HMCo #130p [Launch for St. Y. Electra]

Particulars

Construction_Record_Title.jpgName: [Launch for St. Y. Electra]
Type: Steam Launch
Designed by: NGH
Finished: 1885-10
Construction: Wood
LOA: 22' 6" (6.86m)
Beam: 5' 3" (1.60m)
Draft: 1' 11" (0.58m)
Displ.: 1,954 lbs (886 kg)
Propulsion: Steam, Herreshoff, Double exp., 2 cyl. (2 1/2" & 4 1/4" bore x 5" stroke); Comp. con.
Boiler: Square; Size B.
Propeller: Diameter 20"
Built for: Gerry, Elbridge T.
Note(s) in HMCo Construction Record: 2 swinging tarp. Sq. stern, for st yt. "Electra" Moulds destr. 1905. Same as #129.

Note: Particulars are primarily but not exclusively from the HMCo Construction Record. Supplementary information not from the Construction Record appears elsewhere in this record with a complete citation.


Model

Model #423Model number: 423
Model location: H.M.M. Model Room West Wall Left

Vessels from this model:
20 built, modeled by NGH
#117p [Launch for St. Y. Electra] (1884)
#119p Surprise [Launch for St. Y. Atalanta] (1884)
#129p Republic [Launch for Schr. Y. Republic] (1885)
#130p [Launch for St. Y. Electra] (1885)
#133p Henrietta (1886)
#134p [Launch for St. Y. Peerless] (1886)
#136p [Launch for St. Y. Atalanta] (1886)
#138p [Launch for J. E. Ward] (1887)
#139p Lotus Seeker I (1887)
#153p Madge (1888)
#154p Dawn [I] (1889)
#156p Antoinette (1889)
#157p Aquila (1889)
#165p Katydid (1890)
#166p Missisquoi (1890)
#176p [Launch for Massachusetts School Ship Enterprise] (1893)
#177p Vanish (1893)
#195p [Launch for St. Y. Dorothy] (1898)
#196p [Tender for U.S.S. Albatross] (1898)
#234p Friday (1903)

Original text on model:
"117 27' ELECTRA
119 35 x 7' 6" ATALANTA
129 33.6 by 5.6 REPUBLIC
130 22.6 by 5.6 ELECTRA
133 48 by 7.6 HENRIETTA
134 27 by 6.4 launch
136
138 27 by 6.4 J. E. WARD
139 48 by 7.6 LOTUS SEEKER
153 48 by 7.6 MADGE
154 48 by 7.6 DAWN
156 48 by 7.6 ANTOINETTE
157 48 by 7.6 AQUILA
165 27 by 6.4 KATYDID
168 48 by 7.6 MISSISQUOI beneath VAMOOSE
177 [should be 176] 27 by 6.4 for Mass. School ship THESPIA [sic, i.e. U.S.S. Enterprise]
197 [should be 196] 26 by 6.3 fish commission ALBATROSS" (Source: Original handwritten annotation on model. Undated.)

Model Description:
"27' steam launch of 1884 for the steam yacht Electra. Others built over the next two decades, with change of scale, as small as 22' and as large as the seven 48' loa steam yachts Henrietta, Lotus Seeker, Madge, Dawn, Antoinette, Aquilla, and Missisquoi." (Source: Bray, Maynard. 2004.)

Note: Vessels that appear in the records as not built, a cancelled contract, a study model, or as a model sailboat are listed but not counted in the list of vessels built from a model.


Drawings

Main drawing Dwg 003-039 (HH.5.00179) Explore all drawings relating to this boat.

