The New Ship Alma, of Boston.

This is a good freighting vessel of 826 tons register, designed to stow a large cargo and sail fast. Her ends are as fine as those of a packet ship; but she has great length and spread of floor, with very little inclination or forerake; and the outline of her model is at once bold and beautiful. She is 153 feet long between perpendiculars on deck, has 34½ feet breadth of beam, and 20½ feet depth of hold, including 7½ feet height of between-decks. She has a carved and gilded billet-head, rounded lines, a lively sheer, and an oval stern, tastefully ornamented with gilded carved-work, surmounted by the head of a warrior. Her run is long and clean; and, broadside on, she looks as neat and dashy as a clipper. Outside she is painted black, and inside pearl-color, relieved with lead-color and white.

She has a small topgallant forecastle, which extends aft to the windlass, and is the height of the main rail. Abaft the foremast is a house 26 feet long by 14 wide, and 6½ high, which contains spacious quarters for the crew, the galley, &c.; and on the quarter-deck is another house 38 feet long, built into a half-poop. This house contains two cabins and an ante-room. The after cabin is the whole width of the house, and is splendidly wainscotted with mahogany, set off into Gothic-arched panels, relieved with pilasters and gilding; and it is well lighted and ventilated, and elegantly furnished. Abaft it, are two state-rooms and another apartment, and between these is a staircase, which leads to the poop. The forward cabin is also tastefully wainscotted and painted, and contains four large state-rooms, and is fitted as a dining saloon. The ante-room has the pantry on the starboard side, and the mates' state-room opposite, with a spacious entry between them, which leads to the quarter-deck. The bulwarks, including the monkey-rail, are 4½ feet, and are well secured with stout stanchions.

She has a patent windlass, Crane's self-acting chain stoppers, two capstans, one forward and the other aft, Andrews' patent steering apparatus, a fancy brass binnacle, two copper-chambered hold pumps, three boats, and all the other furniture of a well-found ship.

Her frame and wales are of white oak, most of her ceiling of birch and beach, her deck-frames, keelsons, and clamps of hard pine, and she is square fastened throughout. The keel is of rock maple, sided 13 and moulded 21 inches; floor timbers 11 by 13, with two depths of midship keelsons, each 13 inches square, a rider of 12 inches square, and sister keelsons of 10 by 14 inches, the whole strongly fastened with bolts of 1-1/8 inch, copper and iron, driven vertically and horizontally.

The floor ceiling is 3½ inches thick, and over the first futtocks is a strake of 10 by 14 inches; then follows 2 strakes of 5 inches thickness, then another strake of 10 by 14, with two other strakes of 5 inches, and another thick strake the same as those below; in other words, she has three thick strakes, with two strakes between them, and these extend her whole length. The ceiling above is 5 inches thick, and the clamps 5½, the latter scarphed and keyed. She has pointers forward and aft, and beamed-hooks about 7 feet below the deck. Her lower deck beams are 14 inches square, with stout hanging and lodging knees, and kneed stanchions. The between decks waterways are 10 by 14 inches, with a standing strake of 7 by 14 inches over them, both bolted vertically and horizontally, and the ceiling above varies from 5 to 5½ inches in thickness. The upper deck beams are 8 by 14 inches, their waterways 12 inches square, and they have oak-turned stanchions with iron rods through their centers, and hanging and lodging knees, the former fayed to the standing strake. Her ends are also spanned by stout breast hooks. The planking of both decks is 3 inches thick, and the planksheer and mainrail are each 5 inches in thickness, bolted through the stanchions. Her garboards are 5½ by 14 inches, let into the keel and bolted through it and the timbers, the bottom plank is 3½ inches, and her wales, which are of white oak, are 5 by 6½ inches, and her waist composed of 4 strakes, is 4 inches thick. She is square fastened outside as well as inside, and remarkably well finished. These details show that she is very strongly built. Her frame is seasoned with salt, she has brass ventilators along the line of her planksheer, and will have Emerson's patent ventilators for her hold and between decks.

She has an excellent set of spars. Her lower masts are 64, 68, and 58 feet long; fore and main topmasts, &c., alike, viz: 40, 24, and 16, with 5 feet poles, mizzentopmast, &c., 32, 17, 12, and 4; yards upon the fore and mainmast, 60, 47, 35, and 24; upon the mizzenmast, 46, 35, 24, and 13 feet square; bowsprit 14 feet outboard; jibboom divided at 16, 13, and 9 feet for the three jibs, spanker boom 38, and gaff 35 feet, and the others in proportion. She has fine, tapering masts and yards, which look well, are strongly rigged, and she embraces in her outfits all the improvements of the day.

She was built at Sullivan, Me., by Messrs. Ingalls & Shepard, under the superintendence of her commander, Capt. Reuben H. Freeman, and is owned by Chas. S. Brown, Esq., of this city.

Those who inspected her when in the course of construction, say that she is as good a vessel as was ever built at Sullivan, and we can add that she looks as well as any freighting ship of her size belonging to Boston. She now lies at Lincoln's wharf, and is loading in Allen & Weltch's line of Savannah packets. Call and see her.


Boston Daily Atlas, February 26, 1855.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius


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