THE NEW EAST INDIAMAN, BLANCHE MOORE, OF LIVERPOOL.

She is 220 feet long between perpendiculars on deck, 228 feet over all; has 42½ feet extreme breadth of beam, and 25 feet 5 inches depth of hold, including 8 feet height of between decks. Her bulwarks which are built solid, like her sides, are 5 feet high, surmounted by a panelled monkey rail of 2 feet. She has a full topgallant forecastle, fitted for the accommodation of her crew, with wing closets on each side. Abaft the forecastle is a large house, which extends to the main hatchways, and contains the galley, staterooms for the forward officers, and ice house, several store-rooms, and has a staircase in its forward part, which leads to the deck below. Over the main and after hatchways she has movable houses, and across the quarter deck, two gallows-frames, upon which her spare boats are stowed. There is also a gallows-frame forward, and a cross-piece, upon which her long-boat and light spars are stowed.

She has a full poop, 75 feet long and 7 feet high, under which she has two beautiful cabins, which have double state-rooms along their sides, capable of accommodating 50 passengers. A large pantry, staterooms for the officers, and other apartments are also in the poop. The after cabin is beautifully wainscotted with satin wood, mahogany and rose wood, set off with double satin wood pillars between the panels, and ornamented with flowers, gilded lines, and papier maché cornices. Its furniture is of the richest kind, arranged with consummate taste; and its means of light and ventilation are all that could be desired. The forward cabin or dining saloon, is neatly carved along its panels, gilded, and painted pure white, and is also elegantly furnished. An oblong square skylight, set in a mahogany frame, extends the whole length of both cabins; along the sides are plate glass air ports, and square windows in the stern; and through the after cabin are two square ventilators, glazed in the sides, which throw light and air into the deck below, and there is another square ventilator before the saloon, for the same purpose. The tables, mirrors, settees, and sofas of the cabins, and the various accommodations of the state-rooms, and their furniture, are said to be unsurpassed by those of any other vessel ever fitted out at this port.

The front of the poop projects and shelters the entrances, and has closets in each wing, and stairways outside, protected by brass banisters. The outline of the poop is surrounded by a rail, on turned stanchions.

The ship's windlass, her ground tackle, bitts, capstans, &c., are of the most approved designs, and are very strong. Her chain lockers are in the hold, close abaft the foremast; she has Crane's self-acting chain-stoppers, a large iron water-tank below, patent pumps, a patent steering apparatus, and all the other furniture of a first class Indiaman. Her frame, all her hooks, and all the knees in the hold, are of seasoned white-oak, and her keelsons, ceiling, deck-frames, lower deck and outside planking, are of pitch pine. Her keel is 16 inches, with lock scarphs 12 feet long, and her false keel is 7 inches deep by 16 wide, thus making the depth of her keel 23 inches. The floor timbers vary from 14 to 12 inches sided, are moulded 17½ inches in the throats, and bolted through the keel with 1¼-inch yellow metal. She has four depths of midship keelsons, each 16 inches square, and two depths on each side of sister keelsons, each depth 16 inches square. These are bolted vertically, horizontally, and diagonally, with refined iron, driven into the keel, the navel timbers, and the midship keelsons. The keelsons are also scarphed and keyed. The floor ceiling is 4½ inches thick, and on the bilge she has two strakes of 15 inches, covering the first futtocks, and these are also scarphed, square fastened and bolted edgeways, and the ceiling above varies from 12 to 10 inches, all square fastened, and also bolted edgeways. She has 14 hold beams about 7 feet below the deck; these are 14 by 14 inches, rest upon a heavy clamp, have a standing thick strake over them, and are also secured with hanging and lodging knees, the latter filled in between the beams for and aft, and strongly bolted.

The lower deck beams are 16 inches square, and 28 in number, and are secured with oak lodging and hanging knees, the latter sided from 14 to 12 inches, moulded 23 inches in the angles, and have 18 bolts in each, driven alternately from above and below through the beams, and from the inside and the outside through the timbers. She has four massive hooks and pointers forward, and 3 aft, and these completely span the angles of her ends, and cross all her cants diagonally and horizontally. The stanchions clasp the hold-beams, and extend to the beams above, and are kneed and strapped with iron.

The between decks waterways are 16 inches square, with thickwork inside and over them, and the ceiling above is 6 inches thick, scarphed, keyed, and square fastened. There are also stout oak hooks forward and aft, hooks under the decks, and under and over the bowsprit. The upper deck beams, 29 in number, are 10 by 15 inches amidships, but like the others, are tapered toward the ends, and have a beautiful set of knees, of nearly the same dimensions as those below. The upper deck waterways are double, the first 12 by 14 inches, and the second 10 by 12, rounded off toward the deck.

