Herreshoff #187405es Phosie
Particulars
Type: Catboat
Launch: 1874
Construction: Wood
LOA: 21' 0" (6.40m)
LWL: 20' 0" (6.10m)
Beam: 8' 8" (2.64m)
Draft: 3' 6" (1.07m)
Rig: Cat
Displ.: 16,000 lbs (7,257 kg)
Centerboard: yes
Built for: Gibbs, B.F.
Note: Particulars are primarily but not exclusively from the HMCo Construction Record. Supplementary information not from the Construction Record appears elsewhere in this record with a complete citation.
Documents
Archival Documents
"[Item Transcription:] [Text in left margin:] Dear Charlie [Eaton], will you forward [this letter] at once to the boys [NGH & Lewis].
Your letter of June 24 & 25th was rec'd on the 8th of this month. I was thankful to hear that you had rec'd the draft sent May 27th.
Another draft for $125 was mailed from Prov[idence] to you on the 30th of June, which I sincerely hope you will have rec'd before leaving Nice, because you will require it to enable you to see as much as possible before you arrive in England. There, you will find money for your passage as John said, I think, $200.
Elizabeth Francis enquired very kindly about you, & read your letter & Nellie's of the 9th of June, I think, & seemed to regret very much that you should return without seeing all you would like to see. Your last was very interesting and welcome. It must be hard to part with Charlie & Nellie [Eaton] after passing such a length of time so happily together, & with your kind friends, the Fighieras. Nothing would suit me better than to give up the trials of house keeping here for[?] such a pleasant home & delightful climate as you have in Nice, but I could not move without Sally, & she could not leave her aunts, Carrie's family, Johnnie & all & so I must keep on, performing my duties cheerfully, and be ready to welcome our sons on their return. Dear Nellie & Charlie I shall write soon. I have very little time this afternoon before the mail will close, & perhaps not very much to say. Amasa dined with us yesterday. He came down to see Dr. Gallsy[?] . They are[?] well at Oaklands. E. & S. Francis with their friend Miss West from California came down to Carrie's & passed two hours this week. Elizabeth took your letter of the 9th of June to S[pring] G[reen] with her --- has since returned it. Your Aunt Sarah is very much improved. All the members of the three Herreshoff families & Carrie's are as usual. Sally is here today, Saturday, & has just heard yours of 24th. Mitchell has been here playing this morning and Julian is trying to get Mr. Vincent down to play with Mitchell tonight at Carrie's. Julian, Mitchell & Frank Brownell have just gone up town together. James has returned from Canada & enjoyed the trip very much indeed. The train that[?] in Canada going collided with a freight train, upsetting the locomotive, letting out all the steam & water, but hurting none of the passengers. In going from Montreal to Quebec, the steam valve was blown off on board the Steamer CANADA, letting the steam all off into the steamboat, & very much frightening the passengers.
Did I write you of the boat [#187402es ASPHODEL] for Macomber of R.I. about the size of the JULIA [#187004e], John has been building. It is a foot longer than the JULIA & in in sailing together was quite as fast as the JULIA. Your father & Dr. B. in the JULIA, Charlie & John in Macomber's.
John is now building a keel boat [#187405es PHOSIE] 21 feet long, 8 1/2 wide for Capt. Gibbs, our old friend, also two row boats for fishing. As soon as these shall be completed, he will begin on the narrow steamboat [#14p VISION]. I am writing with James sitting by, giving me statements. James says, tell Lewis, the fire dos not touch the pipe [of the coil boiler, just invented by James, and to be put into VISION], & when we stop the engine, we open the door, thus the metal is not overheated.
I cannot help feeling very anxious about your cruise [with #187406es RIVIERA], & hope you will never think of staying in the boat all night --- not to fast too long --- & to be sure of regular & sufficient sleep. Sally sends a great deal of love to you. Little Bertie called out 'give my love to Uncle Nat' & Lewis too & I know if I had not left him suddenly he as all of us would remember all of you.
I am sorry to hear Charlie has suffered so much with his throat, but about the loss of flesh I think both Charlie & Lewis might lose a little in summer. My love to you all including little Bessie & baby Fred.
