Royal mail S.S. America, leaving Boston - Charleston, Boston Mass.

Royal mail S.S. America, leaving Boston. These early steam vessels were built of wood and in the East India service were expected to last only 8 years (4 complete voyages). Iron had begun to be used by 1818 but was not favored for a long time. It was 1840 before men discovered how to rectify the compass in an iron ship.
Courtesy of Boston Public Library