The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-25 00:00:00

THE GREAT EASTERN.

At last the problem of what is to be the ultimate
fate mud destination of the great ship seems in a fair
way'-of being solved successfully. A new company
has arisen which, as an earnest of their intention
to make her pay at last, have begun matters with
a most successful bargain—getting the noble ship,
as she lies at present at Deptford, for a sum almost
nominal, when compared to what she cost—at some
£3 or £4 less per ton than sailing vessels are now
built for. £160,000, we believe, is all that has been
paid for the strongest and fastest ship afloat, to say
nothing of her being in addition to these qualifica-
tions larger than the united tonnage of seven of the
largest ships in the world. The cost of now finish-
ing and fitting for sea is variously estimated at from
£lOO,OOO to £120,000, so that, even allowing a wide

margin for unforeseen incidental expenses the new
company, out of their capital of £330,000, will be.
the fortunate possessors of the Great Eastern when
ready for sea, and with £40,000 of their capital
still untouched to start her fairly in competition
with the finest ocean steamers mow afloat. The task

of getting herreaditi;sea will commenceprobably
about the middle of next month, and to finish in
every respect will require five months from the day
the work begins. In all probability, therefore, the
Great Eastern will be filling up with coals and
stores, and making ready for her first great trial
trips, by midsummer, and another month from that
time, as we believe, will establish her reputationbe-
yond all chance of competition as the fastest vessel
every propelledby steam. The onlyalteration which
has been made in her original design is in fitting
her with a poop-deck. It twill be between eight
and nine feet high—the same height as the fore-
castle forward—and this is the only change of note
which will be carried out. The six masts are al-
ready nearly made. There are to be one fore, two
main, and three mizen masts, the first five of iron,
the last of wood, in order not to influence the com-
passes. The foremast andthreemizens will be rigged
with fore and aft sails, the mainmasts only being
permanently square rigged. The first wizen is
of the same size as the last mainmast, and it is
intended that when the weather may make it
necessary that this also shall be square rigged. All
the masts, of course, are of iron,.as wooden spars
of such size and required to do such work could
scarcely be depended on. Each is built of boiler-
plate, with wrought-iron discs, strengthened with
angle iron, and bolted inside the tube to give ad-
ditional rigidity. Constructed in this manner each
mast costs less than half the price of wooden ones,
while, of course, the metal has the advantage of
being nearlydouble the strength. By this plan, also,
what would otherwise have been an almost insuper-
able difficulty—viz., stepping wooden masts into a
ship of such a height—is entirely got rid of. The
foremast is 2 feet 9 inches diameter, and 172 feet
high from keel to truck. The first mainmast is 3
feet 6 inches diameter, and 216 high •, the second
is of the same girth, but 225 feet high. The first
mizen is of the same size as the first main ; the
second is 188 feet high and two feet nine inches
diameter ; while the third and last is of wood,
of the same dimensions round as the iron, and 164
feet high. The lower yards of the square-rigged
masts are likewise of iron. Each is 126 feet long
and 2 feet 6 inches in diameter in the centre. The
upper topsail and topgallant yards are of wood and
of proportionately large dimensions. As the fittings
progress the ship's boats-14 in number—with the
two small auxiliary steamers will be built at the
same time. The latter, as our readers may recollect,
are to be of 120 tons each and 60 nominal horse-
power. These will be in all respects decked and
fitted as seaboats, and will be hoisted in and out
with the aid of the auxiliary engines with which
each set of engines on board the ship itself is fitted.
The first year's trips will be between this country
and Portland, in Canada, and it is, of course, con-
fidently anticipated that a very few runs on this
line will convince the world that the Great Eastern
is not alone the largest, but the best and quickest
vessel yet built. Where she will eventually be
employed is at present undecided, but it has been
suggested by some of the best and ablest members
of the company—and the idea is so feasible and full
of promise that it may hereafter be carried out—
that she should be employed as a great trunk line of
communication between this country and our eastern
empire. The immense advantages of such a plan. if
energetically carried out, are manifest. No doubt,
one of the greatest checks to the rapid development
of our eastern trade has been the difficulties
and delays in the way of speedy communication.
Ordinary steamers perform the voyage between
this country and Calcutta in 80 days, but Green'sor
Smith's sailing ships average only 90. Yet for this
10 days' difference double and treble freights are
charged on merchandise. This high freightage
would not, we believe, be objected to at all if intel-
ligence did not precede goods. For instance, a mer-
chant at Calcutta foresees that in a certain time
