The New Clipper Ship Endeavor, of Boston.

This is a beautiful vessel of 1136 tons register. She is 184 feet long between perpendiculars on deck, 192 feet over all from the knightheads to the taffrail, has 37 feet breadth of beam, and 22 feet depth of hold, including 8 feet height of between decks. Her dead rise at half floor, is 12 inches, swell of sides 6 inches, and sheer 4 feet; and she has long and sharp ends but slightly convex lines. Her bow is nearly plain, having only a few scrolls of carved work upon the cutwater under the bowsprit, but it is as neat and clean as the bow of a whaleboat. The stern is oval in outline, the run long and clean, the sides true in their swell and sheer, and her ends have a bold and lively rise, somewhat like those of a canoe. But that which pleases the eye most, in her outside appearance, is the evident care which has been bestowed upon her workmanship. Planked entirely with white oak, from the keel to the covering board, all her seams and mouldings follow her natural sheer, are true in their relations to one another, and harmonize beautifully as a whole. We do not recollect to have seen a ship more perfect in her outside planking. She is sheathed with cold rolled copper up to 18½ feet forward and to 19½ aft; and the hull above it is painted black. Her bulwarks are 3 feet 2 inches high, surmounted by a monkey rail of 15 inches, and along the line of planksheer she has goose-neck ventilators, which are open in all weathers, and are said to be water tight at the same time.

She has an open topgallant forecastle, the height of the main rail, with a capstan on it, and it extends to the windlass, and has paint-lockers under it, and wing-closets aft. The house abaft the foremast is 45 feet long, 17 wide and and [sic] 6½ high, and contains accommodations for the crew, staterooms, storerooms, and the galley. She has a half-poop deck 38 feet long, with a portico-house in front, and the upper deck is sunk 18 inches from the cabin floor. She has a spacious cabin, which contains 8 staterooms, and armory, a bath-room, and all the other apartments peculiar to a ship of her class. It is well lighted and ventilated, and admirably designed in all its details. The outlines of her poop is protected by railings, and upon it she has her steering apparatus, the invention of Mr. Reed, which is considered stronger and more compact than any of the other patents now in use. As her poop is quite short, she has the largest quarter-deck of any ship that we have seen since the ship James Baines, which was entirely clear aft. A patent capstan is its only encumbrance, and that is rather an ornament than otherwise, besides being indispensable. She has copper-chambered pumps, 4 fine boats, and an iron water tank below of 4000 gallons capacity.

Her frame and outside planking, all her breast-hooks, and the hanging-knees in the hold, are of superior seasoned white oak; her between-decks knees are of hacmatack, and her keelsons, deck frames, lower deck and ceiling are of hard pine, and her upper deck of clear white pine.

Her planksheer and mainrail are each 6 inches thick, her wales 5 by 7 inches, bottom plank 4½ inches, and garboards 6 inches -- all butt bolted with copper, and square fastened with treenails. She is also bilge bolted with copper, and is finished outside in the first style of workmanship. The upper deck waterways are 12 inches square, and the deck planking 3½ inches thick; her upper deck beams are 10 by 16 inches, the ceiling below them 6 inches thick, and the hanging knees under them have 20 bolts in each, and are fitted and finished equal to the most exact joiner work. The between decks waterways are 16 inches square, let over the beams, and are bolted through them and through the timbers; and over them there are two strakes of 10 by 13 inches, bolted vertically; and inside of them is another strake of 10 by 14 inches, also let over the beams, bolted through them and through the waterways; and the deck plank is 3½ inches thick, of hard pine.

The lower deck beams are 14 by 15 inches amidships, tapered toward the ends and bolted through the timbers, and the clamps are 7 inches thick, scarphed, keyed and square bolted. The hanging knees are of white oak, sided from 10 to 12 inches, moulded from 20 to 22 inches in the angles, have 20 bolts in each, and their lower ends rest upon a lap strake or stringer, which extends fore and aft, her whole length.

