The New Packet Ship Chatsworth, of Boston.

This is a good, substantial, oak-built ship, designed to stow a large cargo, with fair proportions for sailing well, and is intended for Train & Co's. line of Boston and Liverpool packets. She is 190 feet long on deck, between perpendiculars, has 36 feet breadth of beam, and 24 feet depth of hold, including 8 feet height of between decks, and registers 1152 tons. She has rounded lines, and a neat, raking bow, which flares as it rises, and terminates in a carved and gilded billet-head, with her name on the head-boards. Her sheer is between two and three feet, and rises with an easy spring at the ends; and her stern is light, swells between the quarter timber, and between the archboard and the taffrail, and is ornamented with an arch of carved work, in the centre of which are the armorial bearings of the Duke of Devonshire, as she is named as a compliment to his seat. She is painted black above the load line, except a buff-colored moulding along the line of the planksheer, and her bottom is green.

Her bulwarks are about 4½ feet high, including the monkey-rail, which extends her whole length; and inside she is painted dark buff color, relieved with white. She has a small topgallant forecastle, the height of the main rail, and abaft the foremast a large house, which contains spacious quarters for her crew, the galley, storerooms and staterooms, and protects a staircase, which leads to the deck below.

She has two snug cabins built into a half poop deck, and they contain 8 state-rooms and the pantry. The after one is wainscotted with mahogany, set off into Gothic-arched panels, relieved with papier mache cornices, and other ornamental work, and the forward one is neatly painted and grained, and both are tastefully furnished. The forward cabin is entered from the quarter deck, and the after one has a staircase amidships, which leads to the poop, where she is steered. Her wheel is protected by a neat house, which affords an excellent shelter for the helmsman.

Her between decks are lofty and well ventilated, have circular air ports along the sides, and glazed houses over the hatchways; and have been fitted with special reference for the accommodation of passengers.

In ground tackle, boats and other furniture she has everything pertaining to a first class packet.

Her frame, including her stern, stern-post and transoms, are of the best New Hampshire white oak, keel of rock maple, sided 16 inches, 23 inches deep forward, 19 inches deep aft, with a shoe 4 inches thick, coppered between. Stem sided 14 inches, stern post sided 17 inches, main transom 16 by 17, and other transoms in proportion. She has 4 bolts in the main transom, one less in the others. The lower transoms are fastened with copper. Floor timbers sided 13 inches, moulded 16 inches on the keel and 11 inches at the floor timber heads; top timbers sided 10 inches, the other timbers in proportion. Keelson 16 inches square, of white oak, and fastened with 1¼ inch copper through every floor timber and the keel. Rider 16 inches square, of Southern pine, second rider 11 by 12 inches, of white oak, fastened with 1 1/8 inch bolts through the keelson into the navel timbers; sister keelsons, two on each side, one on top of the other, one of white oak, the other southern pine, each 11 inches square, and bolted through every timber with 1 inch bolts, and cross bolted through the keelson every 4 foot. Ceiling 4 inches thick on the flat of the bottom, one bilge strake 7 inches thick, three strakes 10 inches thick on the floor timber heads, the next strake 9 inches thick, and each additional strake graduated to 6 inches at the stringers under the lower deck. All the bilge strakes are square fastened with 1 inch and 7/8 inch bolts; the bilge strakes are 10 to 12 inches wide, and of New Hampshire white oak.

Lower deck clamps of southern pine, 4 strakes 7 by 14 inches, square fastened with bolts and spikes; she also has two strakes of stringers 10 by 12 inches square, bolted with 1 inch bolts on every timber, and cross bolted every four feet. She has three sets of pointers forward, the two lower sets extend aft to the foremast. She has two sets of pointers aft, each 20 and 27 feet long. The pointers forward and aft are square fastened in every timber with 1 inch bolts. Hanging knees in the hold are white oak, sided 9 to 11 inches, and well fastened with 14 bolts in each knee. Lower deck beams of southern pine, 15 by 16 inches. Lower deck knees of white oak, sided 8½ inches, and bolted through every timber with inch bolts, the throat bolt 1 1/8 inch. Lower deck waterways 16 inches square, and bolted through every timbers strake by the side of the waterways 10 by 12 inches and fastened through the waterways, the bolts driven from the outside. Lower deck 3 by 6 inches, southern pine, fastened with composition spikes in butts; two strakes on top of the waterways 9 by 12½ inches, and square bolted with inch bolts in every timber. Upper deck clamps five strakes 5½ inches thick, and square fastened with 7/8 inch bolts and spikes. Hanging knees between decks sided 9 to 12 inches, hacmatack, and fastened with 15 bolts, throat bolt 1½ inch, the others 1 inch. Upper deck knees hacmatack, sided 7½ inches, and bolted through every timber; upper deck beams 9 by 15 inches, of southern pine; upper deck plank 3½ by 6, composition spikes in butts. Waterways 13 inches; gunwale 5½ inches thick; pin rail of oak 5 inches thick. She has 9 hooks forward and 5 hooks aft. Her garboard strake is 7 inches thick, of white oak, and fastened with one bolt in every timber, and cross bolted through the keel every four feet with 7/8 copper bolts. Bottom plank 4 inches thick, of Maryland white oak, square fastened with composition spikes and treenails; wales of New Hampshire white oak, 5½ inches thick; top sides of southern pine 4 by 5 inches. Rudder stock 17 inches diameter. Butt and bilge bolts 7/8 in. copper; wood end bolts composition; caulked with the first quality oakum, by day's work. There are between 11,000 and 12,000 rivetted bolts in the ship.

Dimension of spars: Foremast 75 feet 6 inches long, diameter 30 inches, clamped and hooped, head 13 feet; topmast 45 feet, head 8 feet; topgallant mast 24½ feet; royalmast 15 feet, and pole 7 feet; mainmast 78 feet 6 inches long, diameter 31 inches, head 13 feet; topmast 45 feet, head 8 feet; topgallant mast 24½ feet, royal mast 16 feet, pole 9 feet; mizzen mast 70 feet long, diameter 24½ inches, head 10½ feet; topmast 36 feet, head 6½ feet; topgallant mast 19 feet; royal mast 11 feet; skysail mast 6 feet; fore yard 70 feet; topsail yard 56 feet; topgallant yard 42 feet; royal yard 30 feet; main yard 72 feet; topsail yard 59 feet; topgallant yard 45 feet; royal yard 33 feet; crossjack yard 59 feet; mizzentopsail yard 45 feet; topgallant yard 33 feet; royal yard 21 feet; and the other spars in proportion.

She was built at Portsmouth, N.H., by Mr. Saml. Badger, one of the best builders in that State, under the superintendence of Capt. Danl. Marcy, who designed her for himself, and is owned by Messrs. Train & Co.

She is commanded by Capt. Josiah Gotham [?], well known as one of the former commanders of the famous ship Washington Irving, and who recently made an excellent voyage in the ship North America. He is a well-tried sailor, every way qualified to make any ship do her best. The ship now lies at one of the Grand Junction wharves, East Boston, and in a few days will be placed on the berth, to load in Train & Co.'s line of Liverpool packets.

Boston Daily Atlas, 1854, September 27.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius

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