HMCo #148p Our Mary

"[1887-09-05] Mon 5: Work began on St[eame]r #[blank, probably #146p Augusta II, #148p Our Mary, or #149p Jersey Lily]. Vacation over.
[1887-09-12] Mon 12: Laid keel & began erecting st[eame]r #[blank, probably Augusta II, #148p Our Mary, or #149p Jersey Lily].
[1888-01-17] Tue 17: Launched st[eame]r 148 [#148p Our Mary] and hauled [her] out at P[oin]t Pleasant.
[1888-04-18] Wed 18: Launched st[eame]r No. 148 Our Mary [#148p] from ways[?] of P[oin]t Pl[easant].
[1888-05-12] Sat 12: Our Mary #148 left for N.Y. ..." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1887 to 1888. Manuscript (excerpts). Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection [1887]. Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection, Pinheiro Loan [1888].)

"Mr. N. L. Munro has sold the Now Then [#142p] and it is reported that he has ordered from the Herreshoff Co. a seagoing steam yacht [#150p Say When] of 135ft. over all to be built of mahogany on the firm's double skin system. The yacht will be designed for great speed. Mr. Munro will also have a smaller boat [#148p Our Mary and/or #149p Jersey Lily] from the same yard. ..." (Source: Anon. "New Steam Yachts." Forest And Stream, October 27, 1887, p. 276.)

"No. 148, steam yacht, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, RI, by Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., 1888.
15 95/100 net tons; 62.4 ft. x 10.4 ft. x 5.6 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
Plain head.
Surveyed and measured, April 12, 1888." (Source: U.S. Customs Department, Bristol, R.I. Custom House Record Book, 1870s to 1904 (Collection of the Herreshoff Marine Museum), s.v. No. 148.)

"Washington, D. C., May 17, 1888.
Sir: In obedience to the Department's order of the 14th instant, and under instructions from the Bureau of Steam Engineering, letter No. 508, we proceeded to Bristol, R. I., to the works of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, for the purpose of testing ...
On April 24 [1888], in accordance with the expectations and wishes of the Messrs. Herreshoff, we made the trial with the old type of boiler in Our Mary. This trial was mainly for the purpose of observing the general working of the boiler in order to institute a comparison of the care and attention required in the two types [the new one being used in #149p Jersey Lily]: but, as before described, an evaporative and four calorimetric tests were also made. The trial lasted four hours, the fire burning for forty-five minutes after the last coal was put in the furnace.
The following table gives the results:
Evaporative Test of the Boiler of 'Our Mary', at Bristol, I. I., April 24, 1888.
..." (Source: Anon. "Report Of A Board Of Naval Engineers On The Tests Of A Herreshoff Boiler, New Type, Fitted On The Launch 'Jersey Lily', And Of A Herreshoff Boiler, Old Type, Fitted On The Launch 'Our Mary', At Bristol, R. I., April 19, 20, And 24, 1888." In: Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy for the Year 1888. Washington, 1888, p. 363-369.)

"Bristol, R. I., May 31 [1888]. ... For Mr. Munro the Herreshoffs have also constructed during the winter two elegant mahogany passenger yachts, 65 feet in length, each with 11 feet beam. These are built according to the High Speed Lines of the latest models, and they will be used by the owner upon the Shrewsbury river. ..." (Source: Anon. "At the Herreshoffs. Nearly Thirty Miles an Hour Expected from Mr. Munro's Latest." Boston Globe, June 1, 1888, p. 4.)

"... A feature at the Branch this year is the opening of Norman L. Munro's Norward Park. It Is a beautiful spot. Twenty new cottages have been built, and there is also in the centre of the park a casino, the first story of which is devoted to athletic recreation, there being billiard and pool tables, bowling alleys, shooting galleries, and a racquet court. The second story is a fine concert hall. All the cottages have been rented. ...
Norman L. Munro has repurchased the steam yacht Our Mary; it was originally built tor him to ply between Branchport and the Highlands, but will now be used as a pleasure boat for the cottagers at Norwood. The Our Mary conveyed James G. Blaine's family and a party of friends, twenty-five in all, to the Highlands yesterday morning on a pleasure trip. The party was in charge of Capt. Edwards. Mr. Munro's other yacht, the speedy Say When [#150p], lies at anchor at his dock on the Shrewsbury River." (Source: Anon. "When Landlords Smile." New York Times, July 7, 1889, p. 12.)

