New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-09-23
APPROACHING LAUNCH OF THE GREAT
EASTERN
From The London DdRy Ne

APPROACHING LAUNCH OF THE GREAT
EASTERN.
From The London Daily News.
II s now more then three years since the lofty walls
Of iron forming the sides Of the Great Eastern began
70 excite the wonder of voyagers up and down the
Thames, and che approaches completion the public
interest increases. Enormous size, which s naturally
the dis ctve feature that first strikes the Observer
IL, feweyeT, one Of the leaet of the mar9els tnat
belong to the Joint production of Mr.. Scott Russell
and Mr.. Brunei. We have the assurance OF the
former that the Great Eastern is built upon pre- ,isey
the same model as every vessel he has constructed
since bis discovery of the wave line - yeas ago. In
the wonderful ship that towers some 20 feet above
the level Of the Isle of dogs, dwarhng every passing
vessel by Der enormous proportions We have only az
extension of the lines upon which Mr.. Russell built
tbe little Wave, of u tuns.
Granting then, that the mammoth ship is merely
an extended copy Of all other iron steamers built on
the line principle let US see what are the "ONe
or two exceptions" 80 modes'ly alluded to by Mr.
Russell, last week before the British Association q:
Dublin. The most prominent, in reality, though a
feature which escapes unprefessional visitors is the
cellular construction Of the upper deck and the lower
part Of the hull up to the water line, or about thirty
Feet from her bottom, which ID as flat as the floor OF
room. This system, while 1t gives great buoyancy TO
the bul ncrt asses her strength enormously aud thus
enables her TO resist almost any amount of outward
pressure. Two walls Of iron about sixty feet hg
divide the vessel longitudnay into three parts-the
inner containing the boilers the epginer0Qms and the
saloons, rising one above the other and the lateral
divisions the coal buDkers and above them the side
eabYs and berhs The saloons sixty feet length,
the principal one nearly half the width of the vessel
and lighted by skylights from the upper deck. On
either hand the cabins and berhs those OF first class
pssseI gers being commodiOus rooms large enough 70
contain every requirement OF the most fastidious of
lspdsmen. The thickness Of the lower deck will pre-
vent any sound from the engine.room reaching the
and the vibration IRON being at all felt by
ihem. On each side Of the eDgiserooms is tunnel
through which the steam ard water-ppeS will be car
ned and also rails for ecOnomzing labor in the
veysnce of coal The berths of the crew are war5
below the forecase, which is intended to approp:-
ate 10 the officers whose apartments are ct present
only marked by few uprights, risips ten orrWelve
feet above the main deck. Below the berths of the
sesmen are two cavities for cargo OF which
5000 tuns can be carried beside Goals for the voyage
70 Australia, making about as many tuns more.
The weight of this huge ship being 1900 tuns, and
her Goa ana cargo about lS 600 more, h motive
power required to propel her twenty miles per hour
must be proporonate. Ii the visitor walks aft, aud
looks down deep chasm near the stern, be wi per
ceve an enormous metal shaft, 100 feet 10 length aud
weighing 60 tuns; this extends from the enginero0m
peae VI the stern 10 the extremity Of the ship and IS
destined to the screw the four fans OF watch are
of proportiontte weight aud dimensions. III he walk
fcswMd and look over the SIDE he will see paddle.
whee considerably larger than the circle at Ashley
and when he learns that this wheel and its fellow will
be driven by four engines having nominal power OF
600 horses, and the screw by nominal power OF
1000 horses he will have difficulty in conceiviug
voyage TO America being performed IN seven days. and
10 Australia in thry-ve days. The screw engines, de-
signed and manufactured by Messrs james Watt Il
Co., by far the largest ever constructed and when
making so rev Outions per minute, will exert an ehoc
tive force Of not less than 900 horses 1t is difficult
to realize the work which this gigantic force wouli
perform il applied to the ordinary operations OF COM
merce 1t would raise l32 100 gallons OF water to the
top Of the Monument in minute, or drive the
machinery Of forty of the largest cotton mills 10 M4u
chester, giving employment TO from 80 600 to 40 600
operatives. The four cylinders weigh abo ut - tuns
each and are "a inches in diameter The crank shaft,
20 which the connecting rods are applied s forging
and weighs about 80 tuns. The boilers are Elk In
number having seveny.two furnaces, aud an absorb
ent heating surface nearly equal in extent TO sn acre
Of ground The total weight exceeds 200 tuns, and
yet they are admirably oontrved that they can be
set in motion or stopped by single hand.
Sails will not be much needed for in careering over
The Atlantic twenty miles per hour, with moderate
wine they would impede rather than aid progression
but in the event OF strong wind arising, going twen
tyfve miles per hour in the course OF the vessel sails
may be used with advantage, and the Great Eastern
s provided accordingly with seven mass, two square
rgged the Others carrying fore and aft sails only. The
larger masss will be iron tubes, the smaller OF wood
The tunnels, of which there viii be five,
structed with double castings, and the space between
the outer and inner castings will be flied witn water
which viii answer the double purpose Of preventing
the radiation of heat to the decks, and ecouomizing
coal by esusing the water to enter the boilers in
state. Her Raging will probably cause most disturb
anoe Of ideas 10 nautical observers, for, beside
the unusua! number of masts, she will want two of
the most striking features Of al other vessels namely,
eOWepfn ana gure-ne8d. Another pecuIiTlry Is the
absence Of poop. The cap aims apartment is placed
amidshps Immediately below the bridge, whence the
electric telegraph will flash the commanders orders to
the engineer below helmsman at the wheel. and look
ont man at the bows. In iron vessels great precsu-
tons are necessary to prevent the compass from being
Influenced by the mass Of metal in such attractive
proximity, and various experiments have been made
with the view of discovering the bes. mode of
coming this difficulty Ii was originally intended 10
locate the compass upon stage forty feet high but
fbis plan has been abandoned aud standard compass
will be xed TO the mizenmast at an elevation be-
yend the magnetic influence Of the ship.
Whatever misgivings may be felt as TO the length of
The vessel, and the great weight she viii cary amid
skips viii be set st rest before she even touches the
water by the mode of launchiDg-an operation which
viii be as great O novelty as the ship herself. The
plan hitherto has been to build the vessel an 20
cintd plane and at night angles with the water but
IN the Of the Great Eastern this was impossible,
On account Of her great length 70 say nothing OF the
expense Of building vessel Of her enormous dinsa-
sisnt N position which would elevate her foreease
neariy ioo feet above the ground These coosidera'
nons ieo MI Brunei 10 determine upon launching her
ndeways, with which view abe has been built p.rae
% the rver. lp constructing the foundation Of the
6esr on which she stands provision has been made al
twopons 10 insure sufficient strength 10 bear the whole
vef ht when completed. On these NO points she will
sest when resdy and thus her strength si De .estd IN
NE severest and therefore most Satisfactory nannar
I've cradles wiz be introduced ct iheas points ana she
viD tbsp be moved BY two powerful 6ydrsulic en-
s,6es. THtsr-wsJe aJs lad doHh to i n SI.ey msrk