CHAPTER XVI
AMERICAN CLIPPERS OF 1854 AND 1855
DURING the year 1854 no less than twenty passages were made from Atlantic ports to San Francisco in 110 days or less. The Flying Cloud repeated her famous record passage of 89 days, and was followed by the Romance of the Seas, 96 days; Witchcraft, 97 days; David Brown, 98 days, and Hurricane, 99 days. The abstract log of the Flying Cloud is as follows:
| Sandy Hook to the equator | 17 | days. |
| Equator to 50° South | 25 | " |
| From 50° South in the Atlantic to 50° South in the Pacific | 12 | " |
| To the equator | 20 | " |
| To San Francisco | 15 | " |
| Total | 89 | " |
On this passage the Flying Cloud gave a fine example of her sailing qualities. She sailed eight days after the Archer, also an exceedingly fast ship, and led her into San Francisco by nine days. Captain Creesy received a grand ovation on this, his second record passage, and the merchants of San Francisco, always generous and hospitable, vied with each other to do him honor. Upon his return to New
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