The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-07 00:00:00

APPBOACLILLVG LAUNCH" OP THE GB [AT

EASTERN.

It is now more than three years since the lofty
walls of iron forming the sides of the Great Eastern
began to excite the wonder of voyagers up and
down the Thames, and as she approaches comple-
tion public interest increases. Enormous size,
which is naturally the distinctive feature that first.
strikes the obset ver, is, however, one of the least
of the marvels that belong to the joint production
of Mr. Scott Russell and Mr. Brunel. We have
the assurance of the former that the Great Eastern
is built upon precisely the same model as every
vessel he has constructed since his discovery of the
wave line 22 years ago. In the wonderful ship
which now towers some 70 feet above the level of
the Isle of Dogs, dwarfing every passing vessel by
her enormous proportions, we have only an exten-
sion of the lines upon which Mr. Russell built the
little Wave, of 7i tons. This may relieve those
who regard. the "big ship" as too much of a novelty,
and still leaves sufficient food for wonder in the
knowledge that she is about the eighth of a mile
in length, and more than twice the length of the
Great Britain, which, a dozen years ago, was the
largest iron ship then built or thought of. But
her breadth is much less in proportion to herlength
than that of the vessel just earned (being 82 feet
" over all"), a point of difference which affords the
best ground for the anticipations entertained of the
speed with which she will cross the Atlantic.
Granting, then, that the mammoth ship is merely
an extended copy of all other iron steamers
built on the wave line principle, let us see what
are the "one or two exceptions," so modestly
alluded to by Mr. Russell last week before the
British Association at Dublin. The most promi-
nent, in reality, though a feature which escapes
unprofessional visitors, is the cellular construction
of the upper deck, and the lower part of the hull,
up to the water line, or about 30 feet from her
bottom, which is as flat as the floor of a room.
This system, while it gives greater buoyancy to the
hull, increa es her strength enormously, and thus
enables her to resist almost any amount of out-
ward pressure. Two walls of iron, about 60 feet
high, divide the vessel longitudinally into three.
parts, the inner containing the boilers, the engine-
rooms and the saloons, rising one above the other,
and the lateral divisions the coal bunkers, and,
above them, the side cabins and berths. The
saloons are 60 feet in length, the principal one
nearly half the width of the vessel, and lighted
by skylights from the upper deck. On either
hand are the cabins and berths, those of first-
cla- s passengers being commodious rooms, large
enough to contain every requirement of the most
fastidious of landsmen. The thickness of the lower
deck will prevent any sound from the engines
rooms reaching the passengers, and the vibration
from being at all felt by them. On each side of
the engine-rooms is a tunnel through which the
steam and water pipes will be carried, and also
rails for economising labour in the conveyance of
coal. The berths of the crew are forward, below
the forecastle, which, it is intended to appropriate
to the officers whose apartments are at present
only marked by a few uprights, rising 10 or 12
feet above the main deck. Below the berths of
the seamen are two enormous cavities for cargo,
of which 5,000 tons can be carried, besides coals
enough for the voyage to Australia, making
about as many tons more.
The weight of this huge ship being 12;000 tons,
and her coal and cargo about 18,000 tons more,
the motive power required to propel her 20 miles
per hour must be proportionate. If the visitor
walks aft, and looks down a deep chasm near the
stern, he will perceive an enormous metal shaft,
160 feet in length, and weighing sixty tons ;
this extends from the engine-room nearest the
stern to the extremity of the ship, and is des'
tined to move the screw, the four fans of which are
of proportionate weight and dimensions. If he
walk forward, and look over the side, he will see a
paddle-wheel considerably larger than the circle at
Astley's ; and when he learn that this wheel and
its fellow will be driven by four t ngines, having a
nominal power of 1,000 horses, and the screw by a
nominal power of 1,600 horses, he will have 130
difficulty in conceiving a voyage to America in
seven days, and to Australia in thirty-five days.
The screw engines designed and manufactared. 11
Messrs. James Watt and Co., a- e by far the largest
ever constructed, and, when making 50 revolutions
per minute, will exert an effective force of not less
than 8,000 horses. It is difficult to realise the work
which this gigantic force would perform if applied
to the ordinary operations of commerce ; it would
raise 132,000 gallons of water to the top of the
Monument iu one minute, or drive the machinery
of forty of the largest cotton-mills in Manchester,
giving employment to from 30 to 40,000 operatives.
The four cylinders each weigh about 25 tons, and
are 34 inches in diameter. The crank shaft, to
which the connecting rods are applied, is a forging,
and weighs about 30 tons. The boilers are six in
number, having 72 furnaces, and an absorbent
heating surface nearly equal in extent to an acre of
ground. The total weight of the engines exceed
1,200 tons, and yet they are so admirably cone
taived that they can be set in motion or stopped by
a single hand.
Sails will not be much needed, for in careering
over the Atlantic at twenty miles an hour, with a
moderate wind, they would impede rather than aid
progression ; but in the event of a strong wind
arising, going 25 miles per hour in the course of the
vessel, sails may be used with advantage, and the
Great Eastern is provided, accordingly, with seven
masts, two square-rigged, the others carrying fore
and aft sails only. The larger masts will be ir°ll,
tubes, the smaller of wood. The funnels, o.`
which there will be five, alternating with the masts,
are constructed with double casings, and the
space between the outer and inner casings will be
filled with water, which will answer the double
purpose of preventing the radiation of heat to the
decks, and economising coal by causing the wal
to enter the boilers in a warm state. Her rigging dill
probably cause most wonderment and disturbance
of ideas to nautical observers, for, besides the all-
usual number of masts, she will want two of themost striking features of all other vessels, narnell,
bowsprit and figure-head. Another peculiarity Li
the absence of a poop. The captain's apartment I'
placed amidships, immediately below the bridge,
whence the electric telegraph will flash the cal-
mander's orders to the engineer below, the helves'
man at the wheel, and the look-out man at the
bows. In iron vessels great precautions are neeee;
sary to prevent the compass from being influence'
by the mass of metal in such attractive proximity
and various 4periments have been made with the
view of discovering the best mode of overcoming
the difficulty. It was originally intended to le.-
cate the compass upon a stage, 40 feet high, but, tbla
plan has been abandoned, and a standard cornliase
will be affixed to the mizen-mast, at an elevation
beyond the magnetic influence of the ship.
Whatever misgivings may be felt as to the length
of the vessel and the great weight she will card,
amidships will be sot at rest, before she even touches
the water, by the mode of launching, an operation
as great a novelty as the ship herself. The plan
hitherto has been to build the vessel on an inclined
plane, and at right angles with the water, but le
the case of the great Eastern this was impossiblei
on account of her great length, to say nothing 0.
the expense of building a vessel of her enormell:
dimensions in a position which would elevate 116`
forecastle nearly 100 feet above the ground. Thee
considerations led Mr. Brunel to deteriaine upon
launching her sideways, with which vie* she bae
been built parallel to the river. In constructing
the foundation of the floor on which she stand!
provision has been made at two points to ensure
sufficient strength to bear the whole weight ssbe°
completed. On these two points she will rest wilt.,
;
ready, and thus her strength will be tested in t"
severest, and, therefore, most satisfac•ory manned
Two cradles will be introduced at these points, 0110
she will then be moved by two powerful hydrail'e't a
engines. Timber ways are laid down to low WA'
mark with an incline of one foot in twelve, ono
iron rails of a peculiar construction are le
be laid upon these transversely. A tell-t%
will indicate the rate at which the twso
ends are descending, and any differet,
that may occur will ho immediately rectified '..11
strong check-tackle. It is calculated that she 01,„
advance 12 feet per minute, at which speed her 0,111;,
mersion will be effected in 20 minutes. .1,0
cradles will then be drawn from under her, and O
will be towel to the oppo ite side of the river'
where she will lay until ready for sea.

