Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1856-06-19
A Modern Ark,

..-. n WUu6IH AIhs
An objection is often made to the Bible rec
ord of Noah's Arb, that it was beyond the pow
er of man to construct such q monster to float
upon the deep. -
But ships now building in England which
seems to answer that objection in most eifec-
tnal manner; by representing to the world
second Ark of almost equal bulk. This enor-
nous vessel, that is to surpass all the wonders
OF Navigation since the days of Noah, is being
built on the Thames few miles below London.
She is to be 6so feet long and to carry $500
tons She is large enough to take inside oil
her the whole of the Collins line, or four ships
of the size of the Baltic. She is 60 feet deep,
aud has four decks one above another. Her
principal saloons are 400 feet long. She Is
built of iron, &c, 900 tons being used in her con-
strccton. The company which built her is
chartered with capital of 91,200,0O0 with
the power to increase it to two million sterling.
The cost will therefore be from six to ten miE
lions of dollars
1t would seem at first as if the attempt to
built such a vast structure were like that to
build the tower of Babel, a stupendous folly
And yet wise and sagacious men think other
wise. The designer and architect is Mr.. Bru-
mel, one of the first engineers of England
whose father built the tunnel under the Thames
and he is sanguine that she will be successful
as ship, and will pay large profits even at her
enormous cost. He reasons thus
She is designed for the trade to Australia
The distance is nearly 10000 miles, so that q
voyage out and back would be nearly equal to
voyage around the globe. A sailing ship
takes many months to 60 and return. Steam
sholtens the TIME one half. Still, even then,
hn vtn ckx
which might carry coal enough to cross the
Atlantic would be exhausted by the middle Of
the passage Then come the necessity of turn
ing far ont of the way to go to some African
or South American port, as the ship makes the
passage by the Cape Of Good Hope or Cape
Horn, to obtain a supply of coal. This involves
great delay, and adds much to the time OF tho
voyage. besides, coal must be bought Of these
foreign ports at double or quadruple price,.
When the American squadron was in japan,
the government had to send out coal to them,
by which the cost was SO enormously increased,
that one time the expenses of the squadron for
coal alone WAS fifteen hundred dollars dayl
This is a great obstacle to steam navigation
in the Pacific, or on long voyages. To meet
this, the bold Brunell formed the project Of o
ship large enough tocarvy coal sufficient to feed
entirely around the globe. The Great Eastern
will carry ten thousand tuns of coal Sc that
when she leaves England she will not need to
stop until she reaches Australia. Besides coal,
she will carry 5000 tuns of freight and can
stow away within her sides 10000 soldiers,
with their field equipments.
Every possible security is made against acct
dent. She is built with double hula ship
xxf ot,s Ak.,t
broken in, the inner one could float In perfect
safety. Besides bulkbeads are carried from
the keel to the deck, dividing the ship into
Number Of water-tight compartments. II seems
impossible, therefore, to sink her.
Though so large she is not an unwiedly mass.
She is steercd by two ruddcrs, by which she
can be turned quickly around Her model Is
said to be fine, and the power such as to drive
her swiftly through the water. Besides five
lnasts, rugged with sails like line of battle ship,
she has both side wheels and screw propeller.
Her engines are driven by ten boilers, which
are heated by one edfurnaces. Mr.. Bru-
nell estimates her speed to be fifteen knots an
hour, by which she can make the run to In
dia, around the Cape of Good Hope in thirty
three days, and to Australia in thirty six. The
Great Eastern was begun In May 1865, and
has five hundred men constantly at work upon
her. The builders hope to have her completed
by next Summer, though many think she will
require two or three years to finish her When
ready for water, she is to be launched sideways.
When fairly aGoat in the Thames, she will be
such sight as England never saw and when
on the Ocean, all the fleets and navies of the
world will yield the title of Monarch to this
Lcviathan.
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