Florida Keys Sea Heritage Journal VOL. 22 NO. 1 Fall 2011 USS SHARK OFFICIAL QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE KEY WEST MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY Stephen R. Mallory: the Southernmost Clipper Ship By John Viele This article appeared in Sea History 136 (Autumn 2011) and is printed with permission. (www.seahistory.org) The brief but glorious era of the clipper ship during the California Gold Rush was the high-water mark of the Age of Sail. During this same period, Key West was the busiest seaport in Florida, and the wreck salvaging industry on the Florida reefs was in full swing. The wrecking industry brought much wealth to Key West; it also brought skilled shipwrights who could build the large sloops and schooners needed to salvage wrecks. The first-generation clippers were called the “extremes” because of their narrow hulls, which limited cargo capacity, and their extremely tall masts carrying clouds of canvas. By 1855, the “rush” was waning and freight rates began to decline; the need for speed was overtaken by the need for more cargo capacity. The naval architects’ answer to this trend was the “medium” clipper. They were not as sharp in their lines as the extremes and did not carry Shipbuilder John Bartlum. Photo credit: Monroe County Library. quite as much canvas, but they could load more cargo and be handled nearly equal to those of the extreme shipping industry was shifting from by smaller crews. Nevertheless, clippers. After 1854, no more extreme to medium clippers, leading they were still remarkably fast and extreme clippers were built. completed voyages in record times, About the time the American (Continued on page 3) SocietyNews By John Viele The Florida Keys Sea Heritage Journal is published quarterly. Subscription is available through membership. Copyright 2011 by the Key West Maritime Historical Society of the Florida Keys, Inc. The art on the masthead, the USS Shark, was drawn by Bill Muir. Editor: Tom Hambright Letters and articles are welcome. Please write to: Editor, Florida Keys Sea Heritage Journal, KWMHS, P.O. Box 695, Key West, FL 33041. Key West Maritime Historical Society Board of Directors President: Pam and John Viele. Photo credit: Monroe County Library. Vice President: John Jones Secretary: Corey Malcom The Society’s second President, to the Philippines and the West coast Treasurer: Tom Hambright Carole Heinlein,started me on of South America. In the Mariners’ researching the Stephen R. Museum, Newport News, Virginia, Mallory’s story. Over a period of we found a copy of the Sailing Card Andrea Comstock 20 years my late wife Pam and I distributed to merchants and shippers George Craig traveled thousands of miles in the to announce her forthcoming voyage J. Gregory Griffin quest. We visited every seaport that to San Francisco. In St. John, New Bill Grosscup the clipper called on in the United Newfoundland we found much Mary Haffenreffer States with the exception of San information about her voyages after Sheri Lohr Francisco. Shipping news of local she was sold to British and then Joan Langley newspapers provided us with the Canadian owners. In the National Julie McEnroe arrival and departure dates, cargo, Maritime Museum in Greenwich, Bill Verge sometimes crew-size and any England we found this story of John Viele unusual events on the voyage. In her sinking after she was sold to the National Archives, we found the Canadian owners. original certificate of registration and the crew lists for her voyages And we had fun. 2 - FLORIDA KEYS SEA HERITAGE JOURNAL - FALL 2011 (Mallory from page 1) merchants in Key West, the firm of Bowne and Curry, conceived the idea of building its own clipper ship. Up to that time, nearly all the clippers had been built in the northeast, and none south of the Chesapeake Bay. Despite this, Bowne and Curry had complete faith in the ability of their master shipwright, John Bartlum, to undertake the task. Bartlum was born on Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas in 1814. As a boy, he frequented the island’s boat yards and became fascinated by the process of building watercraft. At eighteen, he was already captain of a schooner engaged in salvaging wrecked vessels in the Bahamas and the Florida Keys. During visits to Key West to obtain supplies, he came to know Bowne and Curry. In 1845, despite his never having served as an apprentice in a shipyard, Bartlum became their master shipwright and a permanent resident of Key West. Between 1847 and 1854 he built at least five schooners, the largest of which was the pilot schooner Florida at 171 tons and 90 feet. Impressed by the schooner