The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1861-10-16
The Great Eastern.

The following in regard to the disaster
to the steamship Great Eastern is taken
from the English papers:
The Great Eastern left her moorings
in the river Mersey Al clock on Tues
day, the 10th of September. The pilot
left her at o'clock She immediately
put on full speed, and all went we'll with
her until 4 O'Clock on Thursday, when, al
strong breeze prevailing, the aft tackle ot
one of the forward boats on The port side
became unlocked. leaving 1t suspended
bv one tackle The captain eudeavored
to steady the ship While this was rectiied,
but found to his surprise that she would
not answer the helm The fact was,
though il was not known al the time, the
rudderpin was broken. The fore stay
sail was run ur, but the wind immediate
ly split it into ribbons. The fore trvsall
was then run up, but it was blown away.
The paddle engines were now stopped,
and the boat lashings ordered to be cut
away, when the Great Eastern once more
started OH her course. The passen gers
moment commenced chaos of breakages,
which lasted without iute-mission for
three days. Everything breakable was
destroyed. Furniture, fittings, services
of plate, glasses, piano-all were involved
in one common fate. 1t now became
known that the rudder was unmanageable.
About six o'clock the vessel had to be
stopped again owing to two rolls of sheet
lead, weighing several hundred weight
each, which were in the engine-room,
rolling about with every oscillation of the
vessel with fearful force These having
been secured, another start was made,
when tremendous grinding was heard
under the paddle boxes. The shaft had
become twisted, and the floats were grind
ing against the side of the ship. The
paddles were stopped, and theuceforward
the scene Is described as fearful in the
extreme. The ship rolled so violently
that the boats were washed away. The
cabln, beside undergoing the dangers
arising from the crashes and collisions
which were con family going on, had
shipped, probably through the porthoIes,
a great deal of water, and the stores were
floating abou, in utter confusion and ruin
Some Uf the chandeliers fell down with a
crash. a large mirror was smashed into
a thousand fragments, rails Of bannisters,
bars, and numerous other fittings, were
brnken into nunberless pieces. Some
idea of the roughneSs Of the nights inci-
dents may be gathered from the fact hat
the chain cables polished themselves
bright with friction Oh deck. A spare
riding blr gave way on the cable deck,
and knocked a hole through the ships
side. Two oil tanks. also Cn the cable
deck, were SO much danaged b, another
concuSsion that two nundled gallons of
fish oil couialned in hem ran into the
hold aud caused during the Test of the
unhappy voyage, most lutolerable odor.
The luggage OF the passengers III the low
er after cargo space was lying in two feet
of water, aud before the delivGranee of
the ship was effected. the luggage was
literally reduced to rags and pieces of tim.
, Der. Twenty five fractures of liubS oc-
Cured from the concuSsions caused by
the tremendous lurching of the vessel
Cuts and bruises were in2umerable. One
of the cooks was cast violently, by one of
t the lnrcheS. against the paddle. box. by
which he sustained fearful bruises on the
arms. putting it out of his power to pro.
tect himself Another lurch drove him
against one Of the stanc;.iunS. by which
4
was broken III three places The baker
:. received injuries of very terrible char
actcr in vital parts aud one Of the most
striking incidents Of the disaster was this
poor. brave man. crawling, III his agony,
to eXtingui>h some portion of the baking
gear which at that moment had caught
fire On Thursday night the gale was
from the southwest, but On Friday morn
q, ing it had turned round to the northwest
and the ship was drifting an unmanagea-
BILE log in the trough of the sea. She
did not ship much water on deck
D 1t was soon discovered what was the
t matter with the rudder The pin upon
which il turned had broken off three feet
above the point where it entered the
: stern of the ship. 1t was wrought IRON,
e ten inches in diameter-an the iron ap-
: peared thoroughly good, breaking at that
q particular point where it appeared the
strongest. which was one of the most Gu
rious incidents of the disaster 1t was
) now found necessary to rig up some kind
Y of steering gear. A spar was thrown
overheard with he anchor fuke attached
which dragging in the water Behind the
; ship, might bring her head to the wind
: but the swinging of the rudder made it
: useless; and plan was then suggested
\ to the captain by the passengers, to which