New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-07-03
The Great Eastern,

As this monster steamship, the largest in the
world, has at length reached the shores of this
country, some of our readers may be glad to re-
fresh their memories regarding her history and
principal characteristics, which are briefly re-
counted below:
The construction of the Great Eastern was conf
menced in 1856 and she was nearly three years in
building, having been launched in the early part Of
1858. She was designed by Isamberd K. Brunei, is
owned by the Eastern Steam Navigation Com
pany,' and has cost. including alargesum spent in
launching, and for repairs rendered necessary by
an explosion, something over three millions of dol
lars. She is made of iron, the plates threefeurths
of an inch thick, bolted together by rivets an inch
in diameter. She built on the eastern bank of
the Thames, at Millwall adjoining London. The
frs. efforts TO launch her were made on the Sd Of
November, 1857, but it was not until the 3lst Of
the succeeding January that she hoated. From
that time until the 7th OF September she was being
made ready for her trial trip, which took place on
that day.
Her hull is $50 feet long and So broad, and some
idea of the immense size of the vessel may be
formed from the fact that the North South Fourth,
Pearl street and st. Johns Presbyterian churches
in New York city could all stand upon her deck
lengthwise, and with SIS feet to spare. Across her
paddle boxes she is 40 feet broad and the length
| of her upper deck is 692 feet Her capacity,
1875 tuns. The hight Of her hull Is so feet, and
walk around her deck j. equal to quarter of
i mile. The vessel Is designed to accommodate
1000 passengers first class, 1000 second class,
and 1900 third class. The engineer and crew, $50
| in number, will be accommodated near the two
ends of the vessel. The forecase is l40 feet long
| and feet high. The hull is divided into ten water
| tight compartments. There are two longitudinal
walls of iron running through her 36 feet apart SO
that her hull is a series of cells. She has accommo-
datons for 5000 TINS of freight and II 600 tuns Of
! coal. The accommodations for passengers are, Of
4 course ample. There are ten saloons altogether
five on the upper and five on the lower deck
/ the length varying from 60 to 20 feet The furni-
ture is rich and beautiful. Most of these saloons
are l. feet high, and adjoining some of them ART,
/ two tiers of staterooms, one above the other.
/ Some of the state.rooms us large ordinary
/ parlor, and fitted up for the convenience OF FAM
i lilies.
The propeng power is in enormous steam en-
/ gines, acting upon both paddle wheels and the
screw. The paddle engines are 1000 horse power,
/ and the screw 1000 horse power, giving total OF
$500 horse power, at pressure OF 70 ibs; though
/ il necessary, they work to force of upwards
of 10000 horses. There are ten boilers, and each
4 boiler can be cut of from its neighbor, and used
/ or not as desired. The boilers are placed longi-
i tudinay along the center of the ship and are en-
tirely independent OF each other. Every paddle
i boiler has ten furnaces, and each screw boiler
twelve furnaces, thus giving to the whole the large
number Of il2 furnaces. The fuel intended to be
used is anthracite coal. The Great Eastern has
six masts, five of which made of hollow
wrought iron, and is arranged to carry 65o0 yards
of canvas. A telegraph apparatus IS IN The eap-
tains office, by means of which his orders are con-
veyed to every part of the ship. she carries
twenty large boats on deck and swings on dayits
two screw steamers, one hundred feet long and pc
| tween sixty and seventy tuns bnrthens. u ls eA-
pected that the Great Eastern will be anchored for
about week off the Battery, aud then taken 70
her wharf East river, at the foot OF hammond
street The shin started on trial trip on the 9th,
running twelve hours out to sea, and tWel4e honrS
: back The trial was regarded as satisfactory,
although the rate of speed attained did not at any
time exceed l34 knots the average pens IA koes'