Plans for New Launch

The plans of the new launch to replace the "Frank Thompson" have finally been completed. It will be built by Lawley and Son of South Boston and, although resembling the old launch in general outline, it will have various improvements. The boat will be fifty-one feet in length, seven feet and ten inches in beam, and will draw thirty-six inches of water at low draft. The boiler and engine will be larger than in the "Frank Thompson," and a sustained speed of sixteen and one half miles an hour will thus be possible. The cost of building the boat will be covered from the insurance, $6500, on the "Frank Thompson."

The launch will be ready for use by March 10 unless weather prevents the trial run. Much aid in drawing the plans was derived from a thesis written last spring by two Scientific School students. This thesis contains a complete and scientific account of the machinery and rates of speed of the "Frank Thompson" and offers valuable hints for the building of the new boat. A Herreschoff launch with a speed of twenty knots has been hired for the use of the crews until the new boat is finished.