there is likely to be a large demand for printed goods.
He has them shipped from England, and pays a
differential freightage for a steamer coming round
the Cape. The result is that each overland mail
brings him and other merchants the news that that
and other similar shipments to Calcutta have been
made, and this intelligence, of course, operates in
the alcutta market in a way precisely similar to
the arrival of the goods themselves—viz. in check-
ing the demand and lowering the value of the
goods themselves when finally landed. The genius
and enterprise of the merchant are thus often ren-
dered nugatory, and it is this great drawback
which so often compels agents to avail themselves
of the overland route, though the rates are so
high as to be in a manner almost prohibitory,
and by that route, of course, no very heavy or
bulky cargoes can be sent at all. The overland
route is, nevertheless, used with costly articles, an d
then it pays well, as intelligence of the shipment
of the goods has no time to forestall the market be-
fore the goods themselves arrive. Recently a
merchant sending a lair quantity of cochineal to
Calcutta, where it was in great demand, suddenly
determined upon despatching it overland. On the
whole shipment by this route a profit of 25 per
sent. was realized, while on other packages that
arrived by long sea a month later there was a loss
of 30 per cent. But, though the same necessity
exists for rapid communication in other merchan-
dise, and there is the same demand for it, the
cargoes themselves are too heavy to come overland,
and resort is had to steamers or clippers. The
Aberdeen clippers get £8 and sometimes £l2 per
ton from China, and still their market may be fore-
stalled, while steamers, though charging a freight-
age that is equally exorbitant, only anticipate the
sailing vessels by a few days, and sometimes not
even by as much. It is such an unsatisfactory state
of things as this which the Great Eastern is so
peculiarly fitted to remove, if employed as a great
trunk line of communication between this country
and the East. For such a scheme Trincomalee, as
an eastern port, offers unqualified advantages. The
harbour is one of the finest in the world. Taking
the. lowest possible estimate of the Great
Eastern's speed, and as averaging only fifteen
knots, she could accomplish the voyage from Eng-
land to Trincomalee in 29 or, at most, 30 days. The
"distance from Trincomalee to Mildew is a two days'
voyage, to Calcutta between three an four days,to
Hongkong and Shanghai 10 days, and to Australia
only 12 days. At Trincomalee, therefore, the Great
Eastern would be at her terminus ready to tranship
her cargo to steamers for India, China, AOstralia,
or even we may now say Japan, while she Li. turn
would receive a back freight of the produce of thuise,
regions. It has been often askedwhat market w 4 "'ma
not the cargo of the Great Eastern swamp, and wt gat
market will afford her a return freight ? But if use d
as_ a great trunk line between this country and the
East, with Trincomalee as her depot, the mark,?rt
she would then supply is nothing less than the E:n..-
ropean wants of some 400,000,000 or 500,000,00043,f
People. As to her return freight let it once be se et
that she can accomplieh the voyage between Tri 11. .
comalee and England in 30 or perhaps 25 days, al iet
that she can
afford to take cargo at very little mo re
than the freights
whole available
charged by sailing vesse Is,
and not her
available space, even to her co el
bunkers, or water tanks
will suffice to contain f he
half of what will be
ent to her depot. The car go
stowage of the Great
stowage for coals about 12 Eastern is 8,000 tons ; er
,eOOO. Full steaming, b ler
consumption of fuel will be
and thus, if she only realisesabout 200 tons per da
a sed of 15 kno-. she can carry ample fuel for the Whole
.comalee and back. The least s run to Ti t -
anticipate a higher rate of speed,anguine however ,
nion being that she will aye' age from general
o; pi -
knots an hour. Thus, then, at Trincomalee all cc va 1
17 to it 3
not necessary for the return voyage could be le fl
and a depot magazine gradually formed there. I t
has always been alleged, and with truth, tl• ,at
carrying coals on freight will not pay a steam, iv.
But the rule only applies to ocean-going steamc rs
-with such a small capacity for stowage. that in
their case it will not, of course, remunerate to cars v
coals at £2 per ton freight, when they can receiv e
£8 and £lO per ton for carrying merchandise..
The Great Eastern, however, is a vessel of 22,000
tons, and therefore one which can well afford to
carry coals for her own use, and by avoiding the
long delays necessary for coaling, make such quick
passages as will insure her large cargoes at the
most remunerative freights. Her immense length,
too, gives her additional facilities for loading and
unloading, as 4 ships can get alongside at the same
lime. That the passenger traffic by such
a great '\
trunk line—a route then so easy and so swift—
w ould be an immense source of remuneration
none

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car doubt. For instance, if she had been read) r
'when the• troops were being despatched for Indi• a
and taken 8,000 men at only the same rates as wer e
charged by vessels requiring 90 days to the voyag
one such voyage, with 8,000 troops, would actual' b,