“Salem, November 23, 1798.”
So enthusiastic was the response to the call for material that Master Builder Enos Briggs was obliged to have this advertisement printed:
“The Salem Frigate
“Through the medium of the Gazette the subscriber pays his acknowledgements to the good people of the county of Essex for their spirited exertions in bringing down the trees of the forest for building the Frigate. In the short space of four weeks the complement of timber has been furnished. Those who have contributed to their country’s defence are invited to come forward and receive the reward of their patriotism. They are informed that with permission of a kind Providence, who hath hitherto favored the undertaking,
Next September is the time
When we’ll launch her from the strand
And our cannon load and prime
With tribute due to Talleyrand.
“Enos Briggs.
“Salem, Jan. 1, 1799.”