Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-10-05
The DIsaster to the Great Rasfern.

Eastrn;
The Great Eastern left her moorings in the
river Msrsey at halt past one o'clock on
Thursday, September 10. The pilot letl her
at 4 o'clock.
Immediately putting on full speed, all went |
well with her until four o'clock on Thursday, |
when, q strong breeze prevailing, the ait |
tackle ofone ofthe forward boats on the port
side became unlocked, leaving It suspended
by one tackle. The captain endeavored TO
steady the ship while this was recti6ed, but
found to his surprise that the ship would not
answer the helm.
The fact was, though 1t was not known at
the time, the rudder pin was broken. The
forestay sail was rua uu, but the wind imme-
diatelv split 1t into ribbons. The foretrysail
was then run up, but 1t was blown away.
The paddle engines were now stopped and
the boats ordered to be cut away, when the
Great Eastern once more started on her
course.
The passengers then went down TO dinner,
and from that moment commenced a chaos of
breakages which lasted without intermissiOn
for three days. Everything breakable was
destroyed. Furniture, filings, 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 stop
ped again, owing to two rolls of sheet lead,
weighing some hundred weight each, which
were in the engine room, rolling about with
every oscillation of the vessel with !earfnl
force. These having been secured, another
start was made, when tremendous grinding
was heard under the paddle-boxes, which had
become twisted, and the floats were grinding
against the side Of the ship. The paddles
were stopped, and thencefOrward the scene is
described as fearful in the extreme.
The ship rolled 80 violently that the boats
were washed away. The cabin, besides IN.
dergoing the dangers arising from the crashes
and collisions which were constantly going
on, had shipped, probably through the port
holes, great deal of water, and the stores
were floating about in utter confusion and
ruin.
Some of the chandeliers fell down with a
era b, A large mirror was smashed into
thousand fragments, rails of bannisters, bars
and numerous other fittings were broken into
numberless pieces. Some idea Of the rough
ness Of the nights incidents may be gathered
from the fact that the chain cables polished
themselves bright with friction on deck. A
spare riding bit gave way on the cable deck,
and knocked hole through the ships side.
Two oil tanks also on the cable deck were so
much damaged by another conclusion that
two hundred gallons of fish oil contained in
them ran into the hold, and caused during
the rest of the unhappy voyage a most in
tolerable odor.
The luggage Of the passengers in the lower
after cargo space was lying in two feet Of wa
ter, and before the deliverance of the ship
was effected the luggage was literally reduced
to rage and pieces of timber.
Twenty-Five fractures Of limbs occurred
| from the conclusions caused by the tremen-
dous lurching of the vessel. Cuts and bruises
were innumerable. One of the cooks on
board was cast violently by one Of the
lurches against the paddle box, by which he
sustained fearful bruises on the arms, putting
it out of his power to protect himself
Another lurch drove him against one of
| the stanchions, by which conclusion one of
the poor fellows legs was broken in three
places.
The baker received injuries of very terri
BILE character in vital parts; and one Of the
most striking incidents of the disaster was
this poor, brave man crawling in his agony
to extinguish some portion of the baking
gear which, at that moment had caught
Ere.
On Thursday night the gale was from tie
southwest, but on Friday morning it had
turned round to the northwest, and the ship
was drifting an unmansgable log in the
i .c he dfd ,ok rhfY, V1r1nb
water on deck.
1t was soon discovered what was the mat
ter with the rudder. The pin upon which it
| turned had broken of three feet above the
! point where it entered the stern of the ship
1t was wrought iron, ten inches in diameter,
and the iron appeared thoroughly good,
breaking at that particular point where it
appeared the strongest, which was one of the
most curious incidents of the disaster.
It was now found necessary to rig up some
kind of steering gear. A spar was thrown
overheard with the anchor fuke attached,
which, draggingin the water behind the ship,
might bring her head to the wind, but the
swinging Of the ruddtr made it useless, and a
plan was then suggested to the captain by the
passenger to which the escape of the vessel is
prob ably attributable. 1t was to pass two or
| three turns of chain cable around the rudder
pin Immediately below the point at which
the breakage occurred, and secure it with
wedges and small chains. By pulling either
end of this chain cable, a circular motion
of the Iins was produced, and, a connection
being effected with the usual chains attached
to the rudder and temporary wheel rigged
up below the deck, shift was made once
more to proceed; but the screw of the vessel
upon which the locomotion now depended
hardly a vestige Of the paddle remaining
soon stopped, it being fou ed by the rudder,
by which the rudder was prevented from
veering more than was necessary to steer the
ship.
All of Friday was occupied with these ar.
rangements. The ship had drifted up the
west coast of Ireland, out of the ordinary
track of Saturday night.
The brig Magnet, of Halifax, hove in sight,
and came alongside and laid to for the pur-
pose Of rendering assistance.
Sunday, at two o'clock, the Great Eastern
got under way, the rudder was found to act,
snd the vessel proceeded nine knots an hour
with the screw alone.
She met the Persia the next morning, and
signalized her to come under her lee, which
the Persia did; but, she proceeding, the
Great Eastern did not lessen her speed, and
it was supposed and concluded that her in
tentions were unfair.
The Great Eastern put on full speed, and
was soon beyond recall. An attempt was
made at an explanation, but the Persia was
too far of.
The Great Eastern continued her course
Tuesday morning. and reached the head of
Kinsale, where she stopped four hours to ar
range her tackle. She signslized the shore,
but no notice was taken of her.
At four o'clock she arrived off Cork, and
small steamer came off to assist her, and the
harbOr was soon reached.
Our informant states that it is almost i'm
possible to exaggerate the anxious state
which prevailed when the fate of the ship
was doubtful. There were several clergymen
r..