The New Clipper Ship John Gilpin, of Boston.

This beautiful vessel is of a superior model, designed to stow well and sail very fast. Her ends are finely formed and easy on the water lines, giving promise of speed and weatherly qualities. Her lines are rounded or convex, and swell in beautiful curves forward and aft. The bow flares about 3 feet from the line of the planksheer, and terminates in a carved and gilded billet head, growing out of the ornamental work upon her trail boards, which also takes in the naval hoods. Her name in gilded letters ornaments the head boards, and it is also gilded upon the quarter boards. The stern is nearly oval in outline, curved at the ends of the transom and the taffrail, and the outline of the monkey rail above is nearly semicircular. The stern is ornamented with a representation of her namesake on horseback, and other fancy work tastefully carved and gilded. She has a narrow waist of 16 inches wide, defined between the mouldings of the upper wale and the planksheer, which looks very well. She is sheathed with yellow metal and is painted black outside. She is 175 feet long on the keel, 195 on deck, and 205 over all; her extreme breadth of beam is 37 feet, depth of hold 22 feet, including 8 feet height of between decks, and she will register about 1084 tons. Her dead rise at half floor is 20 inches, swell of sides 6 inches and sheer 2 feet.

She has a topgallant forecastle, a large house amidships, which contains accommodations for the crew, a spacious galley, and two rooms aft. Her cabin is on deck, built into a half poop, and is in two divisions. The after one contains 6 state-rooms, and that before it 3 state-rooms and the pantry. Both are handsomely finished and furnished, well lighted and ventilated.

Her frame is of the best of white oak, and her ceiling, planking, and deck frames, of hard pine. The keel is of rock maple, sided 15½ inches and moulded 32, the floor timbers are sided from 12 to 14 inches, and moulded 18?, and she has two depths of midship keelsons, each 16 inches square, and sister keelsons of 12 by 14 inches. All the through bolts are of 1¼ inch copper riveted, and of these she has one through every floor timber and the keel. The keelsons are fastened in the usual style. On the floor the ceiling is 4½ thick, and commensing below the floor heads, the thick work is 11 by 14 inches, then follow 7 strakes of 10 inches thickness, 2 of 9, and 2 of 8, and the rest, up to the deck, is full 7 inches in thickness, all scarphed and square fastened, and all graduated without projections. The lower deck beams are 15 inches square, and all the knees connected with them are of oak. The hanging knees are sided 12 inches, and have 18 bolts in each, and opposite the fore and main masts she is also dagger kneed. She has three massive diagonal pointers forward, filled in with hooks, and two aft, all of which connect with beams. Her stem and sternposts are each of one piece,and she has 10 transoms, the main one of which is 16 inches square. The hold stanchions are of oak, kneed to the beams above, and to the keelson below.

Her between decks waterways are 15 inches square, with two strakes of 10 inches over them, and one of 12 by 9 inside of them, and are all closely bolted horizontally and vertically. The ceiling above is six inches thick, and the knees, which are hackmatack, are nearly of the same dimensions as those below. The lodging knees, under both decks, meet and scarph in every berth, and are well finished and fastened. The ship herself is square fastened, both inside and outside. Under the upper deck the beams are 10 by 15 inches, and the stanchions under them are of oak, turned, with iron rods through their centres, which set up with screws in the hold. The planking of both decks is of white pine, 3½ inches thick, and the upper deck waterways are 10 by 12 inches, with two 6½ inches strakes inside of them, let into the beams, and cross bolted.

Her between decks are lofty, are painted white, and the thick work blue, and the lower squares of the beams are bright and varnished. The breast hook is very stout and completely spans the angle of the bow. She has a large cargo port opposite the main hatchway, in each side, and an iron water tank boxed round with wood abaft the mainmast. Her chain lockers are in the hold, near the foremast.

Her garboards are six inches thick, tapered to 4½ inches; the wales are 5 by 7 inches, and the waist is four inche thick. The planksheer and main rail are each six inches thick, and the whole height of the bulwarks from the deck, including the monkey rail, is 5 feet 10 inches, and she is painted buff color inside.

She is a full rigged ship, and has made fore and main masts, and a single spar for a mizzenmast. In diameters, they are 31, 32, and 25 inches, and in length, commencing with the fore, 75, 80, and 71 feet 6 inches; the fore and main topmasts, topgallant masts, &c, are alike, viz: -- 45 feet 3 inches, 25½, 15½ and poles 6 feet; mizzen topmast, &c, 36, 19, 11 and pole 5 feet. The yards on the fore and main masts are alike, viz: -- 70, 55, 40 and 29 feet square; crossjack yard, &c.: -- 51, 39, 27, and 20 feet. The bowsprit is 26 feet outboard; jibbooms 21 and 13 feet; spanker boom 44 feet, gaff 33 feet, main spencer gaff 20 feet, and the other spars in proportion. Her spars are stout, and well made, and all her gear aloft is of the best materials, turned out of hand in excellent style. She looks grandly aloft, and is in every particular a noble ship. Her spars were made by Messrs. A.W. & B.I. Fernald, young mechanics of East Boston, who justly rank amon the best of their trade, both in the promptness with which they fulfil their contracts, and the excellence of their workmanship.

She was designed, modelled and built by Mr. Samuel Hall, at East Boston, and is esteemed as one of the best ships of her class that he ever built.

Messrs. Pierce & Hunnewell own her, and design her for the California and China trade. She is already chartered to load for California at New York, and will leave here in a few days. She is now fitting out at East Boston, near the Cunard wharf, and we advise those who have not seen her, to inspect her before she leaves. They will find her a beautiful ship, well built and liberally found in every particular.


Boston Daily Atlas, September 23, 1852.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.


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