The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-09-27
THE GREAT EASTERN.
THE RETURN OF CAPT. CoMsrocK.
Particulars Of the Explosion on Board thu
Great Eastern.
ACCOUNT BY AN EYEWITNESS.
The Monster ship Coming to New
York via Sandy Hook,
&C., &C., &c.

Our reporter had an interview yesterday with Capt J. J.
Comstock, lately of the Collins steamship Baltic whs
came home as passenger in the Vanderbilt arrived yes
crday from Southampton from which port she sailed ON
the 18th instant Captain Comstock will be rccoleced
commanded the Russian steam fgate General Admiral
her recent voyage from New York to Cronstadt Hs
has taken great interest in the mammoth steamship
Great Eastern from the commencement has visited her
every few months while in course of construction
and, on the invitation of Captain Harrison her
commander, and the Board of Directors OF tho
Great Ship Company, he accompanied her on
her trip, and happened to be deck at the time of
the fatal steam explosion on Hastings the evening OF
the 9th inst Captain Comsock highly pleased with the
steamer prononnces her perfect success so far as nay
CATION concerned and is enthusiastic on the sub
jcct of her performances. Many have the impression
that the late trip trial trip for speed but this
entire mistake The trip made simply for tho pu-
pose Of removing the ship from her position in the Thames
to seaport where she be coalcd put in proper
trim for trial trip.
THE DAY OF sAILING--THE SHIP COMING TO NEW
YORK THROUGH THE NARROws
The Great Eastern is to be prepared her trial tp as
the repairs necessiaed by the explosion can bs
completed Her trial trip will be from Portland to Holy
head and according to present arrangements she win
sail from Hoyhead for Portland America on the 10th Of
October.
has been fully determined by the Board OF Direction
that from Portland, United States, The Great Eastern shalt
come on an excursion trip TO Nec York. BY The nay Sandy
Hook This is positively settled and determined Shortly
before the ship left the Thames Capt Comstock and Capt
Harrison both questioned the subject before the
Board of Direction and both in the opinion that
the ship enter the harbor the bar Sandy Hook
drawing twenty four and half feet Of water with perfect
safety The famous clipper ship Great Republic crossed
Az
It then arranged that at Portland U. s. the Great
Eastern shall be ghtened to the required draft and then
proceed on her excursion to this city via Sandy Hook
She will probably anchor somewhere in the neighbor
hood Of the Battery and the rush of the Knckcrbockers
board to visit her, some time next November viii
doubtless be tremendous Captain Comstock of opinion
that the Great Eastern cannot the bar safely except
ut tho spring tides which fortnight and that
then she cannot bring much any cargo il would
hardly pay to run her regularly to this port.
CAPTAIN C0MsToCKs OPINION OF HELL GATE.
The Helgate channel, he thinks, is mpractcable NOT
want Of water but because the channel crooked
vessel of her immense length Under very extraor-
binary circumstances the passage through He'll Gate might
be effected This would be at dead high tide and just
the turn when there LITTLE current through the channel
and then steam tugs would be required to assist her
making the short turns and the undertaking would ba
tended with some hazard If the were running
the channel the tugs would not be able to hold and
manage the ship account Of the great surface Of re-
sistance presented to the current by her bottom.
great deal might be effected for Hegate by blasting out
Of the rocks and walng up others square, such
to straighten the of the tide but sun
the Captain thinks the channel would hardly be safe and
practicable for vessels of the immense proportions Of the
Great Eastern
THE PERFORMANCE OF TIE GREAT EASTERN.
The Great Eastern sailed for Portland England under
very dsadvanageous circumstances, being sadly out Of
TRIM with small dip to her paddles and large portion
of her being useless. Yet she attained speed
with only twothrds of the power her engines of 1917
knots per hour and at that speed there no perccp
BILE jar motion. Her performance was equal to that OF
any other steamer. She was managed with the
greatest and facility and far could be Judged
from the encountered between the South Forcand
and the Isle of Wight she would be very steady indeed
This was, however, only what is called q
'channel sea- and an ocean sea, with long heavy
ground swell, would Of give her more notion
Large ships pitching and tossing about in the waves
which the Great Eastern rode smoothly as our
ferry boats the East and North rivers in high
wind
THE FATAL EXPLOSION ON BOARD.
The steam explosion board the Great Eastern
red on the evening of the 9th ins about twelve miles of
Hastings AT the tme the ship going only about
eleven understanding Of less rate of speed than
she had beenowng to the feed apparatus not perform
ing its functions properly Capt Comstock was standing
in company with Mr. Wood, reporter OF the Times, Mr..
John Scott RUSSELL Mr. Campbell Chairman Of the
pany and other gentlemen the foot bridge just
forward Of the wheel house. when he observed the
trail smoke pipe, seventy five hundred feet from him,
suddenly rise high into the air. At the same moment
there terrific explosion. The smoke pipe fol-
ton of tho water jacket around it, weighing from
to ten tons, and then an immense or
debris material, glass skylghts, smashed chande-
licrs, broken furniture, demolished mirrors, &c.
The force Of the explosion appeared to be almost
entirely in upward direction, aid the wreck
Of materials from the grand saloon and the rooms below
seem to have been drawn into the ascending vortex by
the exhaustion or vacuum produced by the explosion.
The grand saloon and sleeping apartments adjacent wero
left heap of Tho only reaction appeared to BIO
that which blew open the furnace doors and drove all the
fire in the furnaces out upon the hands employed tho
Hreroom II was observed that Of the injured ap-
cared be scaded but burned by the fire. Before the
Vanderbilt sailed six Of the poor fellows had
died besides the who was lost overheard, and
one of the others not expected to
recover Captain Comstocks first impression on wit
Messing the ascent of the smoke pipe was that
boiler bad burst and DC ran to the side TO zee il the
wheels continued in notion or fthe sides ofhe ship were
injured. Nothing appeared to be wrong with the ship,
however, and is noticeable fact that the engines
not stopped at oil until the vessel reached Portland o.
course the greatest CONSERVATION prevailed on board
until the extent Of the disaster could be asccrtaned The
whole length the ships deck strewn with the falling
debris and is astonishing that were killed The
disaster attributed to piece Of carelessness or over
sight, having been occasoncd by neglect to turn single
small stop cock in out Of the way place. It appears
that the boilers are fed by auxiliary pumps, worked en-
rely independent Of the main engines, and without any
connection with the working Of the ship. The water
thrown by these pumps passes through what is called
water jacket-a sort Of reservoir around the smoke
pipes where heated before entering the boilers Con-
nccted with this water jacket is syphon pipe, rising