The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-18 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 18, 1859.

VISIT OF THE PRINCE CONSORT TO
THE GREAT EASTERN.

HOLYHEAD, OCT. 17.

Yesterday morning b is Royal Highness the Prince
Consort, accompanied by the Duke of Newcastle,
Admiral Sir George Seymour, and Col. Ponsonby,
paid an early visit to the Great Eastern, in Holy-
head harbour. The report that it was the intention
of her Majesty to inspect the ship had been so
widely spread and generally believed in that it was
not until the Royal train actually reached its desti-
nation that visitors were fairly undeceived. The
absence of her Majesty was of course felt as a great
disappointment, though it seemed to make no dif-
ference. His Royal Highness quitted Penrhyn
Castle at about seven o'clock in the morning. The
day was dull and threatening, with a kind of half
dawn through the wet clouds which hung in dense
masses over the peaks of Snowdon, and augured
badly for the weather. The party arrived at Bangor
rather earlier than was expected, but the railway
arrangements were of course in order, and in a few
minutes the Royal train was ready. The Marquis of
Chandos, the chairman of the London and North-
Western ; Mr. Cawkwell, the general manager, Mr.
Binger, Mr. Lee, and Mr. Worsdell were at Bangor
to needy( his Royal Highness, and travelled with
the Royal train to Holyhead. The run through
the wild island of Anglesey was soon made, and a
little after half-past eight o'clock Holyhead was
reached, Comparatively speaking, there were but
few persons at the station ; for, to a certain extent,
the fact that her Majesty would not come was more
or less suspected.

At the pier-head the Despatch, one of the boats
of the Liverpool Steam-tug Company, was in wait-
ing, with Mr. Campbell, the chairman of the Great
Ship Company, and Mr. Bold, one of the managing
directors, on board. By these gentlemen the Prince
was received at the pier, and immediately em-
barked. All the ships in the harbour were
"dressed,"theHastings and other men-of-war manned
yards, and the former fired a Royal salute, which
echoed from the cliffs of the headland with a thun-
dering boom. His Royal Highness did not come at
onto- on board the ship, but remained on the steam-
tug, which moved easily round and round the colos-
sal bulk of the Great Eastern, so as to afford the
Prince an opportunity of inspecting it from every
point of view. Under the bows the Prince seemed
especially struck with the sharpness and fineness of
her lines, and here the little tug remained some
time. The vessel then steamed round to the star-
board gangway, where Captain Harrison, and Mr.
Prowse, the chief officer, were in waiting. Capt.
Harrison received his Royal Highness, and con-
ducted him up through the two lower compartments
to the quarter-deck, where Mr. Kett, the second
officer, Mr. M'Lennan, the chief engineer, and Cap-
tain Lay, the paymaster, and all the officers of the
executive and engineering staff of the vessel, were
standing. Captain Mends, of the Hastings, and
the officers of her Majesty's ships in harbour, with
a few visitors from shore, were also present; but
the number was, of course, very limited. Accom-
panied by the Captain and managing directors as
before (with Mr. l3rereton and Mr. Jacomb, as the
late Mr. Braners representatives), the Prince then
proceeded to inspect the ship, first going to the
wheel-house, in which a long stay was made, and
where Captain Harrison briefly explained the nature
of the alterations which would be necessary in the
tiller chains to get a greater amount of purchase on
the rudder. From this tho party proceeded along
the deck forward, where the Prince inspected one
of the steam cranes, asked how it worked, and the
amount of saving it effected in time and labour. In
the extreme bow of the ship a stay of some time
was made, while his Royal Highness from that
point scanned the masts and rigging and the im-
mense expanse of deck, apparently with the greatest
interest and surprise. The Grand Saloon was next
visited, and of course admired ; afterwards the
000 king galleys near the paddles, and so on
through the first and second dining saloons. In
the latter, Mr. Campbell's cabin, a vary pretty and
tasteful one, was inspected, in which the Prince made
a short stay, conversing with the Chairman, next
entering one of the first-class sleeping berths, with
the space and lightness of which he expressed him-
self much pleased. From this the party proceeded
to the after saloon, past the ship's pest-office and
purser's departments, and so on to the deck again.
Here his Royal Highness expressed a wish to see
the chief engines, and accordingly the whole party
descended to the paddle engine-room, and thence
down the ladders to the starting platform between
the massive cylinders. From this point the best
view of the gigantic paddle machinery is to be gained
both when at rest and in full motion ; and his Royal
Highness remained sometime, asking questions con-
nected with the general working and power of the
engines, consumption of coal, &c. The auxiliary
engines to the paddles for fire hose and wasting
decks and working the capstan were next examined,
and from this point the Prince went through the
tunnel of communication to the screw engine-room
right aft, and remained on the starting platform for
a few minutes making a general inspection of this
machinery, and afterwards of the auxiliary screw
engines. After a stay of a few minutes here he again
came on deck, walked round the ship, and ascended
to the bridge, where Capt. Harrison worked and
explained the steering apparatus of Mr. Lun gley,
with the simplicity and efficiency of which the
Prince expressed himself much pleased. A short
stay was made on the paddle-boxes, where Mr.
Campbell presented a beautiful set of stereoscopic
views of the ship which had been taken for presen-
tation by Mr. Nottage, of the London Stereoscopic
Company. His Royal Highness expressed himself
pleased with the minuteness of detail and excellent
effect of these views, and said he was glad to retain
so faithful a record of the various departments of the
great ship. A short visit was lastly paid to Capt.
Harrison's cabin, after which the Prince prepared to
take his leave, having expended an hour in his in-
spection of the vessel. The Royal visitor was accom-
panied to the gangway by Mr. Campbell, Mr. Bold,
and Capt. Harrison, the band of the ship playing
the National Anthem, which was almost drowned
in the hearty cheers which were given by the ship's
crew as the tug steamed off. By the time the Prince
crossed, at a little before 10, Holyhead harbour was
Well filled with boats, and between dressed ships,
royal :salutes, manned yards, and cheering, the
scene was animated enough. The Prince landed at
the pier head of the inner harbour, and immediately
entered the special train, which started at about 10
o'clock for Bangor. Before the train had well left
the great ship was resounding fore and aft with
the din of hammers, and the 'tween decks rather
resembled the fitting shop of a great manufactory
than part of a ship which is expected, or rather
hoped, to start soon for her ocean trip. The prepa-
rations for going -to sea are still urging forward,
but beyond the evidence of an ultimate destination
which is afforded by these appearances it is hard to
say what is really meant.
The exact time for the departure of the vessel for
America still scorns as undecided as ever. It has
been stated over and over again that Monday, the
24th inst., or the 27th at latest, was positively to
be the day for starting ; but we should be deceiving
our readers if we did not dissuade them from enter-
taining any expectation of this kind. The' day when
the Great Eastern will really leave these shores
rests with the Board of Trade, and is only with the
company in so far as they exert themselves'to com-
ply with the very proper requirements which the
Board of Trade demand for the safety of any pas-
sengers the Great Eastern may carry. That the
number of these same passengers will be limited in
the extreme on the occasion of the first voyage
seems beyond a doubt. Rightly or wrongly, the
public evidently entertain a strong wish to see this
great experiment fairly tested by the only test by
which the merits of the vessel can be judged—areal
trip across the Atlantic and 'Wk. Of course, before

