Historic Shipwreck Profile: Additional Background on Vessel

Source: Daily Evening Bulletin (San Francisco, CA), 5 January 1869, p. x, col. G.
Courtesy of Robert Schwemmer.

Transcription:

ENGINEERS’ TRIAL TRIP OF THE STEAMER “GIPSEY”—
The light-draft steamer, built by Middleman & Boole, for David Stoddart, and noticed by us at length about a month since, started on her Engineers’ trial trip yesterday noon. It will be remembered that this boat was constructed to run with twin-propellers on a light draft, a feat never before attempted on this coast, the light-draft steamers being either side-wheel or stern-wheel boats. This boat is built to run on from 2½ to 4½ feet draft, with a propeller under each quarter, 6 feet diameter, running one half out of water and turning about 80 to 100 revolutions per minute. She is run by Wheeler’s patent “tumbling beam” engines, fully described by us at the time mentioned. On a preliminary trip over to Hunter’s Point and back, she is made at the rate of nine miles an hour. On her trip yesterday she started out and has run up to Anti-och, running at about the same rate of speed. The engines–equal to 4 of 9 inches diameter, and 12 inches stroke–are much too small to expect high speed from so large a boat; but as she is intended for freight, speed was not expected. The engines work smoothly and answer all expectations. The external appearance of the boat will not please the nautical critics, as from the peculiarity of her con-struction she has the appearance of being “hogged,” or higher in the middle than at the ends. This pecu-larity is to impart extra strength. She has a freight deck as far forward as the pilot-house, and must be a very handy, serviceable boat, capable of withstanding the weather in the bay and of light draft on the rivers.

Source: Sacramento Daily Union (Sacramento, CA), 25 June 1869, p. 2, col. 5.
Courtesy of California Digital Newspaper Collection, Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research, University of California, Riverside.

Transcription:

VALLEJO ITEMS.—We find the annexed local items in the Chronicle of June 24th:
The California Pacific Railroad Company have perfected arrangements to accommodate travel without the delay that has transpired in making the connection with the New World, in transferring freight. The double-screw pro-peller Gipsey, chartered by the company for a freight boat, arrived last night at South Val-lejo, and will hereafter run between the rail-road terminus and San Francisco, departing at 6:30 P.M. from the former point, and from San Francisco at twelve, noon, making a round trip each day.