Like nearly all other clippers her accommodations are on the upper deck, and consist of a house abaft the foremast for the crew, &c., and a house built into a half poop deck. Her cabins are in three divisions; the after one is a square room, from which the captain's cabin is entered on the starboard side, the armory and other apartments opposite, and it is separated by sliding doors from the cabin before it. The latter is the whole width of the berths, with recess sofas on each side and panelled mirrors; and both cabins are beautifully wainscotted with satin wood, maple, mahogany and rosewood, and furnished in elegant style. The forward cabin or dining saloon, is finely painted in imitation of mahogany and other fancy woods, and has staterooms on each side. Before this is the anteroom, which leads to the quarter deck, and which contains the pantry and a stateroom for the officers. There is also an entrance aft, which leads to the poop, and the windows are neatly framed with mahogany, and set with ornamented stained glass.
She has an open topgallant forecastle, with lockers under it, a patent windlass, Crane's self-acting chainstoppers, two capstans, a patent steering apparatus, Emerson's invaluable ventilators, brass ventilators along her planksheer and in her bitts, plate glass airports in the between decks, and is throughout the best ventilated ship of her size we have seen for some time. She has also three fine boats, very heavy ground tackle, each chain 120 fathoms in length, and her chain lockers are in the between decks forward. She has also a large iron water tank below; in short, she is well supplied with every thing that is useful in a first class ship.
Of her materials and fastening we cannot speak too highly. Her frame is of seasoned white oak, her bottoms and the most exposed part of her wales are also of white oak, and the dimensions of her frames, keelsons, knees, beams, hooks, pointers, ceiling and planking, are about the same as those in New York packet ships of 1500 tons. She is square fastened throughout, has locust treenails, with a copper spike between every two of them, and is also butt and bilge bolted with copper, and is finished in excellent style both inside and outside.
She is a full rigged ship with skysail yards aloft, fore and aft. The fore and main masts are built of hard pine and hooped with iron. Her foremast, topmast, &c., are 76, 44, 22, 14, 9, and pole 6� feet; main mast, &c., 79, 47, 24, 15, 16 and 7�; mizzen mast, &c., 72 37, 20, 11�, and 6� feet long. Her bowsprit is 21 feet outboard, and 30 inches in diameter, gammond with screw iron bands inside of the stem and is kneed above and below, jibboom divided at 17 and 12 feet for two jibs, and flying jibboom 10 feet with 3 feet end. Her head yards are 68, 56, 42, 32, and 22 feet long; main yard, &c., 72 , 60, 46, 35 and 25; crossjack yard, &c., 56, 47, 36, 28, and 19 feet square.
She has stout gang of Russia hemp rigging, fitted in the best style, and has all the chain and other iron work aloft now in general use. Her lower masts, &c., are mostly bright and varnished, her yards black; and as her spars are well proportioned, she looks beautifully aloft.
As a whole she is considered by competent judges, a superior ship, not only in the soundness and substance of her materials, but in the outline of her model and the completeness of her equipment.
She was built at Newburyport, by Mr. Jackman, the builder of the fine ships Whistler, Starr King, and others, and is owned by Messrs. Bush & Wildes, of this city. Her commander, Capt. Lucas, one of the best sailors afloat, superintended her construction and equipment. She now lies at the south side of Lewis wharf, and is loading with despatch in Glidden & William's line of California clippers. Success to her.
Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius
Sj�historiska Samfundet | The Maritime History Virtual Archives | The Boston Daily Atlas.
Copyright © 1999 Lars Bruzelius.