Bartlum was building, in 1854 Bowne and Curry entrusted him with the responsibility of building a medium clipper of nearly 1,000 tons. It was a formidable task for a self-taught shipwright, but Bartlum did not hesitate to start work. With the exception of the wood Florida senator Stephen R. Mallory, the man from whom the new Bowne for the keel, which was purchased and Curry clipper ship was named in 1856, became Secretary of the navy of from New York, the ship was built Confederate State of America in March of 1861, a position he held for the from native timber of the Keys and duration of the war. Photo credit: Library of Congress. south Florida, including madeira June of 1854. By December, many Stephen R. Mallory, and had a (mahogany) for beams, knees of her frames were in place, but life-size figurehead of the senator and timbers, and live oak, cedar, there was still a long way to go. mounted on the ship’s bow. A Key logwood, horsewood, dogwood, and Construction continued through West correspondent for the New yellow pine. She was said to be the 1855 and well into 1856. Bowne York Herald newspaper wrote, only clipper in the world built with and Curry set the launch date for “After her launch we will give you mahogany timber and came to be 14 August 1856 and named their a technical description of this vessel known as the “mahogany clipper.” new clipper after Key West’s most (Continued on page 4) Bartlum began construction in prominent citizen, Florida senator FALL 2011 - FLORIDA KEYS SEA HERITAGE JOURNAL - 3 Key West in ca. 1856. Lithograph, Chandler and Company, Boston. The South was not known for shipbuilding, yet the Key West firm of Bowne and Curry decided to get in on the action taking highly profitable cargos to California’s Gold Rush boom town by building their own clipper ship to do it. (Mallory from page 3) forestay when the strap attached pleased to see all on board his ship to one of the tackles parted. The at Central wharves who may wish to and satisfy the incredulous that the mast surged back, catapulting the look at her.” South can build fine ships as well as two men from the mast. The mate On 23 December 1856, the raise cotton.” landed on his back on the main Mallory sailed for Liverpool Stephen R. Mallory was 164 deck while the captain fell through with a crew of eighteen, carrying feet long, with a beam of 35 feet the cargo hatch to the lower deck. A cotton and oak barrel staves. The 9 inches, a depth of hold of 17 feet newspaper article reported that the transatlantic passage was uneventful 101⁄2 inches, and a draft of 20 feet. captain was very seriously injured, and completed in 24 days. At that She had two decks and a round while the mate was only slightly time, an eastward passage under sail stern, and she displaced 959 tons. hurt. Nevertheless, despite his fall, from New York to Liverpool of 30 A deckhouse forward on the main Lester made a rapid recovery and days was considered fair time. deck housed the crew and another was back on board, ready to take With 4,099 sacks of salt on aft provided quarters for the master the Mallory to sea just two months board, the Mallory cleared and mates. later. Liverpool on 3 March and sailed William Curry asked his brother- During October and into for New Orleans with a brief stop in-law, Graham Joseph Lester, to November, dock workers loaded at Key West. At New Orleans, the take command of the ship. The cotton that had been salvaged Mallory offloaded the salt and 33-year-old Lester had made a from the wreck of a barque. then returned to Key West. There, successful career running wrecking When loading was complete, the dockworkers offloaded 100 tons of vessels and, when the offer of Mallory sailed for Charleston to coal for storage and sale to steam command of the Mallory was made, finish filling her cargo holds. The vessels calling at the port. was master of a 150-ton brig. He Charleston Courier reported, “[The Soon after her arrival, the county accepted Curry’s offer and was soon Mallory] has been constructed of sheriff came aboard, arrested aboard the Mallory supervising her the best materials, has all the latest twelve free black crewmembers, riggers and preparations for sea. improvements, and everything and hauled them off to jail, charged When the rigging was nearly about her gives evidence of skill with entering the state of Florida in complete, Lester and his first mate and care in her build. As a specimen violation of a state law prohibiting climbed aloft on the foremast to of Southern workmanship she will the entry of free blacks unless their inspect its fittings. On deck, riggers repay a visit and her gentlemanly ship was in distress.