The New Ship Flying Arrow, of Boston.

This fine vessel is 1092 tons register, has rounded lines, long and clipperly formed ends, and is designed to stow a large cargo and sail fast. She is 170 feet 8 inches long between perpendiculars on deck, has 37 feet 10 inches extreme breadth of beam, and 23 feet 4 inches depth of hold, including 8 feet height of between decks. Her dead rise at half floor is 17 inches, rounding of sides 6 inches, sheer 26 inches, and her stern, in outline, is what is termed square, although boldly rounded between the quarters. She has a carved and gilded billet-head, with ornamental gilding, along the trail boards, and her head boards and quarters are also ornamented with her name in gilded letters. The stern is also ornamented with an arch of gilded carved work upon a black ground, and she has a narrow waist, set off with mouldings. She is sheathed with yellow metal up to 18 and 19 feet, and is painted black outside. Like most of the other clippers, she has a topgallant forecastle, a large house amidships for the crew, galley, &c. and trunk cabins built into a half poopdeck. The after cabin is wainscotted with gothic arched panels, fringed with flowered gilding and set off with cornices and pilasters. Its ground work is white, and it contains 4 spacious staterooms and other apartments, and is tastefully furnished. The forward cabin is beautifully grained, and contains 8 staterooms, the pantry, and apartments for the mates, with an ante room between the two last. The staterooms and cabins are well lighted and ventilated, and contain every convenience for the accommodation of passengers. Her bulwarks are 4 feet 3 inches high from the deck, surmounted by a monkey rail of 18 inches, and together with the houses are painted nearly white. The inside of the main rail is covered with yellow metal, and she has carved mahogany gangway boards and poop ladders.

Her toptimbers and knees are of hacmatack, the rest of her frame and hooks, and most of her wales, are of seasoned white oak, and she is strongly copper fastened and seasoned with salt, has brass ventilators along her planksheer and in her bitts, and Emerson's patent ventilators fore and aft. Her keel is of rock maple, sided 16 inches and moulded 24, the floor timbers are 11 by 15½, and she has three depths of keelsons, the first 22 inches square, the second 16 by 12, and the third 13 by 11, all bolted in the most substantial style, with copper through the floor timbers and the keel, and iron through the keelsons and the navel timbers, driven blunt into the keel, within 2 inches of its base. The floor ceiling is 4 inches thick, and commencing below the floor-heads, there are three strakes of 10½ by 13, then 4 of 8½ inches thickness, 4 of 7½, 3 of 6, and 2 clamps of 7 inches, all square fastened. The between decks waterways are 15 inches square, with two strakes of 9 by 12 inches over them, and one of 7 by 12 inside of them, let into the beams below, and the whole of this thickwork is bolted vertically and horizontally. The ceiling above is 6 inches thick, and the upper deck waterways are 13 inches square, with two thick strakes inside of them, which are bolted both ways. She has 7 hooks forward and 5 aft, and a stringer of 10 inches thickness, upon which the lower ends of the hanging knees in the hold rest. Her beams are of hard pine, 14 by 16, and 9 by 15 square, and the planking of both decks is 3½ inches thick. The hanging and lodging knees and stanchions are very stout and well secured.

Her garboards are seven inches thick, the next strake six, and so on, graduated to 4½, the substance of the planking of the bottom, and she has 17 wales of 5½ by seven inches, and the waist is 4½ inches thick. She is square fastened with treenails outside, and butt and bilge bolted with copper. The planksheer and main rail are each six inches thick, and the bulwarks are beaded, grooved, and tongued in the usual style. These details show that she is of excellent materials, well fastened and finished.

In her outfits she has all the improvements of the day, such as Litchfield's pumps, Crane's self-acting chain stoppers, patent capstans, a patent steering apparatus, and patent blocks. Her boats and ground tackle are also of the most approved qualities now in use.

Her lower masts, except the mizzen, are built and hooped with iron. In length, commencing with the fore, they are 81, 84, and 77 feet. The fore and main topmasts, topgallant masts, &c., are alike, viz: 45, 27, 17, 13, and poles 4 feet; and the mizzen topmast &c., are 36, 20, 13, 10, and pole 4 feet long. The yards on the fore and mainmasts are also alike, viz: 72, 61, 48, 36, and 26 feet, and on the mizzen mast, 61, 48, 36, 26, and 18 feet, and the other spars in proportions. She is well rigged, in the most approved style, and altogether, aloft looks the clipper to a charm.

She was built at Frankfort, by Mr. Isaac Dunham, for Messrs. James Arey & Sons, and was equipped aloft under the superintendence of Capt. J.W. Arey, formerly of the ship Daniel Sharp. She is now owned by Messrs. Manning, Stanwood & Co., and Thos. Gray & Co., of this city, and is loading in Glidden & Williams' line of San Francisco clippers. Capt. Treadwell, a whole-souled sailor, and one of the most successful shipmasters belonging to this port, commands her, and will make her do her best. We wish him the best of good luck.


The Boston Daily Atlas, January 11, 1853.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.


Sjöhistoriska Samfundet | The Maritime History Virtual Archives | The Boston Daily Atlas. Search.

Copyright © 1997 Lars Bruzelius.