The Sun.
London, England, 1847-08-30 00:00:00

THE SUN,

T E GREAT BRITAIN
STEA;idEFt, AFLOAT!

(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)
This immense vessel, which has lain stranded at
the head of the fatal Bay of Dundrum, since Sep-
tember last—now about eleven months—is at last
fairly afloat, and in a position from which, with the
appliances at the command.of the engineers superin-
tending the operations for floating her off, she may
now be removed at high water of an ordinary tide.
This we consider one of the greatest triumphs of
engineering talent, as applied to the raising of a
stranded ship, which are upon record—not even ex-
cepting those used in floating the Gorgon steam-
frigate at Monte Video, and which had engaged the
mechanical skill of the most eminent engineers at
the various Government dockyards.
Our readers are aware that Mr. I. Brunel, jun.,
was the engineer who first undertook the task of
rescuing the Great Britain from her perilous situa-
tion. It was necessary to preserve her from the risk of
breaking up under the terrific surge which rolls into
the unsheltered Bay of Dundrum, from the Irish Sea,
when the wind blows freshly from any point from E.
to N. or N.N.E. In order to accomplish this im-
portant object, he caused a substantial breakwater to
be erected, about a pistol-shot astern of the steamer,
to seaward. This barrier, which was upwards of 150
yards in length, was formed of several rows of piles,
the trees for which were furnished gratuitously by
Earl Roden, from his plantations at Ravens-
dale, on the opposite side of the Bay. The
outer row was composed of pliable piles of
green or sapwood (an improvement upon the
original plan suggested by Captain Claxton, who
has been actively engaged during the operations in
directing them, on behalf of the owners of the Great
Britain). This had the effect of resisting the most
violent assaults of the surf, the green timber yielding
to the advancing wave, and rebounding by its own
elasticity as it receded. Between the inner rows of
piles, immense bundles of faggots, formed of brush-
wood, substantially bound together, and loaded, or
moored, by vast quantities of stones, served to
" deaden" the billows as they rolled in among them.
This invention proved eminently successful in saving
the vessel from what, at one time, seemed inevitable
destruction—so much so, indeed, that when her
bottom was examined, after the first attempt to float
her had been made, her hull was found to have suf-
fered no other injury than three perforations, of no
serious importance, caused by fragments of rock torn
off in passing over a reef in the furious gale of April
last. The exquisite symmetry of the noble vessel's
"water-lines" remained as perfect as on the day when
she was floated out of the building-dock on the Avon.
It is known that, during the springs of last month,
the gigantic ship, under the directions of Mr.
Bremner, of Wick, to whom the operations for
float;ng her had subsequently been entrusted, she
was raised entirely out of the sand in which her keel
had been imbedded, by means of great caissons, or
" camels," as they are termed by shipbuilders, sus-
pended over rows of piles driven into the beach from
the vessel's bow to a point about midships, and de-
scending by means of chains and blocks as the tide
rose, and the steamer floated. The actual impulse
was given by powerful levers, acting on fulcra under
the bilges, and worked by capstans and other pur-
chases on the vessel's deck. All these appliances,
however, had been cleared away, previous to the tide
of Wednesday night last, preparatory to the final
attempt to remove the vessel from the shore, where,
for upwards of a month past, she had been resting
upon two ridges of stones under the bilges, which
permitted the workmen effectually to repair her
bottom.
On the flowing of the tide on Wednesday night,
floating operations were commenced, by means of
anchors laid out astern, and the warps attached to
which were hove upon by the vessel's windlasses a:,d
capstans. These were so far successful as to move
the ship about three fathoms farther to seaward, in
which position she was permitted to remain until the
following day. The Birkenhead, iron steam frigate,
of 1,400 tons and 600-horse power, had come down
from Kingstown early in the week to act as a tug
when required ; and the Scourge, steam-bomb-ship,
of 400 •hone power, which had formed one of the
royal squadron in her Majesty's excursion to Scot-
land, had also been dispatched to the Bay of Dun-
drum, and anchored about a mile and a half to the
south-eastward of her stranded sister. A large num-
ber of the crews of those two steamers were aboard
the Great Britain, and very efficiently contributed to
the success of the experiment. Mr. Bellamy, Second
Master Superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard, and
a strong detachment of riggers from the dockyards
both of Portsmouth and Plymouth, were also on
board the Great Britain, and rendered good service.
On Thursday recourse was had to the steam power
of the Birkenhead; but, owing to the failure of the
floating apparatus in two large lighters alongside the
Great Britain, and to the lowness of the tide, which,
owing to a northerly wind that had prevailed fur
some days, did not rise so high as had been expected,
all the efforts made to remove the vessel were entirely
unsuccessful, she not having been towed out even, one
foot.

On Friday, at the flowing of the tide, about twenty
minutes before noon, the final experiment to float off
the ship was made, and, we have the highest satisfac-
tion in stating, was attended with the most complete
success. Two " b.,,,5t bowers " had been laid out a
cable's length astern, and, in a idition to these, two
strong warps had been spliced to those of the Birken-
head. By heaving on these the mammoth steamer
was towed out to seaward upwards.of eighty fathoms,
and into snug moorings, from which by this time she
has probably been safely disengaged, and floated on
her way to the Mersey. The ship, everything con-
sidered, made very little water—not we should say
more than six inches an hour—a leakage which was
easily kept under by ten out of the forty pumps
which had been provided to meet any possible emer-
gency, and some of which were of the most powerful
description.
On the entire success of the • attempt becoming
manifest to all who were aboard, and to the crew of
the Birkenhead, three cables' lengths astern, the
jovial tars of the latter manned the poop, and evinced
their gratification at the great event by several rounds
of hearty cheers, which were duly acknowledged by
their shipmates, as well as by the Scourge's, and all
the persons, officers, and foremast-men aboard the
Great Britain. On the suggestion of Capt. Claxton,
wine was then produced, and, the day being the anni-
versary of that on which the steamer was "christened"
by his Royal Highness Prince Albert, the healths of
the Queen and her Illustrious Consort, of the Earl of
Roden, Lady Matilda Montgomery, Capt. Claxton,
Capt. Caffin, of the Scourge, &c., &c., were given,
and enthusiastically received.
The Great Britain was, at the close of the opera-
tions, left, as we stated, in a position of perfect se-
curity, from which, although she can be removed
with any height of tide, it was deemed expedient not
to tow her away until a further examination of her
bottom had been made.

THE GREAT BRITAIN AFLOAT.--We have received
by express from Dundrum, the gratifying intelligence
of Mr. Bremner's success, in setting afloat the Great
Britain steam-ship. This magnificent vessel was got
off the strand yesterday (Friday), and now lies in
deep water, where she will remain a few days to com-
plete her appointments for the passage across the
channel.— Ulster Gazette.

The following is a copy of a private letter which
was posted at Lloyd's this morning (Monday):—
" Belfast, Aug. 28, 1847.

"Dear had the pleasure to-day per post,
and now:beg leave to inform you, of the Great Britain
steam-ship having arrived here this afternoon in tow
with her Majesty's steamer Birkenhead, being rather
leaky, to proceed to Liverpool. Captain Chxton ex-
pects she will be in a fit state to proceed to Liverpool
in a day or two.
" I am, dear Sir, yours truly,
(Signed) " N. FITZSIMON.
" P. J. Reeves, Esq"
.

MIDDLE Row, HoLßoux.—We are distressed to
find that the foundations are being put in for rebuilding
one of the houses in Middle .row. Can nothing be done
(the Builder very properly asks) to prevent the perpe-
tuation of this gr,ut obstruction in such an important
thoroughfare as Holborn ?