HMCo #182p Eugenia II

"[1894-09-13] Thu 13: Began setting up #182, st[eame]r for J.B.H. [Eugenia II].
[1894-10-22] Mon 22: Putting deck frame in #182[Eugenia II]. Nearly planked.
[1894-11-05] Mon 5: ... Finished planking #182 [Eugenia II].
[1894-12-05] Wed 5: ... Moved #182 [Eugenia II] to west end of shop.
[1894-12-19] Wed 19: ... Deckhouse placed on st[eame]r #182 [Eugenia II].
[1895-01-03] Thu 3: #182, John's str, nearly completed except machinery not in.
[1896-05-29] Fri 29: Launched Eugenia [#182p] at cove.
[1897-04-14] Wed 14: Launched Eugenia [#182p] from cove lot.
[1898-06-13] Mon 13: ... Launched Eugenia [#182p] at Railway.
[1898-06-22] Wed 22: ... [Brother] John went to N[ew] London in Eugenia [#182p]. ...
[1898-06-28] Tue 28: ... [Brother] John started for Singsing in Eugenia [#182p].
[1899-04-23] Sun 23: Very fine & warm. Mod[erate] S [wind]. Went to Providence & Potosmat[?] in Eugenia [#182p Eugenia II] with boys & Pib[?]." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1894 to 1899. Manuscript (excerpts). Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection [1894-1898]. Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff [1899].)

"In February of that year [1888. Sic. 1895 more likely. See note below.] there was a heavy southerly storm that broke up the ice in Bristol Harbor and when the tide was high, much higher than normal, the piled-up ice broke in the large doors over the launching ways of the south construction shop. The seas and ice then ran up into the shop underneath the 145-foot steel steamer 'Ballymena,' [#151p] which was then in frame, and threatened to throw her out of line. The night watchmen summoned Captain Nat at about 2:00 a.m. He put on his rubber boots and heavy clothes and went to the south shop, but in superintending the securing of things, with only lantern light, he walked along the main floor that was partly under water and covered with cakes of ice. This floor had some removable sections in it that had floated away. When Captain Nat came to one of these holes in the darkness he fell through and a receding sea pulled him under the floor below water. Fortunately the next sea, as it rushed in, carried him under the hatchway again and, although he had been under the icy water some time, he was able to climb with difficulty between the ice cakes in the darkness and with hip boots full of water. But he was only about forty at that time and must have had a strong heart. He then had to walk home in the winter storm with clothes freezing to him and boots full of water. In a few days he came down with pneumonia which I believe was quite severe. [This account cannot be confirmed. Right now it seems more likely that this is a reference to an incident which had happened on February 8, 1895 when during a severe storm NGH fell into the water in the South shop while trying to secure the new steam yacht #182p Eugenia II. He subsequently came down with a life-threatening pneumonia.]" (Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. The Wizard of Bristol. The Life and Achievements of Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, together with An Account of Some of the Yachts he Designed. New York, 1953, p. 126.)

"There is now building at the shops of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co's Works, a steam yacht which John B. Herresshoff the senior partner intends for his own private use. This new boat will be larger than the Eugenia, but of nearly the same model, and her inboard works will be constructed of finer material, and somewhat different apportionments. She will be about 85 feet in length. ..." (Source: Anon. "New Yachts at Herreshoffs." Bristol Phoenix, September 22, 1894, p. 2.)

"From the Providence Journal.
The work on the two large steam yachts [#181p Duquesne and #182p Eugenia II] at the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company's shops is well in hand. ... The 90-foot steam yacht under construction in the south shop is well advanced, as she is about two-thirds planked. She is being built for the private use of John B. Herreshoff and will be named Eugenia. ..." (Source: Anon. "Bristol Boats. New Steam Yachts Under Way. Craft Being Hauled Up for the Winter." New York Sun, October 21, 1894, p. 8.)

