Joesph B. Smith Sold at Auction Prices

Joseph B. Smith (1798 - 1876), TWO MASTED SCHOONER

Joseph B. Smith (1798 - 1876), TWO MASTED SCHOONER OFF GOVERNORS ISLAND, NEW YORK, oil on canvas, signed lower right Smith. From Marine Historical Association, Inc., Mystic, Connecticut: Dr. William L. Hitchcock, 21 Mendota Avenue, Rye, New York Dear Dr. Hitchcock: In answer to your letter of December 13, the two-masted schooner Calvin S. Edwards was built in 1860 at Dorchester, New Jersey and was first owned by J. Gandy and others of the same town. She was a centerboard vessel, registering 285 tons, old measurement which was later revised to 230.70 gross and 219.16 net tons. Her dimensions were: 109.7' L.B.P. x 28.7' beam x 9.3 depth. Her first captain appears to have been J. Garwood who owned a master's share in her. In the late eighties she was sold to F. Smith & Co. of Philadelphia. In 1904, after having been sold to owners in Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York, she got ashore on the south side of Fisher's Island, while under command of Captain Watts, and broke up almost at once. Obviously she was built for the coasting trade but she may have carried some passengers which might account for the garb of figures on deck. Some of the larger two and three masted schooners of that period were occasionally operated in the coastal packet trade, offering a few refinements of service to passengers. It is also possible the female figure might represent the captain's wife as many coasting skippers were accompanied by their wives. Sincerely Edouard A. Stackpole, Curator