The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-20 00:00:00

D

;ASTER TO THE GREAT EASTERN.

The unlooked for disaster which has befallen the
Great Eastern has caused a lively feeling of regret
among all classes in Liverpool. The accident, it
appears, turns out to have been even more serious
than the telegrams led the public to believe. The
grega ship after leaving the Mersey, about 4
o'clock in the afternoon of the 10th inst., pro-
ceeded all well until the afternoon of the following
Thursday, by which time she had got about 280
miles westward of Cape Clear, when she was met
by a fresh breeze, which speedily swelled into a
hurricane of most destructive violence, yet seem-
ingly but partial in its range. On examining the
log of the Royal Mail steamer Canada, which ar-
rived here on Sunday morning, and must bavebeen
on Thursday somewhere in proximity to the posi-
tion occupied by the Great Eastern, it appears that
on Thursday the Canada experienced a " strong
wind," and on Friday a " strong gale," but except
these observations nothing special is noted in the
log referred to,
The Great Eastern, however, seems to have en-
countered a violent tempest, it
as is said that the
fresh breeze of the 12th at noon rose gradually till
4 in the afternc on, when it blew a " heavy gale."
"At this time," says one of the accounts, " one of
the forward boats broke from one of her davits and
hang suspended from the other. Efforts were made
to secure the boat, but these proving unavailing the
captain ordered it to be cut away, at the same time
directing the paddles to be stopped and the helm to
be put down to bring the ship up in the wind, in
order that the boat might drift clear of the wheel.
The vessel did not answer her helm, but the boat
fortunately went clear. The captain then directed
several of the head sails to be hoisted for the pur-
pose of bringing her head up, but they had hardly
been set when they were blown to ribands. Very
shortly after that a terrific noise was heard in the
engine-room, and on looking down several large
sheets of lead were seen knocking about with great
violence from side to side. Just then a heavy sea
struck the ship as she was lurching, and almost
immediately after a grating noise was heard in
the paddles. On examination it was found that
they were bent from their true position, and were
scraping against the sides of the vessel. They,
however, continued to revolve, but the captain,
fearing that they would tear holes in the sides of
the ship, ordered them to be stopped, and trusted
entirely to the screw to get the vessel on. During
the whole of the remainder of the day the gale blew
fearfully, the sea running mountains high, and the
ship, not being able to bring up, rolling frightfully.
Things thus continued till the following morning,
when it was found that the paddles bad been broken
clean away. It was at the same time discovered
that the top of the rudder post, a piece of iron ten
inches in diameter, had been smashed. The ship
now lay quite helpless, lying like a log on the
water, and tossing and rolling in the most alarm-
ing manner. On many occasions her decks were
at an angle of 45 degrees. Crockery and cooking
utensils went crashing about in all directions, chairs
and tables were broken to pieces, chandeliers and
mirrors were smashed to fragments, and the whole
interior of the vessel presented one scene of utter
confusion. Six of her boats were swept away, and
two of those remaining were stove so as to be ren-
dered completely useless. On Saturday evening a
vessel hove in sight; she proved to be the brig
Magnet, of Nova Scotia. The captain, on seeing
the position of the Great Eastern, promptly de-
clared his willingness to lie by her as long as
might be necessary, and to render any assist-
ance in his power. Up to this time the passen-
gers were panic stricken, but on the arrival of
the Magnet, and the announcement of the cap-
tain that he would lie by her, their spirits revived,
and they began to have some hope of safety. The
gale still continued, and the vessel lay completely
unmanageable; her head could not be got up, she
would not answer her helm, and she lay in a most
perilous position. In this way she remained until
about five o'clock on Sunday evening, when the
wind abating and the sea going down enabled the
crew to put the vessel into some sort of trim
that would allow of her running back. During the
gale the rudder in knocking from side to side struck
against the screw and received a large indentation.
A chain having been run out from the quarter was
passed through this, and the chain having been
drawn tight and guy ropes affixed, it was secured
to the remaining portion of the rudder post, and
thus enabled the vessel to be steered. The ship was
then got about, and hercourse directed under steam
for Cork Harbour. On Monday morning the Persia
'wag met on her passage for America, and she also
offered assistance, but the Great Eastern going on
then very well, there was no need for it, and the
Persia proceeded on her way. The Great Eastern
continued on her course, and arrived off the Old
Head of Kinsale at 10 o'clock on Monday morning,
and was off Queenstown, where she cast anchor
about a mile outside the harbour. Several accidents
occurred daring the storm. A lady passenger had
an arm broken, the cook had one of his legs broken,
and many of the crew received serious injuries.
Two large oil tanks that were on deck broke loose
and fell down into the hold, causing great alarm.
The captain and several nautical men who were on
board have expressed it as their opinion that but
for the strength with which the vessel has been
built she would have gone to pieces in the gale. It
is intended to take her across from Queenstown to
Milford Haven or Liverpool for repairs, but when
she will leave her present anchorage has not been
stated."

Subjoined is an extract from the letter of a gen-
tleman, a well-known merchant in Liverpool, writ-
ten from Cork on Wednesday afternoon :

" To attempt to describe all the incidents, or even
those in which I bore a part, during the disasters to
the Great Eastern, would occupy days. Suffice it to
say that, thanks to a merciful Providence, we are
here alive after an experience of the tiny power
of man's greatest work in naval science to with-
stand the great equinoctial blasts of the
Atlantic. After two days of fine sailing in the
floating hotel,' as we most of us called her, we
found ourselves last Thursday morning in a con-
tention with a small gale, in which the power and
efficiency of the great ship were quite conspicuous,
and we could watch the gathering fury of the gale
at ease. But the storm increases ; the sea rises on I
Thursday afternoon to a full gale, which we must
face. We alter our course, or try to do so; but now
comes the struggle. Vast as our power is, the wind
and sea are stronger. We cannot bring her head to
wind, or get before the wind. In the attempt to do
tio one paddlewheel after another goes, the rudder-
head is broken, the rudderpost is smashed, and our
great ship lies disabled, a log rolling terrifically in
the trough of the sea for three days, and her pas-
sengers gradually losing all hopes of rescue. But
day dawns on Sunday with brightness, the wind
lulls, the sea calms a little, and, beyond all, the
efforts of the captain to remedy the steering defects
are tried again, and though imperfectly, the ship
answers a little, the screw engine starts, and we
move forward. Hope rises—the weather is calmer;
our crippled ship is, however, presided over by the
Angel of Mercy, and paces the Atlantic towards a

port of safety, which we finally make on Tuesday.
The word " Great" is applicable to all the incidents
—the ship, the start at first, the speed, the hurri-

cane, the mountainous sea, the rolling, the loss of

hope, and the skill and perseverance of the master.

No other ship but this could have lived out this gale."

The writer of the above, in a second communica-

tiClll, Says :-

In my note of this morning I did not say any-
thing to you about the accident to the Great East-
ern which would enable you to form any idea of
what I think of the ship and her capacities, in
engines, power, and general construction, for such
v,oyag C 3.

As to the ship herself, for strength she has no
equal. During all the fury of the gale and the
terrible rolling in the trough of the sea in an
equinoctial gale which broke up the Atlantic
into one surface of mountainous waves, not a
rivet has started anywhere, not a butt of a plate
can be discovered as shaken ; the ship has made, I
may safely say, no water in her hull, and it really
seen'
etias if the great idea was realised in the con-
txx of a ship not to be broken up by winds or
waves. •
in •
Tie - lints are also Untouched.; the huge pad.