The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-16 00:00:00

TILE VOA 'AGE AND ARRIVAL OF THE

CREAT EASTERN.

FROM 7 RE TIMES' SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.
NEW YORK, JUNE 29.
The Great, Eastern arrived in New York harbour
yesterday moornhig, after a beautiful, though, from
various crrcnimrAances, not a very rapid passage of
10* days. ghe went, however, quick enough at
times to show that she really possesses the power of
making the most rapid passages that have yet been
effected. Bid, as it had been determined that in
the first voye.ge nothing like driving should be at-
tempted, the; real speed of the ship was not deve-
loped, and imerything was kept subordinate to her
making her first trip well and easily and without
breakdown. or hitch of any kind. This result, at
least, was effected, and there has seldom, if ever,
been a ps ssage made across the Atlantic more com-
fortably or more free from disturbing or exciting
causes 'of any kind. In this respect the success was
as complete as could be wished, and itis to be hoped
from this change in the fortunes of the vessel that
her run o fill-luck is'iover, and that she may now look
forward to a long career of maritime triumph and
prosperity. A run across the Atlantic is like all other
long seay.oyage
.s—that is to say, generally speaking,
as dull as possible. Even a passage in the Great
Eastern forms no exception to this rule of ennui,
which al ways so forcibly recalls to mind Dr. John-
son's say lug that goingto sea is like being in a prison
with the chance of being drowned. The latter un-
pleasant probability was perhaps not wholly disre-
garded bysome of the passengers, who now and then
eyed the gambols of the monster on which they had
embarke a their fortunes with a look, of something
like
disnmy and an evident apprehension that her
ill-luck would still adhere to her, and manifest
itself by' some villanous mishap or other in the
centre of the Atlantic. The voyage commenced
when the vessel was clear of the Needles, and

when the pilot, who had so carefully brought
her thr, 'ugh, put off in a little boat with Mr.
Brereto a, and when both did their utmost to
make tb.eir parting cheers heard as the word was
r=il‘o steam ahead easily, and the Great
rn at last commenced her voyage. During
the first; part of the day the weather was wet and
thick, and squalls of wind and rain. Towards after-
noon, however, it cleared up bright and fine as we
steamed. past the rich undulations of the coast of
Devon, and down the Channel, all covered with
little, o r, perhaps, I had better say smaller, vessels.
All the se latter that were at all in reasonable dis-
tance instantly altered their course and stood
towards the huge ship, their crews all shouting and
waving their caps at beholding the Great Eastern
at last fairly started on her trial. At 11 o'clock
that night the Lizard light was passed, shedding a
pale gleam over the rocks and foam beneath it, and,
steering a very southerly course, the Great Eastern
stood well out to sea, and we saw no more of old
England. Next day, Monday, was bright and
warm.,—too warm, perhaps, and, as the sun shone
down on that huge expanse of deck, passengers were
fain to leave it and congregate on seats in front of
the pa ddlebova, where a breeze faintly played. We
were in blue water already, and the waves had a
solemn beauty as they rose up so crisp and cool
looking, their deep blue sides fringed with a little
ridge of white which sparkled in the sun like
diamonds. It was a regular spring day at sea, and
seemed to gladden the hearts of the porpoises
who kept rolling and plunging alongside the
ship and taking great leaps out of water, as if
they, too, wanted to have a good look at the
vessel, which was marching on so steadily and
trampling the great waves into foam and spray
beneath her. One of the passengers, having
faith in the stability of the ship, had provided
himself for his private amusement and delecta-
tion with a set of skittles. They were instantly
had out with acclimation, and the passengers at
once set to work to cultivate that athletic game,
with more or less success. It was probably the
first time that ever skittles was played on board
any vessel on the Atlantic, and certainly the first
time that anybody on board had ever played them
at all,—and facts which gave great zest to the
amusement: There was not much skill in the
display, though a great deal of fun. Sides were
formed, and matches made, and of the amount of
bitter ale that was won and lost in these exciting
contests the stewards alone can tell. At noon the
longitude was taken, 8 deg. 45 min., latitude 49 deg.
27 min., and, though going at easy speed since
starting, it was found that the ship had run 300
knots from the time she had passed the Needles at
10 30 the previous day. All being in beautiful
working order among the machinery, and the men
now accustomed to their stations, the revolutions of
the paddles were increased from eight to nine, and
those of the screw from 27 to 33. Soon after noon
the glass began to fall, and as the breeze aft the
beam strengthened all the fore and aft trysails were
set-

