I have a big problem with "eye witness accounts" and artists who never were aboard a ship, painting accurate pictures especially of clippers and other sailing vessels.
As for the drawing do you have any idea who did it? If we are talking about the original rigging hardly anyone even saw it. The boat was towed to NYC so probably had very little sail showing if any at all. After that the configuration was different. Some say she only had royals and some say she had sky sails. Maybe the day they saw only the royals there was a hard wind blowing and they,the sky sails, were taken in. Who knows what somebody "saw?"The extra long mast pieces would say that she most likely had sky sails. Other wise why the long mast sections and long doubling? It wouldn't make sense to have upper masts ten or fifteen feet longer than needed.
Now the Forbes rig was one larger sail at the top and Howes rig had that sail split into two sails for easier handling and reefing right? Or do I have that backwards? If I'm right then the drawing shows Howes rig. Personally I like the sails as shown in the drawing whoever's rig it is.
Let me try to explain.
With clippers the sail plan saw important changes ...namely the division of the topsail into two smaller separate sails called the upper topsail and the lower topsail. In 1841 the American captain Forbes(who invented the system), devised a means of dividing the topsail into 2 parts. this was to reduce the difficult process of hauling in the one large topsail with a limited crew. The doubling of the lower and top masts was made longer than usual and an extra yard was added below the cap which could then be raised and lowered on its parrel between the cap and the top(Like I did on my GR).
Above this the shortened topsail was lowered to the cap as before. So this was the origin of the double topsail
This simple division of the sail was easier to work and quicker, then the old single topsail as the upper topsail yard could be lowered from the deck and its sail fell in front of the lower portion(Lower topsail) and was blanked by it.
In 1853 capt. Howes brought an improvement to the arrangement. In his version, the new lower topsail was fixed to the lower mast cap with a movable crane and was additionally supported by an iron bar. (Cutty sark employs this system). This yard did not move up and down as it did in the Forbes design. The upper topsails foot was then laced directly to the lower topsails jackstay, presenting it without any gap...thus creating both sails as one...but with the simplicity of a split sail(two yards) for reefing.
The doubling of lower and top mast was reduced to the normal or what was usual distance.
This drawing was most likely made by a gentleman and close friend of Donald McKay named Duncan McLean. He wrote a short book describing the Great Republics construction.
The drawing shows her Forbes rig....note the lower topsail mast is just below the mast cap..permitting its up and down motion...while the upper topsail yard is placed in the normal position, which can be lowered to the mast cap. The extreme length of the doubling is evident of the Forbes design....permitting the lower yard some distance to travel.
Additional drawings can be found by Capt. Armitage McCann..who provided drawings of her for a model...and it is those plans I used to build my GR. However, his masting plan does not follow the drawing from Duncan Mclean...but depicts her with an unmodified Forbes design...with the topmast being fiddled aft of the main mast.
In Richard C. McKay,s fine book, *Some Famous Sailing Ships and their Builder Donald McKay* he states she carried nothing higher then Royals. This coupled with many other *eyewitness accounts of her in port and at her Revealing where thousands of people paid a *York shilling*to board and see the ship in port. Not withstanding the etchings available.
This in principle is the main reasons why I chose to build her as I did. Each person will gain the mileage they can gain from their own study and assimilation of the known data.
Yes she was towed to Hew York from Boston...but she did set topsails and the courses and did indeed pass her tow and practical drug it to Hew York
I am looking forward to your build and surely these conversations will add to your own research.
I'm very excited for you and am glad I can help in any way.
Rob