The New Clipper Ship Wild Pigeon, of New York.

The leading nautical gentlemen of this vicinity have inspected this beautiful clipper, and all speak of her in the highest terms. Her builder, Mr. George Raynes, is well known as one of the most experienced shipbuilders in the country, and every vessel which he has built has fully answered the expectation of her owners; the Wild Pigeon, therefore, is not the first effort of an unknown builder, but the matured result of many years' practice and skill. She combines in her model and construction every element, consistent with her tonnage, deemed essential for speed and strength. She is 162 feet long on the keel, and 184 feet over all, from the extreme point of the bow to the taffrail; has 36 feet 4 inches breadth of beam, 20 feet depth of hold, and registers nearly 1000 tons. She is planked up flush to the covering board, and her bow is wedge-like, without head or trail boards, smack smooth to the bowsprit. Like the Witch of the Wave, she has two stems, and to the outer one her planking is secured, so that end on, her cutwater presents the complete vertex of an angle. Her lines are slightly rounded, and upon the extreme of the bow she has a wild pigeon on the wing, represented as ready for a soar aloft; and on other side an eye looking out upon the ocean. Her stern, in outline, is nearly oval, and beautifully ornamented with carved work. Her dead rise at half floor is 26 inches; swell, or rounding of sides, 6 inches; and sheer about 3 feet. Outside she is painted black, from the copper to the rail, and is smoothly finished.

Her deck room is spacious, and admirably arranged for working ship. The whole height of her bulwarks is 5 feet 4 inches from the deck, and a foot below the main rail, is a rack rail, which forms the outline of her topgallant forecastle and poop deck, both of which drop below the upper deck, and afford accommodations for the crew forward, and her officers aft. Her chains pass through the topgallant forecastle, but are boxed in, so that they cannot interfere with the comfort of the sailors, by the way, have excellent quarters, well lighted and ventilated.

Abaft the foremast she has a house 35 feet long, 13 [18?] wide, and 6½ high, which contains a moveable section for the admission of the long boat, and also an apartment for the galley, and other divisions.

Her half poop deck is 45 feet long, with a small portico in front, and as already stated, is the height of the rack rail. Under this deck are her cabins, which are designed and fitted up in beautiful style.

Her between decks are 7 feet, 3½ inches high, and are airy, well ventilated and lighted.

The style of her workmanship is not surpassed for strength and workmanship by any vessel of her size afloat. Her keel is of rock maple, in two depths, sided 15 inches at the top, and bearded to 12 at the base; and the floor timbers are moulded 16 inches, sided from 12 to 14, and are all bolted through the first depth of keelson, (for she has two depths,) and the keel with 1¼ inch copper. The upper depth of keelson is bolted through the navel timbers blunt into the keel, and the sister keelsons are also bolted diagonally through the same timbers into the keel, and horizontally through the lower midship keelson also. The ceiling for the floor is of oak, 4 inches thick, and the thickwork on her bilge overlaps the joints of her first futtocks, -- is 10 inches thick, which is graduated to 7 inches, without showing any projections, and is continued this substance up to the deck. This work is all scarphed, square-fastened, and extends undiminished in substance fore and aft. Her ends are literally filled with massive hooks and pointers, and her stem apron, sternpost, and stern knees, are very stout and strongly secured.

Her hanging and lodging knees, and stanchions, as well as her hooks and pointers, are all of white oak. The beams under the lower deck are 14 by 15 inches amidships, and those under the upper deck 9 by 15, all of hard pine. The hold stanchions are 9 inches square, kneed above and below in the wake of the hatchways, and those under the upper deck, are turned 7 inches in diameter, secured through their centres with iron, in the usual style.

The between-decks are of hard pine, 3½ thick, and the upper deck of white pine, of the same substance. The waterways of the between-decks are 16 inches square, and the thick work inside and over them 9 by 16 inches, bolted vertically and horizontally; and the ceiling above is all 5 inches thick, square fastened, but all the bolts have been countersunk on the inside and plugged over, so that there is no chance for ironrust to damage her cargo. The knees connected with the beams of the upper deck are of hacmatack; the lodging knees scarphed together in every berth, and the lower ends of the hanging knees rest upon the upper edge of the thick work. The latter have 5 feet bodies, 3½ feet arms, are sided from 9 to 11 inches, moulded 20 inches in the angles, and have about 20 bolts in each.

Her upper deck waterways are 14 inches square, with thick strakes inside of them, let into the beams below; and the planksheer and main rail are each 5½ inches thick. The bulwark stanchions are of oak, 8 by 6 inches square, and are about 22 inches apart.

Her garboards are 7 inches thick, bolted through each other and the keel, and upwards through all; the planking on the bottom is 4 inches, and her wales are 5 by 6½, carried up flush, with a little modification, to the planksheer. Her butt and bilge bolts, also her treenails and spiking, have been driven with great care, so as to combine strength with neatness of finish.

Her frame is entirely of white oak, the growth of New Hampshire, and the most of her ceiling and planking, as well as the deck frames and keelsons, are of hard pine. She is seasoned with salt, has brass ventilators in her bitts and along the line of her planksheer, and to make her complete in ventilation, will have Emerson's patent ventilators, to communicate with the hold and the between decks. Below she has a circular iron water-tank her whole depth - has New York patent pumps made of copper, two capstans, lever winches forward and aft along the sides, a patent steering apparatus, and Perley's patent windlass.

She has three patent anchors, weighing respectively 3052, 2378 and 2280 lbs.; and two kedge anchors, one weighing 765 lbs., and the other 450. Her chains, of which she has three, are 1¾ [?], 1½ and 1 inch in size, and each 90 fathoms in length. besides these, she has three hawsers, one of Russia hemp, 9½ inch and 90 fathoms long, and two of Manila hemp, each 100 fathoms long and of 7 and 5 inch sizes.

She is a full rigged ship, and her masts rake, respectively 1½ [?], 1 3/8 [?] and 1½ inches to the foot. The distance from the point of the bow to the inner stem is 9 feet 6 inches, thence to the centre of the foremast 37 feet 8 inches, thence to the mainmast 53½, thence to the mizzenmast 44½, thence to the sternpost 33½, and thence to the taffrail 5 feet 4. The following are the dimensions of her masts and yards:--

The bowsprit steves 4 inches to the foot, is 28 inches in diameter, and 28 feet outside of the bitts; jibboom and flying jibboom in one spar, divided at 18 and 15 feet outside of the cap, with 6 feet end; spanker-boom 51 feet, with 3 feet end; gaff 40, including 7 end; main spencer gaff 24, and fore spencer gaff 26 feet. Her standing rigging is of the best Russia hemp, and is fitted with more than ordinary care. Is every detail aloft, she is perfect as any ship need to be, and looks magnificently.

As a whole, either for beauty or strength, her builder and owners have just cause to feel proud of her; and we do not entertain a doubt that she will prove a very swift sailer, and a good sea-boat. As already stated, she was built by Mr. George Raynes, at Portsmouth, N.H., is owned by Messrs. Olyphant & Son, of New York, and is designed for the California and China trade.

Capt. Geo. W. Putnam, long and favorably known as one of the most experienced and enterprising shipmasters belonging to this port, commands her; and under his guidance, she will be made to do her best. She is now in New York, and we perceive by the papers of that city, that she is much admired, not only for her beauty and strength, but for her completeness in every detail. Good luck to her.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.

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Copyright © 1997 Lars Bruzelius.