The New Clipper Ship Queen of Clippers.

This splendid vessel has been the admiration of all who have inspected her, not only for the faultless beauty of her model, but also for the strength of her construction and the excellence of the workmanship. She is 235 feet long on the keel. 10 feet longer on deck, and 258 feet over all, from the knights-heads to the taffrail. Her extreme breadth of beam is 44½ feet, depth 24 feet, including 8 feet height of between-decks; dead at half floor 18 inches, rounding of sides 4 inches, sheer 4 feet, and will register about 2300 tons, Custom House measurement. Her ends are very long and graceful, and extremely sharp, particularly the bow, and her lines are slightly concave below, but convex above, to correspond with her outline on the rail. Notwithstanding her great sheer, so truly is it graduated along her whole length, that she seems to the eye straight as a ship-of-war, yet her bow is bold and lively in its outline, and rises just enough to be beautiful. It flares above the planksheer, and is remarkable for the justness of its proportions, as it swells into the fullness of her after outline. The stem and cutwater form the vertex of a plain angle, of which her lines represent the sides, and make her appear, bow on, a complete wedge.

She has a queenly figure for a head, decked in right regal style, which sets her bow off to great advantage. It is the production of Mr. J.W. Mason, the best marine artist that we know. She is smooth to the planksheer moulding, and broadside on has great apparent length, which makes her look low, even now that she is flying light.

Her stern swells outward, and is oval in outline, with a semi-elliptical turn in the monkey rail. It is very light, very beautiful, and tastefully ornamented with gilded carved work. Her run is very easy, and yet has buoyancy enough to bear her up, however fast she may fly through the water. She is sheathed with yellow metal up to 20 feet, is painted black above the metal, and inside she is pearl color relieved with white.

Her bulwarks are 5 feet 4 inches, including the monkey rail, which has mahogany stanchions and mahogany gangway boards, the latter tastefully carved and brass-mounted. The bulwarks stanchions are of oak, and are the continuation of every other top timber. She has a small topgallant forecastle, a house abaft the foremast, 45 feet long, 18 wide, and 6½ high, fitted for the accommodation of the crew, and also contains the galley and other apartments.

She has a small half-poop deck, upon which she is steered, and connected with it is after part of her cabins, which are in a house 60 feet long, leaving gangway room on each side of it. This spacious house contains two splendid cabins and an ante-room. The after cabin is wainscotted with mahogany, rose and satin wood, set off with pilasters, cornices and flowered gilding, in the most perfect style of art. The forward cabin is also finished in superior style, and the state-rooms of both are spacious, well lighted and ventilated, and, like the cabins, are elegantly furnished. The ante-room contains the pantry, and state-rooms for the officers, and leads to the main deck; and theres is also a staircase in the after cabin, which leads to the poop. She has spacious deck room for working ship, and looks magnificently fore and aft.

We will now briefly glance at the style of her construction, which will show that she is as good as she is beautiful. Her frame is of seasoned white oak, and her scantling of hard pine. Her keel is in two depths, moulded 32 inches and sided 16; the floor timbers are 18 by 12, and she has three depths of midship keelsons, each 16 inches square, backed by sister keelsons of 15 inches square, the whole bolted with copper and iron of 1½ inch, the copper bolts friven through and clinched. The floor ceiling is 5 inches thick, and the bilge keelsons are 16 inches square, extend her whole length, and are scarphed and square bolted. Above these there are 6 strakes of 12 by 14 inches, graduated to 8 inches thickness up to the deck. There is also a lap strake over the ceiling, upon which the lower ends of the hanging knees rest. The between-decks waterways are 17 inches square, and the thick work over them 10 by 16, and that inside of them 10 by 14, all closely cross bolted. The ceiling up to the deck is 6 inches thick, and the upper deck waterways are 13 inches square, with two 4½ inch strakes inside of them.

Her graboards are 7 inches thick, the next strake 6, the third 5, graduated to ½, without projection, forming a slightly concave floor. Her wales are 5½ by 7 inches, and are continued flush to the planksheer, which is 6½ inches thick. She is square fastened, with locust treenails, extra butt and bilge bolted with copper, and finished smooth as glass.

All the stanchions, all the hooks, and all the knees in the hold are of superior white oak, the between knees only are of hacmatack, and these arevery stout. Her ends are well secured with massive hooks and pointers, and no ship's beams can be better kneed. The hold beams are 16 inches square, the upper deck beams 10 by 16, the frames of both decks are of hard pine, and the planking 3½ inches thick. She is seasoned with salt, has Emorson's ventilators and all the other means of ventilation now in use.

More than usual care has been bestowed upon her iron work, and so far as we are qualified to express an opinion we think it not only strong, but well finished. Messrs. Nason & Cleveland were her blacksmiths, and Mr. Henry Pigeon made her spars. Mr. P. is well known, as one of the best spar makers in this vicinity. Capt. Reuben Snow, a sailor of great experience, and established reputation, and every way qualified to do her justice, commands her.

She has a noble set of spars, secured in superior style. Her fore and main masts are built, the pieces dowalled together, bolted and hooped over all. The mizzenmast is of a single spar, and the topmasts, in order to afford the best support for the tressletrees, continue without taper to the heads. Besides, they are of hard pine, and have iron shoulders sunk into them; also an iron chain from the crosstrees, which passes over the cap, and sets up with a screw. These arrangements are designed to keep everything aloft in its place. The square of the lower mastheads are also protected by oak segments, to prevent the rigging cutting into the masts. She has all the iron work aloft and about the bowsprit now in general use, and the very best of Russia hemp standing rigging, fitted by Francis Low & Co., the best of riggers. The following are the dimensions of her masts and yards,

The bowsprit is 34 inches in diameter and 23 feet outboard; jibboom 18 inches in the cap, divided at 20 and 15 feet for the two jibs, with 7 feet end. The spanker boom is 60 feet long, gaff 45 feet, main spencer gaff 24 feet, and the other spars in proportion. Her mast heads are crowned with gilded balls, the paintwork of the masts is white, the yards are black, and the studdingsail booms are bright and varnished, and have black ends. She has patent blocks, patent trusses, chain topsail sheets and ties, and all the other improvements of the day. Aloft as well as below she is fitted in superior style, and looks most gloriously.

She was built at East Boston by Mr. Robert E. Jackson, the builder of the John Bertram, Winged Racer, and many other fine ships; but this is the crowning triumph of his professional life. Everybody who has seen her speaks in her praise, and "what everybody says must be true." Her enterprising owners, Messrs. Seccomb & Taylor, have spared no express to make her a perfect ship, and to ensure her success. She is expected to sail twenty miles an hour with a leading wind, and to rank first among the foremost upon the world of waters. In a few days she will proceed to New York, and will there load in Messrs. F. & D. Fowler's line of San Francisco clippers. We call the attention of our New York friends to her, and invite them to inspect her carefully. They will find her to be better and more beautiful than we have been able to describe her, and every way worthy of her name, the Queen of Clippers!

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.

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Copyright © 1997 Lars Bruzelius.