"BRISTOL, R. I., Dec. 8 [1894]. --- The Herreshoffs are not so rushed with work that they could not take an order for a cup defender, yet there is a fair amount of work on hand and a prospect of more. There are two steamers [#181p and #182p] and three sailing yachts [#449s, #450s, #451] now on hand in the shops, and a moderate force of men at work, which could be largely increased should a rush of work come.
... The second steamer is a seventy-five-footer [#182p Eugenia II], for the use of President John B. Herreshoff of the company. She is also of wood, but is of the economical cruiser type, of which the company has made a specialty in recent years, and is much like last year's Eugenia. She will have a speed of about ten or eleven miles, with great coal endurance for a boat of her size. Owner's quarters will be forward, and galley aft. The yacht is building in the lower end of the south shop, and could be launched in less time than the larger steamer. ..." (Source: Anon. "Ready for Orders. The Herreshoffs Can Start Cup Defenders on Short Notice." New York Times, December 9, 1894, p. 23.)

"... BRISTOL, R. I., Jan. 12 [1895]. --- ... The seventy-five-foot steamer [#182p Eugenia II] for President John B. Herreshoff is nearly finished as to her hull. Her engines are ready to go in. ..." (Source: Anon. "Ready To Build Cup Defenders. Improvements in the Herreshoff Plant for Yacht Building." New York Times, January 13, 1895, p. 6.)

"The most terrible gale that has struck Bristol since 1869 [when #185602es Julia III was destroyed in the hurricane] came on last night and continues today. The wind blew with terrific force from the east during the night. About 5 o'clock this morning the wind shifted to the south-west, and when the tide came in it dashed orer the wharves, carrying a flood of water and great pieces of ice into Thames street below State. Snow accompanied the gale during the night and early this morning, making it difficult to keep one's eyes open. It is impossible at this writing to make any accurate estimate of the immense amount of damage done by wind and water. ...
Herreshoff's south shop was flooded with about four feet of water, and the new yacht for J. B. Herreshoff was surrounded. No great amount of damage was done." (Source: Anon. "A Terrific Gale. Thousands Of Dollars Worth Of Damage Done In Bristol." Bristol Phoenix, February 8, 1895, p. 2.)

"BRISTOL, R. I., Feb. 8 [1895]. --- The gale from the southwest worked havoc along the water front at high tide early this morning. The Herreshoff works suffered considerable, and designer Nat Herreshoff had a narrow escape from drowning. He was busy in looking after things in the south shop, when he fell into the water at the lower end. There was much floating ice in the water, and his position was a most precarious one. Prompt assistance was, however, rendered by the workmen at hand, and Mr. Herreshoff was pulled out with nothing worse than a wetting. [Sic. NGH subesequently became very ill with pneumonia.] A change of clothing and a hot bath at home averted a chill, and later in the day he was around as well as ever. ..." (Source: Anon. "Damaged Herreshoff Works. Storm Carried Away Part of a Pier --- Nat Herreshoff's Bath." New York Times, February 9, 1895, p. 6.)

"BRISTOL, R., I. Feb. 13 [1895]. --- Mr. J . B. Herreshoff's new steam yacht Eugenia was launched at high tide yesterday. The bay is completely frozen in and the ice had to be cut away in order to get the boat into the water. The Eugenia lies on the north side of the South Pier, and is completely hemmed in with ice. ..." (Source: Anon. "Yacht Eugenia Launched. Herreshoff's Get the Shop Cleared for Work on the Cup Defender." New York Sun, February 14, 1895, p. 8.)

"The new steam yacht that has been in course of construction for the past fall and winter at the works of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company was launched Tuesday morning [February 12, 1895] at 9 o'clock. She was built for the private use of the senior member of the firm, John B. Herreshoff, and was launched at this time to make room in the south shop, where she was built for the building of the new cup defender for the Iselin-Moran-Vanderbilt syndicate. She is fitted with an improved Herreshoff boiler and a siphon pump. She will be used by Mr. Herreshoff for cruising next summer about these waters with his family, and also to make runs to New York. Her name is Eugenia. The ice had to be broken from the ways and slip before she could be launched. She will be hauled out on the railway at Walker's cove when the ice breaks up." (Source: Anon. "The Eugenia Launched." Bristol Phoenix, February 15, 1895, p. 2.)

"Local Yachting News. ... Steam yacht Eugenia is being fitted up at the Herreshoff works. Her masts have been stepped and the boilers have been placed. ..." (Source: Anon. "News and Notes of Local Interest." Bristol Phoenix, June 4, 1895, p. 2.)

