The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-06-14

is the great improvement constantly being made in
| the art of shipbuilding as every day shows some
beautiful new addition to merchant marine leave
| the stocks in other Of seaboard cities.
| Nowhere have there been much enterprise and
utter disregard Of expense displayed to excel in this
line of art, as among the American shipbuders. 1t
is but very few years since that 600 ton ship
considered perfect monster and, by great many,
thought to be the maximum size that vessel could,
| with safety, be built. Experience, however, has
shown this notion to be fallacious, and now 900
ton ship is not thought SO much of here as 500
ton vessel was then, while foreign builders remain
about stationary, but seldom constructing vessel
that will register over GOO or 700 tons.
Among the most enterprisng shipbuders Of the
age, and one who, we believe, was the first to over
step to any considerable extent the supposed safety
lines in this respect, is Mr.. Donald M'Kay, Of East
Boston, the builder Of the clippers Flying Cloud,
Sovereign Of the Seas, and other magnificent ves-
sels The last named vessel registers 2 ,42l tons,
and at the time she was built, was the largest mer
chant sailing vessel in the world. That, however,
has since been exceeded by the Young America, Of
this port, by some eighty tons. Mr.. Kay, how
ever seemed determined to retain the honor Of being
the builder Of the largest merchant ship, and, &C
cordingy, short time back, laid down the keel of
monster clipper TO measure three thousand five hun.
dred TONS customhouse measurement, and TO be ca
pable of carrying four thousand tons Of California
CARGO In constructing this vessel Mr.. MKay is de-
voting his whole energies to make her not only the
largest but equal every other respect to the finest
and strongest ship aHoat. The "slow and sure"
class Of men have not been backward in prog
nosticating that vessel Of such huge pro-
portions will be failure but the same
prophecy was made when the second figure was
reached and as experience has thus far shown that
increased speed is gained by increase in size, the
prophecy will, doubtless, be numbered with other
false theories Of this extraordinary age.
The model of this vessel, which is now well under
way is that Of perfect clipper, with very sharp
ends and dead rise of twenty-five inches. She is
800 feet long, so feet wide, and % feet Deep Her
entire frame is composed Of New Hampshire and
Virginia white oak, nelson's and all and the plank
ing and ceiling are Of yellow pine. She has double
or made keel, the first lower one being in seven
pieces and the second or top tier, in eight pieces
all locked scarphs twelve feet long and fastened with
eight Ii inch copper bolts, and eight II inch COM
position spikes, driven from one side and clenched
on the other Her floors are sided from IL to
IA inches, and moulded % inches the first
and second futtocks are sided II and moulded 81
inches; the third and fourth futtocks 10 to IL,
and moulded 81 inches; and the top timbers 10 by
II inches. Her floors are solid fore and aft, and
faded coaged and keyed between the frame, from
the keson up, every four feet making the fra me all
soid and still further strengthened and bound to-
gether by being strapped diag0nally, from stem to
stern with SO feet iron bars inch by placed five
feet apart-the same as adopted in Collins steamers.
She has four tier OF nelson's, composed OF yellow
pine, each l6 inches square, and all locked scarphed
and keyed; likewise two tiers OF sister kelsons 10
by &c. Of southern pine. All the nelson's cOaged
and fastened with Ii inch iron; the first tier being
also fastened with IL copper through every second
floor and the top tier with Ii iron From the top Of
the kelson to the under part Of the keel is 10
feet l inch. The scarphs of the nelson's are
fastened with II iron, eight bolts in q scarph
The ceiling from the sister kelson, with
seven streaks of II by II Southern pine square bolt
ed with IL ron and bolted edgeways every four feet
on the feor heads. She has four tiers of Is by 10
bige nelson's Of yellow pine, scarphed and coaged,
making 80 inches square, and all square bolted with
inch iron, part driven each way above the bilge
kelsons. The ceiling is double, the first tier six
inches, butted; the second tier 10 inches by ",
scarphed with 81 inch scarphs all square bolted with
IL inch iron, and driven fast each way, and boted
edgeways every four feet This ceiling is carried up
in this manner to the lower deck beams The lower
dvcA Clamps are Il by 49, and all square bo!ted edge
ways Her lower deck beams Is by l6 inches, of
yellow pine, 81 feet apart, with caring between
every beam 10 by 6, and then three tiers of
fore and aft deck frames. The lower deck
lodging knees are sided eight and moulded eighteen
inches, ard boted with II iron. The lower deck
hanging knees are Of white oak, faced 10 inches and
"a inches in the throat, and each fastened with
twenty II iron bolts, driven each way. and all rvited
The lower deck is of 81 inch yellow Dine-a matches
and partners kneed-and has four pair OF oak point
ers at each end, bolted with Il iron, and driven
through the timber and clinched. She also three
tier of lower hold stancheons taking two tier Of
beams, making six stancheons to each deck frame,
and locked and keyed. The depth of the lower hold
is II feet. Her lower deck waterways are l6 inches
square,. with six feet scarphs, bolted with Ii
irnn tha 1ouo dank hirE sfrQ ia hu L
fastened with Il iron; the two streaks above are II
by Is, and all of Southern pine. The ceiling be-
tween the two lower decks is inches, all scarphed
and braced and bolted edgeways. The second
middle deck lodging knees are sided 8 inches
and moulded in and out Is inches, of white
oak and fastened with l.! iron. The hanging knees
this deck the same as on the lower deck, and
fastened in like manner, 20 bolts in knee, and
driven part each way. The middle water ways are
l6 inches square, scarphed and bolted with II iron
through every timber. The thick streak on the deck
beam is IL by H. dovetailed in the beams. The
standing streak top Of the water ways is also IL
by Ia, and all Of Southern pine The ceiling above,
between the two upper decks is 10 inches and dia-
goDally braced with wood, on top of the ceiling fore
and att and fastened with one inch iron The plank
shear and rails are of finch yellow pine, and her
bulwarks arc solid, like those OF man of
war. Her lower deck hatch is 20 by IA feet;
middle hatch, IA by l6 feet; upper deck hatch
es, IA by IL feet. She measures feet through
from the forward part of the stem to the
after part of the apron, on the middle deck at the
side. She has eight-inch cardboard, boted edgeways
in the keel with iron. The bottom planks seven
and half inches; first three streaks bolted edge
ways with onench iron every four feet. The planks
on the bilge eight inches thick, treenaied with
locust treenails bolted with one-nch iron through
every timber, and bunged with halfinch bungs; ard
she is planked up to the vale with seven by eight
inch Southern pine.
striking popularity in this vessel will be her
masts which to be four in number, and fitted with
Forbes's rig. The FORE main and mizen masts are
to be made, us is also the bowsprt. The after mast
will be single stick, bark rugged, with spanker
and gaf topsail.
The following are the dimensions of her masts.and
spars:-
Length Of Diameter