Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-06-06
DAILY VIRGlNIAN.
The S.rena Ensaern.


This Is the biggest craft yet that has been
built to navigate the rolling and pitching seas,
since the DAYS of Noah's Ark. Nay, it il bigger
than Nnah's Ark, as says the London Times,
who advises the visitor OF tho Great Eastern
before he goes. unless he is very well versed In
the book Of Genesis. to turn to the 9th chapter
and refresh his memory Us TO the Dimensions OF
Noah,s Ark aud the ''fashion" ot it's making:
1.-The length of tho Ark shall be 80 oubits, tho
breadth Of it 50 oubits, and tho height OF It ~
oubits.r So. reckoning the oubit as foot and
a half We have u ship 45O feet longs 70 feet
broad. aud 45 feet high, While the visitor Is
collecting data as to ships. sacred and protane,
he may turn ou, marlborough" in the Nary
List, mud there he will see that the largest line
of-batte ship in the British Navy in exactly of
1000 tons burden. And now let him get on
board n Greenwich steamer. aud he fteamed
through the picturesque Pool to Mwall. Just
opposite Deptford he will be aware OF something
pre- Adamtic wallowng In the Isle OF Dogs-a
standard snurian ship, to which Noah's Ark must
Weld preoedenoe and to which all the iaribor-
oughs, and Ueiiingtons. and Merrimdes, and
Niagatds in the world are mere cock bouts. An
Iron hull of The burden of 23,OOO tons. nearly
700 feet long. and sixty feet high will meet bis
eye-the hull of Mr.. Scott Russell's Great Eds-
tern steamship. We must give n few more hg.
ures, for every figure ls monster. ana worth
looking ut separately. One is figure of 3D0O0
the number OF the iron plates which compose
the enormous erection. each weighing The third
of n ton and ench fastened by 100 rivet-. The
shin win accommodate 1000 passengers, sOO Of
whom are first class. On AN emergency she
could carry 10 600 troops She will contain lo
boilers, and 100 furnaces. The cylinder OF eve
nv engine will be feet in diameter, aud will
weigh five times ms much as the great bell OF
ST Paurs in London. screw propeller will
be 2t feet in diameter, and tho diameter ut the
pndale wheels will be SO feet, or CON iderahly
larger tbnn tho circus at Astley's. The prinoi-
pal suite of saloons will be 400 feet in length,
and promenade round the deck will afford walk
of more than a quarter of a mile. This munster
ship will combine steam power IN both shapes,
screw and paddle, with sailing power She will
onrry II 900 tons Of oonl, she will be lighted by
gas ON bonrd, and the electric light will flicker
like st Elmo's fire at night from her mast head.
She will spread 4, 500 yards of canvass, and her
speed is computed at Is knots, or ID miles an
hour-a rate which will perform tho voyage to
India by the Cape, and to Australian little more
than month We would not wish to bs tho
captain of this gallant ship.
The Times ohuoklcs over the thought that
this mammoth steamer, with its wondrous speed
the giant dromedory of the deep, will bring the
mdinu empire of Great Britain home.
The resul. of this great experiment IN ship
building, if it answers, OF which there Is htile OF
no doubt will be consolidation OF the Brtlsh
Empire such ns we have not yet seen. Half of
the space which separates the various sections
Of IL from tho mother country and from each 9th
or will be nnnihila,ed our colonies will be brought
comparatively close to us, and, what Is almost
of as mnch Importance as TO the actual vicinity
gained they will be more than twice as near us
in imagination. The difference between months
vovape and two or three months is all the diff
ference 10 the Imagination. We think ofa place
as within reach, and with home distance it it
is only "a month off" The whole Empire is
thus brought into homo compass. and obtains
the addition Of strength which 50 much greater
union gives. We shall find ourselves paying
visits 10 and receiving visits from India and Aus
trnia Our friends will come over for the sum
mer with return tickets, and the British Empire
will become in virtual compass u proyince.'