"[Abstract of register or enrollment. Pos. 297:]
Eugenia (Polyanthus), schooner yacht, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, 1895.
22.72 tons; 78 ft. x 13.6 ft. x 7.9 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
One deck, two masts, overhanging head [bow].
Enr[olled] and Lic[ensed] ([as] yacht) June 24, 1895. Owner: John B. Herreshoff of Bristol. Master: John B. Herreshoff.
Lic[ensed] ([as] yacht) June 24, 1898. Master: same.
Surrendered [license] June 9, 1899 (enrolled) at Bristol. Name changed to Polyanthus. ([Record at:] C[ustom] H[ouse, Providence])." (Source: Survey of Federal Archives, Work Projects Administration. Ships Documents of Rhode Island. Bristol. Ship Registers and Enrollments of the Port of Bristol - Warren Rhode Island, 1941, s.v. Eugenia (Polyanthus).)

"The steam yacht Eugenia suffered from a slight collision while at the college rowing races at New-London. She has gone to the Herreshoff yards at Bristol for repairs. ..." (Source: Anon. "The Craft And Those Who Sail Them." New York Tribune, June 29, 1898, p. 5.)

"By authority of the Commissioner of Navigation, Treasury Department, Washington, D. C., the name of steam yacht 'Eugenia,' owned by John B. Herreshoff of Bristol, R. I., has been changed to 'Polyanthus,' under which name the said steam yacht will hereafter be known.
HERRESHOFF MFG. CO. Bristol, R. I., April 11, 1899" (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. "Notice." Bristol Phoenix, April 14, 1899, p. 2.)

"John B. Herreshoff with a party left Bristol on his steam yacht Eugenia [#205p] Saturday, to join the New York yacht Club squadron at Glen Cove, for the run east. Dr. H. M. Howe will join the squadron with his steam yacht Polyanthus [#182p ex-Eugenia II] tomorrow at New London." (Source: Anon. "News and Notes of Local Interest." Bristol Phoenix, July 23, 1901, p. 2.)

"No. 7164 --- For Sale --- Herreshoff flush deck coast cruising steam yacht, 86 ft. o. a., 70 ft. w. l., 13.7 ft. beam, 6 ft. draught. Deck dining saloon; substantial construction --- double-planked; copper and bronze fastenings throughout. Two staterooms and saloon forward berth six people; bathroom. These quarters give over 6 ft. headroom, are neatly finished in butternut and mahogany, lighted by electricity. Galley aft extends full width of boat. Captain's stateroom; four berths for crew, toilet, etc. Herreshoff triple engine, Almy boiler new, T905, (not used in two seasons) speed 10 to 12 miles. Completely equipped, including two tenders in davits. Whole outfit in first-class condition. Wholesome type of family cruiser, economically maintained. Offered at very low price. Address Stanley M. Seaman, 220 Broadway, New York City. [Note: Only two Herreshoff-built yachts fit this description: #182p Eugenia II and #186p Vacuna. The above advertisement could describe either of these two vessels, but Vacuna was steadily owned in Canada at this time while Polyanthus ex-Eugenia II was owned by J. B. Herreshoff.]" (Source: Rudder, March 1913, p. 146.)

"Following sales and charters have been recently effected through the agency of Frank Bowne Jones: ... 86-foot gas yacht Polyanthus, sold by Estate of John B. Herreshoff to W. H. Briggs; ..." (Source: Anon. "Recent Sales and Charters." Yachting, January 1917, p. 36.)

"... Polyanthus, a former steam yacht owned for a number of years by the late Dr Herbert M. Howe of Philadelphia, has been transformed into a twin screw power craft. The yacht, now owned by William Briggs, was given a series of successful trials on Narragansett Bay last week. ..." (Source: Anon. "Notes from the Week's Log." Boston Globe, July 27, 1919, p. 48.)

