HMCo #67p [Harvard Coaching Launch]

[See note written by NGH in March 1923 on back of photo of #67p.]

"The Herreshoff manufacturing company of Bristol, R. I., is making a coasting steamer for the Harvard boat club. The class of 1880 is going to present it to the club. It is made to run fourteen miles an hour, and the hull is shaped so as to disturb the water as little as possible." (Source: Anon. "News and Notions." Hartford Daily Courant, April 20, 1880, p. 2.)

"The University shell came Wednesday [April 21, 1880]. The steam launch will be ready in two weeks. ...
The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol, R. I., is building the steam launch for the University Crew. Mr. Alexander Agassiz made the contract for it. The cost will be $3,600. The craft will be so arranged that the machinery can be controlled from the standing room forward or aft, and the direction can be changed without swinging round, as she will be sharp at both ends. The Company guarantee a light boat, that will run as fast as an eight can row, and that will not make a wake which will interfere with the shells." (Source: Anon. "Brevities." In: The Harvard Crimson, April 23, 1880, p. 59.)

"... The Company have just commenced a coaching steamer for the Howard [sic, i.e. Harvard] College rowing club [HMCo #67, May 1880]. This steamer, presented by the nating gradclass [sic, graduating class?] of '80 to the college rowing association, possesses many points of peculiar interest. Length, 40ft.; beam, 5 1/2 [?, HMCo Construction Record says 4' 10"] ft. Her machinery will consist of a Herreshoff boiler and compound condensing engine of 23-horse power. Maximum speed, fourteen miles an hour. Her screw is to be placed amidships, similar to the famous torpedo boats built by this Company. She is thus enabled to go as fast astern as ahead, and steer equally well in going either direction, and to turn in a circle whose diameter is three times her length. She can also be brought to a full stop from her highest speed in a space not exceeding half her length. Her interior will be handsomely finished in oak, mahogany and cherry. We shall look forward with great pleasure to the performances of this boat, for the many new features of such craft ought to produce, when desired, higher speed at a less outlay than ever yet accomplished. ..." (Source: Anon. (C. P. Kunhardt?). "Yacht-Building at Bristol." Forest and Stream, April 29, 1880, p. 247-248.)

"The steam launch has been fixed and now works well. ...
The new steam launch will be taken to New London with the Crew. It has already proved most valuable for coaching purposes, and made a mile in 3 min. 40 sec, on a trial of speed the other day. ..." (Source: Anon. "Brevities." In: The Harvard Crimson, May 7, 1880, p. 107.)

"[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).)
① ② ③ ④ ⑤ ⑥ ⑦ ⑧ ⑨ ⑩ ⑪ ⑫ ⑬ ⑭ ⑮ ⑯ ⑰ ⑱ ⑲ ⑳ ㉑ ㉒ ㉓ ㉔ ㉕ ㉖ ㉗ ㉘ ㉙ ㉚ ㉛ ㉜ ㉝ ㉞ ㉟ ㊱ ㊲ ㊳ ㊴ ㊵ ㊶ ㊷ ㊸ ㊹ ㊺ ㊻ ㊼ ㊽ ㊾ ㊿
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"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Photocopy of a photograph of four photographs tacked to a wall as part of NGH's collection in 1931, showing 14. Early 26ft launches for Coast Survey and Fish Commission, 15. One of several launches in the early 1880's, 16. OGEECHE #46p, 1888 built for Truck and Towing, 46ft, 8ft 8in beam, [???] , 17. Harvard Rowing Association, #67p 40ft, 4ft 10in beam [possible reference to #45p, #47p (???)]." (Source: MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.164. Photograph (photocopy). Box HAFH.6.7B, Folder Photographs. No date (1931 ?).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #67p [Harvard Coaching Launch] even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Harvard Coaching Launch (HMCo-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: 1880
E/P/S: P
No.: 067
OA: 40'

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.

"... Str. #67 - Repair Job. ..." (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.)

"Price $3,600 from Harvard Crimson, April 23, 1880, p. 59." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 27, 2015.)

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