She has Crane's self-acting chain stoppers, a powerful patent windlass under the topgallant forecastle, Allyn's patent capstan on it, and on the spar deck two capstans forward and two aft, one on each side, and a patent steering apparatus.
Her cabins are on the main deck, and extend between 70 and 80 feet from the stern. The after one is 30 feet long, by 14 wide, and 7½ feet high; has two spacious recess sofas, and is beautifully wainscotted with mahogany, set off into gothic arched panels, relieved with gilded carvel-work, and is furnished in the highest style of art. Its tables, mirrors, carpets and curtains are of the most costly materials, and are arranged with consummate taste.
Over the transom sofa are three panels, which contain deguerreotype pictures. The first is a representation of the ship Great Republic, under all sail by the wind, the second is the outline of the Champion of the Seas, as she now lies broadside on, and other objects in the background, and between the ships is a portrait of Mr. Donald McKay, their builder. These pictures were taken by Messrs. Southworth & Hawes, and are about the best of the kind we have seen.
The dining saloon is 40 feet long, is plain white, relieved with gilding, and is finished and furnished with the same taste as the cabin abaft it. These cabins have oblong square skylights over them nearly their whole length, and the frames of these lights are all of polished mahogany, protected with brass. All the state-rooms have square side-lights or ports, which can be opened in fine weather, and deck-lights beside, and perforated ventilators between the beams.
The vestibule contains the pantry and a mess room on the larboard side, and a bath-room and other apartments opposite, and before these there are several store-rooms. The deck before the cabins is also designed for accommodation of passengers, has square ports along its sides, and will be fitted with state-rooms. She will also carry passengers on her lower deck, which, like that above it, is 7½ feet high. Every means of light and ventilation, consistent with the safety of the ship, has been applied to it. Along the sides of the houses, between the stanchions, around the water-tankm through the dining-saloon and cabins, and many other places, are ventilators and sky-lights; and beside these, she has Emerson's corresponding ventilators, forward and aft. She has in all 210 square feet of light and ventilation. Nothing that ingenuity could devise has been omitted, to render her accommodations the most perfect in every particular.
A few of the leading details of her materials and construction will show that she is a good and well built as she is unquestionable beautiful. Her entire frame is of seasoned white oak, and all her hooks, pointers and knees are of the same wood, her planking and ceiling of hard pine, and she is square fastned throughout, and butt and bilge bolted with copper. The keel is of rock maple, in two depths, each 16 inches square, with 12 feet keyed scarphs, which are bolted with copper, and the parts of the keel, before the frames were raised, were also copper bolted. The floor timbers are moulded 21 inches on the keel, and sided from 12 to 13 inches, and over them are four tiers of midship keelsons, each 16 inches square, and on each side of these are two depths of sister-keelsons, of the same size, the whole scarphed and keyed, and fastned with 1¾ inch bolting, the bolts not more than eight inches apart. The whole frame, fore and aft, is diagonally cross-braced with iron, five inches wide, seven-eights of an inch thick, and thirty-eight feet long. These braces are bolted through every frame, and through every inter-section; are let into the timbers and ceiling, and extend from the first futtocks to the top-timbers. The ceiling on the floor is five inches thick, and over the first futtocks there are two bilge keelsons, each 15 inches square, scarphed, keyed, square fastedned and bolted edgeways. The rest of the ceiling in the hold, varies from 12 to 10 inches in thickness, and is also scarphed, keyed, and fastened in the same style as the keelbilge keelsons, each 15 inches square, scarphed, keyed, square fastened and bolted edgeways. The rest of the ceiling in the hold, varies from 12 to 10 inches in thickness, and is also scarphed, keyed, and fastened in the same style as the keelsons, the bolting only diminished one-eigth of an inch. There are 32 beams under the lower deck, 34 under the main deck, and 35 under the upper deck, and their dimensions are as follows, commencing below: 15 by 16, 12 by 15, and 8 by 15 inches square, with oak lodging and hanging knees to those below, and hacmatack to the others. The lower and main deck waterways are 15 inches square, with thick work of ten by twelve inside and over them, and ceiling varing from sven to five inches in thickness, exclusive of a heavy clamp under the upper deck beams, and a lap strake under the lower deck knees. The upper deck water-ways are 14 by 15 inches, with a thick strake inside of them, rounded off towards the deck. All the waterways, as well as the keelsons and ceiling, are scarphed and bolted in the most substantial style. The upper deck is of white pine, 3½ inches thick, and the others of hard pine of the same substance. The stanchions in the hold are 10 by 22 inches, clasp the beams and extend to the deck beams above. Beside the midship stanchions, she has 12 wing stanchions fitted in the same style, and all of them are strongly kneed and bolted. Under the upper deck there is a tier of turned stanchions on each side, with iron rods through their centres, which set up with nuts and screws. Her ends are almost filled with massive hooks and pointers, which cross all the cants diagonally and fay to the beams. The hooks in the between decks are beamed and kneed and fastened though all.
Her garboards are 9 by 15 inches, the next strake 8 by 14, the third 7 by 14, the bottom planking 5 inches thick, the wales 6 by 7, and the waist 4½ inches thick; the whole finished smooth as joiner work, and strongly fastened. Every line and moulding is truly graduated her whole length, and presents a most beautiful combination of perfect workmanship. Her planksheer and main rail are each 7 inches thick, and, as remarked, her bulwarks are built solid, like those of a ship of war.