Gradually rain came on; then fog, then more wind,
then wind, fog, and rain together, till it was evi-
dent that we were in for one of those short, fierce,
summer gales that seem to have a roving commis-
sion all over the Atlantic to bully and buffet what-
ever they may meet with. Towards evening it
freshened still more, and went dead astern, when,
with the square sails set and drawing fiercely, the
Great Eastern began to dash through the waves at
a tremendous pace, leaving a wake of foam behind
hen so broad and white over the angry water that it
seethed as if the mark of her track would never
leave the ocean. Night fell, and there seemed
every prospect of a gale in our favour, showing
what the greatest speed of the ship would be in her
then unfavourable trim, when the wind again
changed, and going to the north-east, came so much
ahead that it was necessary to get in the square
sails again. This was not an easy matter. The storm
yelled and moaned through the rigging, drowning
every other sound, and the huge mass of canvass,
wet., heavy, and as stiff as a board, flapped and
"slatted" with a noise like thunder, and escaping
every minute from the men who swarmed upon the
yard, blew out afresh with a fierce uproar, as if bent
on doing battle with the wind. It was late at night
before this canvass was well housed in, by which
time it was blowing a hard gale, the night dark as
pitch, with a thick rain pattering on the decks, and
the, wind hissing and howling through the shrouds
with a wailing hum that was mournful to hear.
On that morning we had tried by getting
the stern in a line with the horizon to seethe amount
of motion in the vessel. But the weather on Monday
night rendered such nice experiments quite unneces-
sary, as the Great Eastern did not disdain to follow
the example of her smaller sisters under similar
circumstances, and to roll—with an easy motion, it
is true—but still to roll. Doors banged to loudly
in the cabins without apparent cause, chairs were
not exactly as you left them, the chandeliers seemed
to sidle up towards the ceiling, and every now and
then a confused tinkling sound which stopped
abruptly in the pantry announced that some over-
looked tumblers or wine glasses had taken advan-
tage of the opportunity to get adrift, and come to
grief accordingly. Stray casks and booms, with other
nautical lumber stowed away hastily on the lower
decks, also gave token of their derelict condition by
fetching away with a little rumble till brought up
by a bulkhead. Those lords of the deep—the great
waves of the Atlantic—always ready to rise on the
slightest provocation, soon showed themselves
through the darkness, rearing their huge dark bulk
above the sea, and rolling their heavy undulations
swiftly towards the ship. It was curious to watch
the easy swing with which the Great Eastern baffled
these dangerous pursuers, sidling over them one
after another with a slow gentle roll, and letting
them slip from beneath her at the other side quite
subdued, and shorn of half their might. Some how-
ever, were too quick, and struck her before she rose ;
but all in vain. You could never detect that she even
vibrated or felt the shock, and the great mass of
water recoiled from her iron sides in a shower of
foam and spray, beaten back and foiled as if they
had struck a mountain. As this was the first time
the ship had really been at sea in heavy weather,
Captain Hall and the chief officer, Mr. Machin, were
on deck, more or less, throughout the night; not
that there was the least anxiety felt, for the wind,
though strong, was fair, but with a new ship
and a new crew, strange to the great ves-
sel, they very properly wished to see that all
was in working order. During the whole night
both screw and paddles worked with the most per-
fect regularity and ease, the former going between
33 and 34 and the latter from 9to 10. From 2to
4 a.m. it blew very hard, and the motion on the
ship increased, but it never at any time was what
a sailor would call rolling, or at all equalled her
"'"011 when off the Land's End during the run
front
Holyhead to SoUthampton last November.
Then ratherqualities unfavourable opinions of her sea-going
fact that were
formed by those who overlooked the
her lightestel7as at the time three feet lighter than
and 10th showad.(-- line. The brief storm of the 18th
and loaded
whet,a however, that in sea-going trim
single ounce on cargo (of which she had not a
andboard) the Great Eastern will be
the steadiest
crossed the ocean. easiest vessel that has ever
Tuesday the 19th was fine, thoughu a rather heavy
swell was on. A hazy mist h
ngat,7 er the horizon
to windward, v
ard, and the breeze freshhow ever,
and dead
a head. The observation at noon, ho
naaweicd al
run since 12 on the previous day of 294 showed
ut
miles, being a fraction more than 12knortsu,hoalhijluitasyt
131. miles an hour. There seemed every p
that the passage would be made within 10
days,
even by the southerly track, which is at beat 100
miles longer than the northern route always taken
by the mail steamers. Bat the wind kept freshen-
ing.ahead, the paddles could not b
ee te got to
35 tur
ren
quicker than nine nor the screw mohan -
volutions. There was, it was admitta, a serious