HMCo #25p Viola

"This year (1876), John built for himself a steam yacht named VIOLA, forty-seven feet long and nine feet wide, having one of James' coil boilers and a single engine, eight inches by twelve inches, that I designed. He and others attended the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia in this craft, in company of my father's twenty-two feet catboat JULIA, having Father, Lewis, and myself." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "The Old Tannery and My Brother John." Written July 28, 1933. In: Pinheiro, Carlton J. (ed.). Recollections and Other Writings by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Bristol, 1998, p. 25.)

"... the Herreshoff Company have also in process of building one 25-ton yacht [#25p Viola?], two forty feet boats [#21p and #21p?] and five or six sets of boilers and machinery." (Source: Anon. "The Wonderful Boat. First Visit to Providence of the Herreshoff Torpedo Boat Lightning." Providence Evening Press, May 20, 1876, p. 2.)

"Mr. Herreshoff launched from his yard on Monday [July 10, 1876] last a finely modeled and well built steamer, of about fifty feet in length by nine feet breadth of beam." (Source: Anon. "Locals." Bristol Phoenix, July 15, 1876, p. 2.)

"Mr. J. B. Herreshoff, the well-known yacht builder, of Bristol, Rhode Island, has just launched another tiny steam craft that is likely to attract attention. She had yesterday an exceedingly successful trial trip up the Hudson River, and in the evening started for Philadelphia. The Viola, for such is the name of the handsome little steamer, measures fifty-one feet over all, nine feet six inches beam, and draws about lour feet and a half of water. She has one of Herreshoff's patent safety coil boilers, which is considered the main feature of her interior arrangements. Her machinery is very low, and she is quite steady in the water even in rough weather. She can carry steam to the extent of 200 pounds. The boiler itself consists of 300 feet of two inch wrought iron capable of standing 2,000 pounds to the inch. The weight of the engine is extremely light and takes up little room. The water is pumped from the sea into the top of the coil. As the water has passed through it is evaporated and all deposits pass into a separator and are subsequently blown off. The fire may be lighted before the water is introduced, and it is claimed that an explosion could not occur on board. The principal advantages are in, in the first place, safety; next, that any kind of water may be used for feeding the boiler. And again, the owner claims that it can be ran at vary light pressure, and thus more economy is attained, and lighter and smaller engines can be used. The feed water, as already mentioned, is pumped constantly by a pump attached to the engine. This feed water on entering the upper end of the could is nearly all converted into steam during its discharge from the coil. Indeed, to all appearances, the machinery seems to be unexceptionable. Mr. J. B. Herreshoff and his talented brothers have already been highly complimented for the ingenuity and ability they have displayed. The Viola is a very pretty vessel, and did excellent work yesterday. On board were several guests who had been invited to witness her performance. She had left Bristol on Friday, reaching Newport the same evening. On Saturday she sailed for New York, and in the teeth of head winds made the passages in sixteen hours, burning comparatively little fuel. Her appointments are in keeping with her trim and snug appearance. She started yesterday from the foot of Taylor street, near Wallabout Bridge, and proceeded to give a specimen of her speed as she ran past the Battery and up the Hudson. The fine little craft behaved nobly and without much exertion made her eleven and twelve knots as we bowled along. The guests were delighted, and Mr. Herreshoff was the recipient of the heartiest congratulations. Later in the evening the Viola left, with Mr. Herreshoff and his family, for the Centennial." (Source: Anon. "Model Steam Yacht." New York Herald, August 30, 1876, p. 3. Reprinted in: Bristol Phoenix, September 9, 1876, p. 2.)