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O'Flaherty, from Tipperary,
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have lost one, and I :,ee you c fret. to recover them at 0
very small charge, so I was just thinking I would g
you to recover mine."
BooKSELLING Erni/. 0 IDINARY --We are indebted or
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a monthly journal, deveLed to matters relating top 11";,;,/
L justet mow seent ilt ,
want
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tsmi do
: bdeori whatce.or
ito.nt:teteol,
invention=, for the following summary of the pec"To
result of Vie Patent Commissioners' labours in the Pr'red
ii g and publishing department of their office, as izatbeibe
.fretn their annual reports to Parliament : IWO ;0
Commencement of the commissioners' operations 0;0
October, 1852, to the end of the year 1856, th• Y tj of
expended, in rint'ng for public use, the specificationn.Lo
patented inventions end indexes referring ,thereto,.,L;,
sum of 199,8861 16s. 9d. ; and in return for this otivi J
the
they have realised, by the sale of thee publicationFt,,,so
sum of 3,932/. 19s. 21 There has thus accrued a
,rof
(represented by dead stock), during the short reri°s",,j.
four and a quarter years, of no less 1b:711115,953/.17 ..,',•
in, this deparimeut of the Patent Othec--Newtons
_if".
don Journal of Arts and 'Sciences for September, 18D1