New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-06-16
THE GREAT SHIP.

The public waits with subdued curiosity the
curiosity is of the subdued character that would
attend the coming of any show, and lacks the in
terest with which nine months ago it looked for
ward to the approach of this Leyiathan of the
Seas, about to make as it was then hoped, won
derful change in the art of marine architecture,
and in the commerce of the world. SO far as the
Great Eastern is concerned, these hopes are enter
tanned no longer. If monster steamships are ever
built it must be TO subserve the great ends of COM
merce. For all such purposes she seems a failure
There are not more than one or two ports in this
country, or in Great Britain or Ireland, and not
many in the world, where, when loaded she could
enter; and these are places where there is trade
that could provide her cargo, and where the car
goes which she could carry would find no market.
Thus far, also, in oil the trial trips this great ship
has made, she has failed to attain that exceeding
swiftness which it was promised she would give.
Nor does she possess that stcadiness of motion
which was to make her triumphant over winds and
waves, and give immunity from sea-sickness to her
happy passengers. And We know from what
she did in the British Channel last Autumn,
how fearfully she must have rolled on the pas
sage over if she has once encountered an angry
Atlantic sea, for she has no keel, and no hold,
therefore, as the sailors say, upon thewater. With
bottom as smooth az logs, she rolls like one,
and her superiority in this direction as compared
with other vessels, is measured by her greater
bulk. This costly experiment has added something
to the sum Of human knowledge in the art of naval
architecture, but it is chiefly Of negative charac-
ter. 1t is what she is not rather than what she is,
for any useful purpose, than she will be studied by
the man of science and the political economist.
Nevertheless, she is great curiosity and if her
huge bulk shall succeed in crossing the bar, where
even the Persia sometimes touches and she shall
run safely into the inner bay, she will excite
very lively interest. She is the largest thing Of
mans contrvance that has ever foated upon
the waters, and could carry Der eath and upon her
capacious decks not only all that Noah took with
him into the ark, but the ark itself. The ship is
built of iron in ten water-tieht compartments,
and of double walls. Her measurement is about
90, COG tuns. Inlength she is 692 feet depth about
90 feet in breadth 63 feet and across her paddle
boxes ia feet. Her weight il about 30, 900 tuns.
She carries seven masts, on which may be spread
Il, 600 square yards of CANVASS; in her rigging was
used 70 tuns of hemp rope, and 80 tuns of mixed
wire and hemp. She carries Is anchors, weighing
from one to seven tuns, and 100 fathoms of chain
cable. Her paddle-whees are IS feet in diameter,
and pOnderous shaft of 100 feet in length and 60
tuns in weight, moves a screw with diameter of
"A feet. The engines which drive these wheels and
screw have united power of about IL, 900 horses,
or 81, 500 men, a force sufficient for all the ma
chnery of Manchester. Her full consumption of
coal is about $50 tuns a day. When fully manned
she requires 1000 men, and can carry 1000 pas
sengers of the usual distribution of first, second and
third class; or, transport ship, she could take
10000 troops.
The figures are appalling but after all they may
not convey very clear notion of the magnitude of
the ship. Perhaps this may be done by illustra-
ten. The Office Of The TRIBUNE is nearly the
same blight from the caves to the sidewalk as the
Great Eastern. The ship is immersed to the depth
of 26 feet in the water, which will leave "a feet
above the surface, about the hight of this Office
to the middle Of the third story windows. This
will be her apparent hight as she floats upon the
water. But suppose her to be on dry land, and
the comparison may be made with many buildings
in this city similar in style 10 that Of THE TRIBUNE
She would reach to their caves. Imagine that dry
hand lobe in Broadway. There is but space lin all
IN. IA nail of that venue from the Rou linz r. raao IA