The Express.
London, England, 1859-10-11 00:00:00

TRIAL TRIP OF THE GREAT EASTERN.

(PION OM OWN

Despite numerous prognostications to the con-
trary, the second trial trip of the Great Eastern
came off on Saturday, and extended over that day,
Sunday, and Monday—the vessel arriving off Holy-
head yesterday afternoon at about three o'clock, and
anchoring inside the Breakwater at 3.4 d.
The doubts which up to the last moment
existed as to when the experiment
would be made prevented that large assemblage of the
general public which it was expected would be con-
gregated at Weymouth to witness her departure.
There were no special arrangemens for steamers or
,yachts to accompany her out to sea, and so
little confidence wee felt that it would be
possible to sail on the day named, that a special
train put on from Southampton to Weymouth, for
the purpose of affording the inhabitants and visitors
of the former town an opportunity to see her off, did
not convey a score of excurrionists. A oonple
of the Weymouth steam ferry-coats, well
freighted with passengers, which started about one
o'clock in the afternoon, when the ship began
to weigh anchor until she left, and two
or three beautiful little pleasure yachts,
which followed her oat of the harbour,
hovering about in her wake until she was out of
sight, were the only indication, that any excite-
ment or curiosity had been occasioned by the
event. Mr. Galloway, the government in-
spector, and Captain Robinson, the surveyor
to the Board of Trade were on board, and atten-
tively watched the action of the engines, and
the sailing of the ship, from the beginning to
the close of the voyage, taking copious
notes of the pressure, speed, and other details,
ender all the various circumstances in which

they were put to the test. Mr. Campbell, the
chairman of the company, Mr. Bold, the managing
director, Captain Mangles, and about thirty
visitors, mare or less directly interested in the
basin's in band, were also on board. The engines
were worked each by its respective manufacturers—
the screw by Mr. Blake, the head of the eminent
firm of James Watt and Co., of Birmingham, and
the paddle engine by Mr. bcott Bartell himself.
The sailing of the ship was, is a matter of coarse,
under the entire direction of her able and
experienced commander, Captain Harrison. The
only lady on board, besides the captain's wife and
little daughter (who so narrowly escaped death from
the bursting of the steam jacket during the previous
trip) was Miss Mangles, Capt. Mangles' daughter.
The preliminary arrangements being all complete
and the steam up, the anchor was brought to the
bows at 3.30 p.m., and in aboar fifteen minutes
afterwards the machinery was in motion, and the
vessel began to move, the weather being at the time
beautifully bright with scarcely any wind, while the

sea was almost as smooth as the Thames at Green.
wish. She directed her course in the first instance
to the eastward in order to gain sea room to clear
Portland-bill, and having tacked about she passed
that headland about five or six miles on her star-
board quarter at forty minutes past five. At this
time the paddles, which had been first noted at 6
revolutions per minute had increased to 10, and
the screw, which had been previously counted at 28
rose to 29 and 30, and later in the evening to 32.
The Start light was passed at 9.38, and the Eddy-
stone at 11.30, the speed of the vessel being now
as per log, 13 knots, which, from considerations
of safety was rather lessened than increased during
the remainder of the night. About two in• the
morning an incident occurred, which was very
nearly being attended with serious if not
fatal consequences. The lock-out at the bows
announced a light ahead on the starboard bow, but
the man whose duty it was to pass the word on from
him to the officer of the watch carelessly sang out,
" light on the port bow." Of course it was known
that from the coarse the ship was steering the only
light that could be seen must be that of some vessel
coming on in the same direction, and the order was
immediately given to steer so as to avoid her.
Luckily a gentleman on deck detected the error, and at
once communicated it to the officer, who had the helm
instantly pat round but only in just sufficient time,
the vessel, which proved to oe a schooner in full sail,
passing the big ship within less than a pistol shot. At
day-break on Sunday morning the Lands' End was
passed and at half-past 8 a.m. the Bishop's Light, Scilly,
after which, daring the whole of Sunday, until
towards evening, no land was visible. A few hours
before daybreak on Sunday moriog the Great Eastern
gave the first indication of being influenced by the
motion of the waves. Hitherto there had been not
the slightest motion either in the form of pitching
or rolling, but about the time she passed the Lizard,
those who had retired to their cabins—which of
course included all the non.naoticale—were
aroused from their sleep by a sensible oscil-
lation, which required iu some instances
holding on in order to hold in—and more
or lees from this time on to very near the end of the
voyage the ship took care to inform those whom she
was carrying that she was not exactly a portion of
terra firma, but could roll and pitch if neces-
sary, according to the varying circumstances

of - wind and - waves ; the motion, however,
being invariably considerably leas than in the largest
ships we were afloat in before, and of come
greatest when the ship was being " put about " or
meeting cross currents and heavy seas. It is worthy
of notice that her steadiest sailing is against the wind
and that her unsteadiest point is with the wind right
abeam. On Sunday morning, about church-time—
for there wan church-time aboard, and a full
Sunday morning service, prayers, litany, sermon and
psalms, according to the liturgy of the Church of En-
gland, the Rev. Mr. Nicholson officiating in full
canonicale—the first experiment of trying
sails and steam together was tried. The
trysails were set upon five of the six masts, and the
sampan upon the foremast in addition. The wind
being abeam at the time, the effort was maga.
tory as regards speed, but for the pur-
pose of steadying the vessel and preventing
the rolling motion the result was most satisfactory.
No opportunity was afforded of using the sails in a
f►ir wind, as during the whole of the rest of the
voyage there was a stiff breeze direct ahead. Oa
Sunday afternoon the old head of Kinsale was
sighted, and at about 6 p.m. the ship
turned round, and entered the St. George's
Channel, passing within sight of the Irish coast till
sometime after dusk, and then standing out in mid-
channel. Oa Monday morning the breeze freshened
to something like a gale from the north east,
or directly in the course of the ship,
with heavy rain and mist. Steaming up under di-
minished pressure, land was again observed at about
noon, and shortly after the bold outline of the
liolyhead coast was recognised. The weather having
now moderated some experiments which had been
postponed from the previous dav as to the rela-
tive power of the screw and paddle engines were
tried, the result of which was pronounced to
be most satisfactory. Of course the screw
had the advantage, the report showing 9
knots against 71 in its favour. The maximum
speed obtained during the trial wu about 141
knots, and the average 13 knots. The efficiency
of the ship fur all purposes for which she was in
tended was admitted by most of the scientific
authorities on board.