Below the stringer, there are four strakes of 8 inches thickness, then three of 10 inches, and over the first futtocks, there are 4 strakes of 12 by 14 inches, all scarphed, square fastened and bolted edgeways. In a word, she is square fastened throughout. The floor ceiling is 4½ inches thick. She has three depths of midship keelsons, each 15 inches square, scarphed and keyed, sister keelsons of 12 by 15 inches, her floor timbers are 12 by 18 inches, and the keel, which is of rock maple, is sided 15 and moulded 26 inches. The floor timbers are bolted with copper (not yellow metal), through the first keelson and the keel, and the bolts are rivetted on the outside. The floor timbers are also fastened with refined iron; driven through the second keelson, blunt into the keel, within 2 inches of its base. The upper keelson is bolted through the navel timbers into the keel, with 1¾ inch refined iron. Her sister keelsons are bolted diagonally through the navel timbers into the keel, and horizontally through the first midship keelson and each other.

Her stem, apron, sternpost, false port, stern knee and transoms, are all bolted with copper up to the load line, and above there, with the best of Swedish iron. She has six transoms, the main one of which is 18 inches square, well secured to the sides, with heavy oak knees. She has three pairs of pointers forward, filled in with oak hooks, and two pairs aft, the whole bolted from both sides. In the between-decks is a heavy breast-hook, sided 13 inches, and 4 feet in the throat, and it is fastened with 86 bolts. Beside these, there are a breast-hook under the bowsprit, and the deck-hooks, which are all of white oak. The steps of her masts are built solid, of oak, alongside and over the keelsons, and each step is braced by four standing knees, bolted through it, and through the floor ceiling and the timbers, so that the weight of the mats will not press wholly upon the keelsons. The stanchions under the lower deck beams are 10 by 12 inches, and those under the upper deck are of oak, turned, secured with iron rods through their centres, which set up with nuts and screws below. Her mastbeds and hatchway combings are all kneed, her lodging-knees are scarphed together in every berth, and inside, as well as outside, she is fastened and finished in the best style.

She has built fore and main masts and bowsprit, hard pine topmasts and jibbooms, and is very snugly rigged. The diameters of her lower masts are, 30, 61, and 27 inches, and their lengths, 70, 74 and 65 feet; the fore and main topmasts, &c., are alike, viz: 40, 23, and 13 feet long, and main skysail mast 9 feet; mizzen topmast, &c., 30, 17 and 11 feet long. She carries nothing above royals on the fore or mizzen masts. The yards upon the fore and [main] masts are, 67, 55, 39, and 27 feet square, and the main skysail yard 20 feet; upon the mizzen mast, they are 56, 41 25 and 20 feet. The bowsprit is 18 feet outboard; jibboom divided at 16 and 12 feet for the two jibs, with 6 feet end, and the other spars in proportion. She has American hemp standing rigging, and Manila running rigging; and has also all the chain and iron work aloft and about the bowsprit, now in general use. Her fore and main rigging and fore and main topmast backstays are 9 inches, four stranded, wormed and served over the ends; the fore and main stays are 8 inch, the mizzen rigging 7, fore and main topmast rigging 5¼, and mizzen topmast rigging 4½ inch, all fitted in excellent style, by Messrs. Francis Low & C. She is not heavily sparred, and the consequence is, that she looks better aloft than the general run of clippers, and what is of greater importance, will be more seaworthy. Our clippers generally are too heavily sparred.

The Endeavor is intended for the East India trade, and in all her outfits, such as ground tackle, spars, sails and cordage, is up to the fullest requirements of Lloyd's best ships.

She was built at East Boston, by Mr. Robt. E. Jackson, and is by far the most costly and best finished vessel which he has yet produced. Mr. Geo. Frasar, an experienced and able ship builder, superintended her construction and outfits. She is commanded by Capt. Trueman Doane, a gentleman who is well acquainted with the East India trade, and every way qualified to make her do her best. She is now at New York, loading in Messrs. Earl & Weed's line of California clippers.

There is now fitting out at East Boston another fine clipper of 775 tons, named Norseman, which was also built by Mr. Jackson, under the superintendance of Mr. Frasar. Mr. Jackson has also a strongly oak-built and copper fastened freighting ship of 900 tons, nearly ready for sea. She is named the Lucy & Harriet, and is owned by Messrs. Myron, Stuchen & Co., of New York, and is intended for the Russian trade. These three vessels have been built is the best style, without regard to cost, and will no doubt wear well and sail fast.

Boston Daily Atlas, April 22, 1856.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius

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