tion of the engine required expenditure of fuel to 

 raise steam in cold boilers over and over again. This 

 was one of the vi'eaknesses in the auxiliary steamship, 

 particularly, as in the case of the Savannah, when the 

 engine was used a number of times during a voyage 

 without long periods of continuous operation. Also, 

 there is doubt that the vessel carried as much as 75 

 tons of coal; she probably had no more than 55 to 60 

 tons aboard, if the figure of 1,500 bushels is correct. 

 It is impossible to establish exact weight-cubic meas- 

 urements with the available data. 



Though the authorities quoted seem to agree that 

 the Savannah could steam only 4}^ to 5)4 knots in 

 smooth water, her logbook credits her with 6 knots 

 under steam alone at sea. However, this is probably 

 an approximation affected by current and sea rather 

 than a truly logged speed. 



Judging by references in the logbook, the Savannah 

 carried one boat on the stern davits. The davits, 

 shown in Marestier's sketch, would handle a boat of 

 about 16 to 18 feet in length. At sea the boat was 

 probably carried on top of the deckhouse. The ves- 

 sel obtained a new boat during her European trip. 

 It is probable that the lack of passengers is why a 

 second boat, which could have been stowed on the 

 deckhouse roof, was omitted. 



There is no record of how the Savannah was painted, 

 except that the logbook refers to her "bright" strake. 

 Packets appear to have followed what once was a 

 Philadelphia practice in having a varnished band 

 along the topsides. Marestier's sketch indicates that 

 there may have been four or five bands of color, 

 beginning at or a little above deck and wide enough 

 for the top band to be up about two-fifths the height 

 of the bulwarks. The hull was commonly black. 

 The bands were red, white, and blue and there was 



a "bright" strake, or alternate black and varnished 

 bands. These bands were about 3 to 5 inches wide. 

 Sometimes the "bright" band, as mentioned in the 

 Savannah logbook, was along the topside just above 

 and adjacent to the top of the wale, or belt of thick 

 planking, or might be the uppermost strake of the 

 wale. Perhaps the Savannah had a wide bright band 

 above the wale and multicolored bands just above the 

 deck. The headrails were painted black, with mould- 

 ings at top and bottom of rails and with knees picked 

 out with very narrow bands of yellow, or "beading." 

 The figurehead was then commonly painted in na- 

 tural colors, to suit the form of head if a figure or a 

 bust. The bowsprit and davits probably were black. 

 Deck structures were probably white, the neck natural, 

 with waterways and inside of bulwarks white, the 

 stack black, and rail caps varnished. 



In this period it was unusual to copper a wooden 

 ship before launch, so it is doubtful that the Savannah 

 was copper sheathed. Since her voyage occurred dur- 

 ing a period of financial depression, it is probable that 

 her bottom was "white" (tallow and verdigris). 



The reconstruction described herein produced a 

 plan for a model that complied to the fullest extent 

 with all the known dimensions and descriptions of 

 the Savannah that have yet been found. The result 

 showed that the United States National Museum's 

 old model could not be altered to agree with the 

 known features of the Savannah and that a new model 

 was therefore necessary. So that the new model 

 would be comparable to other models of early Ameri- 

 can steamers, existing or intended, in the Watercraft 

 Collection, it was constructed on the scale of one- 

 quarter inch to the foot. The new model (figs. 2, 8, 

 and 9) is now on exhibition at the Smithsonian 

 Institution. 



For sale by the .Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D.C. — Price 25 cents' 

 80 BULLETIN 228: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1961 