"The new steam yacht 'Vision' [sic, i.e. Viola give the stated dimensions of the steam engine] built and owned by Mr. John Herreshoff, of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, of Bristol, R. I., has a steam boiler possessing many advantages over those of ordinary construction, and few, if any, of the defects. It is simply a coil of two-inch tube, containing about three hundred feet of tube, and is bent in the form of a cone, the base being forty inches inside diameter; the top about twelve inches; the space between the coils being sufficient to allow the escape of the products of combustion freely. On the top of this coil boiler is placed a flat coil or helix, through which all the steam generated in the boiler must pass before reaching the engine (a vertical diam. cyl., 8 by 12 stroke).
The manner of using this boiler is as follows: --- A fire of wood is lighted in the grate and the boiler heated sufficient to generate steam, when a small quantity of water is injected with a small hand pump; the water is almost instantly generated to steam at a sufficient pressure to start the engine, which then supplies the boiler by a small plunger pump (7/8 inch bore, 12 inch stroke). The quantity of water is regulated by an ordinary 3/4 inch angle valve, open at most only one spoke of the hand wheel, and ordinarily only one-half that, or less than 1-32 of an inch. We had the pleasure of witnessing the operation of this boiler and engine a few days since on a trip from the Schuylkill dam to Chestnut street wharf.
The engine was started at 10:14, with 25 pounds steam; 10:15 steam pressure had increased to 65 pounds, the engine making 135 revolutions, steam following full stroke; at 10:22; stopped to take in tow a sailing yacht of four tons displacement, and containing three men; in one minute the steam pressure increased 50 pounds; 10:23 started again with the yacht and two small boats in tow, steamed around to Chestnut street wharf, the engine running running at 135 revolutions, with no cut off. The dimensions of the yacht are: --- Length over alll, 55 feet; beam, 9 1/2 feet; depth, 4 1/2 feet; wheel, diameter, 48 inches, 3 blades, 80 inch pitch.
According to the statement of the engineer, Mr. James Crowell (formerly of Corliss Engine Works), the consumption of coal under the boiler on a 40 inch grate, making the run from Newport, R. I., to Hallet's Point, N. Y., was only 90 pounds per hour, and, judging from the amount of fire under the boiler while making the run down the Schuylkill, there is no reason for doubting his statement. The amount of power developed from so small a quantity of water and beating surface is remarkable, which, according to indicator diagrams taken by competent engineers, is from 40 to 69-horse power. Several of these boats have already been furnished to the government, and are doing excellent service." (Source: Anon. "Something New. A Feature in Steam Generators." Philadelphia Inquirer, September 12, 1876, p. 2).

"Dear Sir: --- The gentleman's name who wants the 'Fleche' [#17p] is Conners, I told him what I thought to be the truth about the boat, that there cannot be a boat built better than the 'Fleche.' For speed there was nothing around here could beat her of her size, the last time I used her, we went from Flushing to New York in 45 minutes. I like the 'Viola' [#25p] better, because she has cabins that are comfortable, either in cold or warm weather, and she works like a charm; we have made better time with her than we expected we could from your statement. You promised that I could get about 10 to 12 miles out of her. Last Thanksgiving-day I left Elizabethport at 5 P. M., arrived at Flushing at 7 P.M. which was equivalent to 15 miles per hour. I have taken the machinery all out for the purpose of nickle-plating all the bright parts. I found that the bearings were all smooth and in good condition.
I have had the management of fine machinery for over thirty years, and never saw any better work in the fitting of machinery than is in the 'Viola.' I think your patent boiler is a great improvement over the tube-boilers; I am satisfied there is no such thing as exploding them; they are much more economical in the way of fuel and will outlast three of the old style, and are easily managed.
Yours respectfully,
VIRGIL PRICE" (Source: Appleton, George L. Letter to the J. B. Herreshoff. In: Herreshoff, Jeannette Brown. The Early Founding and Devevelopment of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Tampa, Florida, 1949.)

"... When we think of Herreshoff and the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition the image of Nat [Herreshoff] assembling and operating the large Corliss steam engine that powered the exhibition hall comes to mind. No thought is given to J[ohn] B[rown Herreshoff], but he was there SELLING! J[ohn] B[rown Herreshoff] sailed from Bristol in late August in his new 52-foot steam cabin yacht VIOLA (HMCo 25). He stopped in New York to run trials up the Hudson and delight his guests with speed runs past the Battery. His ultimate goal: gain attention by running 'public tests' of the vessel’s steam machinery both tied up and underway in Philadelphia on the Schuylkill near the center of the centennial events. Positive reports in all the major city newspapers evidence his success in this endeavor [New York Herald Aug. 30, 1876. Philadelphia Ledger Sept. 4, 1876. Philadelphia Times Sept. 4 & 6, 1876. Philadelphia Enquirer Sept. 12, 1876.]. ..." (Source: Palmieri, John. "Advertising the Herreshoff Way." Curator’s Log - October 2013. http://www.herreshoff.org/news/newsletter3.html, accessed October 21, 2013.)

"N/A"

Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #25p Viola even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Viola (HMCo-made index card)
• Viola (MIT Museum-made index card)
• 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.

Year: 1876
E/P/S: P
No.: 025
Name: Viola
OA: 50'

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.

"Ordered July 1876 as per vessel index card which appears unlikely given that Viola was launched July 10, 1876." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. February 6, 2015.)

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