This is a splendid ship of 1400 tons, with long and sharp ends, and slightly concave lines below, but convex above. She is 195 feet long on deck, between perpendiculars, and 216 over all; has 39 feet extreme breadth of beam, 23 feat depth of hold, including 7 feet 7 inches height of between decks; has 20 inches dead rise at half floor, 4 inches swell of sides and 3 feet sheer. Her cutwater rakes boldly outwards and forms a graceful, dashy curve as it rises. For a head she has the full figure of the King of Storms, pointing with his right hand to the deep, while his left hand, by his side, holds the trident of the sea. The figure corresponds in attitude with the rake of the bow, is remarkably well executed and sets her off in appropriate style forward.
Her sheer rises grandly forward, and gives the bow a bold and buoyant appearance. The catheads and the base of the figure-head are ornamented with carved work, otherwise she is plain forward, without head or trailboards, and is planked up smooth to the planksheer.
Her stern is semicircular in outline, with the strake below the planksheer for its base. An arch of beautiful carved works spans it, and her name and port of hail are painted white below. The run, like the bow, is long and clean, and beautifully formed. She is sheathed with yellow metal and painted black above, and is painted buff color inside, relieved with white.
The whole height of her bulwarks amidships, including the monkey rail, is 5 feet 4 inches, but as she has great rise forward, they are higher near the bow. She has a topgallant forecastle the height of the main rail, and abaft the foremast a large house for the accommodation of her crew, and other purpose.
Her cabins are built into a half poop deck. The after one contains 7 state rooms and other apartments, and has an entrance aft, which leads to the poop. It is wainscotted with satinwood, rosewood and mahogany, set off into gothic-arched panels, relieved with pilasters, cornices and gilding. The workmanship is perfectly beautiful, and the furniture is of the first quality, admirably arranged for comfort. The forward cabin contains 5 state-rooms and the pantry, and has a small ante-room amidships, which leads to the quarter deck. It is tastefully painted and furnished, and for comfort is as well designed as the after one. The state-rooms are well lighted and ventilated, and like the cabins are furnished in superior style. The wings and after part of the poop, adjoining the cabins, are fitted as sail and store rooms, so that every inch of space is appropriately laid out.
Her materials and fastening are of the first quality, and no vessel is more thoroughly finished. The keel is sided 15 inches, and moulded 3 feet; the floor timbers in the throats are 13 by 17, and she has two depths of midship keelsons, each 16 inches square, of hard pine, and an oak rider of 10 by 16 inches. She also has sister keelsons 12 inches square. All the through bolts are of 1¼ inch copper, riveted on the base of the keel, and the blunt bolts of iron of the same size. She has two copper bolts through every floor timber and the keel, driven alternately through the first keelson also. Her fastening throughout varies from 1¼ to 7/8ths of an inch in size, and she is square bolted, from the bilge to the planksheer. The ceiling on the floor is 4½ inches thick, and she has bilge keelsons 15 inches square over the first futtocks, and these keelsons extend her whole length, and are square bolted. Above the bilge keelsons there are 6 strakes of 10 inches thick, then 4 of 8 inches, and the clamps are 6 inches in thickness, all scarphed and strongly fastened.
The between-decks waterways are 16 inches square; the strake inside of them 10 by 12 inches, and that over them 10 by 16 inches, the whole bolted vertically and horizontally. The ceiling above is 6 inches thick, and the upper deck waterways 12 inches square, with two thick strakes inside of them, let into the beams and cross bolted.
She has 9 hooks forward and 8 aft. All the knees and stanchions in the hold are of oak, and the latter are kneed to the beams and keelsons fore and aft. The beams under the lower deck are 16 inches square, and these under the upper deck 9 by 16, and the deck planking is 3½ inches thick, the lower deck of hard pine, and the upper deck of white pine. The hanging knees in the hold are sided about 12 inches, and moulded from 17 to 22 inches in the throats, and have 18 bolts and 4 spikes in each. Their lower ends overlap and partly rest upon a thick strake below, and are fitted with great exactness over the ceiling. The lodging knees are scarphed together in every berth, and closely bolted. The knees in the between decks are of hacmatack, nearly the same in size as those below, and the stanchions are of oak, turned, secured in the usual style.
