er's report on
American steamers, the logbook of the ship, Watkins' extracts from the
Speedwell Iron Works account book, the customhouse records, and some
of the statements made by Stevens Rogers between 1836 and 1856. Plans
of the ship, or a builder's half-model, have not been found.
Marestier's sketch of the _Savannah_, which is not a scale drawing,
and his drawings of the engine and paddle wheels were the only
available illustrations upon which reconstruction could be based.

Through the efforts of Malcolm Bell, Jr., of Savannah, Georgia, and
Frank Braynard, a search was made by Russian authorities at Leningrad
for contemporary references to the ship. This work resulted in
information as to how the side wheels were folded, the dimensions of
the boilers, and some description of the cabins and fittings.

As to the ship itself, the customhouse registered dimensions are of
prime importance; they fix the over-all hull dimensions within
reasonable limits. A vessel of 1818 measuring 98 feet 6 inches between
perpendiculars would have been 100 to 104 feet long at rail. The type
of ship represented by the _Savannah_ is well established. All
references are in agreement that she was built as a packet ship--a
Havre or transatlantic packet in most accounts.

The packet ships listed by Albion[17] show that all the pioneer ships
of the transatlantic Black Ball Line--which began operation with the
sailing of the 424-ton _James Monroe_ on January 5, 1818--measured at
least 103 feet 6 inches between perpendiculars. Two of the pioneer
ships of the first Havre Line--which did not begin operation until
1822--were under 98 feet between perpendiculars. The second Havre Line
began operation in 1823; of its four pioneer packets, two were
purchased general traders measuring under 98 feet between
perpendiculars. The coastal packets built between 1817 and 1823 were
all under 100 feet between perpendiculars. It is apparent, then, that
the size of the early packets did not indicate, with any degree of
certainty, the trade in which they might be employed.

Belief that the _Savannah_ was built as a Havre packet is based upon
Stevens Rogers' statements, and her size obviously does not make this
impossible; nevertheless, it seems highly improbable that she was
built for the Havre service because no Havre line of packets had been
organized as early as 1818 out of New York or Savannah so far as can
be found. However, the matter is not of very great