HMCo #209p Stroller

"[1901-03-16] Sat 16: Nearly calm & overcast. Launched #209, Stroller, in PM.
[1901-05-04] Sat 4: Strong NW. Tried Stroller, #209. ...
[1901-05-29] Wed 29: Mod[erate] NE [wind &] cloudy. Preliminary trial of Stroller [#209p].
[1901-05-30] Thu 30: Fair & nearly calm. Made trial of st[eamer] Stroller [#209p], making 20.9 miles [per hour], & delivered to owner. ..." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1901. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"May 28th, 1901
Preliminary Trial of Stroller, Scout [#203p] class.
On 3 kt course, vessel in trial trim. Wind NE, 10 miles. Tide very small flood.
Blower used. Anthracite coal
Up 10m 2s
Up 10m 7s.
Speed 17.88 knots, 20.55 miles.
Safety valve blew every few minutes, starting at 255[lbs], and weakened to 233[lbs]. Av[erage] steam about 235lbs, av. vacuum about 20in.
May 30, 1901
Contract Trial of Stroller (#209)
On 3 knot course. Vessel in trial trim &c. Everything on board, with about 1/2 ton of coal and part tank of waster. 7 persons. Wind 3m[ph], NW, tide 3/4 ebb. --- Blower used moderately with Anthracite coal.
Everything working well. Mean pressures ...
[Followed by tabulated trial run data with mean speed being 18.175kn = 20.925mph]
Boat delivered over and went away right after trial." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. Handwritten note in Trials Booklet '1898 - 1909' under date of May 28, 1901 and May 30, 1901. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.)

"This same year Captain Nat designed a quite remarkable small steam yacht for August Belmont to act as a tender to the 'Mineola.' She was named 'Scout,' and eventually the Herreshoff Company built seven [sic, i.e. 9] of these fast steamers which were generally referred to as the Scout Class. They were all built on the same molds and had the same power plants but varied in length some fourteen feet, and, as I recall it, varied in speed from about twenty to twenty-one and a half miles per hour.
These were extremely smooth running yachts that were fine sea boats and economical in fuel consumption. Some of them lasted quite a long time and they were the forerunners in construction and general arrangement of many gasoline launches built by several builders." (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. 218, 220.)

"Saturday [March 16, 1901] afternoon about 5 30 o'clock the new steam yacht Stroller, built for a New York yachtsman, was launched from the north shop at Herreshoff. The launching was quietly done, and the boat was towed around to Walker' s Cove and tied up at the new wharf. The Stroller is to be taken to the Thousand Islands by way of the canals. She was built for speed on the same lines as the Mirage and Scout, tenders for the 70-footers, and it is expected that she will make 20 knots an hour. She is 80 feet over all, and is equipped with the latest Herreshoff model triple expansion small engine. The Stroller has a larger deck house than the Mirage [#207p] or Scout [#203p] and has more comfortable quarters for cruising. She is painted white and has a mahogany deck house. Her home port will be New York." (Source: Anon. "Steam Yarht Launch." Bristol Phoenix, March 19, 1901, p. 4.)

"Stroller, steam yacht, of [blank].
Built at Bristol, RI, by Herreshoff Manufacturing Co.
18.01 tons; 75.7 ft. x 10.6 ft. x 5.4 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
One deck, no mast, overhanging head, overhanging stern.
Surveyed and measured, March 18, 1901. [With note: Hose Power nominal 175.]" (Source: U.S. Customs Department, Bristol, R.I. Custom House Record Book, 1870s to 1904 (Collection of the Herreshoff Marine Museum), s.v. Stroller.)

"The fast steam yacht Stroller, which was recently launched at Herreshoff's, is being fitted out, and is nearly ready for her trip to the Thousand Islands, by way of the great lakes." (Source: Anon. "Bristol and Vicinity." Bristol Phoenix, April 12, 1901, p. 2.)

"[License issued to vessel under 20 tons. Pos. 256:]
Stroller, steam yacht, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, 1900.
18.01 tons; 75.7 ft. x 10.6 ft. x 5.4 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
No specifications shown.
Lic[ensed] ([as] yacht) May 20, 1900. Owner: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol. Master: N. G. Herreshoff.
Surrendered [license] June 14, 1901 at New York. ([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. Stroller.)

"At Bristol the Herreshoffs are building two 80-foot launches, which will have a speed of over twenty knots an hour, one [#211p Tramp] for W. O. Gay, of Boston, the owner of the Herreshoff 70-footer Athene [#520s], and the other [#210p Niagara III] for Howard Gould, owner of the Niagara. A third of the same class, called the Stroller [#209p], has been built for a Detroit yachtsman, and has been forwarded to its anchorages on the lakes via the Erie Canal." (Source: Anon. "Craft And Those Who Sail Them." New York Tribune, May 26, 1901, p. 9.)

"Frontenac, N.Y. August 24 [1901] --- Of the numerous steam vessels, both public and private which are daily seen plying the waters of the St. Lawrence River, the best models and the ones which elicit the most praise are the property of prominent New Yorkers summering in the Thousand Island region. ...
Another fast boat, is the Stroller, owned by G. T. Rafferty of Pittsburg. The home of this little race horse is Isle Imperial, near Alexandria Bay. She is said to have made, on her maiden trip, something far better than 22 miles an hour. ... " (Source: Anon. "Steam Yachting on St. Lawrence River. Many Speedy Brooklyn Boats. St Lawrence River Squadron is Probably the finest Inland Fleet in the World." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, August 25, 1901, p. 11.)