"N/A"

"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Casting Book # 2 [B (there is another Casting Book # 2)] showing hull castings as per title only for steamers #148p Our Mary and #149p Jersey Lily. Contents, however, also include castings for other boats including #188903es Yawl Boat for #157p Aquila, #405s Alice, #406s Iris, #54p Dolphin, #65p Gleam, #104p Magnolia, #104p Magnolia, #133p Henrietta, #151p Ballymena, #152p Cushing, #155p Augusta [III], #156p Antoinette, #157p Aquila, #158p Launch for Seal Fishing, and #162p Judy. Also listed are many parts for a quadruple engine (probably for #152p Cushing or for #150p Say When or #151p Ballymena). While other casting lists record both castings made at home and at outside foundries, this book appears to list only castings made at outside foundries and none at home. A first part of the booklet from front to about the middle shows casting numbers, descriptions, numbers of castings and foundry where made with dates ranging from Sept 10, [1887] to Dec 14 [1889]. A second, upside down, part of the booklet begins at the end and then goes back to the middle showing for the same date range 'Patterns sent away' with pattern numbers and names of foundries these were sent to. A further section then shows castings required for #152p Cushing and as well as castings required for Lagging, Pumping Engines, Feed Pump and Air Pump, all these possibly also for #152p Cusing. A final section shows 'Patterns ordered home' with pattern numbers, foundry names these were received from and dates ranging from Sept 12 [1887] to Dec 16 [1889]." (Source: MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.120-03. Castings Book 2B. Box HAFH.6.4B, Folder Casting Record Books Hull Castings Order Book 2. 1888-09-10 to 1889-12-14.)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo plan HH.5.00214 (004-032). Penciled general arrangement plan with midship section and inboard profile titled 'Design for 65ft River Passenger Boat. Herreshoff Mfg. Bristol, R.I. Jan. 17, 1890'. Apparently for #148p Our Mary and #149p Jersey Lily or a proposal based on them." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Penciled General Arrangement Plan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0506. WRDT04, Folder 41, formerly MRDE10. 1889-09-07.)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.00214 (004-032). Blueprint general arrangement plan with midship section and outboard profile titled '65ft River Passenger Boat. Herreshoff Mfg. Bristol, R.I. Jan. 17, 1890'. Apparently for #148p Our Mary and #149p Jersey Lily or a proposal based on them." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0051. WRDT08, Folder 5, formerly MRDE10. 1890-01-17.)
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"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections titled 'Preliminary for 65ft Torpedo launch [#189602ep]. Feb[ruary] 22, [18]96. Scale 3/4ft from model [Model 101] of #148 [OUR MARY] & 149 [#149p JERSEY LILY]'. With calculations arriving at a displacement of 288cuft = 18500lbs and other calculations arriving at a displacement 'to upper w.l.' of 20340lbs." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_06150. Folder [no #]. 1896-02-22.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections titled 'For 100ft Torpedo boat. (Not used). From model [Model 101] of #148 [OUR MARY] & 149 [#149p JERSEY LILY] with 1/10 added to stem. Feb[ruary] 26, [18]96'. With calculations arriving at a displacement of 890cuft = 57200lbs." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_06170. Folder [no #]. 1896-02-26.)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.09758 (119-040). Photostat construction plan and inboard profile titled 'St[eam]r. No. 188 [#188p] SQUIB. As altered September 1897. Moulds of #148 [#148p OUR MARY] with Sheer Heights Changed. Herreshoff Mfg. Co. Bristol, R.I. Scale 1/2in = 1ft. Oct[ober] 2, 1897'. With list of scantlings." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Photostat General Arrangement Plan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0203. WRDT08, Folder 19, formerly MRDW00. 1897-10-02.)
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"[Item Description:] Four handwritten (in ink) pages with tabulated data listing 'Shop No', 'Name', '[Tons] Gross' and '[Tons] Net' for a total of 100 HMCo-built boats and classes. Tonnage data is usually precise to two digits behind the decimal. Random comparisons suggest source of tonnage data to be official Custom House data. Boats mentioned are: #664s, #663s, #625s, #665s, #634s, #658s, #657s, #646s, #641s, #617s, #626s Class, #624s, #621s, #616s, #619s, #590s, #591s, #586s, #592 Class, #618s, #605s, #578s, #560s Class, #580s, #553s, #551s, #552s, #546s, #541s, #545s, #538s, #534s, #533s, #532s, #529s, #534s, #530s, #531s, #435s, #437s, #452s, #499s, #429s, #426s, #424s, #481s, #422s, #417s, #414s, #451s, #215p, #213p, #222p, #235p, #230p, #229p, #236p, #224p, #244p, #247p, #249p, #231p, #232p, #228p, #252p, #250p, #251p, #248p, #168p, #164p, #118p, #142p, #174p, #173p, #194p, #189p, #193p, #183p, #178p, #179p, #181p, #182p, #175p, #163p, #148p, #149p, #172p, #155p, #170p, #186p, #188p, #206p, #207p, #205p, #208p, #209p, #210p, #211p, #212p, #216p. Undated (the latest boat listed, WINSOME, was launched in 1907)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator). Handwritten List. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE06_00220. Folder [no #]. No date (1907 or later).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #148p Our Mary even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Greene, A. S. (Chief Engineer U.S. Navy). "Report of a Board of Naval Engineers on the Tests of a Herreshoff Boiler, New Type, Fitted on the Launch 'Jersey Lily', and of a Herreshoff Boiler, Old Type, Fitted on the Launch 'Our Mary', At Bristol, R. I., April 19, 20, And 24, 1888." In: Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy for the Year 1888. Washington, 1888, p. 363-369. (904 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: No. Detailed report on the square boiler of the launch #148p Our Mary and the new improved waterlevel square boiler for her near sister #149p Jersey Lily. Description, discussion, numerous measurement results.

