On the keel wood for frigate; salting of oak wood; and whether oak wood is preferable to live oak

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[Left margin: Indes Williams / Secty of War] Boston Octob 30 1790 Sir Agreeably to your request I enclose you an estimate of a frigate of nine hundred tons, and believe it to be not far wide of what will be the real cost, but as the circumstances would not admit of my being too often in my enquiries, it may vary a little. The cost of the guns and warlike stores you can form a better judgment of than myself. The timber &c should be cut in the fall of the year as that would add much to its duration. Should any further enquiries be necessary, or any services that I can render be acceptable, shall be happy in being favored with your commands, and have the honor to be &c Estimate accompanying the above. [Left margin: Estimate / 900 Tons] An estimate of a ship of 900 tons. 900 tons at £5.15 .............. 16175 38 tons Iron at £25 950 Blacksmith's bill at 22p hund 836 2 tons Oakum at £24 48 26 barrels Pitch and Tar 23.8 £7032.8- 43 bolts Duck N° 1 8 d° N° 2 7 d° 3 22 d° 4 11 bolts Duck N° 5 38 d° 6 7 d° 7 136 at 60/ £408.— 130 lb Thivene at 2/ 13.— 1880 lb bolt Rope at 8 62.13.4 Making Sails at 10/ p bolt 68.— 551.13.4 Anchors 13000 lb at 8 525 Blockmaker's bill 200 Joyner's bill 200 Carver's bill 80 Road builders 75 Mastmaker's bill 350 Boats 80 1310.— Rigging including Cables 40 to at £48) 1920.— Painter's bill 100 Rigger's bill 150 Shipchandler's bill 200 Contingent bill 150 600.— £ 11414.1.4 Estimate of the cost of a frigate of forty guns, completed at 140 feet keel, and 42 feet beam — equal to 1300 tons. Shipwright's bill for the hull of boat with oak, & firework and cedar where necessary, and with [undecipherable] locust trunnells finished to a cleat at 23.33 Dollars Smith's bill for iron work includ- ing Anchors estimated at 62 p lb at 11.33 — Ship Joyner's bill including the materials .................. 2.33 Boat Builder's bill for one pinnace one barge, one long boat, one jolly boat 46 Painter & Plumber's bill ........... 95 Carver's bill ...................... 60 Cooper's bill estimating water casks for six months .............. 7.66 Blockmaker's bill .................. 1.— Mastmaker's bill ................... 2.66 — Rigging including cables and spare cordage, computed at 60/ p Cwt and Rigging bill p estimate. Sails including spare sails and Sailmaker's bill p Est. N° 5 ......... 3.18 Chandler's bill for small stores ...... 2.66 Suppose a Ship of 1300 tons ........ at p ton 36.80 — 73,840 Ordnance Stores 30 cannon of 24 pounders to weigh about 48C w° at £20 p ton, carriage &c 5340 6 d° of 9 pounders to weigh about 18 C w° Carriages &c at p ton 408 4 Howitzers, 8 inches, brass ................. 3840 100 Muskets .......................... D° 1000 50 pair Pistols ...................... 8 D° 240 120 Cutlasses ........................ 1 120 200 rounds Powder 38,200 1806 5730 150 rounds round Shot 10 C w° 66 2619.34 50 d° Grape & double headed 60 ¾ 2d° — 200 eight inch Shells ......................... 240 100 Hand granades ............................. 50 200 musket & Pistol ball 200 w° 146.66 17,624 Provisions 6 months provisions complete p Est. B 7,495.68 D° 98,959.68 N° 2 Pay or Wages of Officers and Crew of a frigate of 40 guns — | | N° in Rank | Rate of pay per month | Total | |---|---|---|---| Captain 1 60— 60— Lieutenant 3 30— 90— Master 1 25— 25— Chaplain 1 25— 25— Master's Mate 2 10[undecipherable] 20— Midshipmen 6 7.50 45— Schoolmaster 1 7.50 7[undecipherable] Captain's Clerk 1 7.50 7[undecipherable] Quartermasters 3 7— 21— Quartermaster's Mates 3 6.50 19[undecipherable] Boatswain 1 11— 11— Boatswain's Mate 1 7— 7— Yeoman of the Sheets 2 6.50 13— Coxswain 1 6.50 6.50 Master Sailmaker 1 8.50 8.50 Sailmaker's Mate 1 6.50 6.50 Sailmaker's Crew 1 6— 6— Gunner 1 11— 11— Gunner's Mate 1 6.50 6.50 Yeoman of the Powder Room 1 6.50 6.50 Quarter Gunners 10 6— 60— Armourer 1 7— 7— Carpenter 1 11— 11— Carpenter's Mate 1 8.50 8.50 Carpenter's Crew 5 6— 30— Purser 1 11— 11— Steward 1 6— 6— Cook 1 6— 6— Surgeon 1 25— 25— Surgeon's Mates 2 12.50 25— e Master at Arms 1 7.50 7.50 Corporal 1 7— 7— Trumpeter 1 6— 6— Midshipmen ordinary Cook's Mate Yeoman of the Boatswain's Store room Steaber [undecipherable] Loper [undecipherable] able Seaman Captain's Cook Ordinary Trumpeter } 130 5— 650— Ordinary Seamen 131 4— 524— Marines Lieutenant 1 22— 22— Serjeant 1 5— 5— Corporal 1 4— 4— Drum 1 } 3 6 Fife 1 } Privates 20 3— 60— D° 1884— Twelve months pay is D° 22608) N° 3 Estimate of twelve months provision for 350 men, Crew of a ship of 40 guns. | Quality | per weeks one man | for 52 weeks | 350 men 52 weeks | Price Dolls Cts | Total Dolls Cts | |---|---|---|---|---|---| Bread or Flour lb 7 364 117½ 1.26 2.40 2727.97 Beer [undecipherable] 7 364 3981 hund° 1.065 4246.40 Beef lb 4 208 369 [hund°] 8.