Crew List of the Clipper Ship Great Republic. November 7, 1859.
Ephemera.
Large folio printed sheet accomplished in manuscript.
Price: $1250
The first iteration of the Great Republic,” designed by Donald McKay, burned at the wharf after launching in 1853. So the clipper ship we know by that name was actually the reconstruction of the original vessel. Her maiden voyage was in 1855. She sailed to London and was hired by the French, then she began her historic series of California runs, the one documented on this crew list being her second. She was the biggest merchant ship of her day, and a very fast sailer, making several record passages in her career. Her captain on all these early voyages was Captain Joseph Limeburner. Her career lasted until 1872, when she sank off Bermuda. “American Clipper Ships” says she sailed with a crew of 50 men. This list records the names, stations, birth places, heights, weights, ages, and wages, of 67 men. The notation beside the names of 9 of these men indicates that they “Run” or jumped ship. The youngest of these crewmen was 18, the oldest 47. Most were from the northeast, but a few were from Scandinavian countries. Limeburner and his impressive clipper captured the American imagination, and the Great Republic was the subject of one of the largest and most ornate clipper ship sailing cards known. Some tears at folds, with no loss. Housed in slipcase with chemise.