Patterson called for an iron-hulled ship of about 325 gross tons, with a draft of no more than 9 feet (2.7 m) and a top speed of 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).

The resulting ship was built in 1871 at the River Iron Works in Camden, New Jersey, under the supervision of John H. Dialogue.

She was a three-masted schooner equipped with a 125 hp (93 kW) steeple compound engine, and cost US$62,000 to build.

At the Straits of Magellan frequent stops were made, and at particularly interesting places several days were spent, and inland excursions undertaken, especially to examine glaciers.

She sailed from Seattle on January 26, 1898, with a crew of 40 men, bound for Skagway, Alaska with 165 passengers heading for the Klondike gold fields.