances.
Ships and barks are considered TO be out
OF date In most trades in which Americans
take any considerable part, chiefly on ao-
count Of the expense In handling them,
and the schooner rig is not well suited to
deep water voyages, although many OF the
big fore-and ALTERS go onshore, the Governor
Ames the first five rnasted schooner having
gone around Cape Horn when she was new,
carrying coal from Baltimore to San Fran
CISCO, trading for some time in the Pacific
and finally coming back around the Cape
again with l,65o,0oo feet OF lumber and
spar= from Puget Sound TO Liverpool.
Tho ship and bark are expensive and
handle badly in head winds. while the
schooner running before gale is likely to
DO drowned out by following seas having
nothing TO set aloft. Between these two
rigs comes the barkentine, Ig long favored
in Nova Scotia and Norway and well thought
Of by many Maine masters.
A big barkentine should DO an ideal vessel
for Americans under existing conditions.
She il cheaper TO rig and cheaper TO handle
than a ship or bark Of equal size, Is quite
rs good a. those riga in running before the
wind and much their superior in beating
TO windward
II is some years since any kind Of square
type that is most completely out OF date
il the hermaphrodite brig, which IN the
prosperous days OF American merchantmen
was 40 popular. II Ia now % years since
Maine launched q brig. the last vessel Of
that rig having been the Telos. built at
Crosby's yard Bangor, for Capt. Lawrence
Coney in 1898.