The New Clipper Ship Star of the Union, of Boston.

This beautiful vessel registers about 1200 tons. Her length on the keel is 169 feet, between perpendiculars on deck 182, and over all, from the knight heads to the taffrail, about 200; her extreme breadth of beam is 35 feet, and depth of hold 21½ feet, including 7 feet 9 inches height of between decks. Her dead rise at half-floor is 18 inches, rounding of side 6 inches, and side sheer, from the curve of the bow to the stern, 2½ feet; but as the bow rises boldly, her forward sheer is more. She has hollow or concave lines, is very sharp, and the angular form of the bow is preserved to the rail, and becomes convex as it ascends. For a head she has a bust of Daniel Webster, which is a good likeness, and forms a noble ornament to the bow, relieved on each side by the American shield, and other carved work. Her cat-heads are ornamented with gilded carved work, otherwise she is smack smooth, forward, without head-boards or trailboards. Her long and graceful ends, as they swell into the fulness of the sides, harmonize beautifully with the sweep of her sheer. Fore and aft, or, from the water to the planksheer, her sweep and swell are true as the arc of a circle.

Her stern is light, and swells boldly between the quarter timbers. It is finely ornamented with gilded carved work, and a medallion bust of our great statesman. She is coppered up to 18½ and 19½ feet, is flush to the planksheer, and painted black.

The whole height of her bulwarks, including the monkey rail, is only 5 feet; and she has a topgallant forecastle, a large house abaft the foremast, for her crew, the galley and staterooms, and aft, a half poop deck, with her cabins built into it, leaving ample space for steering room. The top of the cabin-house and the outline of the poop, are protected with handsome railings. Her bulwarks, houses, &c., are painted white, which, though decided by sailors to be "no color at all," yet we think the best color for the inside of a ship; and her waterways are blue. She has mahogany combings to her hatchways, her rail is lined inside with yellow metal, and notwithstanding her large houses, she has good deck room for working ship.

She has two cabins. The after one has an entrance amidships, leading to the poop, and staterooms and other apartments on each side. One of the staterooms on the starboard side, belongs to the captain, and is very near the helm's-man.

The after cabin contains in all, 4 staterooms and two sofa recesses, one on each side, and is most elegantly finished with mahogany and other choice woods, set off with enamelled pilasters, papier maché cornices, and gilded lines and flowers. Over it is a spacious skylight, and every stateroom also has a side window, and perforated ventilators between the breams.

The forward cabin is also finely finished, is lined with staterooms on each side, and contains the pantry. The officers' stateroom is entered from the main deck, clear of the cabins, and the spaces along the wings and under the wheel, are fitted as store rooms. Her cabins are elegantly furnished, well lighted and ventilated, and contains every accomodation that can render their occupants comfortable.

Her frame and hooks are of selected, seasoned white oak; and all the knees and stanchions in the hold are also of white oak; the knees in the between decks are of hacmatack. The thickwork in the hold commences below the floor heads, is 10 inches thick, covers the whole bilge, extends fore and aft, and is square fastened. None of the ceiling above is less than 6 inches in thickness, and her clamps are scarphed and also square bolted. In a word, she is square fastened throughout. In the between decks she has the usual thickwork above and inside of the waterways, which is cross bolted and painted blue, and the work above is white.

She has heavy garboards, 4½ inch planking on the bottom, and wales of 5½ inches, the whole square fastened with treenails, and butt bolted with copper.

Her scantling, lower deck, and deck frames are of hard pine, the upper deck is of white pine, and she is seasoned with salt; has Emerson's patent ventilators, and all the other means of ventilation now in general use.

She has an iron tank of 3500 gallons capacity; a patent windlass, Crane's self-acting chain stoppers, Litchfield's patent pumps, a patent steering apparatus, two patent capstans, and all the other improvements of the day.

She is full rigged ship, and has made fore and main masts -- the mizzen-mast is of a single spar. The masts rake, commencing with the fore, 1 1/8, 1 3/8 and 1 5/8ths of an inch to the foot, and are 76, 80 and 70 feet long; the topmasts 41½, 44 and 34 feet; the lower yards are 66, 72, and 52 feet square; topsail yards 54, 56½ and 51 feet, and the other spars in proportion. She is well fitted aloft, and looks the saucy clipper all over.

Her materials and workmanship are of the first quality, and her model seems admirably adapted for obtaining a high rate of speed. She was built at Medford by Mr. Jas. O. Curtis, whose reputation as one of our most sussessful clipper builders, ranks high wherever his vessels are known. Capt. Willis superintended her construction and equipment, and will command her. He is well known as a skilful and enterprising sailor, and with such a beautiful ship under him, will doubtless add another laurel to his reputation. She is owned by Messrs. Reed, Wade & Co., who also own the celebrated clippers Geo. E. Webster, Shooting Star, John Wade, and Onward. Today she will proceed to New York, and there load in J. Ogden's line of San Francisco clippers. We request the New Yorkers to inspect her.

The Boston Daily Atlas, December, 21, 1852 [?].

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius

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