nit? igation ought to be, and which, unfortunately,
may afford an illustration the very reverse of al
this if she goes to the West this winter. Advantage
might also be taken of such a pause to fit the ma-
chinery with whatever is really wanted, and per-
haps also to beach the vessel at Milford-haven or
Southampton, and clean the bottom, which is very
foul with weeds.
In the meantime she still remains a show ship at
Holyhead, visited daily by thousands and thousands.
Almost every hour brings in heavily laden passenger
trains. The uncomfortable looking fishing village of
Holyhead is full to repletion, and woe betide the
unlucky voyageur who comes down by the night
train in the expectaticn of getting a bed. Paltry
little dens and roadside alehouses command a price
for dingy accommodation which would make our best
London houses stare. The daily number of visitors
is greater now than ever it was at Portland, and
all the chief seaports of the United Kingdom
where the Great Eastern could stay, and very
many also where she could not, are clamorous in.
their solicitations and invitations to get her round.
On Wednesday the directors of the North-'
Western Railway entertain the directors of the
Great Ship Company at a grand banquet at Holy-
head, at which a number of celebrities are to be
present.
On the same day at 1 o'clock an immense blast is
to be fired at Holyhead. The charge of powder
will be nearly 6,0001 b., stowed in three chambers,
and a face of cliff 100 feet high by 120 wide is ex-
pectid to be dislodged in a mass of no less than
30,000 tons. This stone is to be used in the con-
struction of the breakwater.

