The whole height of her bulwarks, including the monkey-rail, is about 4½ feet. She has an open topgallant forecastle, with wing closets, and the space under it is fitted for the accommodation of stock, and contains paint lockers, &c.
Abaft the foremast is a large house, which contains spacious accommodations for the crew, the galley, several staterooms, storerooms, &c. She has two handsome cabins, built partly into a half-poop deck, fitted and furnished in the best style, having an entrance forward and aft. The outline of her poop is protected by an oak rail, supported on turned stanchions; and she has splendid deck-room for working ship.
A few of the details of her materials aad [sic] fastening will show that she is as good as she is unquestionably beautiful, considering her vast stowage capacity compared with her register. Her frame, all her breast-hooks, and all the knees connected with beams (in the hold), are of seasoned white oak; her keelsons, ceiling, planking and lower deck are of hard pine, and she is square fastened throughout, and butt and bilge bolted with copper. Her keel is of rock-maple, in two depths, sided 15 and moulded 30 inches; floor timbers 13 and 12 by 17 inches, and she has three depths of midship keelsons, each 16 inches square and sister-keelsons of 15 by 14 inches, the whole bolted in the best style. The floor ceiling is 4½ inches thick, and on the bilge there are 5 strakes of 12 by 15 inches, scarphed, square fastened and bolted edgeways. Above these there are seven strakes of 10 by 14 inches, the upper strake projecting, upon which the lower ends of the hanging-knees rest. Then follow 5 clamps of 7 by 14 inches, well finished and closely bolted; and the alternate seams of her thick work are wedged. She has three large hooks in each end, which cross the cants diagonally, and two of these extend to the deck. The lower deck beams are about 16 by 15 inches, and their stanchions are strongly kneed, above and below. The hang-knees are sided from 10 to 12 inches, and have 16 bolts and 4 spikes in each.
The between-decks waterways are 15 inches square, with two strakes of 10 by 14 inches over them, and one of 10 by 12 inside of them, the whole bolted vertically and horizontally. The ceiling above is 6 and the clamp 7 inches thick. Both ends are spanned by massive hooks, bolted alternately from both sides. There is a large cargo port in each side of the between-decks, and plate-glass air ports for and aft. The upper deck beams are 10 by 16 inches, with turned oak stanchions under them, secured with iron rods through their centres, which set up with screws below. The hanging and lodging knees are nearly the size of those below, and are fastened in the same style.
The upper deck waterways are 12 inches square, with two thick strakes inside of them, let over the beams, and the planking of both decks is 3½ inches thick, the upper one of white pine, remarkably clear of blemish.
The garboards are 7 inches thick, flushed out to 4½ inches, the substance of her bottom planking, and the wales are 5½ by 7, the whole square fastened with treenails, and finely finished. Her covering board and main rail are each 6½ inches thick, her stanchions are of oak, and the bulwarks are neatly grooved, tongued and beaded. Her bottom is painted green, the wales and upperworks black, and inside she is pearl color, her waterways and thick work blue and the between decks white.
She has beautiful and airy accommodations for passengers below, and all the other arrangements peculiar to a first class packet ship. Below she has an iron water tank of about 6000 gallons capacity, stepped over the keelson.
Her fore and main mast and bowsprit are of hard pine, built and hooped with iron; the mizzen mast is a single spar, and her topmasts and jibbooms are also of hard pine, She has strongly and neatly rigged and looks like a first class clipper aloft. Fore and aft she carries skysail yards rigged aloft, showing that she is also intended for the East India trade, should occasion require; and, in our opinion, she would make an excellent Indiaman, for she is very buoyant and stiff, and would pass up and down the Hoogly without any fear of grounding on its shallows. In her outfits she is all that a ship of her size ought to be.
She was built at East Boston by Mr. Paul Curtis, whose name as an able and experienced ship builder, is well known in this vicinity, and we can truly say that this, his last production, is an excellent vessel. Capt. Libbey, formerly of the ship Sabine, commands her. He is a whole-souled sailor, every way qualified to make his noble ship do her best. Messrs. Minot & Hooper, and Wm. Appleton & Co., owns her. She now lies at the Grand Junction wharf, East Boston, and will sail for New Orleans in a few days, and will there probably load for Liverpool.
Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius
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Copyright © 1996 Lars Bruzelius.