List of drawings:
   Drawings believed to have been first drawn for, or being first referenced to
   HMCo #130p [Launch for St. Y. Electra] are listed in bold.
   Click on Dwg number for preview, on HH number to see at M.I.T. Museum.
  1. Dwg 072-002 (HH.5.05184): 3" and 4" Deck Flange and 5 1/4" and 8" Cleats (1879-09-04)
  2. Dwg 065-010 (HH.5.04606): Steamers Nos. 74 and 75 (1881-03-18)
  3. Dwg 012-004 (HH.5.01016): Details of 5" Stroke Engine, Air Pump Lever, Rocker Arm, Link, Link Block with Lap and Eccentric Rods (1884-11-28)
  4. Dwg 071-017 (HH.5.05119): Lifting Strap and Shackle for Steamer # 129 and 130 (1885-01-30)
  5. Dwg 054-027 (HH.5.03960): Copper Condenser Str. 128 (1885-07-12)
  6. Dwg 007-036 (HH.5.00665): Propeller Shaft Str # 129, 130 (1885-09-02)
  7. Dwg 010-028 (HH.5.00871): Line Bearing Str. # 129 and # 130 (1885-09-08)
  8. Dwg 065-014 (HH.5.04610): Tiller for Str. 129 and 130 (1885-09-09)
  9. Dwg 065-015 (HH.5.04611): Rudder Braces & Pintles (1885-09-09)
  10. Dwg 010-027 (HH.5.00869): [Prop Shaft Coupling and Details] (1885-09-15)
  11. Dwg 059-018 (HH.5.04181): Shoeing (1885-09-15)
  12. Dwg 003-039 (HH.5.00179): Construction Dwg > Launch - Stm, 22'-6" O.A. (1885-09-21 ?)
  13. Dwg 065-016 (HH.5.04612): Details for Strs. # 117 and 130 (1885-10-02)
  14. Dwg 065-017 (HH.5.04613): Rudder Braces and Pintles (1886-11-03)
  15. Dwg 010-027 (HH.5.00870): Stuffing Box (1936-05-22)
Source: Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass. Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Together with: Hasselbalch, Kurt with Frances Overcash and Angela Reddin. Guide to The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass., 1997. Together with: Numerous additions and corrections by Claas van der Linde.
Note: The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection is copyrighted by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass. Permission to incorporate information from it in the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné is gratefully acknowledged. The use of this information is permitted solely for research purposes. No part of it is to be published in any form whatsoever.

Documents

Nathanael G. Herreshoff

"2 1/2in & 4 1/4in x 5in engine forward of the Boiler. 22ft 6in Length. 5ft 3in Beam. 2ft 8in Depth. 1ft 11in Draft. B sq[uare] boiler." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Handwritten Note in Casting Record Books Vessel Castings Book 4, s.v. Steamer 130. MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.120. No date (1878 to 1887).)

Other Contemporary Text Source(s)

"Messrs. E. P. Beckwith and P. B. Hovey, United States District Inspectors of Steam Vessels were in town on Tuesday [September 22, 1885] and inspected the two new steam launches, Nos 129 [#129p Launch for Schr. Y. Republic] and 130 [#130p Launch for St. Y. Electra], built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co." (Source: Anon. "Local Affairs." Bristol Phoenix, September 26, 1885, p. 2.)

"... No better leader for the fleet [of the New York Yacht Club] could be found than the Electra, fast enough to start all the laggards and then time the leaders, with accommodations for a large party, with two swift Herreshoff launches [#117p Launch for St. Y. Electra and #130p Launch for St. Y. Electra] at her boat booms, ..." (Source: Anon. "The Cruise Of The New York Y. C." Forest And Stream, August 25, 1887, p. 95.)

Archival Documents

"[Item Description:] Casting Book # 4, steamers #40p, #54p, #57p, #63p, #67p, #70p, #79p, #89p, #92p, #99p, #100p, #101p, #102p, #103p, #104p, #105p, #106p, #107p, #108p, #109p, #110p, #111p, #112p, #113p, #114p, #115p, #116p, #117p, #118p, #119p, #120p, #121p, #122p, #123p, #124p, #125p, #126p, #127p, #128p, #129p, #130p, #131p, #132p, #133p, #134p, #135p, #136p, #137p, #138p, #139p, #140p, #141p, #142p, #143p, #144p, #145p, #146p, #147p [castings by hull number; front page shows summary size and engine and boiler data for steamers 99 thru 146 as well as repair data for steamers #40p, #54p, #57p, #63p, #67p, #70p, #79p, #89p, #92p, #118p, and #128p]. Undated, vessels mentioned were built between 1878 and 1887. Dates mentioned for repairs range from 1885 to 1887. Note considerable informational overlap with Casting Book # 1, which as in this book also contains data for #99p through #116p, although it appears (!) that Book # 4 lists more patterns per boat than Book # 1. Likewise, considerable overlap with Casting Books # 2 and # 3 which also contain data for boats that are also listed in book # 4. It may well be that information in Book # 4 was copied from books # 1, # 2 and 3." (Source: MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.120-07. Castings Book 4. Box HAFH.6.4B, Folder Casting Record Books Vessel Castings Book 4. No date (1878 to 1887).)



