Jim-

I went away for Christmas - hope this message reaches you in time. The NYC Public Library has a room full of microfilm of early NYC newspapers. I found the Herald particularly helpful. The Tribune was, unfortunately, illegible. There were probably 5-10 other papers in 1854. I haven't had a chance to check any of them.

Mystic Seaport has a collection of the plans of the William Webb ships produced in NYC, including the San Francisco, in its David S. Gregory Ships Plan Library, but I haven't seen it, and I think That each ship may only be a page or two. Is that the one you already have?

I have seen on the internet several paintings and prints of the San Francisco and the Three Bells and the Antarctic. Those give a pretty good picture of what the ships looked like, although the San Francisco is portrayed already damaged.

I've had trouble tracking Crighton as well. He may have captained the Tornado, which arrived in Victoria, Australia from England in September 1856. A Robert Crighton is in the 1861 Scottish census in Goven, Lanarkshire, age 39, b. Glasgow, port, ship broker. On 25 May 1868, the Brooklyn (NY) Eagle speaks of him as "across the sea", but whether that means he's on a voyage or that he lives there, I do not know. On 13 January, 1869, the NY Times reported that the Congressional Medal awarded him would be presented to "Capt. Robert Creighton (sic), commanding the Royal Mail steamship Venezualan" at Norfolk, VA. His g-grandson, Richard, who wrote an article about the wreck of the San Francisco, was born in England, but a Canadian citizen at the time of the article (1985).

Hope this helps. Enjoy your time stateside. Best to you and yours.

Nancy