to e Great Eastern leaves, the Board of Trade are
determined to see that every precaution is adopted
to secure the safety of the ship and those on board ;
but even with this qualified guarantee passengers
will prefer to wait and judge for themselves what
the ship can do on a regular voyage. The coasting
trial trips which have as yet been made can no
more be fairly taken as a criterion of what the
Great Ship will do in an Atlantic gale than if we
were to judge from a run at the measured mile
what a vessel could effect off the Cape of Good
Hope. 'Mat the Great Eastern will never pitch
heavily seems to be believed on all sides ; that she
will roll, and, to a certain extent deeply, appears
equally undoubted, though the motion will be slow
and steady.
Some time back we informed our readers of the
principal requirements of the Board of Trade. Very
many of these still remain to be done. Done they
must and will be before the ship leaves; but we.'
mention the fact that they still have to be effected
as a reason for our belief that the Great Ship can-
not and is not likely to start before the middle or
end of next month, if she leaves this winter.
The patches which were so unwisely put on the
forward boilers before the ship left Portland are
now being removed, and replaced with entirely new
plates. The india-rubber packing between the
lower flange of the iron masts is to be done away
with, and its place supplied with hornbeam.
This also is to be done at Holyhead, and will
of course take time to perfect. No bilge and feed-
pumps have been fitted to the main machinery,
which is still dependent on its feed-water being sup-
plied by
.the donkey engines. - This, as we have
before pointed out, is a most objectionable arrange-
ment, as, in case of the donkeys breaking down
(and, in spite of every care on both trial trips they
have always done so), the engines must come to
a dead stand. As this is a matter which can only
affect the speed of the ship, and not in any de-
gree interfere with ,its safety, the company, of
course, have a right to their own way; but if they
have any regard to the commercial success of the
Great Eastern they would be wise to adopt every
precaution against the possibility of a slow voyage.
It is urged, and with truth, that to fit these feed-
pumps now would require a delay of at least two or
three months, and that the vessel could not then
start for America before next spring. Those best
acquainted with the internal arrangements of the
ship think that such a delay would be of great ad-
vantage to the future success of the vessel, as afford-
ing time for a thorough administrative organisation
of all its departments. This at present is much
needed, and until the vessel is solely and entirely
given over to the charge of Capt. Harrison and the
officers under him it can scarcely be looked for.
One of the chief requirements of the Board is that
flre-punips Shall be fitted to the auxiliary engines
of the screw, and to do this will require such an
amount of time and labour that it is most probable
that two powerful hand-pumps will eventually be
supplied, instead. It is rumoured, indeed, that at
some remote period two such hand-pumps were put
on board, but of their whereabouts at present none
can tell. These, with the fitting of extra boats,
communication in case of accident with all the
stoke-holes, better ventilation of the ship in some
places apportioned to the, crew, &c., are the main
comlitions insisted on,by the Board of Trade before
the vessel can receive her passenger certificate; and
to do these as they ought to be done will require a
delay which makes it absurd to expect that the
Great Eastern can possibly leave England during
this month. There is one precaution, however,
which, though not required by the Board, is so
imperatively necessary that unless it is adopted
not even sailors Would venture now to start for
America in the Great Eastern. We mean, of
course, precaution against cold. Only those who
know what a North American winter is, or who
have been off the Banks of Newfoundland towards
the end of November, can appreciate the extreme
severity of the cold which prevails there. Yet
throughout the whole of the Great Eastern there
is not yet a single stove or hot-air pipe fitted to
prevent either crew or passengers from almost
freezing in such weather. It is true that these will
all be put up before the vessel leaves, but this is
only an additional element of delay, and one which
makes it more certain that the ship cannot leave at
the time stated. Now as to the passage across, and
the rate of speed which may he fairly expected.
The results of the last trial trip have been carefully
weighed, so that a fair approximation of her future
success in point of steaming now can perhaps be
better given than during the hurry and confusion
of the late trial trips.
The greatest number of revolutions obtained dur-
ing the last trial to this port was 11 from the paddle
and 41 from the screw engines, and at this the
Great Eastern went, with her trysails set, 15 knots,
or very nearly 171 statute miles an hour. Without
the aid of the trysails it is possible the speed would
not have been more than 14 knots—if incited it had
reached as high.
Mr. M‘Lennan, the company's chief engineer,
than whom with regard to the ship it would be
difficult to quote a better authority, is of opinion
that in working order the paddles will go 12 and
the screw 43 to 44 revolutions a minute. This, ac-
cording to the calculations, which give a certain
amount of speed for a certain number of revolutions,
yields a nominal rate of 18 knots an hour. From
this, however, has to be deducted the "slip" or
yield of the water to the force of the screw and
paddles, which varies with the wind or other causes
from 18 to 22 per cent. loss of power. Taking the
mean of this loss at 20 per cent., it follows that the
average rate of the Great Eastern's steaming ought
to be at about 141 knots, or more than 16 miles an
hour. There will, no doubt, be many days and
