The New Ship Witch of the Wave.

Abaft the foremast is a house 47 feet long, 17 wide and 6½ high, which contains two galleys, quarters for the crew, staterooms and storerooms, and also protects staircases, which lead to the deck below. Her after house is 50 feet long, built into a half poop deck. It contains two fine cabins and an anteroom. The after cabin is wainscotted with mahogany, set off with rosewood pilasters and papier mache cornices. It contains four staterooms, has two beautiful recess sofas, with panelled mirrors -- has a staircase aft, which leads to the poop, and is neatly finished and elegantly furnished. The forward cabin is also wainscotted, has white panels, with colored pilasters and cornices. It contains two staterooms and the pantry, and is also well furnished. The anteroom has accommodations for the mates, and at the same time affords protection to the entrance of the cabin. Her cabins were furnished by Messrs. Jas. H. Beel & Brother, of Boston.

She has the good old fashioned steering gear, which any sailor can repair when out of order, and her wheel is protected by a snug house. On the quarter deck is one of Perley's patent capstans; she has a strongly secured windlass, Crane's patent chain stopper, and copper chambered pumps.

Her keel is of rock maple, sided 16 inches, moulded 2 feet forward and 22 inches aft; the floor timbers are 16 by 14 inches, and over them there are three depths of midship keelsons, from 16 to 15 inches each, with a rider of 4 inches thickness; and the sister keelsons are 14 by 15 inches. The floor timbers are bolted with 1¼ inch copper through the first tier of keelsons and the keel, and also with iron driven blunt into the keel. The sister-keelsons are bolted vertically, horizontally and diagonally. The floor ceiling is of white oak 4 inches thick. On the bilge, commencing inside of the first futtocks, there are six strakes of 10 by 14 inches, scarphed, square fastened and bolted edgeways; above these are one strake of 9½, on of 9, one of 8½, two of 7, two strakes of 11 by 13 inches, upon which the lower ends of the hanging knees rest, and above these, four strakes of clamps, each 7 inches thick, the whole square fastened. Her deck frames are of hard pine; the lower deck beams are 14 by 15 inches, and those under the upper deck 9 by 15, all bolted through the timbers at the ends. The lower deck knees are of white oak, with 4½ feet bodies, 3½ feet arms; sided from 10 to 12 inches, moulded in the angles, 22 inches, and have sixteen bolts and four spikes in each. The upper deck knees are of hacmatack, nearly the same in size and fastening as those below. She has four hooks and pointers of oak in each end, braced off with oak along the skin, and bolted through all; the stanchions are also of oak, 10 by 12 inches, kneed in the wake of the hatchways, but clasped with iron elsewhere.

The between decks waterways are 14 inches square, the strake inside of them 8 by 12, and over them there are two strakes of 8½ by 10 inches, square fastened, and bolted vertically; and the ceiling above is 5 inches thick, also square fastened. Her between decks stanchions are of oak, turned, with iron rods through their centres, set up with nuts and screws below. In each end is a massive hook 52 feet between the extremes, with 102 bolts in each. The lower parts of the beams and stanchions are bright and varnished, the hanging knees are grained oak-color, the thickwork is granite color, the waterways are blue, and the rest of the paint work is white. The between decks (8 feet 2 inches high) are admirably adapted from the accommodation of passengers.

Her upper deck waterways are 12 inches square, and the planking of both decks 3½ inches thick, the lower one of hard pine, and the upper one of white pine.

The outside planking, from the keel to the waist, is of selected New Hampshire white oak, square fastened with treenails (those along the bilge driven through and wedged in both ends) and butt and bilge bolted with copper. Her garboards are 7 inches, the next strake 6, the third 5, and the bottom planking 4 inches thick, the wales 5½ by 7, and the waist 4 inches, carried up without projection to the planksheer. The covering board and main rail are each 5½ inches thick, and the outline of the monkey rail is built solid and bolted to the main rail. The whole height of the bulwarks is 5½ feet, and the bulwark-stanchions are of oak, well secured. Notwithstanding the houses, she has spacious deck room for working ship, and looks remarkably well.

She has built fore and mainmasts and bowsprit, hard pine topmasts and jibbooms, and Howes's rig on all three masts. The following are the dimensions of her masts and yards.

Her spars were made by T.H. Odiorn; Deering & Yeaton rigged her; J. Wilson did her joiner work; Joy & Leland finished her cabins; Timothy S. Trafton and John Dame were her blacksmiths, and T.R. Holbrook made her sails. Want of space alone prevents our publishing the names of all the mechanics employed upon her, for all have performed their work well.

She is owned by parties in Newburyport, and as already stated, was built by Mr. Geo. Raynes. He also designed, modelled and draughted her. Last year he built the fine ship Arkwright. The Witch of the Wave is one of the best of those excellent oak built ships, which have given New Hampshire such a high reputation abroad. No American vessels rate before them at Lloyd's. Mr. Raynes is a young man, of great promise, as a shipbuilder, and bids fair to be eminently successful. He has on the stocks at present a beautiful clipper of 900 tons, owned by Wm. F. Parrott & Co. She is also oak built and copper fastened, and will be ready for launching in a few weeks.

The Witch of the Wave is commanded by Capt. J.E.A. Todd, of Salem, who has the reputation of being an able and experienced sailor. She sailed from Portsmouth on Saturday, bound to Mobile. Success to her.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius

Sjöhistoriska Samfundet | The Maritime History Virtual Archives.

Copyright © 1996 Lars Bruzelius.