The New Ship Ellen Foster, of Boston.

This is a Magnificent ship of nearly a thousand tons register, designed to stwo a large cargo and sail fast. her ends are claen and beautifully formed, with convex lines, true in their swell and sweep, as they blend with the sides. Her length between perpendiculars is 172 feet, and over all 180; extreme breadth of beam 37 feet, and depth 24 feet, including 8 feet height of between decks. Her sheer, which is about 2 feet, sweeps in easy gradation, rises boldly forward, and imparts beauty to her braodsides, and clipper-like grace to her bow. A full figue of the lady whose name she bears, ornaments the bow. It is placed to correspond with the rake of the stem, the left foot slightly advanced, the left hand on the waist in front, with a posy in it, while the right is by the side, holding a wreath of flowers. It is painted white, delicately relieved with gilding, and is, altogether, one of the best executed figures we have seen upon the bow of any ship. Those who know the lady, say that it is true to nature - a life-like embodiment. Upon the trail-boards and around the hawse-holes, are gilded branches of carved work, which descend from the pedestal of the head and make a beautiful finish. Her name in gilded letters ornaments the head-boards, and a lion grins in gold, from the end of each cat-head. The sides swell from the water's edge to the planksheer about 22 inches, and have a handsome waist defined between the mouldings of the upper wale and the planksheer, and the moulding of the latter and the main rail, are carried forward in unbroken sweep, and terminate in a point at the head, and also form the outine of the head-boards. The moulding of the planksher, also connects in an angle with the moulding of the arch-board, displaying complete harmony in her outline, even to a moulding.

The stern swells gracefully from the transom to the faffrail, and from the quarter timbers across. It is ornamented with gilded drops between the cabin windows, and is spanned by an arch of carved work, in the apex of which is a finely executed bust of her namesake, in bas-reflief, painted white, and edged with gold. Her name and port of hail are painted white on the arch-board, and the ground of the stern is black. She is sheathed with yellow metal, up to 18½ feet forward, and to 19½ aft, edged with a red water line; the rest of the hull, outside, is painted black.

She has 15 inches dead rise at half floor, long floors, and, as already stated, an easy entrance and clearance, so that either by or off the wind, she will sail well, considering the outline of her model in connection with her capacity.

The arrangements of her decks are spacious and well designed for working ship. She has a small topgallant forecastle, the height of the main rail, with a capstan on it, water closets in its after wings, and a powerful patent windlass under its break.

Abaft the foremast is a house built on deck, 41 feet long, 15 wide, and 6½ high, which contains quarters for the crew, two galleys, a pantry, and also a stateroom for the cook and steward.

She has Litchfield's patent copper pumps close abaft the mainmast, inside of the fife-rail, and upon the quarter deck a beautiful brass mounted capstan, made of locust and mahogany.

She has a half-poop deck, 42 feet long, into which is built a trunk, that containes two cabins and an anteroom. These are all on deck; in other words, her deck is laid fore and aft without break. The after cabins is wainscotted with mahogany, set off into gothic panels, flowered with gold, and relieved with rosewood pilasters, which are also edged with gilding. The transom is fitted as a sofa, and in the centre of the cabin is a splendid mahogany yable, with beautiful settees on each side; and the floor is covered with rich carpeting. This cabin contains four staterooms, and a water closet, and is furnished and fitted up most elegantly. There are deck and side lights in every stateroom, large skylights over each of the cabins, and perforated ventilators between the beams.

The forward cabin is wainscotted in the same style as the after one, but is painted white, set off with gilding, and looks neatly. It also contains 4 state rooms, and other apartments. The ante-room contains a large state room for the mates on the larboard side, and a cabin pantry opposite; and the entrance outside, is protected by the projection of the deck above. The wings and after part of the deck which border on the trunk, are fitted as store room.

She has a patent steering apparatus, with a snug wheel-house over it, and is steered aft on the poop deck.

The quarter deck is soanned by a gallows frame, on which two boats are stowed; in all, she carries 5 boats, and has all the appointments of a packet ship, designed to carry passengers. Her bulwarks are 3 feet 10 inches high, surmounted by a monkey rail of 15 inches, and together with her other work inside, on deck, are painted buff-color, relieved with white, and edged with blue waterways.

Her materials and the style of her construction are worthy of notice. The keel is 17 by 22 inches fore and aft, floor timbers 17 by 12 in the angles, main keelson 17 inches square, and upper keelson sided and moulded one inch less. These are all bolted in the usual style -- the floor timbers with 1¼ inch copper through the keel, and the navel timbers through the first keelson with iron of the same size, driven into the keel within two inches of its base. The floor ceiling is 4½ inches thick, and on the bilge are three strakes of 12 inches thickness, above these three of 8, and up tp the stringer upon which the lower ends of the hanging knees rest, the ceiling is 7 inches thick. The stringer is 10 by 12 inches, and the clamps are 8 inches thick, and all her thick work extends fore-and-aft, is scarphed and heavily square fastened; in a word, she is square fastened throughout. The between decks waterways are 15 inches square, with two strakes of 9 inches square, with two strakes of 9 inches thickness above them, and one of the same substance inside of them, let into the beams below. These are all square fastened horizontally, and are also closely bolted vertivally. The ceiling above teh standing strakes varies from 5 to 6 inches in thickness. The upper deck waterways are 10 by 12 inches, with two thick strakes inside of them, and the planksheer and main rail are each 6 inches thick by 14 wide. Her garboards are 9 inches thick, let into the keel, and bolted through it, and also through the timbers above; the bottom planking is 4½ inches thick, the wales 5½ by 7, and the waist 4; and from the keel to the covering board she is square fastened, extra butt and bilge bolted, and finished in the first style of workmanship.

