They were replaced by square riggers, which were slower but could carry larger loads. The construction of canals around the globe shortened most sea trade routes and virtually eliminated the need for the swift clippers. Clipper ships carried goods and people from as far away as China and Australia, and were used by slave traders to outrun British ships that were on patrol for them in the Atlantic. As a result, they were used only for high value cargo, such as silk, spices, and tea. They were fast, but carried relatively little freight. Clipper ships transported settlers to the west (including those who made the trip as part of the California Gold Rush).
This ship sailed from New York's East River, around the tip of South America to San Francisco in just under 90 days -a record. Another clipper, the Flying Cloud, was launched in 1851 by Canadian-American shipbuilder Donald McKay (1810 –80). Griffiths (1809 –82) who, the next year, launched another famous clipper, the Sea Witch. The vessel was designed by American naval architect John W. With their slender hulls and numerous sails (as many as 35), these swift ships were said to "clip off the miles." The first true clipper ship, The Rainbow, debuted in 1845. To accommodate increasing overseas trade, North American shipbuilders developed fast sailing vessels called clipper ships in the mid-1800s.
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