Her ground tackle, boats, &., are of the best quality. She has below a water tank of 5000 gallons capacity, and upon her arrival in England will have other water tanks fitted alongside of the keelsons, and extending to the bilge.
She is a full rigged ship and has a noble set of spars. Her lower masts and bowsprit are built of hard pine, dowelled together, bolted and hooped over all with iron; and the topmasts and jibbooms are also of hard pine. The masts, commencing with the fore, rake ½, 5/8, and 1 inch to the foot, and are 74 and 63 feet apart. The lengths of the lower masts in the following table are above the deck:
The bowsprit is 40 inches in diameter, and 22 feet outboard; jibboom 21 inches in diameter in the cap, and is divided at 16 and 15 feet for the two jibs, with 6 foot end; spanker boom 58 feet 2 inches long, and gaff 42 feet, main spencer gaff 22 feet long, and the other spars in proportion. Like a ship of war, royals are her highest sails forward and aft, consequently the harmony of her masts and yards is complete, making her a perfect picture to the eye. The caps are of wrought iron, and the doublings of the masts are nearly wood-and-wood, or close together. Her rigging is of the best Russia hemp, very stout, and neatly fitted. She has all the chain and iron-work aloft, and about the bowsprit, now in general use, such as bobstays, bowsprit shrouds, martin-gale stays and guys, topsail sheets and ties, patent trusses, iron futtock rigging, &c. The fore stays set up to the knight-heads, and all the other head stays lead through the bows, and set up inboard.
MASTS Diameter. Length. Mast-heads Inches. Feet. Feet. Fore . . . . . . . . . 40 65 17 Top . . . . . . . . . 20 47 10 Topgallant . . . . . . 15 26 0 Royal . . . . . . . . 13 17 pole 8 Main . . . . . . . . . 42 71 17 Top . . . . . . . . . 20 50 10 Topgallant . . . . . . 15 27 0 Royal . . . . . . . . 13 17 pole 12 Mizzen . . . . . . . . 36 61 14 Top . . . . . . . . . 16 42 9 Topgallant . . . . . . 12 24 0 Royal . . . . . . . . 10 15 pole 8 YARDS Fore . . . . . . . . . 24½ 88 yard arms 5 Top . . . . . . . . . 19½ 69 5½ Topgallant . . . . . . 13½ 51 4 Royal . . . . . . . . 9 37 2 Main . . . . . . . . . 24½ 95 5 Top . . . . . . . . . 19½ 74 5½ Topgallant . . . . . . 13½ 54 4 Royal . . . . . . . . 9 42 3 Crossjack . . . . . . 20 74 4½ Mizzen Top . . . . . . 15 57½ 5 Topgallant . . . . . . 9½ 42 3½ Royal . . . . . . . . 7 30 2
She has three backstays on each side to the fore and main topmasts, double topgallant backstays, with outriggers in the crosstrees -- double main topmast stays, which set up in the fore top, and a spring stay. which leads on deck. The mast-heads and yards are black, the lower masts white, and the studdingsail booms bright, with black ends. There are about 12,500 yards of canvass in a single suit of her sails. Aloft as well as below, there is the same harmony of outline, and the same completeness of details, which make her not only the most beautiful but the most perfect ship her talented builder ever produced. But while we award Mr. McKay the highest praise for his genius and skill in the production of this noble ship, we must not forget her commander, Capt. Alexander Newlands, under whose superintendence she was built and equipped. Mr. McKay, with an opennes worthy of his great reputation, nobly appreciates his merits. he says: At an early period of our intercourse I saw that Captain Newlands understood his business, and that he was worthy of my entire confidence, consequently he has been of the greatest service to me. Agreeably to his designs, the whole interior arrangements of the ship have been made, including the complicated and varied plans for light and ventilation.
He designed the cabins and their details -- had every thing to do with the masting and rigging of the ship, in a word, has been always on hand, and has given me the most unqualified satisfaction. It is not saying too much to affirm that, of all the shipmasters who have from time to time been placed to superintend the outfits of my vessels, I do not know one who combines so many valuable qualities, and who, at the same time, makes less pretensions. He is calm but quick, reflective but earnest, and always displays that firm self-reliance, peculiar to a through bred sailor, in every ting of consequence he undertakes. well educated, a perfect gentleman, and a sailor of the highest professional attainments, he is well worthy of cammanding the finest merchant ship in the world.
Personally, we have sometimes enjoyed the pleasure of Capt. Newland's society, during the past three months, and we know that when he leaves here, we shall feel his absence as the loss of a friend.
The Champion of the Seas is now lying at the Grand Junction Wharf, East Boston, and in a few days will be towed to New York, and there load for Liverpool. Mr. McKay has now on the stocks a beautiful clipper of nearly 4000 tons named the James Baines, and when she is launched will build another of the same size for the same line.
We advise every one who wishes to see the most beautiful ship ever built by Mr. McKay, to call and inspect the Champion of the Seas before she sails. Her gentlemanly commander will take pleasure in showing her to all who may honor him with their company.
Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius
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Copyright © 1997 Lars Bruzelius.