Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1859-07-15
From London Times, June 18th, 1859.
The Great Eastern.

Several weeks have elapsed since we recorded the ar
rangements which had been entered into for completing
this noble vessel for In this interval much of the
work which was then being contracted for has been
done and such great and important progress has been
made with the most difficult portions of her equipment
that not the least doubt is felt OF the vessel not only
being finished in time, but being well at sea before the
end Of September Saying this much is giving the high
est praise to the energy and skill with which the drec
tors of the new company have exered Themselves and it
augurs we'll for the general of their future plans
that the first and most difficult undertaking. of all will
be accomplished within the appointed time Scarcely
two months ago and the great ship desolae as
wreck and with apparently little chance of ever going
to sea. Now the tunnels are up three mass are in
and rugged the paddeboXes are in the engines nearly
finished buwarks and decks complete and a whole
army Of workmen busy engaged getting forward her
internal fittings Such an amount of progress, when
judged by other ships, may appear to bc great mat
ter, but when reflect moment the details, and
find that the deck alone requires Is miles of five inch
plankng to it, that the paddle boxes of rolled
iron that each contains 900 cubic feet and is equal
in size to vessel of 600 tons, begin to see that in
point of labor some really astounding progress has al
ready been made.
When tenders for finishing the vessel were first called
for in March last the directors dissatisfied with
ALL and therefore concluded agreement with Mr. Scott
Russell the 4th OF April leaving it to that gentleman
to finish the ship upon his pans and to fit her in
every respect fer rst-cass vessel The contract
was for l25 000L, to be completed the 4th of Sep
tember, with premium of l,000L week for early
pleton and penalty of 100000 week for each
plete seven days beyond the allotted time This agree
ment includes the maSs, sails, rigging, blocks boats,
cables engines, boilers, ron-work and woodwork with
suitable accommodation for 500 rst-cass and 400 Sec
Ond-caSS passengers. OF course contract extensive
is not all performed by Mr. Russell himself but dstribu-
ted in various branches among different firms which he
has been in the habit of employing for his other ships
MpSSrS. Ferguson. celebrated
supply the masts and all the spars Messrs Westhorpe
take the rigging, Messrs. Hall the SAIL and Messrs.
Grace the decorations Brown, Lennox & Co. make
the chain cables Messrs. Wood supply rotmans anch-
ors and Messrs. Wolfe & Forrest the boats. Watt &
Co. finish the engines, and Mr. Russell the paddle
engines and all the remaining iron and wood work.
Some of these subdivisions include work enough to be
really considered extensive contracts. Thus the rig
ging will require 900 blocks and no less than 70 tons
of hemp rope with 80 tons Of mixed wire and hemp for
standing rigging Her sails will consume nearly 900
square yards of canvass she is to have 20 boats fitted
with masts and sails complete, exclusive of the two
small screw steamers, each of which is to be 100 feet
long by IL wde of 130 tons measurement and 40 horse
power She is to carry upwards OF thousand fathoms
of chain cables, all of the most massive description
Her anchors in number, rang ing from one ton to
seven tons the argest Had she BEEN fitted with the
Admiralty anchor and had the old rule been followed of
requiring certain weight Of anchor to the vessels ton
mage her largest anchors must have been 20 tons each
By using Trotmans anchors however the same holding
power is obtained with an anchor Of tons There
is no doubt whatever but that none but Trotman's
anchors could have held her mmoveabe at her present
moorings during the dreadful gales Of last winter The
chain cables have frequently parted under the tremen-
dous strain, but the anchors have never drawn single
| inch.
On coming into possession Of the vessel the new COM
pany thought that in case of war the Great Eastern
might prove an invaluable auxiliary to the Government
if not for carrying guns, yet still more effectively in
running down the largest of the enemys ships, which
the speed of the vessel would enable her to
take with perfect ease For this purpose therefore, it
was decided to strengthen still more her sharp powerful
bows by laying down three complete iron decks forward
extending from the bows backwards for l2O feet These
decks are entirely completed. They are over 5000
square feet and afford stowage for 400 tons of cargo
gnaee They will not however, be used for this pur
pose, but for accommodating the crew Of 800 Or 400