New Oregon plaindealer. (New Oregon, Iowa) 1859-1866, 1860-07-20
THE GREAT EASTERN.

The view YORK papers come 10 US
fned with accounts Of the arrival of
the mammoth steamship Great Eastern.
The 2Sth day Of June will long be re-
membered throughout the civilized
world, as the day On which communi-
cation between continent and continent
was made to more nearly approach the
point necessary to subserve the con-
stantly increasing, commercial interests
of the nations of the world, by the sue
cessful issue of the first voyage of this
truly magnificent specimen Of maritime
architecture. In spite Of apparent fail
ures, which this attempt has met, and
the snc ers and ominous forebodings Of
the great army of disbelievers; at one
time the enterprise was for time
abandoned, audit was said that the
Great Eastern stood "a vast monument
of human follyp Despite all these, the
undertaking has proved successful one,
and the Great Eastern is safely moorcd
in American waters. The sole earthly
remains of the truly great man, Mr..
Brunei, (the prime mover in this en-
terprise, are Wondering in the dust, but
his name will live in the memory of fu-
ture generations, as a benefactor Of his
race; under the most trying circum-
katances during the time occupied in
building and launching her, he never
lost courage; by his indomitable perse-
verance, he proved himself equal to
every emergency, and It's greatly to be
regretted that he had not lived to see
the final triumph of this, his darling
project. "A /
In May 1919, the Savannah steam
ship of $50 tons, started from the city
of N, Y, and arrived in Liverpool in
twenty-five days, making the first pas
sage across the Atlantic ever attempted
by steam. In 1860, forty-one years
after-such is the march of human
improvement and ingenuity-that a
vessel arrives in port. which carries two
screw steamers, each one hundred feet
Hong, and Of 70 tons burden, besides
tx, entv otherlife- boats, fitted with masts
and sails, on her deck, to guard against
accidents.
We have not space to give our read
ers anything but very brief descr lp-
ton; and condense from the N. 7.
Herald the following particulars OF her
history:
In august, 1858, the design and pro
cid:d on by Mr.. Brunei; the arrange
ments made, were for the construction
of an iron vessel, csc feet in length,
|S3feet in breadth, and SO feet in depth,
with engines of the combined power of
$500 horses. The paddle wheels are
Sc feet in diameter and can be discon-
nected from the engine should it be-
come necessary. The screw propeller
is "a feet in diameter, and weighs SO
tons; she is provided with six aassss, Of
which, three are made of iron plates, riv-
eted like a steam boiler, the others of
wood; their heights vary from 40 to
ITO feet. The ship carries ID anchors,
ofwhich, A, weigh I tons each, two 6
tons and two S IL tons each, also 900
fsthoms of chain cable, each link of
which is formed of iron, 3 inches in d.
ameser. There is accommodation of a
far higher order than is afforded by any
other vessel in the world for 1000 pas
sengers, and crew numbering 40.
The launching Of this monster steam
ship was effected by the use of twenty
one Hydraulic Rams, one ef which
weighed 80 tons, and even with this
enormous force, three months were con.
sumed ere she reached the, water. and
she started on her first trial trip to
Portland on the seventh of September,
e4oo9. i9a -ge.s serr s- s@asa,sa
Ten thousand tons of Iron were used |
in the construction of this vast ship
She has four decks, her tonnage is %,