"Clayton, N.Y., Aug. 29 [1903]. --- The steam yacht Stroller [#209p], belonging to Gilbert Rafferty of Pittsburg, this afternoon won the great race in which the Jean [#194p], belonging to Thomas A. Gillespie of Pittsburgh and the Now Then [#142p], belonging to Commodore Lewis Luckenbach of New York, also took part, the latter two finishing second and third, respectively.
The race was over a course of a little more than twenty miles, being from Alexandria Bay to Dark Island and return. The trophy was a silver loving cup, valued at $500, presented by Mr. Rafferty, as Commodore of the Thousand Islands Yacht Yacht Club. At the clubhouse, on Welcome Island, this evening Mr. Rafferty was presented with the cup.
The course was covered by the Stroller in fifty-three minutes, which was regarded as good time, considering the heavy wind and the high sea that was rolling. The Jean was a mile behind the Stroller at the finish, and the Now Then was two miles behind the Jean. The boats in the race were all Herreshoff models. Mr. Rafferty was so delighted with the result of the contest that he presented each of the men on his boat with a check for $200." [Note: A photo of this race appears under Jean #194p.] (Source: Anon. "Stroller Wins Yacht Race. In the Event at Clayton Rafferty's Boat Comes in First." New York Times, August 30, 1903, p. 2.)

"Stroller
Of the distinguished, fast Herreshoff Steam Yachts which operated at the Thousand Islands during the early years of this Century, none found more favor than the Stroller. Her curved stem, pointed stern, graceful sheer and low profile of cabins made her especially beautiful to gaze upon. The others of her kind were the Clover [#212p], Jean [#194p], Lotus Seeker [#171p] and Now Then [#142p]. All attained speeds approximating 20 M.P.H. The Jean, Now Then, and Stroller raced at Alexandria Bay in 1902. The Stroller won, and the Jean finished second. The Now Then encountered boiler trouble. She finished in third place --- or not at all.
Mr. Gilbert T. Rafferty of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Alexandria Bay, New York and his estate were owners of the Stroller while she was used on the St. Lawrence River. The Rafferty home was on Imperial Island, directly across the Main Channel from Alexandria Bay. Her home Port and Port of Registry were Alexandria Bay, and New York City, respectively. Her Registration Number was 117022.
The Stroller was designed by Mr. Nathaniel G. Herreshoff and built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company at Bristol, Rhode Island in 1901. Construction was of wood. Her specifications were as follow: Net Tons, 18; Gross Tons, 26; Overall Length, 81'; Waterline Length, 72'; Beam, 10' 7"; Depth, 5' 5"; Draft, 3' 4". Her powerplant was a 3-Cylinder Triple Expansion Steam Engine, 6 1/4", 9" and 16" of bore and 9 1/2" of stroke. This engine and the Water Tube Boiler were products of the Herreshoff concern.
Mr. John Thompson of Sackets Harbor, New York purchased the Stroller in 1934 or 1935. After hull repairs had been made at the shop of Mr. Bert L. Wiswell, Clayton, New York, she was towed to Sackets Harbor. Mr. Thompson, now deceased, was a mechanic of note. We are inclined to believe that he had in mind converting her to gasoline power. However, we heard nothing further of this famous yacht. References:
Lloyd's Register of American Yachts, 1907 and 1920." (Source: Mercier, Gilbart B. Pleasure Yachts of the Thousand Islands. Clayton, New York, 1981, s.v. "Stroller".)

"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).)
① ② ③ ④

"[Item Transcription:] Order book with carbon copy duplicates of instructions given by NGH titled 'Herreshoff Mfg. Co. Orders from N.G. Herreshoff'. Relevant contents:
§8: Work Order [For] #209p, #551s. [When wanted] April 15. Galv. chain cable (1901-02-07)
§11: Work Order [For] #209p, #511s, #552s, #553s. J. B. Carr galv. chain cable (1901-03-01)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Order Book. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE08_03460. Folder [no #]. 1900-02 to 1909-10.)
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
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
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

"[Item Transcription:] Handwritten (mostly in pencil but also in ink) trials booklet titled '1898 - 1909'. Relevant contents:
§11: #209p STROLLER Trial Run mean speed 18.175kn = 20.925mph (1901-05-28 & 1901-05-30)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Trials Booklet. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE09_00060. Folder [no #]. 1898-09 to 1911-04.)
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
① ② ③ ④ ⑤ ⑥ ⑦ ⑧ ⑨ ⑩ ⑪

Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #209p Stroller even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Stroller (HMCo-made index card)
• Stroller (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: Stroller
Type: Steam
Length: 81'
Owner: Rafferty, G. T.

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

• Stroller
• 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: Stroller
Type: 81' steamer
Owner: G. T. Rafferty
Year: 1901
Row No.: 661

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: 1900
E/P/S: P
No.: 209
Name: Stroller
OA: 81"
LW: 72"

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.

"Steam engine rating 285hp 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. 6 1/4 & 10 & 16 x 9, 610[rpm], 285[hp]. [Note:] 2100lbs [in pencil]." (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 (26) from the 1903 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (Net Register Tons were reported as 18) 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.