Your father has come in with John & is singing 'Beloved Star' with Sally. John says, 'tell them we think of going to Block Island next week in the JULIA & HARTFORD --- The Brownells, yr. father, James & Phillips, & John, myself & I wish you were here to go with us.' I saw Amasa a little while yesterday that I did not learn much of your Providence relatives & friends. Mrs. Abbott is to be at her mother's during July & August. They are full of preparation. Aunt Mary is about letting the house she bought to Furlong[?] for Oct[?]. The Cennerys[?] are there at present. She is in good health & would send a message if she was in.
Acknowledge her letter & photograph if you rec[?]? it --- from Boston last May. I write in too much haste --- but I think of you both, & pray for your safety.
Your affectionate Mother
Julia A. Herreshoff
Can't you go to Minden & see the town register. Learn more of yr. grandfather's family." (Source: Herreshoff, Julia A. Letter to Herreshoff, Lewis and Herreshoff, N.G. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_07530. Correspondence, Folder 25, formerly 212. 1874-07-11.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #187405es Phosie even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.
Registers
1875 Manning's Yachting Annual (#25)
Name: Phosie
Owner: B. F. Gibbs
Type & Rig Keel Cat, Open
LOA 21.; LWL 19.; Extr. Beam 8.6; Draught 3.5
Builder 66 [J. B. Herreshoff]
Note: Boston YC
1881 Olsen's American Yacht List (#417)
Name: Phosie
Owner: B. F. Gibbs; Club(s): 18 [New Bedford]; Port: Wareham
Type & Rig K[eel] Cat
Tons Old Measure 8.; LOA 23; LWL 20; Extr. Beam 8.8; Depth 4.; Draught 3.6
Builder J. B. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R. I.; Built when 1874
1885 Olsen's American Yacht List (#1263)
Name: Phosie
Owner: B. F. Gibbs; Club(s): 18 [New Bedford]; Port: Wareham
Type & Rig K[eel] Cat
LOA 22.0; LWL 20.0; Extr. Beam 8.8; Depth 4.0; Draught 3.6
Builder J. B. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R. I.; Built when 1874
1890-91 Manning's American Yacht List (#2263)
Name: Phosie
Owner: E. C. Palmer, Jr.; Port: Wareham
Type & Rig CB Cat.
LOA 21.0; LWL 20.0; Extr. Beam 8.8; Depth 4.0; Draught 3.6
Builder J. B. Herreshoff; Designer J. B. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R. I.; Built when 1874
1896 Manning's American Yacht List (#1644)
Name: Phosie
Owner: E. C. Palmer, Jr.; Port: Wareham, Mass.
Type & Rig K[eel] Cat.
LOA 21.0; LWL 20.0; Extr. Beam 8.8; Draught 3.6
Builder J. B. Herreshoff; Designer J. B. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R. I.; Built when 1874
Source: Various Yacht Lists and Registers. For complete biographical information see the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné under Data Sources. Note that this section shows only snapshots in time and should not be considered a provenance, although it can help creating one.
Supplement
From the 1930s L. Francis Herreshoff Index Cards at the Herreshoff Marine Museum
- Note: The L. Francis Herreshoff index cards comprise a set of some 1200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and / or ownership information. Apparently compiled in the early 1930s, for later HMCo-built boats like the Fishers Island 23s or the Northeast Harbor 30s are not included. Added to in later decades, apparently by L. F. Herreshoff as well as his long-time secretary Muriel Vaughn and others. Also 46 cards of L. F. Herreshoff-designed vessels. The original set of index cards is held by the Herreshoff Marine Museum and permission to display is gratefully acknowledged.
From the 1953 HMCo Owner's List by L. Francis Herreshoff
Name: Phosie
Type: 20' cat
Owner: E. C. Palmer, Jr. [sic, Palmer was owner in 1890 as per 1890/1891 American Yacht List]
Year: 1874
Row No.: 523
Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. "Partial List of Herreshoff-Built Boats." In: Herreshoff, L. Francis. Capt. Nat Herreshoff. The Wizard of Bristol. New York, 1953, p. 325-343.
Research Note(s)
"In the absence of better available data displacement was estimated by using the figure for Old Measurement Tons (8) from the 1881 Olsen's American Yacht List and converting to lbs by dividing through 2000 (short tons). Note that this figure can only be a rough estimate because register tons as reported in Yacht Registers correlate only loosely with actual displacement figures." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 17, 2015.)
Note: Research notes contain information about a vessel that is often random and unedited but has been deemed useful for future research.
Note
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