"No. 1862 --- For Sale --- Price low; Herreshoff power cruiser (gas engine removed); 83 ft. by 13 ft. 9 in. by 4 ft. 6 in. Usual Herreshoff construction and finish; two double, one single stateroom; bath, two toilets, main cabin sleeping for four all forward of engine room; galley and saloon on deck; speed of eight miles could be attained with a moderate power plant. Desirable for houseboat. Apply to John G. Alden, 148 State St., Boston, Mass. [With photo. Only two Herreshoff-built yachts fit this description: #182p Eugenia II and #186p Vacuna. The above advertisement could describe either of these two vessels, but Vacuna was steadily owned in Canada at this time while Polyanthus ex-Eugenia II was being reported by Lloyd's Register as having no powerplant..]" (Source: Rudder, April 1924, p. 67.)

"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Four handwritten (in ink) pages with tabulated data listing 'Shop No', 'Name', '[Tons] Gross' and '[Tons] Net' for a total of 100 HMCo-built boats and classes. Tonnage data is usually precise to two digits behind the decimal. Random comparisons suggest source of tonnage data to be official Custom House data. Boats mentioned are: #664s, #663s, #625s, #665s, #634s, #658s, #657s, #646s, #641s, #617s, #626s Class, #624s, #621s, #616s, #619s, #590s, #591s, #586s, #592 Class, #618s, #605s, #578s, #560s Class, #580s, #553s, #551s, #552s, #546s, #541s, #545s, #538s, #534s, #533s, #532s, #529s, #534s, #530s, #531s, #435s, #437s, #452s, #499s, #429s, #426s, #424s, #481s, #422s, #417s, #414s, #451s, #215p, #213p, #222p, #235p, #230p, #229p, #236p, #224p, #244p, #247p, #249p, #231p, #232p, #228p, #252p, #250p, #251p, #248p, #168p, #164p, #118p, #142p, #174p, #173p, #194p, #189p, #193p, #183p, #178p, #179p, #181p, #182p, #175p, #163p, #148p, #149p, #172p, #155p, #170p, #186p, #188p, #206p, #207p, #205p, #208p, #209p, #210p, #211p, #212p, #216p. Undated (the latest boat listed, WINSOME, was launched in 1907)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator). Handwritten List. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE06_00220. Folder [no #]. No date (1907 or later).)
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"[Item Transcription:] Handwritten (in ink) trials booklet titled '1911. Trial Trips and Experiments'. Relevant contents:
§43: #182p POLYANTHUS ex-EUGENIA II Trial Run with former #299p HELIANTHUS motor (1919-07-23)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator) and Herreshoff, A. Sidney deW. (creator). Trials Booklet. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE07_04280. Folder [no #]. 1911-06 to 1926-05.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #182p Eugenia II even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Eugenia II (HMCo-made index card)
• Polyanthus ex-Eugenia II (HMCo-made index card)
• Polyanthus ex-Eugenia II (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.

Name: Polyanthus
Type: Steam
Length: 85'
Owner: Herreshoff, J. B.

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

• Eugenia II
• Empress ex-Eugenia II
• Polyanthus ex-Eugenia II
• 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.

Name: Polyanthus
Type: 86' steamer
Owner: J. B. Herreshoff
Year: 1895
Row No.: 539

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.

Year: 1894
E/P/S: P
No.: 182
Name: Eugenia (Polyanthus)
OA: 85'
LW: 96' 6" [sic, i.e. 69' 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.

"Eugenia II was a shistership of Vacuna according to a note in the New York Times of January 19, 1896, p. 6." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. May 2, 2008.)

"Steam engine rating 115hp from undated (1903 or later) diagram by N. G. Herreshoff titled 'Marine Engine. Weights and Prices' in the Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 24, 2019.)

"Marine Engine of Open Type. 4 1/2 & 7 & 11 1/4 x 7, 700[rpm], 120[hp]." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. Handwritten List of HMCo-Made Steam Engines. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum, MRDED1_00220. Undated, between 1903 and 1918.)

"In the absence of better available data displacement was estimated by using the figure for Gross Register Tons (40.74) from the 1896 Manning's American Yacht List (Net Register Tons were reported as 20.37) and converting to lbs by dividing through 2000 (short tons). Note that this figure can only be a rough estimate because register tons as reported in Yacht Registers correlate only loosely with actual displacement figures." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 17, 2015.)

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