Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1860-07-14
NO. 27.
The Great Eastern.

#. The Great Eastern.
AS tins monster steamship, the largest
in the world, has at length reached the
shores Of this country, some of our read
crs may be glad to refresh their memo
ries regarding her history and principal
characteristics, which are briefly re-
counted below:
The construction of the Great Eastern
was commenced in 1855, and she was
nearly three years in building, having
been launched in the early part of 1858.
She was designed by Isamberd h ,Bru-
mel, is owned by the Eastern Steam
Navigation Company" and has cost, in
cludlng large sum spent in launching,
and for repairs rendered necessary by all
explosion, something over thrcemillions
of dollars. She is made of ircn, the plates
three-fourths of an inch thick, bolted to-
gether by rivets an inch in diameter.
She was built on the eastern bank Of
the Thames, at Millwall, adjoining Lon-
don. The first efforts to launch her
were made on the Sd Of November 1857,
but it was not until the 3lst of the sue
ceedlng January that she foated. 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 S3 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 So feet to spare Across her pad
dle-boxes she is l20 feet broad, and the
length of her upper deck is 692 feet.
Her capacity, lS,975 tuns. The hight
of her hull is so feet, and a walk around
her deck is equal to a quater of mile.
The vessel is designed to accommodate
1000 passengers-s00 first class. 1000
second class, and 1900 third class. The
engineers and crew, $50 in number, will
be accommodated near the two ends of
the vessel. The forecastle is l4O feet
long and 8 feet high. The hull is d.
vlded into ten water tight compart-
ments. There are two longitudinal walls
OF iron running through her, SO feet
apart, SO that her hull is series of
cells. She has accommodations for 5000
tuns of freight and ii, 900 tuns of coal.
The accommodations for passengers are,
of course, ample there are ten saloons
altogether-five on the upper and five
IN the lower deck-the length varying
rom 80 to 70 feet. The furniture is
'ich and beautiful. Most Of these sa.
oons are fifteen feet high, and adjoining
some OF them are two tiers of state
ooms, one above the other. Some of
he state-rooms are as large as an ordi-
'ary parlor, and fitted up for the convc-
hence of families. -es
The propelling power is in enormous
team engines, acting upon both paddle
wheels and the screw. The paddle en-
zines are 1000 horse power, and the
crew 1900 horse power, giving a total
i 26OO horse power, at a pressure of
'5 lbs; though if necessary, they can
York to force of upwards of 10000
orses. There are ten boilers, and each
oiler can be cut off from its ncighbor,
nd used or not, as desired. The boilers
re placed longitudinally along the cen
er of the ship and are entirely indie
cndent of each other. Every paddle
oiler has ten furnaces, and each screw
oiler twelve furnaces, thus giving to
ne whole the large number of 1l2 fur
aces. The fuel intended to be used is
nthracite coal. The Great Eastern has
TX masts, five of which are made of hol-
Nv wrought iron, and is arranged to
airy $500 yards ofscanyas. A tele-
raph apparatus is inthe captains office,
y means Of which disorders are con-
eyed to every part of4tfe ship. She
aries twenty large boats on deck, and
wings on davits two screw steamers,
ne hundred feet long and between sixty
nd seventy tuns burthens. 1t is ex-
ccted that the Great Eastern will sbe
nchorcd for about week off the Bat
'ry, and then taken to her wharf, East
iver, at the foot of Hammond street.
he ship started on a trial trip on the
ii, running twelve hours out to sea,
I'd twelve hours back. The trial was
garded as satisfactory, although the
tie of speed attained did not at any
me exceed l34 knots, the average be-
6 l25 knots.