"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Casting Book # 2, steamers #70p; #79p, #117p, #118p, #119p, #120p, #121p, #122p, #123p, #124p, #125p, #126p, #127p, #128p, #129p, #130p, #131p, #132p, #133p, #134p, #135p, #139p, [castings by hull number]. On last page handwritten note 'Commenced Work on Triple Cond[?] Eng. new one Nov 11/85. H com[?] on Nov 13/85 10 A.M. C.H.K.'. Undated, most vessels mentioned were built between 1885 and 1886. Note considerable informational overlap with Casting Book # 4, which also contains data for all of the boats mentioned in this book, although it may be (!) that Book # 4 lists more patterns per boat than Book # 2." (Source: MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.120-05. Castings Book 2. Box HAFH.6.4B, Folder Casting Record Books Vessel Castings Book 2. No date (1885 to 1886).)


Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #130p [Launch for St. Y. Electra] even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.


Supplement

From the 1920 and earlier HMCo Index Cards at the MIT Museum
  • Note: The vessel index cards comprise two sets of a total of some 3200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and information regarding drawings, later or former vessel names, and owners. They were compiled from HMCo's early days until 1920 and added to in later decades, apparently by Hart Nautical curator William A. Baker and his successors. While HMCo seems to have used only one set of index cards, all sorted by name and, where no name was available, by number, later users at MIT apparently divided them into two sets of cards, one sorted by vessel name, the other by vessel number and greatly expanded the number of cards. Original HMCo cards are usually lined and almost always punched with a hole at bottom center while later cards usually have no hole, are unlined, and often carry substantially less information. All cards are held by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass.
From the 1931 HMCo-published Owner's List

Name: Electra
Type: Steam
Length: 22'6"
Owner: Gerry, Eldridge T.

Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. "A Partial List of Herreshoff Clients." In: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Herreshoff Yachts. Bristol, Rhode Island, ca. 1931.

From the 1930s L. Francis Herreshoff Index Cards at the Herreshoff Marine Museum
  • Note: The L. Francis Herreshoff index cards comprise a set of some 1200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and / or ownership information. Apparently compiled in the early 1930s, for later HMCo-built boats like the Fishers Island 23s or the Northeast Harbor 30s are not included. Added to in later decades, apparently by L. F. Herreshoff as well as his long-time secretary Muriel Vaughn and others. Also 46 cards of L. F. Herreshoff-designed vessels. The original set of index cards is held by the Herreshoff Marine Museum and permission to display is gratefully acknowledged.
From the 1953 HMCo Owner's List by L. Francis Herreshoff

Name: Electra
Type: 22' 6" steam
Owner: Elbridge T. Gerry
Row No.: 191

Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. "Partial List of Herreshoff-Built Boats." In: Herreshoff, L. Francis. Capt. Nat Herreshoff. The Wizard of Bristol. New York, 1953, p. 325-343.

From the 2000 (ca.) Transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Vermilya/Bray

Year: 1885
E/P/S: P
No.: 130
OA: 22' 6"

Source: Vermilya, Peter and Maynard Bray. "Transcription of the HMCo. Construction Record." Unpublished database, ca. 2000.

Note: The transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Peter Vermilya and Maynard Bray was performed independently (and earlier) than that by Claas van der Linde. A comparison of the two transcriptions can be particularly useful in those many cases where the handwriting in the Construction Record is difficult to decipher.

Research Note(s)

"... Str. #130 - 22.5Ft. long. 2 1/2+4 1/4x5 Eng[ine]. B Sq[uare] [Boiler]. ... " (Source: Anon. [Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. (N. G. Herreshoff?)] No Title. [Handwritten Notes on Outer Cover of Notebook.] No date [ca. late 1880s.] Notebook in the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, The Francis Russel Hart Nautical Collections, M.I.T. Museum, Cambridge, Mass., obj. no. HH.6.120.)

"Launch for steam yacht Electra, 173ft LOA, 161.4ft LWL, built 1884 by Harlan & Hollingworth, owned by Elbridge T. Gerry until 1912, when she was broken up." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. [Electra information from Hofman, Erik. The Steam Yachts. Lymington, 1970, p. 48-49.] January 9, 2009.)

"Without coal or water 1954 lbs." (Source. Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. [Note on Plan 3-39.] Bristol, RI, September 21, 1885.)

Note: Research notes contain information about a vessel that is often random and unedited but has been deemed useful for future research.

Note

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Citation: HMCo #130p [Launch for St. Y. Electra]. Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné. https://herreshoff.info/Docs/P00130_Launch_for_St_Y_Electra.htm.