File:Bulletin - United States National Museum (1960) (19884911314).jpg

Title: Bulletin - United States National Museum
Identifier: bulletinunitedst2191960unit (find matches)
Year: 1877 (1870s)
Authors: United States National Museum; Smithsonian Institution; United States. Dept. of the Interior
Subjects: Science
Publisher: Washington : Smithsonian Institution Press, (etc. ); for sale by the Supt. of Docs. , U. S. Govt Print. Off.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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The 3-Masted Schooner Bertha Louise, of Fall River, Massachusetts, built by Kelly and Spear of Bath, Maine, and launched March i, 1890. A typical New England 3-masted coasting schooner of the date, her register dimensions were 115.2' x 28.3' x 8.7', 231.42 gross tons. (Smithsonian photo 448^2.) usual. If the packet run was long enough to warrant sleeping quarters, the cabin was fitted for passengers, the after trunk being usually given up to passengers and the captain, and the crew being quartered for- ward as usual. The hold was fitted for light cargo, but some vessels had large hatches fitted with tem- porary ramps to allow carrying carriages and wagons in the hold as well as horses. Some of the packet operators, particularly in eastern New England, had arrangements with stage-coach lines that permitted the transfer of mail, packaged goods, and passengers. Coastal passages by the sailing packets were far more comfortable and usually faster than by stage-coaches, particularly if the trip were long. A number of Chesapeake-Bay-built schooners were employed as coastal packets after 1840 even in New England, though New England builders were turning out very fast packet schooners themselves. A distinct period existed, 1845-50, in which Maryland-built schooners were introduced into New England, particularly at Cape Cod and at Gloucester and one of the builder's models in the Collection (p. 78) shows a vessel built for the packet trade on this imported model. The brigantines used in the coasting trades during the 19th century represent a most interesting class of vessel. During much of the century vessels of this rig were "jacks-of-all-trades," serving alternately as coasters. West Indian traders, and as ocean freighters. This rig had a very curious history. In the 17th cen- tury it appears in its accepted form—a 2-masted vessel square rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft on the main. At some time late in that century, or early in the 18th century, the fashion arose for carrying a square topsail on the main, and later square topgallant sails were added to this mast so that, except for the main course, the fore and main masts carried the 43

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