When I was a kid, I always dreamed of becoming a midshipman aboard such a vessel. Looking up along this mast from inboard the US Brig Niagra can make you dizzy! This is the Brig Niagra's Mainmast and it stands 118 ft. above the water line. Five feet shorter, the brig's Foremast stands 113 ft. above the waterline. They are made from seasoned and laminated Douglas Fir and Southern Pine as are the yards they support.Steel wire wrapped with fibre rope makes up the standing rigging that holds the masts in place while preserving the appearance of the original hemp rigging. Likewise the running rigging that controls the sails is now made from dacron, polyester, and polypropylene, rather than hemp. The modern materials are far superior to hemp in both strength and durability.
A synthetic fiber called Duradon that looks like canvas but lasts about three times as long as canvas, is used for the brig's sails. Incidently, you can view all the photographs in this essay as full screen images merely by clicking on the photograph that first apears on each page.