The upper deck is of white pine 3½ inches thick, and the lower one if hard pine of the same substance, and the planking of both is very long and remarkably clear of blemish.

The garboards are 8 by 14 inches, let into the keel and bolted through it, and are also square fastened through the timbers the next strake is 6 by 12 inches, the bottom planking 4½ inches thick, and the wales 5½ by 6, carried up without projection to the covering board. She is square fastened with treenails, butt and bilge-bolted with yellow metal, and finished in the first style of workmanship. We have not deemed it necessary to note the particulars of her stem, cutwater, apron, stemson, or of her uprights aft, for these may be easily inferred from the dimensions of her foundation.

Mr. Donald McKay, the builder of this ship, has been remarkably successful in the wearing qualities of his vessels, and this we attribute in a great degree to the substantial character of their foundation. He generally puts more keelsons in his ships than any other builder; and in this ship he has adopted the same rule. We have seen a ship of 2000 tons, which had only 3 depths of midships keelsons, each 15 inches square, only one sister keelson on each side, of the same size, no hold beams, nor was any of her ceiling or even her waterways scarphed; and yet the builder and owner of such a ship would contend that she was strong enough. The Blanche Moore, on the other hand, has three more keelsons, 14 hold beams, has upon the average, ceiling 2 inches thicker, not only scarphed and keyed, but bolted edgeways also. If the one was strong enough, the other must be too strong. Half a dozen years wear and tear will settle this question.

The Blanche Moore is seasoned with salt; has 13 plate glass lights in each side of her between decks, and a large square cargo port; has three square ventilators through her cabins, already noticed, one forward and two aft, and skylight ventilators along the side of her house, so that her between decks are not only well ventilated, but are as light as the cabin, and most admirably adapted for the accommodation of passengers. They are painted white, and the thickwork and waterways blue, and her bulwarks and houses on deck and buff color, relieved with blue and white.

The following are the dimensions of her masts and yards. The fore and main topmasts, &c., are alike; and the lengths of her lower masts, specified below, are above the main decks:

The yards upon the fore and mainmasts are alike, and upon the mizzenmast, except the skysail yard, the same as on the other masts above the lower yards; thus all her yards, except one, are duplicates of one another. The bowsprit is 30 inches in diameter, and 23 feet out-board; jibboom 18½ inches in diameter, and 32 feet outside of the cap, divided at 16 feet for two jibs, and flying jibboom 11 inches in diameter, and 14 feet long, with 3 feet end, and her other spars in proportion. Her lower masts are bright and varnished, her yards black, and studdingsail-booms bright with black ends.

Her topgallant masts, yards, and all above them are of spruce pine, but all the other masts and yards are of pitch pine, as well as the bowsprit and jibboom. The lower masts and bowsprit are built, and hooped over with iron, and, as may be seen by referring to their diameters, are very stout. She has the best of Russia hemp rigging, and all the chain and other iron work aloft now in general use. Her spars are finely proportioned, neatly rigged, and appears to great advantage.

As already stated, this magnificent vessel was built by Mr. Donald McKay, at East Boston. During the past 14 months he has built 24,170 registered tons of shipping, which at $70 per ton, and we know he has received 480 for most of the vessels he has built on English account, amounts to $1,691,900, a pretty large amount of business for one man to transact in 14 months. He has built during the past 10 years 76,000 tons, and what adds to his credit, not one of his ships has ever been compelled to make a port in distress, owing to any fault in her construction, and all have been remarkable for their excellent sailing qualities, beauty and strength. Mr. McKay is the great shipbuilder of the age, and this is acknowledged on both sides of the water. His ships, which are employed in every trade, rank first among the foremost.

The Blance Moore was built under the superintendence of her commander, Capt. Evans, to whose skill as an experienced sailor may be attributed the completeness of her arrangements, and the fine style of her equipment aloft. She is owned by Chas. Moore & Co., of Liverpool, and, as already stated, will trade between that port and Calcutta. In a few days she will proceed to Liverpool in ballast. She now lies at the Grand Junction wharf, East Boston, and is well worthy of an inspection by all who take an interest in shipping.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius

Sjöhistoriska Samfundet | The Maritime History Virtual Archives | The Boston Daily Atlas.

Copyright © 2000 Lars Bruzelius.