Her garboards are 7 by 13 inches, the next strake 6 by 13, the whole graduated outwards without projection to 4½ inches, the substance of the bottom planking, thus giving her a slightly concave floor. She has 20 strakes of wales, 5½ inches thick by 7 wide, and all are of superior white oak, fastened with locust treenails, and bilge and butt bolted with copper.
Her covering board and main rail are each 6 inches thick; the bulwarks stanchions are of oak, and her bulwarks are beaded and finished in the usual style. Any one who has the slightest knowledge of a ship, cannot fail to notice the excellence of her workmanship.
Her frame is of white oak, and her scantling and deck frames of yellow pine; and she is copper fastened and seasoned with salt, and has all the means of ventilation now in general use, including, of course, Emerson's Patent Ventilators. She has Sylvester and Cram's steering apparatus, the best that we have seen. Litchfield's patent pumps, and Perley's patent capstans. Her windlass and ground tackle are in accordance with the requirements of Lloyd's, and in every other particular her outfits are of the most approved kind. Below, she has an iron water tank of 5000 gallons capacity.
She is a full rigged ship. Her masts rake 1, 1¼ and 1½ inch to the foot, and the fore and main are built, the pieces dowalled together, bolted, and hooped overall. The mizzenmast is of a single spar. The following are the dimensions of her masts and yards.
MASTS. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Dimensions Inches. | Length Feet. | Mast-heads Feet. | |
Fore | 34 | 83 | 13½ |
Top | 16½ | 46 | 9 |
Topgallant | 11½ | 25 | 0 |
Royal | 10½ | 16 | pole..5 |
Main | 36 | 86 | 14½ |
Top | 17 | 48 | 10 |
Topgallant | 12 | 26 | 0 |
Royal | 11 | 17 | pole..6 |
Mizzen | 25 | 76 | 12½ |
Top | 13 | 39 | 8 |
Topgallant | 9 | 21 | 0 |
Royal | 8 | 13 | pole 4 |
YARDS. | |||
Fore | 19 | 70 | yard-arms..4½ |
Top | 14¾ | 55 | 5 |
Topgallant | 10 | 41 | 3 |
Royal | 7½ | 32 | 2 |
Main | 21 | 78 | 4½ |
Top | 16 | 63 | 5 |
Topgallant | 11½ | 47 | 2 |
Royal | 8½ | 36 | 2 |
Crossjack | 18½ | 58 | 4; |
Mizzen Topsail | 12½ | 46 | 4½ |
Topgallant | 8½ | 34 | 2½ |
Royal | 6 | 26 | 1½ |
She was rigged by Messrs. Francis Low & Co., the best riggers in Boston, or elsewhere, and consequently, she is as snug aloft as a yacht. Mr. J.W. Mason, one of the best marine artists our State can boast, made her head and other ornamental work. Mr. Brown, a young mechanic of great promise, finished her cabins.
She was built at Chelsea by Mr. John Taylor, and is unquestionably the best and most beautiful ship he ever produced; and will, doubtless, prove a very swift sailer. Capt. James Collier commands her. He is well known as a bold and enterprising shipmaster, every way qualified to make her do her best. Messrs. Snow & Rich, of this city, own her, and are entitled to credit for the liberal style in which they have fitted her out. She is now loading rapidly in Messrs. Glidden & Williams' line of San Francisco clippers, and will sail on or before the 10th of next month. She lies at the North side of Lewis wharf; and we advise those who take an interest in shipping to call and inspect her.
Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.
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Copyright © 1997 Lars Bruzelius.