New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-06-29

sharp artillery had cev,ed or the shower had sacksned
IN the leas Even then we took to the tug in heavy
falling rain, and thus unpromisingly began our great
Atlantic voyage But az we stood shivering beneath
the dripping awning the cock crowed all the while,
and on all sides it was accepted as happy omen
Presently and by slow degrees we drew in sight OF
the big ship; and there she lay crosswise before our
line Of vision seemingly stretching HALFWAY from land
TO hand, and breathing from every lung an apparent
desire 70 be off. Nearer and nearer we approached,
her fine inea becoming every minute more distinc aud
the long black bnk lifting itself gradually into tower
ING st, ucture that doomed more like an Island than
ship. Notwithstanding her monstrous SIZE she did
not convey an idea Of ncrtness, but her yacht-like
symmetry her eager bow her graceful sern her huu-
bred winking windows, and the vast wheels, larger
than crcus-rng, that swung readily in the center,
all contributed to give her lifeke look, and make
her seem thing Of instructive aud motion. In
this vew we at times failed in true idea Of her size,
but when we saw ordinary schooners passing like
minnows along her, their mass not reaching TO her
white deck streak and reflected that 1t required OF
them more than quarter of q mile of calling TO 20
once around, her magnitude and ponderosity came
back. And when we reached her, and looked up that
vast frowningiron wall our vision limited to the harsh
perpendicular section abaft the wheel we again lost
comprehension of her as ship, and gazed mp with
wonder not unmixed with awe at the overhanging
mass. 1t hardly seemed possible as we pulled our
selves timdly up along it's rvted aud f"rbdding sur
face that such an upright world of iron could float
through the swinging, troubled waves, and dare say
that more than one of the adventurous mites who were
at that moment silent and thoughtfully crawling with
me up toward her deck, felt twnge rtwo of doubt
whether she could safely fight an angry sea. There
was one philosopher among US, however, whose mind
was not perurbed by any theories or doubts and that
was my reckless game-cock, who, glorious fellow, as
soon as he had been set down safely the deck AID
thrust his bill ondy into the plumage of his hens to
ascertain that all was right, stretched himself to his
fullest hight and sent forth such rousing sautation
that il was heard from end TO end of the chip The
little knot of gentlemen who stood around could not
help laughing at the birdie complacency. No fear OF
i'll luck with you my fine fellow" remarked, your
spirits p,ognosticate safely for all and now prom
ice that your progeny shall be made glorious in the
New World by the name of The Great Eastern.
The Colonel" shook his golden name, and turned his
head proudly as spoke, and half persuaded myself
that be understood my words.
When set my foot upon the Great Eastern the no.
ton of her ship-lke cbaracter-which had lost while
coming up her sde-was restored AZ once by observa-
ton Of Der long out-howing deck There was the ship
again. vast and amazing it is true, but with not line
thar bewildered or confused the eye and symmetrical
or as our NewYork pilot said, 80 sweet, that her
five great tunnels now belching forth their clouds OF
smoke her ak great masts which ranged along line,
| her monster paddle-boxes, her mammoth cables, in
deed every Titanic concomtant of size that was spread
about her, soened the eye and took the measure OF
an ordinary SIZE 1t was really difficult for observer
to persuade himself at first sight that that deck was $50
feet long about the distance between the Fifth avenue
and Broadway along the line of Fourteenth street.,
that was also SO broad and that stood above her
ocean floor nearly 60 feet.
The tunnage of the Great Eastern, by actual meas
urement is o. 500 and it has doubtless often puzzled
those who have read about her to know why she
should have been projected at that particular size. Tne
answer like the secret of her NAME is found in the fact
that she was destined for the Australia and Great East
ern trade and it had been soundy asceaned that that
trade could not be proaby conducted by steam vessels
of ordinary tunnage because of the long distance and
the time lost by the frequent necessity TO stop for GOALS
"The problem to be solved was this, says we'll
written history ofthe ship: "Supposng vessel could
be built to sail Is miles an hour, what ought the
size of a steamer to be, which could carry out
with her fuel for her voyage to Australia,
there and backF The voyage both ways il Is, 600
miles; the tunnage therefore must be nearly tun
mile; and it was this for his bass that Mr. Brnnel,
the eminent engineer laid the Great Easerns size.
His calculation was that she would run at steady
rate of twenty miles to the hour and that her con-
sumption of cosls per diem for such rate, would be
less than 200 tons. The first great matter of size being
thus xed the style and method of construction were
the next considerations and the protector decided upon
making her without keel in order that she might not
draw so much water as to exclude her from every port
and by way Of driving her vast bulk the most nat
ural principles he added to the fins represented by the
paddle wheels the tail Of the fish, by giving her pro-
peller in the stern. Had the power subsequently
placed in her been adequate TO this conception, and TO
the bulk necessary to be driven, it quite probable
that all the calculations ofthe talented designer Except
perhaps bis notion to the low consumption of COAL,
would have been fully realized. To give strength,
muscular fiber, and lightness to the ship Mr. Brunei
decided at the outset that she should be built of ron
and to make her entirely SAFE he adopted the cellular
construction, by which she was to be made vast met
al tube This tube was consist of twelve seperate
air-tght compartments, surrounded, or enveloped by
an outer skim case two feet ten inches apart from
it, but joined to it at intervals by downright iron
walls, or partitions, so as to make still new set OF
alright compartments from stem to stern. BY this
method of construction the projected vessel would not
only be one ship but two being placed within tho
other and separated and protected from it, that if
hole were be knocked in any portion Of her bottom,
she would float without feeling the injury. That
this mode of construction was immensely strong had
been satisfactorily proved by the Britannia tubular