Identifier: clippershiperaep00clar (find matches)
Title: The clipper ship era : an epitome of famous American and British clipper ships, their owners, builders, commanders, and crews 1843-1869
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Clark, Arthur Hamilton, 1841-1922
Subjects: Clipper ships
Publisher: New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
nd, to be rebuiltby Sneeden & Whitlock, and she eventually becamethe property of A. A. Low & Brother. The rebuild-ing occupied more than a year, and when the GreatRepublic again appeared, much of the originalbeauty of her hull had been restored. The spar-deck had not been replaced, but her freeboard wasnearly the same, as the height of the bulwarks wasonly a little below the former upper deck, and thesame sheer line had been preserved. Forward, theeagles head which had been destroyed was replacedby a carved billet head and scrool, and her bow wasstill exceedingly handsome. A great change hadbeen wrought aloft; her sail plan had been cut downand all of her spars greatly reduced in length—thefore- and mainmasts 17 feet, the fore- and main-yards 20 feet, and all other spars in proportion.She still carried four masts, but her rig had beenchanged to Howess double topsail yards. As rebuilt the Great Republic registered 3357 tons,and was still the largest merchant ship of her time,
Text Appearing After Image:
The ** Great Republic 243 but her reduced rig required only one half the num-ber of hands to handle it—fifty able seamen andfifteen ordinary seamen and boys. It was for thispurpose that her sail plan had been cut down, asfreights were beginning to slacken and the tide ofeconomy was setting in. It is to be regretted thatshe could not have made a few voyages under heroriginal rig, as her performance in strong windsunder the reduced rig left little room for doubtthat she would have proved, what Mr. McKay in-tended her to be, the swiftest sailing ship ever built. The Great Republic sailed on her first voyage,February 21, 1855, commanded by Captain Lime-burner, and made the run from Sandy Hook toLands End in thirteen days. On her arrival atLondon, three days later, she was obliged to liein the Thames, as no dock was large enough to takeher. She was subsequently chartered by the FrenchGovernment as a troop ship during the CrimeanWar, and carried 1600 British soldiers from Liver-pool to Ma

Note About Images