This is a most substantial vessel of 816 tons, built of seasoned white oak, and strongly fastened. In model she is designed to stow a large cargo, but in the form of her ends, the length of her floor, and the harmony of her proportions, it is evident that she will also be a good sailer. She is admirably adapted for the Calcutta trade, having sufficient dead rise to hold a good wind to work agains a head moonsoon, and great buoyancy of floor to bear a heavy cargo. She is 156 feet long on the keel, 160 on deck, and 170 over all; her extreme breadth of beam is 33 feet, depth of hold 28, including 7½ feet height of between decks; has 15 inches dead rise at half floor, 13 inches swell and 20 inches sheer. Her stem is nearly upright, and her floor is carried forward almost to the extreme. She has an easy, graceful entrance, and her head, which terminate in a carved and gilded billet, is handsomely carried out, and sets the bow off to great advantage. her sides swell like those of a ship of war, and are true and lively in their sheer, especially where they blend with the bows. Her stern is light, and swells both ways, that is from the quarter timbers across, and from the arch-board to the taffrail. It is splendidly ornamented with carved gilt-work, conspicious among which is the head of a roebuck, in basrelief. She is sheathed with yellow metal up to 16 feet forward, and to 17 feet aft; above there she is painted black, and around her waist she has a tier of painted ports, in a white belt. Her quarter-pieces are of cast composition, flowed and edged with gilding. Outside, her appearance is all that could be desired for beauty of outline in a vessel of her class; and inside, her arrangements are perfect to a shaving.
She has a small top-gallant forecastle the height of the main rail, with a capstan on it, and abaft the foremast a large house, which contains storerooms, accommodations for the crew, the galley, &c.
She has two cabins, one is a house on deck, and the other under a half poop deck abaft it, both connected by a staircase. The after cabin is wainscoated with gothic panels, which have a variety of paintings upon them, representing many phases of social civilization. Commerce, war, the stage, &c., are each represented with appropriate symbols, set off with gilding and other ornamental work. The cabins have state rooms and other apartments, all fitted, furnished and ventilated, in the best style. The bulwarks and monkey rail inside are painated buff color, and the waterways blue. She has a strong patent windlass with heavy ground tackle, a beautiful brass mounted capstan on the quarter deck, and a patent apparatus. Nothing has been omitted in her outfits necessary to make her a perfect ship.
A brief sketch of the leading details of her materials and construction will show that she is as good as she looks. Her keel is of rock maple, sided 15, and moulded 20 inches; floor timbers 12 by 15 on the keel; and keelsons 18 by 20, bolted with copper through every floor timber and the keel, and with iron through the keelsons and the navel timbers into the keel. Her sister keelsons, bilge keelsons, and the stringer upon which the lower ends of her hanging knees rest, are each 12 by 14 inches, and all are square bolted. The ceiling on her floor is 3¼ inches thich, above the bilge keelsons 6 inches, and she has two clamps the same substance, and two 7 inches. The between decks waterways are 14 inches square, the two strakes over them 8 inches thick, and the strake inside of them 6½, bolted vertically and horizontally. The strake above the thick work is 3½ inches thick, above it there is an air strake, and then above her clamps, which are of 6 and 7 inches thickness. The upper deck waterways are 11 by 14 inches, with two thick strakes insides of them, and the deck is 3½ inches thick, of white pine. The deck below is of yellow pine of the same substance.
The hold or lower deck beams are of hard pine, 12 by 15 inches, and those under the upper deck 8 by 15, and the stanchions under both are of oak. In the between decks they are turned, and secured with iron, and below are square, and kneed above and to the keelson. Her ends are well secured with massive hooks, and all her knees are of white oak, closely bolted. She is square fastened throughout, and finished in good style. The planking on her bottom is 14 inches, and her wales are of white oak, 5 inches thick by 7 wide, and all her bilge and butt bolts and treenails are drivem with great care, and make a neat as well as a strong finish. Her covering board and main rail each 5½ inches thick, bolted and fitted in excellent style. She is seasoned with salt, has brass ventilators along the line of her planksheer and in her bitts, and Emerson's patent ventolators forward and aft. In materials, fastening and ventilation, she ranks among the best ship of her class belonging to this port.
She is a full rigged ship. Her lower masts, commencing with the fore, are 71, 76, and 67 feet long, fore and maintopmasts 42, mizzentopmasts 31, and the masts above in like proportion. The yards on her fore and mainmasts are alike, viz:-- 68, 56, 39, &c., and on the mizzenmast, &c., 53, 40, 28, &c. She has pole topgallant and royalmasts, with gilded balls on her mast heads. She is strongly rigged, but will look neater aloft after she has been a voyage in the hands of the sailors.
She was built at Kennebunk, by Messrs. Bourne & Kingsbury, and is now loading in Messrs. Glidden & Williams' line of San Francisco packets. Capt. Daniel Walden, an experienced and perservering sailor, commands her.
Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.
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Copyright © 1997 Lars Bruzelius.