Report of progress made in providing materials for the Frigates, and in building them. December 12. 1795. [N° 6. [undecipherable] rec^d 15 Dec^r 1795] A Statement of the progress in providing materials for the Frigates and in building them. If the Frigates had been constructed with the timber at hand in the several places where they were destined to be built, they might by this time have been completed. But the design of rendering them permanently useful having determined the Executive to have them constructed with Live Oak and Cedar, the measures deemed necessary and adequate to the procuring of those materials were taken during the last year. The common and easy acquisition of those articles for the ordinary service of the merchants forbade any apprehension of extraordinary difficulty in procuring the same for the frigates. But in the experiment it has been found that timber of the lengths and sizes necessary for frigates was greatly dispersed and grew generally in places difficult of access and required extraordinary means of transportation to the landing. The natural difficulties of the Country have been increased by unusual quantities of rain. Ship carpenters were sent from the Northern States to the islands bearing the live Oak, and employed during the last winter in cutting and hewing the Timber: but the climate deterred them from staying to prosecute their work; so that three men only capable of selecting the proper timber and moulding it in the requisite forms have been prevailed on to remain. These with Negro Labourers have continued the work and are still employed. With these however it was judged practicable to procure the whole of the live Oak timber by the month of May 1796. Such was the report of an intelligent agent employed in Georgia during the last winter and who has now returned thither to superintend and as far as possible to expedite the operations. Upon this report made in June last it was judged eligible to concentrate the efforts that were making to furnish the yards with live Oak timber and accordingly orders were given to accumulate at two of the yards so much of it as would be necessary to complete two frigates by the ensuing spring. But before these orders could reach the Managers several vessels were dispatched to different yards; and one was cast away and her cargo lost. Some difficulty occurred in procuring proper vessels to transport the timber: several of those which had made one voyage having encountered such hardships and sickness as to be deterred from making a second. Notwithstanding under all these embarrassments the work is continued and with the well grounded expectation, before expressed, that all the live oak timber will be cut and transported to the different ship yards at farthest by the next midsummer. Details of the quantities of timber and other materials already provided and of the progress in building will appear in the annexed schedules. The live Oak and white Oak timber mentioned are generally or wholly moulded and dressed and ready for raising. Since draughting the foregoing report a letter has been received from the Chief Carpenter employed in procuring timber in Georgia presenting a very favorable account of his progress. Two vessels laden with live Oak has recently sailed for the two yards of Philadelphia and Baltimore and the rest of the timber to complete the frames of the frigates building at those places was cut and ready to be shipped. These were the two frigates which as before mentioned it was proposed first to finish. The Chief Carpenter adds that if he is furnished with vessels fit for the service he will have all the timber in the six yards in the month of May next; excepting the knees all of which he thinks cannot be got of live Oak. The Agent who engages the vessels for transporting the timber has no doubt of procuring timely all that will be wanted for the service. Sail Cloth has been provided for one suit of Sails for each of the Frigates — It was contracted for, and manufactured, in the United States in the year 1794. It has been proposed to procure one kind of foreign Cloth, of a superior Quality, for the second suite but the purchase has been suspended, to avoid an expenditure of Money until it could be ascertained at what time the Cloth would actually be wanted to equip the Frigates. — For the like reason no more Hemp has been purchased than will be required for the Cordage of the two Frigates, the Building of which it was intended to advance in preference to the three, and which it was then hoped would be constructed by the close of the ensuing Spring. For the same cause the number of Anchors which will eventually be required remains incomplete. — — — All which is respectfully Submitted to the Senate of the United States Department of War Dec.^r 12. 1795. Timothy Pickering