The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-12-15
SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE
WONDERFUL SHIP
REPAIRING FEAT
RERIGGING THE ASTRAL IN REC
UNDERTAKING. TIME AT SHOOT
Err ISLAND.

New York Shipping illustrated of
November % contains the following:
AS mentioned in these columns last
week, the Shooter Island Shipyard Co.
have just completed in record-break-
ing time what is believed to be the
largest rigging job ever undertaken on
sailing vessel at the port of New
York. The vessel in question was the
astral" one of the three American
sailing ships owned by the Standard
Oil Co., and one of the largest wind
tanners in the world, being of 1922
tons gross. On September 80 she sail
ed from Baltimore with cargo of
coal, bound for San Francisco when
on October 4, while in lat. 80 deg. ~,
long. 6S deg. W., she ran into hurri-
cane which lasted three days, carry
ing off the three topgallant masts,
with topgallant and royal yards, and
blowing away all the sails. On Octo-
Der 10 she was lowed into New York
by the tug astral" which picked her
up off Sea Girt, N. j., and bids were
at once called for refitting the vessel.
A lively competition for the award of
the contract took place among the va
rious repairing plants in New York,
the bids being as follows:
Shooter Island Snlpyard Co., $15,-
349, completed in % days; John N.
Robins Co., $4,000, completed in six
weeks; Morse Iron Works, $17,925,
completed in 4S days; G. M. Edgett IL
Co., $20,157, completed in 40 days; Co
lumbia Engineering Works, $4,000,
completed in eight weeks.
The contract was accordingly grant
ed TO the Shooter Island Shipyard Co.,
whose bid of $15349 while almost as
low as the lowest one, had the ad-
vantage of calling for two weeks less
time than any other. The contract
called for delivery of the vessel to
her owners on November 81, demurrage
to be paid by the repairers at the rate
of $3.50 per diem. Little confidence
was expressed at first in the POSSIBLE
ltg Vi uOlllto lhC WI N OO QIlChlgs I1OW-
ever, in the evening of November 10,
% working days after taking up the
work-without allowing for two days
bad weather-thme job was completed
and the "Astraf' stood as spick and
span as when she left her builders
yards, ready for sea. The work had
been completed in the incredibly short
time of 9 days after sending up the
main topgallant mast. 1t included the
largest sailmaking order ever execut-
ed in New York, cutting and bending
total sail area of 1880 square feet
of canvas, fitting new topgallant and
royal yards, new stays, running gear
and tackle blocks, or in all an order OF
some 10000 fathoms of manila rope,
all done exclusively by the employees
of the Shooter Island Shipyard Co.
On October 81 the work was finally
accepted by Captain Smith, marine
superintendent of the Standard Oil
Co., in the name of the owners, and
passed by the surveyors of the Anne
rican Bureau of Shipping and the Blu
reau Veritas, Captains Rich and Cham
berlin. Mr. w. D. Dickey, general
manager of the works, and his able
staff of assistants, were warmly con-
graduated by the owners superinten>
dent and surveyors for the efficient
and expeditions manner in which this
job had been executed. The work on
the astral is. indeed, in a class all
by itself and will be long remembered
in New York.