The Seven-masted Schooner
Almost simultaneously with the completion of the great rifle at the New York arsenal, came the launching of the “Thomas W. Lawson,” the first seven-masted schooner ever built.
Differing from our usual idea of a sailboat, the new ship is constructed almost entirely of steel. So manageable are the six powerful steam engines which control the sails, spars, anchors, and rudder, that this, the largest sailing vessel afloat, requires a crew of but sixteen men.
The length of the “Lawson” is 403 feet, and she carries a cargo of 8,100 tons.
There is a system of electric lights and telephones throughout, while the cabins are heated by steam.
The “Lawson” will be used at first as a collier on the Atlantic coast, where her owners expect she will make a great profit.
It is to this application of steam and electricity to sailboats that we may look for strides in that science, which has probably advanced less than any other in the past two thousand years—the science of sailing.