The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1855-07-28
A Stea mer Of Twenty-FiVe Thou:
sand TOnS--The LeViathan.

A Stea mer Of Twenty-Five Thor.
sand TOns--The Lcviathan.
There are times when we are irresistibly
led to the conclusion that there are no lin
its to human skill and science. Wonderful,
and, in certain light, miraculous as many
of the results of this skill have already
been, and prepared as we are by past expe.
rience, to receive almost any achievement
as within the compass of mans ingenuity
and perseverance, we are yet occasionally
startled by the announcement of some new
feat, some fresh victory over time, space; or
the elements, which at first appears incred.
ible, but which, upon investigation, proves
to be true and practicable. A description
of new ocean steamer, which we find in
the last number of Dickens Household
Words, is an instance of this kind. This
vessel, now being constructed at the Isle of
Dogs, piece of land lying opposite Green
wich, England, is wonder OF enterprise
and skill. We copy a portion of the de-
scription to which we have referred:
Standing on the banks of the river
Thames, with vast open space on one
side and Greenwich Hospital on the other,
it is not easy to form just conception of
this marine monster, which, for want of a
better name, we call the Leviathan. 1t is
being built by Scott, Russell & Company,
from designs by Mr.. Brunei, the engineer,
whose conception the entire fabric is
When we remind our readers that the Roy
al Albert line-of-battle ship, of one hum
dred and twenty guns, is something under
four thousand tons, and about two hundred
and twenty feet in length; and that the
Simla and Himalaya, at present the largest
steamers af1oat, are only three hundred and
twenty feet in length or thereab bouts; they
may form some idea of the proportions oil
this Eastern Steam Navigation Company'a
ship, when they are told that it will be six
hundred and eighty feet in length, and oil
twenty-five thousand tons burden: in other
words, of more than six times the capacity
of our largest men-of-war, and above double
the length of the largest steamship afoat
In the Leviathan the screw will be com.
bined with the paddle worked by engines
nominally of two thousand six hundred
horse power, but in reality capable OF be.
ing worked up TO ten thouand horse power
To guard against accidents at sea to- ma
chinery, and to prevent any detention from
such cause, the paddle wheels will not
only be perfectly distinct from each other
in their working, but each, will be set in
motion by several sets of machinery of su.
per-abundant power, 50 that at all times, de-
rangements of cleaning of one or two cyl
inders or boilers win not interfere with the
progress of the ship. ..,,-s.
Steam will be the sole propelling power
no canvass being contemplated in this yes.
sci. In fixing the great size of the Levia
than, its protector believes that he has OBJ
tained the elements Of speed hitherto un
known in sea going steamers. 1t is con-
fdently predicted that by the great length
of the Leviathan she will be enable 10 pass
through the water at an average speed Of
fifteen knots an hour, with q smaller power
in proportion to tonnage than ordinary YES
sells now require to make ten knots. The
contracting speed of most ocean mail-car
rying steamers is eight knots.
We believe that the Eastern Steam Navi
CATION Company intend making their frs
voyage to Australia. The actual distance
from Milford Haven the Company's start.
ing point, to Port Phillip is less than l9,o0t
miles, if no ports be touched at. A spec,
of fifteen knots or miles an hour averaged
from land to land would take the Leviathal
to the golden colony in 80 days. This car
only be accomplished even at that higl
speed by not stepping for Goals, which be
sides OBTAINING q ship many days in the diff
ferent ports, carries her great distanct
out the direct steaming course. Here W.
find another novelty brought to bear by Mr.
Brunei. A ship of this huge capacity cal
carry 10000 tons of coal-quite sufficient
it is stated, for her consumption on the out
ward and homeward voyage. Space will
still be left for 5000 tuns Of cargo, the mas
sive machinery, and 5000 passengers wit
their luggage and all necessary stores 10
use.
/ We inspected model of the ship in woot
Il i r..FeH 4.
and could scarcely believe that the unsight
ly mass of iron plates, rivets and joint
just beheld could by any possible ingenuit
be wroughtinto anything SO beautifully sym
T metrical as the long, arrow-like little Graf
8 before us, tapering off forward assharply q
. a woodman's hatchet or . Thames wherEy
: From that modelwe were enabledt to under
: stand where the engines, Goals, stores aRt
2 cargo would be placed, and moreover wher'
d the two thousandfrst-class passengers woult
: be berthed in theirfive hundred state cabins
!. and where the two thousand second clasl