The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-08-12
From the New York Tribune, August H.
THE GREAT BRITAIN.

. =.
LIST, her extraordinary magnitude I'd, the material
used (iron) being employed TO a greater extent than
in any other ship; Sd, the pecuaItes OF form which
have been adopted, and the qualities they confer on
her regards speed and seaworthness; 4'h, ,he
construction Of the engines and boilers ana other
machinery for motive power 5th, the employment
Of the screw propellera 9th, the use OF peculiar
mechanism, by which the power OF the engine Is APP
lied TO turn round the screw.
The length of the keel is 2s9 feet-total length,
322 feet.
Beam, 81 feet depth, 80 feet inches; feet OF
water when loaded, Is.
Displacement, 1884 tons; tonnage (by old meas
urement) 3,443 tons.
Plates of keel nearly inch thick; plates Of bot
tom varying to three quarters Of inch at extremes
and to fve-eighths generally.
Topsides half an inch, and at the extreme aft
7-l6,hs
The ribs are framed of angle-ron, 6 inches by 81
inches, haf-inch thick, and 7-l6th-distance OF RIBS
from centre to centre, amidshps, IA nches increas
ing TO 81 inches at the ends.
Ten iron sleepers run from the engine-room, grad
ually diminishing in number, to the fore lend oil the
ship and under the boilers, the platform OF which
they support in midshps they are feet inches
in DEPTH supported by ange-irons in the form of in
verted arches, and at short distance IRON each
other
| She has FIVE water-tight parttons-stows 1900
| tons Of COAL, 900 tons of measurement the en-
gnes weigh $40 tons, the boilers 200 tons, and hold
| 200 tons of water
| The main shaft is % inches in diameter in the
CENTRE and "a inches in the bearings: in the rough,
before turned it weighed l6 tons. 1t has been
| lightened by hole Of 10 inches diameter, bored
through. stream of cold water passes through
the cranks and this hole, when the engines are at
work. The screw-shaft is in one long and two
short or coupling parts. The part next the engine
solid, 90 feet by is inches diameter. The hollow
intermediate shaft 65 feet by 2 feet inches diam
eter. The screw part is IS feet inches, and also
IL inches diameter The total length is l30 feet and
| it weighs altogether 80 tons. The screw Is of six
arms, Is feet inches diameter IS feet pitch, and
weighs four tons. The main drum is 10 feet diam
eter, and drives four chains, weighing seven tons;
the screw-shaft drum is six feet diameter and the
weight with the pull, when working, is equal to IS
tons on the bearing Of the main shaft. The cylin-
ders are four in NUMBER SO inches each stroke six
| feet; power, 1000 horses; the condensers are of
wrought iron, ~ feet by g. and deep.
! Four separate seam-engines drive round the axle
of this monstrous wheel-two at one end Of the axle
two at the other-the wheel between. The cylinders
are placed apart at the bottom of the vessel, and the
pison-rods, which issue out of them, converge to
the ends of the cranks of this Wheel Each pair of
engines works crank, and the two cranks are
placed at right angles; but the chain is the extraor
binary thing There are grooves on the wheel-at
the end of each link Of this huge chain there are
teeth projecting into these grooves, that, as the
wheel revolves, the chain is compelled to revolve
with it. At the bottom of the vessel, Immediately
below the great wheel, lies little wheel or pnon,
having grooves cut its circumference, of the
size, and at the same distance from each other,
though much less in number than those Of the large
wheel. The same chain passes round both wheels,
and while the large wheel revolves by the power of
the engine once, the small one revolves as much
oftener as it is smaller. The small wheel has for its
axis the axis of the Archimedes screw, which is at
ached to the after end of the axis, and protrudes
through an aperture in the stern into the water.
| Under the whole space of the engines, up to the
top, the angle irons are doubled-the upper, main,
| and saloon decks of wood, the two cargo decks
are of iron. The officers and seamen all accom-
modated on two decks under the forecase.
| From the ships bottom to the upper deck runs,
on either side, for the whole length Of the engines
and boiler space, strong iron partition, forming
below the coal-bunkers; and above, the servants
commodations side, engineers cabins and sto
kers' accommodations on the other, beside twenty
six water-closets.
She has six masts, fitted with iron rigging adopt
ed in consequence Of its offering two-thirds less re-
sstance than hemp--a great point going head to
wind. The plain sails of ffty-two gun frgate-
that is, without counting royals staysails and steer
ing saIlsnumber something short Of 5000 yards of
canvas; and the plain sails Of the Great Britain
amount TO 4,943 yards. She carries four large life
boats Of iron, and two boats Of wood in the davits,
and one large fe-boat on deck; they are built ac-
cording to patent taken out by Mr.. Guppy, and
are capable Of carrying 400 people. short time
| ago her life-boats tested. One of them was
lowered in the water the valves in the bottom being
arranged to give free ingress and egress to the
| water. To fill her more rapidly, a number of sail
| ors were sent into her with buckets, and she was
soon filed up to that height at which the water flow
| ed out fast as it was bailed in. About 30 men
were then sent into her. TO stand on the hwarts when
from the height she still oated out of the water, it
was evident that she could, when full of water,
sustain from SO to 60 persons, without the pos
sibility of her sinking.
The Great Britain has &c state rooms with one
bed each, and ll3 with two; so that, in addition to
| her own officers, firemen, &C., she can accommo-
date 252 passengers, each of whom can be provided
with single bed; and that without making up
single sofa, or any other temporary convenience
The walls, of the after principal promenade
saloon are painted in delicate tints, and along the
sides several fixed chairs ofoak. A row Of we'll
proporoned pillars, which range down the centre
of the promenade, the double purpose of orna
ment to the and support to the deck. In this
saloon, on either side, is range of exceedingly
comfortable state-rooms and sleeping berths About
twelve Of these each side of the deck will be re-
served for ladies, they are made TO communicate
with two commodious ladies' boudors, or private
sitting rooms, measuring IL feet by IA feet. The
framework Of the saircases, communicating from
this saloon with the deck is of iron. The stairs are
far more wide and commodious than is generally
met with on ship-board. From this promenade you
descend into the main or dining saloon, which is 10
feet inches long, by 81 feet VIDE Down the CEN
tire twelve principal columns Of white and gold,
with ornamental capitals Of great beauty. Twelve
similar columns also range down the walls on either
side. Between these latter and the entrances to the
sleeping-berths are, each side Of the deck eight
pasers, in the arabesque style, (of which charac-
ter the saloon generally partakes,) beautifully paint
ed with oriental birds and flowers. On either side
are seven DOORS which open into as many passages,
each of which communicates with four bedrooms
The arch-ways Of the several doors are tastefuly
carved and gilded, and are surmountcd with neat
medallion heads. Some looking-glasses are so ar
ranged as to reflect the saloon lengthwise at two
opposite sides, from which a very pleasing illusion
is produced The walls of this apartment are of
delicate demonstrated drab hue, relieved with blue,
white, and gold At the stern-end number of
sofas, which range above the other nearly up to
large room for the stewards use. The saloon is
fitted up with Of dining of sufficient
pacity to admit 800 persons sitting down TO dinner