even voyages when her rate of speed throughout
may average 16 knots, or almost 19 miles an hour,
but, as tar as can yet be ascertained from the re-
sults of the last trial trip, her speed in ocean-going
voyages ill not exceed the average we have stated,
namely, from 14 to 141 knots.
If the Great Eastern go to sea next spring,
her run is likely to be one of great success, for by
that time both ship and engines will be in full
working order, which they most certainly are not
now. If, on the contrary, her trip across the
Atlantic is hurried forward, it is more than pro-
bable that the whole journey will prove a failure in
speed. The engineers will fear, and most reason-
ably fear, to drive the engines overmuch, for a
break-down within 10 miles of land, and a break-
down in the middle of the Atlantic in a winter's
gale are widely different things; and the vessel
labouring only for a single day in a heavy sea will
soon find out the weakest point its her engines.
The mddle-engines are fitted with what is termed
a " marine-governor " which, when a heavy wave
forces round the paddles at great speed, instantly
shuts off the steam till the machinery slackens down
to the rate at which the governor is regulated ;
yet even with the aid of this governor (which by
the way is not yet connected with the machinery)
every one can understand how engines strain when,
after flying round at 14, or perhaps 15 revolutions a
minute, they are suddenly brought up to five or
six. This is the kind of labour which tests ships'
engines to the very utmost. This is the test which
the Great Eastern has not yet had, and which when
it comes will try both the piston and air pump rods
of the paddle-dgine to the very utmost. The trial
-showed that with an average amount of fair weather,
for a vessel of such magnitude, her engines worked
well and easily, but as the sea-going qualities of
the Great Eastern cannot be fairly judged by a
coasting voyage, so also machinery of such size and
power requires a proportionate amount of rough
work to test it fully and satisfactorily. This test,
as we have said, it has not yet undergone, and can
only meet with in an ocean voyage—and for an
ocean voyage the Great Eastern is not yet ready.
Apparently there has been some miscalculation
as to the size of her boilers to generate the steam-
power required, for, though the boilers have done
their duty admirably, it is believed that at
full steaming the screw and paddle engines
can find employment for more steam than the
flogging at Chatham, the punish-
in a great measure,_ due to the fact that stance of milita_rlywas
again resorted to at that gar-
for her size the Great Eastern is "under-powered," mcnt of the lash boilers are equal to supply. This may be, After a considerable interval since the last in-
Connaught Rangers, who has
ing to the 88th
proportion than that of one-horse power to four belong
as it is called. Few steamships are built at a lower risen yesterday morning on a soldier named Norton,
attached to St. Mary s Invalid Depot, awaiting
only one to nearly nine tons, and the speed which was
discharge from the service. The
is gained with this disproportion is due entirely to the order for his
tons. In the Great Eastern the horse-power is recently returned home wounded
,firom India, and
the length of the ship and her unequalled form. crime for which the prisoner was tried by district
As regards the trip t ) America in a commercial court-martial at Chatham barracks a few days since
point of view—that is, to realise money by exhibit- was the serious military offence of striking a non-
ing the ship at Portland or New York,—it is en r- commissioned officer in the execution of his duty.
tam that for this year the time is past. To arrive The," prisoner served with the gallant 88th Coll-
in, the United States in the middle of winter, when ',naught Rangers in the Crimea, and is decorated
even with the Americans the season of travel is with the Crimean medal with three clasps. He
Itvehia.,swboeuelndsbueggtoesitneadkethaatfaiolunreloefavthinegwhHoloelahffel.. substquently isrc ceeded with his corps to India, and
she should rather go round to Southampton
best
any'
served during the Indian
spars, and extra bgoat
of ocean-going steamers, taking in her campaign against the
completing her with lre
rebels until invalided home, having received two
wounds. On the evening of the 7th inst. the pri-
rope, spare
which
supplies. of su:ner was walking through the streets of Chatham,
s (none of 0.
Be-
are yet on board), and, in fact,wheni. he saw Sergeant Gavin, 31st Regiment, be-
every requisite, and red • ongmb
reducing to system her exten- directions respecting a disturbance with the military
• -to the garrison military police, giving, some
sire internal administ • ration. Such a course .wo, in of
be merely doing justice to • one the
e slightest provocation, deliberately
a ship which is sup ad • •ed et.
to be built as a modeland pos in received etreets, when the prisoner without hav-
him a violent
example of what on 1
ytarr 9 e
lk d up to the
sergeant and struck

An accident, which might have been attended
with serious consequences, occurred to the 3 o'clock
express from Holyhead, and delayed its arrival in
town more than an hour and a half. By some in-
advertence on the part of the engine driver, the
train overran the Conway station and dashed into
a train of empty carriages which Were being
shunted across the line. The shock was rather
severe, and ,twe or three of the empty carriages
were broken and thrown off the line. Some one or
two of the passengers in the express were cut and
bruised, and others a good deal shaken, though
none, we believe, so much so as to prevent their
continuity, their route when the line was cleared of
the broken carriages, after a delay of nearly an
hour: Just as the express was resuming its
journey it was found that one of the carriages was
so much injured in its axles that they were getting
red hot, which necessitated another stoppage flit
the carriage was removed and replaced by another.