— 2952.— Pork lb 2 104 185 hund° 12.— 2220.— Peas Quart 1 52 563 bush. 0.66 378.66 Oatmeal Pkt 1 156 853 bush. 1.— 853.— Butter ounces 6 [undecipherable] 6825 lb 0.10 682.50 Cheese ounces 12 [undecipherable] [undecipherable] 0.066 930.73 D° 14991.[undecipherable] N° 4 Estimate of the annual expense of one frigate of 40 guns — Wages or Pay of Officers and Crew for 12 months p Estimate N° 2 Dolls Cts 22,608.— Ordinaries for renewals of sails, rig- ging, repairs, heaving down, small stores, ordnance stores, pilotage &c? 6500.— Provisions for 12 months p Acc. N° 3 14991.26 D° 44,099.26 N° 5 Indent of Sails and Sailmaker's bill of a frigate of 140 feet keel 42 feet beam viz. 2 Main sails, 2 fore sails, 2 forestay sails 1 main stay sail, 2 mizen stay sails & 2 mizens 3645 yd° N° 1 at 2/ £ 379.13.9 2 Main top sails, 2 fore top sails, 1 sprit sail 2638 yd° N° 2 at 2/ 263.16.— 2 Jibs, 2 Main top stay sails, and spunker 1170 yd° N° 4 at 1/10 105.4.10 1 mizon top sail, 315 yd° N° 3 at 1/1 30.3.9 2 lower steering sails, 2 main top gallant sails and two middle stay sails 1458 yd° N° 5 at 1/9 127.7.— 2 fore top gallant sails, sprit sail, top sail, mizon top mast stay sail, &3 top mast steering sails 1540 yd° N° 6 at 1/8 128.6.8 Three top gallant steering sails, mizon top gal- lant sail, three royals, main and mizon top gallant stay sails, 828 yd° N° 7 at 1/7 65.11.— Spare canvas ....................... 200.—.— Making the above sails ............. 216.—.— 300 lb Twine, at 2/6 ................ 37.10.— £ 1551.13.— Equal to Dollars 4137.73 N° 6 Inventory of Rigging of a ship of 140 feet keel, and 42 feet beam — | | fathoms | inches | £ | s | d | ½ | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| 2 Cables 125 fathoms each of 19 inches 187 2 — — 2 d° 115 d° 18 152 1 — — 4 d° 110 d° 17 264 3 18 12 2 d° 102 d° 16 108 3 5 12 2 d° 120 d° 15 102 2 — — 2 d° 120 d° 12 72 — — — 2 d° 120 d° 10 50 — — — 2 d° 110 d° 8 29 1 9 6 2 d° 130 d° 7 26 2 4 [undecipherable] 4 d° 130 d° 6 39 — — — 1 d° 130 d° 5½ 32 3 4 [undecipherable] 2 d° 130 d° 5 13 2 4 [undecipherable] 2 d° 130 d° 4½ 10 3 21 [undecipherable] Main Shrouds 225 10 46 3 14 — Fore Shrouds 200 9 37 2 11 — Main Stay 18 17 10 3 10 [undecipherable] Fore Stay 17 16½ 9 2 15 10 Main Spring Stay 19 13 6 2 21 3 Fore d° d° 15 12 4 2 0 Mizen Shrouds 130 8 17 1 9 6 d° Stay 18 12 5 1 16 11 Mizen Spring Stay 16 8 2 0 14 14 Main topmast Shrouds 120 6 10 2 — — d° back Stay 130 8 17 1 9 6 d° Stay 26 9 4 1 15 6 d° Spring d° 24 7 2 1 22 7 Fore topmast Shrouds 135 6 10 — 14 — d° back Stay 120 7½ 14 — 7 — d° Stay 26 8 5 3 15 5 d° Spring d° 24 7 2 1 22 7 Lower Sheels 200 5 10 1 18 12 Main tacks 26 9 in the mole 4 1 15 6 Fore d° 25 8 d° 3 1 9 6 2 Buoy ropes to each 8 16 — — — 2 d° d° 40 d° 7 8 — 18 11 12 Coils 80 d° 4½ 40 2 — — 12 d° d° d° 4 38 — — 6 12 d° d° d° 3½ 28 3 15 8 12 d° d° d° 3½ 24 2 14 6 12 d° d° d° 3½ 20 3 — — 16 d° d° d° 3 24 — — — 20 d° d° d° 2½ 26 2 21 12 20 d° d° d° 2½ 21 1 5 12 18 d° d° d° 2½ 19 1 5 10

Type

Letterbook

Description

Secretary of War Pickering discusses use of deadwood to be laid over the frigate keel; use of salting to harden the oak; and whether common oak will do, since live oak is so hard to procure. In a post script, asks if common oak can be used. If not, how long to obtain live oak and how will this affect the frigate construction time-line.

Date

01/17/1795

Document number

1795011700012

Page start

Notable persons

Tench Francis

Timothy Pickering

Joshua Humphreys

Penrose

War Department

Navy Department

Secretary of War

Naval constructor

Notable locations

Georgia

Philadelphia

War Department

Notable items

deadwood

live oak

common oak

frigate keel

salting of wood

timber