She is 178 feet long on the keel, 185 on deck, between perpendiculars, and 195 over all, from the knight-heads to the taffrail; her extreme breadth of beam is 38 feet, depth 24 feet, including 8 feet 6 inches height of between decks, and she registers 1195 tons. Her dead rise at half floor is 15 inches, rounding of the sides 8 inches, and sheer 3½ feet. She has an open topgallant forecastle, which extends to the windlass, and has a capstan and double oak bitts on it, and wing-closets and locker under it. The main-rail is 3½ above the deck, surmounted by a monkey-rail of 14 inches, and the rack or pin rail, which is of white oak, is covered with copper fore and aft. Abaft the foremast there is a house 40 feet long, 17 wide, and 6½ high, which contains accommodations for the crew, the galley, several state-rooms and store-rooms, and, together with the bulwarks, is painted buff color. The after house is 44 feet long, 26 wide, and 7 high, with a projecting front, which shelters the entrance to the cabin. This house is built into a half poop, the outline of which is protected by a rail on turned stanchions, and upon the after part of which the ship is steered. The frames of her cabin skylights, and the stairs which lead to the poop, are of polished mahogany. Upon the quarter-deck there is a capstan, and over the after hatchway a moveable house. There are heavy oak bitts stepped into the lower-deck, opposite the fore, main and mizzen topmast backstays on each side, with eye and ringbolts in them, and before the foremast there are double bitts, to which the main and main topmast stays set up; also, bitts before the mainmast, and fife-rails around all three lower masts, with fair-leaders in them. She has copper-chambered hold and bilge pumps, which work with engine brakes, a patent steering apparatus, Crane's chain stoppers, an iron water tank below of 5000 gallons capacity, five boats, and all the other furniture of a perfect ship.
Her frame, outside planking, the knees in the hold, all the breast-hooks and stanchions, are of seasoned white oak; and her keelsons, ceiling, deck-frames and lower deck, are of hard pine. The main rail and plank-sheer are each 6 inches thick, the upper deck is of clear white pine, 3½ inches thick, the waterways 12 inches square, the beams 10 by 14 inches, the ceiling below them 6 inches thick, square fastened, and the knees are of hackmatack. The lower ends of the hanging knees rest upon the upper strake of the thickwork over the waterways, and the lodging knees are scarphed together in every berth. The between decks waterways are 15 inches square, morticed over the beams, the strake inside of them is 9 by 14 inches, and the strakes over them are each 10 by 14 inches, scarphed, square fastened and bolted vertically. The lower deck is of pitch pine, 3 inches thick. All the mast-partners, hatchway combings and bitts, are kneed to the beams and carlines. The lower deck beams are 15 inches square amidships, but are tapered towards the ends, and have oak stanchions of 10 by 12 inches, kneed in the wake of the hatchways, and clasped with iron elsewhere. The clamps are 8 inches thick, scarphed, square fastened and keyed; and below them, there is a lap-strake of 5 by 14 inches, bolted through the ceiling and the timbers, and upon this strake the lower ends of the hanging knees rest. The hanging knees are of oak, sided from 10 to 12 inches, are moulded from 20 to 22 inches in the angles, and have 15 bolts and 4 spikes in each. The ceiling below the clamps varies from 9 to 10 inches in thickness, and over the first futtocks there are three bilge keelsons, each 12 by 14 inches, scarphed, square fastened and bolted edgeways. The floor ceiling is 4½ inches thick. She has three depths of midship keelsons, the first 16 inches square, and the second and third 1 inch less. The sister keelsons are 12 by 14 inches; floor timbers moulded 16 and sided 12 inches; keel of rock maple, sided 15 and moulded 20 inches, the whole bolted with copper and refined iron. The scarphs of the keel are 12 feet long, bolted with copper, and every through bolt is of the same metal. As already stated, she is planked with oak from the keel to the waist, is square fastened with treenails and composition spikes, and butt and bilge bolted with copper. The garboards are 7 inches thick, the second strake 6, and the third 5, champered down on the outer edge to 4½ inches, the substance of the bottom planking; the wales are 5 by 7 inches and the waist 4½ inches thick, carried up without projection; in other words, her sides are smooth to the planksheer.
She has 7 oak hooks and pointers forward, and 6 aft; and the hooks in the between decks completely span the angles of her ends, rest upon the thickwork, and have 100 bolts in each, driven from both sides. These hooks are sided from 12 to 14 inches, and are between 3 and 4 feet moulded in the throats.
Her frame is seasoned with salt, and she has all the most approved means of ventilation now in use, including Emerson's corresponding ventilators forward and aft.
She is a full-rigged ship, and has a beautiful set of spars. Her lower masts are of single spars, 31, 32, and 28 inches in diameter, and 76, 80, and 73 feet long, including 14&farc12; feet length of heads to the fore and mainmasts, and 12½ feet mizzenmast; the topmasts are 42, 41, and 35 feet long, of hard pine; foretopgallant mast, royalmast, &c., 21, 13½, 10 and 2 feet; main topgallant mast, &c., 22, 15, 11 and 2½ feet; mizzen topgallant mast, &c., 17½, 11½. 8½, and 1½. The yards upon the fore and mainmasts are alike, viz.: 72, 57, 43, 32½ and 25, and upon the mizzenmast, 56,45½, 33½, 25½ and 19 feet square; the bowsprit is 19 feet outboard; jibboom divided at 18 and 16 feet for the two jibs, with 3 feet end; spanker boom 45 feet long, gaff 32, main spencer gaff 24 feet, and the other spars in proportion. Her fore and main rigging and fore and main topmast backstays are of 10¼-inch four-stranded patent rope; fore and main stays of 10-inch, mizzen rigging 8-inch, and topmast rigging of 5 and 4-inch. Her lower rigging, stays and backstays are served over the ends, and very neatly fitted. She has patent trusses, iron futtock rigging, chain topsail sheets and ties, and all the other iron work aloft and about the bowsprit, now in general use. Her mastheads are crowned with gilded balls; she carries skysail yards fore and aft, and looks magnificently aloft. She was rigged by Mr. L. Chessman, in his best style.
She was built at Medford, by Mr. James O. Curtis, and is owned by Messrs. reed & Wade. Mr. Curtis has built for the same owners, the famous clippers Shooting Star, Onward, Ocean Telegraph, Ocean Express, and Star of the Union; but the Silver Star is considered an improvement upon them all, and is expected to sail very fast. Mr. Curtis's ships are all remarkable for the thoroughness of their workmanship, and the satisfactory style in which they deliver their cargoes. Those who have inspected the Silver Star, speak of her in high terms, for the excellence of her materials, the strength of her fastening, the completeness of her outfits, and the beauty of her model. She is commanded by Capt. Thomas F. Wade, long and favorable known as one of our most intelligent and skillful clipper captains. Such a splendid ship, so ably commanded, will give a good account of herself. She will load for San Francisco at New York in Sutton & Co.'s line of California clippers. We advise our New York neighbors, who admire the hold and beautiful in naval architecture, to call and inspect her.
Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius
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Copyright © 1997 Lars Bruzelius.