This fine vessel was built by Mr. Samuel Hall, at East Boston, and will register about 1650 tons. She is 210 feet long between perpendiculars, on deck, and 225 feet over all; has 40½ feet extreme breadth of beam, 25 feet 9 inches depth of hold, with three full sets of beams, and two laid decks, having 7 feet 8 inches between them. The height between the decks below, is 7 feet 2 inches, and the lower deck is laid forward to about 3 feet abaft the foremast, and aft to about the same distance before the mizzenmast, with gangways of four strakes on each side.
She has very sharp and long ends, with concave or hollow waterlines, but her bow as it rises, swells into the convex, but still preserves its angular form up to the rail. A more beautiful bow, or one that gives greater promise of speed, no one could desire to see. For a head she has the full figure of an oriental magician, with a book under his right arm, and his face is turned to the right or starboard. The figure is finely executed, stands in an easy and graceful attitude, and forms a beautiful ornament to the bow. The ship has about three feet sheer, which is graduated her whole length, giving just sufficient spring to the ends, to make her appear lively. Her stern is rounded, is formed two strakes the planksheer moulding, and is tastefully ornamented with gilded carved work. The run, like the bow, is long and clean, and blends finely with the fullness of amidships, presenting a remarkably easy waterlines. She is sheathed with yellow metal, is smooth to the planksheer moulding, and painted black.
The whole height of her bulwarks, including the monkey rail, is about 6 feet, and she has a small topgallant forecastle, with wing closets, a large house abaft the foremast, which contains the galley, quarters for the crew, and staterooms for the forward officers. Her cabins are built into a half poop deck, which is protected with rails upon mahogany stanchions, the top of the cabins forming a promenade deck. There are spacious gangway on each side of the cabin trunk, and good standing room aft, where she is steered. The after cabin has a staircase amidships, which leads to the poop, and is also connected forward with the other cabin. It contains 7 spacious staterooms and other apartments, is set off into gothic arched panels, relieved with pilasters and gilded mouldings, and is painted Florence white. The forward cabin contains the pantry on the larboard side, and a large stateroom opposite, and is also painted white, and the ante-room has a stateroom on each side for the officers. Her cabin accommodations are tastefully designed, well lighted and ventilated, and will be splendidly furnished.
She has spacious deckrooms for working ship, and her bulwarks, house, &c., are painted buff color, and the waterways blue.
She has two patent capstans, a powerful patent windlass, very stout ground tackle, Crane's self acting chain stoppers, Emerson's patent ventilators, brass ventilators along the planksheer and in the bitts, a force pump, two patent hold pumps, an iron tank below, of 5000 gallons capacity, boxed round with wood, a patent steering apparatus, and all the other furniture of a perfect ship.
Her frame is of selected, seasoned white oak, and her scantling of hard pine, and she is thoroughly copper fastened and seasoned with salt. Her keel is of rock maple, sided 16 inches and moulded 32, and the whole depth of her back bone, including the moulding of her floor timbers, is 9 feet 2 inches, by 16 inches sided. She has three depths of midship keelsons, each 16 inches square, and sister keelsons of 10 by 12 inches, the whole bolted in the most substantial style, every copper bolt driven through and rivetted. The floor ceiling is 5 inches thick, and inside of the bilge keelsons is a strake of 8 by 12 inches; the two bilge keelsons are 14 inches square, and the ceiling above varies from 12 to 9 inches in thickness, and is all square fastened. The hold and between-decks beams are 16 inches square amidships, but tapered toward the ends, and the former have a stout clamp or lap strake under them, and are secured with oak lodging knees, which are scarphed together in every berth. The stanchions under them are also of oak, clasped with iron above and below, and bolted through the beams and the keelsons. The stanchions under the other decks are also of oak, turned and secured with iron rods through their centres.
The waterways of both decks are about 16 inches square, with thick strakes over and inside of them, and the ceiling varies, from 7 to 5 inches. She has 85 beams in all, and those under the upper decks are 10 by 16 inches, the lower square bright and varnished, and the between-decks are painted white, and the waterways blue. The hanging and lodging knees are very stout, closely bolted and well finished. She has massive hooks forward and aft, which completely span the angles of her ends, and cross all the cants. In each side of the between-decks she has a large cargo port opposite the main hatchway.
Her upper deck waterways are 14 inches square, with two thick strakes inside of them, and the planing of her deck is 3½ inches thick, the upper one of white pine, and the other of hard pine.
Her garboards are 8 inches thick, the bottom plank 5, and the wales 5½ by 7, all square-fastened with treenails, and butt and bilge bolted with copper. The planksheer and main rail are 6 inches thick, and outside as well as inside, she is most thoroughly finished.
She has as fine a set of spars as ever towered above a ship's deck. The fore and main masts are built and hooped over, and both are 3 feet in diameter. The mizzenmast is of a single spar, and the yards upon the fore and main masts are alike; those upon the mizzenmast are of nearly the same dimensions as those above and including the topsail yards on the other masts. Her lower masts are, commencing with the foremast, 86, 90 and 82 feet long, and the lower yards 80 and 62 feet square, and the fore and main yards are 22 inches in diameter. She has hard pine topmasts and jibbooms, the best of Russia hemp rigging, and is fitted aloft in excellent style. Her spars were made by Mr. Spear; she was rigged by Frs. Lowe & Co., and her sails were made by E.F. Porter & Co.
As already stated, this beautiful ship was built by Mr. Sam'l Hall, and is, we believe, the first large vessel, having hollow lines, which he has built. In the outline of her model, as well as in the style of her construction, she is unquestionable the most perfect vessel he ever built; and we have no hesitation in predicting, that she will be the swiftest. Mr. Hall built her on his own account. In a few days she proceeds to New York, and will there load for San Francisco. Our New York friends will do well to inspect her, for she is an excellent vessel in every particularly, and will well repay an hour's visit. Good luck to her.
Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.
Sjöhistoriska Samfundet | The Maritime History Virtual Archives | The Boston Daily Atlas. Search.
Copyright © 1997 Lars Bruzelius.