The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-07-23

Is THE GREAT EASTERN PAnuSx.-GREAr
SHIPS AND GREAT NEWSPAPERS CoxPARED.-we
are continually asked what we think will be-
come OF the Great Eastern steamship, and If
such large vessels can ever be probably en-
pioyed in commerce OF the transportation Of
passengers.
The two questions have no relation to each
other. The Great Eastern Is the result Of an
individual enterprise, which may succeed or
fail from causes within itself, while the employ
ment of vessels of twenty five thousand tons
burthen is a natural result, which will arrive,
sooner or later, with the growth of trade. This
will be evident to any one who will look back
upon the development of naval architecture.
Thirty years ago ship of one thousand tons
burthen was considered to be monster which
no merchant could fill with cargo for one voy-
ege no trade could continuously employ; and
mind whether wood and iron could be put
together in so large q mass as to float
safely on the ocean. To-day the Adriatic
and the Persia, measuring more than
three times that burthen, are looked upon
as small for the work required of them. The
Cunard company are already building much
larger ship than the Persia, for the route hence
to England, and in the general acceptance by
merchants, ship Of from eight hundred to one
thousand tons, once looked upon as monster,
is now classified as q medium sized vessel.
The particular enterprise Of the Great Eastern
may be in advance of the times; but if it were
part of the general growth Of any particular
line of business, instead of 1t being as 1t is, the
isolated effort of science and capital, it would
not be found to be such an unwieldy monster az
she now is 1t merely requires adequate con-
comitants to handle such an immense instru.
ment. Her present owners are puzzled what to
do with her, because they have none of the con-
nections necessary to use her but it would not
be more difficult for the Cunard company to
employ her probably now between Liverpool
and New York than 1t would have been for
them ten years ago 70 employ the Persia, or the
greater steamer they are now building. The
mistake of the Great Eastern Company does not
lie in the fact that their ship is so much too
large for the present capacity of trade, as in the
fact that something else besides science and art
are required for the success of all great enter
prises.
This truth lie practically demonstrated in the
daily achievement of the HERALD establishment
1t would be very easy thing for skill and ca
pitsl to combine and print one hundred thou
sand copies of morning newspaper, and yet
skill and capital would fail in the practical re-
suit of their effort and their pile Of newspapers
would stand, like the Great Eastern, wonder
and doubt. Yet we print and distribute q
hundred thousand papers every morning, and
our only trouble is the demand upon us for
more, which the mechanical appliances availa-
BILE for the purpose do not enable US to supply.
Any similar achievement by some great news
paper company would bankrupt the concern,
just as the Great Eastern has bankrupted the
company which built her. The great ship is a
failure as business enterprise, merely because
it is not part of a natural growth; and while
it will return to England to rust in idleness long
before it has dropped to pieces ships of equal
capacity will be actively employed by the
growing needs of trade.