The Coming America Cup Contest.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11665, 26 January 1901, Page 3

The Coming America Cup Contest.

BUILDING OF THE DEFENDER. Most of the work now under way at the Herreshoff yards (says the New York Tribune of December 2nd) is in the nature of preparation for what is yet to come, there being little of the material for the new Defender now on the premises. In the last week new chainplates have been forged in the blacksmith shop for the shrouds, and the work of getting ont straps and struts ha 3 been begun. This is an early start for these items, but double ftetW of them have to be made, and especially of the strappings that are to go inside the boat. More important work is at a standstill, because the 70-footer Rainbow occupies the south shop, and the partial rebuilding of her is not expected to be finished for at least a week,' after Which she will be launched and taken to winter quarters. The work of making the Defender's sails is now well under way in the new sail loft, and also in the old loft over the north shop. Two of the jibs are now almost completed, and Foreman Hathaway has six men at work, the same number of extra hands being ordered for this month. The Herresholf boat shops and other shops auxiliary to the l*rK<* structures have just received a new and independent electric system, so that when the rush comes to complete the Defender and the many other racers which are to be ready before next spring tho work can be continued by the night j relays without intermission. j It has been told privately in the clubs that each of the members of the new cup defence syndicate will contribute 50.000 j dols. for the building and expenses of the boat. This is said to be a nominal sum mentioned to start the boat's construction, an<l because the Columbia cost, j running anvl other expenses, over 1 200,000 dol., it is inferred that this separate contribution is not the limit, j With five in tbe syndicate, the sum of 250,000 dol. indicates that the yacht is to have everything of the best. The indications are that the Herreshoff s do not intend to be as reserved about information concerning the new Defender as they have been with previous craft built for the same task.

As to the material which is to go into her, the coming challenger, Shamrock 11., is wholly an unknown quantity, except so far as well-known prejudices of her designer may lead to the guess that be will keep to his lifelong likiugs; but now that the first Shamrock is being partly rebuilt the interest attaching to the material that is going into her is considerable. She is not getting aluminium plates fixed to her upper body, to replace those which have lately been removed, but this part is being replated with steel, so that, although the same model is retained, a considerable amount of extra weight will be added tocher upper works. This can only have the effect, if any, of lessening and not increasing the boat's speed, so that tbe owner will hardly be in a position to say that the craft is in exactly the same condition as she was last year, and by whatever time the new Shamrock may beat her thoro cannot bo the same certainty of having a good line en the Columbia.

There was nothing else to be done, however, than give her the new plates of steel, as the preparation of the same aluminium alloy which formed the first outer skin would now cause too great a delay. The condition of the boat when she was lately examined in the drydock at Greenock supplied ample proof of the excellence of the manganese bronze with which her under body was plated at first, this being found an perfect and almost as clean as when she raced for tbe Cup. But the aluminium had suffered greatly. Along the waterline the metalic disintegration had proceeded so far that the lower plate of the alloy was deeply pitted, in some places almost through the plates. The view expressed by The Tribnne over six weeks ago, that Mr Watson wonld rely more on fine modelling than on the use of any fancy metals, had been reproduced almost verbatim in England, also the statement that Mr Watson would probably keep to his lifelong prejudice in favour of the composite build, wooden planking and steel frames. It is now pointed out that in his Sybarita extraordinary lightness was sought, and it is asserted that this experiment in the Sybarita's planking would not have been made (there being only the Meteor to beat' unless there was some good reason behind the move.