• Our Mary (HMCo-made index card)
• Our Mary (MIT Museum-made index card)
• Note: The vessel index cards comprise two sets of a total of some 3200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and information regarding drawings, later or former vessel names, and owners. They were compiled from HMCo's early days until 1920 and added to in later decades, apparently by Hart Nautical curator William A. Baker and his successors. While HMCo seems to have used only one set of index cards, all sorted by name and, where no name was available, by number, later users at MIT apparently divided them into two sets of cards, one sorted by vessel name, the other by vessel number and greatly expanded the number of cards. Original HMCo cards are usually lined and almost always punched with a hole at bottom center while later cards usually have no hole, are unlined, and often carry substantially less information. All cards are held by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass.

Name: Our Mary
Type: Steam
Length: 65'
Owner: Monroe, Norman L.

Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. "A Partial List of Herreshoff Clients." In: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Herreshoff Yachts. Bristol, Rhode Island, ca. 1931.

• Our Mary
• 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.

Name: Our Mary
Type: 65' steam
Owner: Norman L. Munroe
Row No.: 501

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.

Year: 1888
E/P/S: P
No.: 148
Name: Our Mary
OA: 65'

Source: Vermilya, Peter and Maynard Bray. "Transcription of the HMCo. Construction Record." Unpublished database, ca. 2000.

Note: The transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Peter Vermilya and Maynard Bray was performed independently (and earlier) than that by Claas van der Linde. A comparison of the two transcriptions can be particularly useful in those many cases where the handwriting in the Construction Record is difficult to decipher.

"Norman L Munro [1844 - February 24, 1894], the New York publisher who recently died, was at one time a resident of this town [Bristol]. Several years ago he had two steam yachts built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., which bore the peculiar names of the 'Say When,' [#150p] and 'Now Then' [#142p]. [He had also been the owner of #133p Henrietta, #148p Our Mary, and #149p Jersey Lily]." (Source: Anon. "Local Affairs." Bristol Phoenix, March 3, 1894, p. 2.)

"Date this vessel was finished was estimated as April 12, 1888, the date this boat was measured by the U.S. Custom House inspector as per the U.S. Custom House Record Book in the collection of the Herreshoff Marine Museum." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. February 9, 2020.)

"Weight of hull, boiler, and machinery complete, without coal or water, and two men on board, 7.81 tons. [Long or short tons?]" (Source: Greene, A. S. (Chief Engineer U.S. Navy). "Report of a Board of Naval Engineers on the Tests of a Herreshoff Boiler, New Type, Fitted on the Launch 'Jersey Lily', and of a Herreshoff Boiler, Old Type, Fitted on the Launch 'Our Mary', At Bristol, R. I., April 19, 20, And 24, 1888." In: Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy for the Year 1888. Washington, 1888, p. 363-369.)

Note: Research notes contain information about a vessel that is often random and unedited but has been deemed useful for future research.