The New Clipper Ship Southern Cross, of Boston.

This beautiful vessel is a fair medium between the extreme sharpness of the clippers recently built here, and the New York packets, and may be classed with such ships as the Sea Witch, Oriental, and Samuel_Russell. Her dead rise at half floor is 20 inches, with 29 inches depth of keel clear of the garboards. These afford her a good holding-on angle on the bottom, when by the wind, while her moderate dead rise gives her increased capacity, length of floor and buoyancy. Being, therefore, of a medium model -- a model that has been often tested -- there is nothing experimental about her. Possessing rounded lines, finely formed ends, good rise and length of floor, no doubt need be entertained of her success as a swift sailor, and what is more, of being a trust-worthy vessel in a heavy sea. Her bearings are such that she will endure driving, when, perhaps, a vessel of leaner ends might be compelled to shorten sail.

Her length on the keel is 164 feet, between perpendiculars on deck 170, and over all 175. As her sternpost is at right-angle to the keel, the difference between her length on the keel and on deck, 6 feet, is the rake of her stem.

Her extreme breadth of beam is 35 feet, depth of hold 21 feet, including 7 feet height of between decks, and she registers 938 tons.

She has 6 inches rounding of sides, and 21 inches sheer, but so truly graduated is the sheer, that she appears almost straight on the line of the planksheer; but her bow is carried up boldly, which imparts to her outline, end on, the easy and buoyant grace of the clipper. A gilded eagle on the wing forms the termination of the head, and descending from it, on the trail boards, is gilded carved work, which also encircles the hawseholes.

The stern is light, and swells beautifully both from the line of the transom to the rail, and from the quarter timbers across. On the transom she is 26 feet wide, and on the rail 24. Her run is clean, and owing to her light transom has an easy clearance up to 21 feet draught of water. She us sheathed with yellow metal up to 16½ feet forward, and to 17½ feet aft. Her name in gilded letters, ornaments the head and quarter boards, and her stern is also ornamented with gilded carved work. Outside she is painted black, and inside buff color, with blue waterways, &c. So far as appearances are concerned, she is a noble looking vessel and gives promises of being a swift sailer.

Her frame hooks, stanchions, and the hanging and lodging knees in the lower hold are all of oak; the growth of Worcester county in this State, and is considered equal to most of the live oak of Florida.

Her keel is of rock maple, moulded 32½ inches, and sided 16, the floor timbers in the keel average from 16 to 17 moulded, and from 10 to 12 sided; she has two depths of keelsons moulded 32, and sided 16 inches, and these are bolted together with 1¼ copper, driven through every floor timber and the keel, and rivetted, and by iron of the same size driven through every navel timber blunt into the keel. The ceiling on the floor is 4 inches thick, and in the bilge she has two keelsons, each 12 by 8 inches, which extend the whole length of the vessel, and are scarphed and square fastened. The ceiling above is 6 inches thick, also square fastened. The beams are 14 by 15 inches in the hold, and 9 by 15 in the between decks, and the hanging knees in the hold are sided from 10 to 12 inches, and moulded from 18 to 22 inches in the angles -- have 5 feet bodies and 3½ feet arms, and have from 16 to 19 bolts and 4 spikes in each. The lodging knees meet and scarph in every berth, and are closely bolted. She has three hooks forward and two aft, (exclusive of deck bolts) and they all extend diagonally along the skin, and connect with the hanging knees under the beams. The hold stanchions are kneed in the wake of the hatchways, and along the intermediate spaces they are clasped with iron.

The between decks waterways are 15 inches square, the strake over them 9 by 12, and that inside of them 8 by 12, all cross bolted. The deck plank is of Southern pine, 3½ inches thick. The clamp under the upper deck-beams is 6 inches thick, and the ceiling below 5 inches, all square fastened. The hanging and lodging knees are of hacmatac, and the lower ends of the former rest upon the standing strake over the waterways. These knees are finely finished and strongly bolted. The breast-hook in this deck spans the bow completely, and is securely bolted from the outside. Her main transom is 18 inches square amidships, and the transom knees extend well along the sides, and almost meet across the stern.

The upper deck waterways are 12 inches square, and the strake inside of them 5 inches thick, let into the beams below, and cross bolted. The upper deck is of clear white pine, 3½ inches thick. Her garboards are 7 inches thick, and the strakes outside of them are graduated to 4 inches, the substance of the planking on the bottom. She has 19 wales of 5 by 7 inches, and a beautiful narrow waist of three strakes, defined between the mouldings of the upper wale and the planksheer.

Her covering board and main rail are each 6 by 15 inches, and the latter in midships is 4 feet high, surmounted by a monkey rail. As already stated, she rises boldly forward, which makes the bulwarks higher there. The bulwark stanchions are of oak, and the bulwarks are of narrow boards, neatly tongued and grooved.

We have already stated that her frame is entirely of white oak; we may now add that she is very strongly fastened, and that more than usual care has been bestowed in driving her bilge and butt bolts and treenails. Her frame is seasoned with fine salt, and she is ventilated along the line of her planksheer, and through the bitts, and what is of more consequence, has Emerson's patent ventilation. These last are deservedly popular with all who have adopted them, and are now considered indispensible in almost every class of vessel. We have conversed with several intelligent ship masters about them, and the verdict in their favor is unanimous.

Her accommodations are excellent, both fore and aft. The crew have quarters in a large houses, between the fore and main masts. This house is 37 feet long by 14 wide, and 6½ high, and also contains the galley and other useful apartments.

The cabin is under a half poop deck, 26 feet long, and the entrance to it is protected by a house in front, which overlaps the deck aft, and contains two staterooms, two recesses, lockers, &c. The cabin descends from this house about 3 feet, and is beautifully wainscotted with plain branch mahogany, set off with enamelled pilasters, edged with gilding. The panels are oblong squares, and are finished in the first style of workmanship. The cabin contains four state-rooms on the starboard side, and three and a water closet on the larboard side. Two of these state-rooms, one on each side, overlook the main deck, and between them, clear of the staircase, is the pantry. The state-rooms and cabin are splendidly furnished, well lighted and ventilated. She has two transom sofas, one above the other, and on the forward partition, a beautiful mirror, which gives a reflected view of the cabin abaft it. Nothing seems wanting to secure the comfort of those who may take passage in her.

She has two handsome capstans, a patent windlass, a patent steering apparatus, an iron tank below, capable of holding 3000 gallons of water -- good ground tackle and plenty of substantial boats. In a word, her outfits are all that they ought to be to ensure safety and success.

She is a full rigged ship and looks splendidly aloft. The following are the dimensions of her masts and yards:

She is named after the most beautiful constellation of the Southern hemisphere.

As a whole we consider her a ship of beautiful proportions, well built of good materials, handsomely finished, and liberally found. Messers. E. & H.O. Briggs, of South Boston, built her, and so well satisfied were her owners of the faithful manner in which the builders had performed their contract, that they presented each of the builders with a handsome token of their approbation. She is owned by Messrs. Baker & Morrill, of this city, and will be commanded by Capt. Levi Stevens, an experienced and skilful sailor. She is now loading at Central wharf for San Francisco, and will be ready for sea in a few days. Success to her.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.

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Copyright © 1997 Lars Bruzelius.