Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-03-07

RACE CAUSES
MUCHNTEREST
Should Fishing Schooner Be
Built For Speed Argued
BY Mariners.

bost0n, March 7.-Whether a fish
Ing schooner should be built for
speed threatens to an interna-
tional marine controversy.
The fo'c'sles Of the fishing fleets
Of this port, Gloucester and Province
town, have been the scenes of stormy
sessions this winter. stormier often
n the wintry. seas and skies with
out, due to discussions Of the interna-
tional fishing schooner championship
and the craft that are building or
mentioned for the title races off Hall
fax, N. s., next fall. Keen rivalry
exists among these ports as to which
will gain the honor Of defending
against Canada the trophy that the
Gloucesterman, Esperanto. won from
the Nova ScotiAn,s Delaware, last Mo-
vember, @
The Down East fishermen of Nova
Scitta are no whit less keen on the
question and In virtually every boat
sailing out Of Boston or Gloucester
are men from the maritime provinces
who divide the partisanship Of their
present ports with those home ports
from which they first went to ca.
run from comment in the press to
controversy in the pilot house, large
~ on h issue Of how Tar q fishing
schooner may be refined for speed.
The Canadians, defeated by Esper-
anto, set to work at once to build
q boat that could win next fall and
when she began to take form on the
ways at Lunenburg, N. S., those who
saw her and h plans for her sails
chrtstened her the big Ark" Esper-
anto was admittedly unequal to a test
with such q boat and Gloucestermen
looked about them for a schooner to
defend their laurels. They have sew
eral that they think will do. In Bos-
ton a syndicate was formed to consid-
er representation for this port in the
races and with the plans for the Can
adam challenger known, it was de-
cided to build to beat her.
As a result the Mayflower, now on
n builders stocks at Essex with a
dozen or more:rtbs showing on either
side OF her oak keel, was conceived.
w. Starting Burgess, naval architect,
was commissioned to design her and
drew up plans that a yachtsman said
resembled the Americas cup defense
yacht. Resolute. The men Of Glouces-
ter are reported to be critical of con-
s~ideration of such a boat as a fisher
man. and those of Canada have taken
objection formally and informally to
several features and threaten to bar
the Mayflower from the competition.
Designer Burgess admitted the
Mayflower was drawn to lines as
nearly those of = yacht as it was prac-
tical to design a fishing schooner, but
he and those most active in the prof.
ect insist she will be in every sense
a deep-sea fishing vessel, fulfilling
every stipulation in the international
fishing schooner championship re-
quirements, including that which says
that h must participate in the fish
cries for n season before she is
eligible to race.
The Canadians have set April 80 as
the last date in which a vessel could
start for the fisheries and be consid-
cred to have met the seasonal stipula-
ton. Accordingly Mayflower is be-:
ing rushed with the idea Of launching
her about April Is and getting her
away by the end of the month. The
shipbuilders are working overtime
without extra wages, men have VOL
unteered at the shipyards at Essex to
work 16 to Is, hours to have the can
vas ready for her when she takes the
water.
General dimensions of each boat
have been known and have been the
subject Of the discussions and contro-
versy that have been waged. Detailed
figures have been lacking up to now
and those given below offer the first
opportunity for direct comparison of
the Canadian challenger and the Bos-
ton boat Mayflower. The figures fol-
1Ov. .. go