The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-10-16
From tho New York Commercial Advert
THE GREAT EASTERN STEAMSHIP.


The building of this evathan steamer is perhaps the
greatest enterprise undertaken in commerce
Notwithstanding that the idea suggested by the expert
men is that it is mainly display of scientific knowl
edge and moneyed powers it is essentially commercial
undertaking. and English journal takes the position
that the monster is in reality the smallest that
can be built to make economical voyage to India
Australia The facts in support of this position are in
brief these An ordinary steamer of eighteen hundred
tons burden consumes average fifty tons of coal
per de voyage of thirty six days would therefore
haust all her COAL if she carried nothing but the
fuel necessary for her motion Such steamer making
the voyage from England to Australia would therefore
need to have various depossay at the following sta
tons St. Vincent, Cape Of Good Hope, and the Mauri-
thus, beside one in Australia for the commencement of
the return voyage As coal exists at those points, the
whole supply for the voyage both ways would have to be
from England, and the heavy expense consequent
hereupon would of have to be charged to the
steamers account. a a
Indeed is stated that steamers have lost as
much as fifty thousand dollars by the voyage from Eng
land to Australia and back and that the steamer which
performed il in the quickest time and therefore with the
greatest economy in fuel lost five thousand dollars by
the trip although she had full freight both ways, and
full complement of passengers both outward and home
ward After these repeated trials and repeated failures
to establish profitable steam communication between
these points the project almost entirely aban-
doned and clipper ships substituted But the rising
Importance of Australia made this substitute very nsa
isfactory. Some means of communication certain
and regular as well rapid, dcsideratun
and the attention of Mr. Brunei, the welknown eng-
nee and Mr. Scott RUSSELL very scientific and success
full constructor of iron steamers intensely directed
to the subject To them belongs the credit of project
thp af
ing steam on that voyage. The problem to be solved
was spposng could be built the average speed
OF which would be eighteen miles hour what should
be her size In order carry coal sufficient for the voyage
in addition to paying complement of freight and passen-
gers Mr. Brunei furnished the dimensions of such a
steamer and Mr. Russell engaged to construct her of the
requisite speed The capacity required from twenty
thousand TO twenty five thousand At the rate of
speed guaranteed by Mr. RUSSELL and by choosing the
best route steamer may the projectors calculate that
she viii make the voyage out in from thirty to thirty
FIVE days Her consumption of coal estimated at about
hundred and eighty two tons per day Twelve thou
sand tons WILL therefore, suffice for the voyage both
ways and the expenses Of her fuel viii be about eighteen
thousand dollars each way, thirtysix thousand dol
lars for the round voyage
The model of the Great Eastern is the principle Of
what is called the wave line " which believe Mr..
Russell claims TO have originated number Of years
ago he built small iron steamer this principle which
he called the Wave and which proved very successful in
point of speed Several steamers have since been built
In England upon the principle, but believe that
an American ship-owner. Mr. Mccoy, Of Boston, was the
first TO adopt the model for sailing vessels The Great
Eastern Is in ct ahuge iron clipper steamer differing lit
tie II at all from the iron steamers hitherto built by Mr.
RUSSELL except in her enormous size made necessary by
the length and nature Of the voyage In contemplating
such structure il is almost impossible preserve the
idea Of utility and profit The calmnes of judgment
seay for the clear and full comprehension Of the details