Her frame is entirely of white oak, 8 of her wales and all her hooding are of the same material; also all the hooks, pointed and stanchions, and the knees in the hold. The knees, connected with the beams in the between decks are of the hacmatack, and her ceiling and deck-frames are of hard pine.

The cutwater, stem, and apron are closely bolted with copper up to the load-displacement line, and so are her after uprights, and above these, with iron. She has 10 transoms, the main one of which is 18 inches square amidships, with long wing knees, which almost meet across and extend three beams along the sides. She has 9 hooks forward, and 6 aft, which secure the angles of her ends most substantially. The breasthook is the between decks has 89 bolts, and the others are bolted in like proportion.

The lower deck beams are 16 by 17 inches, and those under the upper deck 15 by 9. The hold stanchions are of oak 10 inches square, kneed to the beams above and to the keelson below, and the between decks stanchions are tunred and secured with iron rods through their centres in the usual style. As alrady stated, the hanging and lodging knees in the hold are of oak, the former sided from 12 to 9 inches, 22 inches in the throats, with 5½ feet bodies and 4 feet arms, and have from 18 to 14 bolts in each, and their lower ends rest upon the stringer, before noticed. The lodging knees meet and scarph in every berth, and she has 22 beams below and 24 above, with suitable carlines, which are double framed. The lower deck is of hard pine 3½ inches thick, with a 6 inch stringer amidships, and the upper deck is of white pine, clear of knots or flaws, of the same substance as the lower deck.

In the between decks she has a cargo port on each side, opposite the main hatchway, circular plate-glass, air-ports, fore and aft, and stern windows. The waterways and thick work are painted blue, and the work above and amidships, white; and the knees and beams are remarkably well finished. Her between decks are lofty, well lighted and ventilated, and have all the convenience of a packet-ship, for the accommodation of passengers. She is seasoned with salt, has brass ventilators along her planksheer and her bitts, and will, no doubt, have Emerson's patent ventilators fore and aft. It will be seen by these details, that in materials, fastening, and ventilation, she is a most excellent vessel; and her model, we believe, for carrying, with good sailing qualities, is all that could be desired.

She is a full rigged ship. Her masts rake respectively, commencing with the fore, 1¼, 1½ and 1¾ inches to the foot. The lower masts are of single spars, stout in diameters, and are 76, 80 and 74 feet long; fore and main topmasts alike, viz: 44, mizzen topmast 38, and the other masts in proportion. She has pole topgallant and royal masts, fore and aft, and a skysail mast on the main, with neat mast-heads, which are crowned with gilded balls.

The yards on the fore and mainmasts are alike, viz: 68, 55, 42, and 25, and the main skysail yard is 20 feet square. The crossjack yard, &c., is 56, 42, 25, and 20 feet. Her lower masts and mast heads are painted white, the yards black, the studding booms bright, with black ends, and the booms work below the yards, clear of reefing. Her standing rigging is of good Russian hemp, well made and neatly fitted. Her bowsprit is 29 feet outboard; jibboom and flying jibboom in one spar, very stout, and well secured. At out the bowsprit and aloft, she has all the chains and other iron work now in general use, and from the dead eyes to the trucks, she looks magnificently.

She was built at Medford by Mr. Foster, and is named after his wife, a lady who takes almost as much interest in shipping as her husband. Her ornamented work was made by Mr. J.W. mason, and we think it is decidedly the best he ever produced. Mr. J.W. Mitchell was her joiner, and J. Hall, of Provincetown, made her sails. Mr Blachard, of Charlestown, made her spars, and they are well made. The rigger, and other mechanics employed upon her, though we do not know their names, are as well entitled to credit as those we have named. In all her outfits, from her ground tackle to her signal halliards, she is as perfect as any vessel of her size belonging to Boston or elsewhere.

She is owned by Messrs. J. & A. Tirell, Minot Tirell, and F.S. Newall, and was built and equipped under the superintendence of Capt. Gronier, who also commands her. Capt. Gronier is well known as one of the most intelligent and skilful of shipmasters, every inch a gentleman and a sailor. We wish him and his beautiful ship the best of good luck.

She is now loading for San Francisco, in Winsor's line of California packets, and offers a rare inducement to shippers, who wish to have their goods forwarded by a first rate conveyance. She is lying at the north side of Commercial wharf, near the end, and we advise those who like to see a beautiful and substantial ship, to inspect her.


The Boston Daily Atlas, May 19, 1852.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.


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