Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-10-08
The Great Eastern Disaster,

The following in regard to the disaster to the
steamship Great Eastern is taken from the
English papers:
The Great Eastern left her mooriDgs ip The
river Mersey at ] q o'clock on Tuesday, the
lOth OF September, Tor New York. The pilot
Lett her at O'Clock. She Immediately put Oh
full speed, and all went well with her III til a
O'Clock on Thursday, when, O strong breeze Ire.
yailing, the aft tackle OF one of the forward
boats on the port side became unlocked, leay
ing 1t suspended by one tackle. The captain
endeavored to steady the ship while this was
recuhed, but found to his surprise that she
would not answer the helm The fact was
though it was not known at the time, the rud
der-pin was broken. The fore stayssl was run
up, but the wind Immediately split it iuto rib.
bona. The fore tryssil was then run up, but il
was blown away. The paddle engines were now
stopped, and the boat lIshings ordered to be cut
away, when the Great Eastern once more start.
ed on her course.
The passengers then went down to dinner,
and from that moment commenced chaos Of
breakages, which lasted without intermissiop
TOR three days. Everything breakable was de-
stroyed Furniture, fittings, services OF plate,
glasses, piano-all were involved in one com.
mon fate. Ii now became known that the rud.
der 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 yes.
sel With fearful force. These having been se
cured, another stslt was made, when q tre
mendous grinding was heard under the paddle
boxes. The shaft had become twisted, and the
flats were grinding against the side of the
ship, The paddles we're stopped, and hencefor-
ward the scene Is described as fearful in the ex-
treme. The ship rolled so violently that the
boats were washed away. The cabin, beside
undergoing the dangers arising from the crash.
es and collisions which were constantly going
on, had shipped, probably through the porf.
holes, great deal of water, and the stores were
d Jating about ia utter confusion and ruin. Some
of the chandeliers fell down with a crash, A
large mirror was smashed into a thousand
fragments, rails of banisters, bars and numer
GUS other fittings were broken into numberIess
pieces.
| Some idea OF the roughness 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 tbe
cable deck, were so much damaged By another
conclusion that two hundred gallons of fish oil
contained in them ran into the hold aid caus sed,
during the rest of the unhappy Voyages a most
intolerable odOr, The luggage of the passen.
gers In the lower after cargo space was living
In two feet of water, and before the deliverance
of the ship was Effected, the luggage was liter.
ally reduced to rags and pieces of timber.
Twenty-Five fractures of limbs occurred from
the conclusions csnsed by the tremendous lurcn.
Ing of the vessel. Cuts and bruises were ipnu
merable. One of the cooks was cast violently,
by one ot the lurches, against the paddle box.
by which he sustained fearful bruises on the
arms, putting IL out OF his power to protect
himself. Another lurch drove him against one
Of the stancheons, by which ooncussion one Of
the poor fellows legs was broken In three
places. The baker received injuries Of yery
terrible character In vital parts; and one of The
most striking incidents Of the disaster was this
poor, brave mtn, crawling, in his agony, to ex-
tinguish some portion Of the baking gear which
at that moment had caught fire. Cn Thursday
night the gale was from the south west, but on
Friday morning it had turned round TO the
northwest, and the ship was drifting an unman.
ageable log in the trough of the sea. Sue did
not ship much water on deck.
IL was soon discovered what was the matter
with the rudeer. The pin upon which 1t turned
had broken off three feet above the point where
IL entered the stern Of the ship Itwas wrought
iron, ten inches 10 diameter-and the iron an
peared thoroughly good, breaking at that par
tcular point where it appeared the strongest
which was one of the most curious incidents Of
the disaster. II was now found necessary IA
rig up some sort OF steering gear. A spar was
thrown overheard with the anchor fluke attach.
ed, which dragging in the water behind the
ship, might bring her head to the wind; but the
swinging of the rudder made 1t useless; aud q
plan was then suggested TO the captain by the
passengers, to which the escape of the vessel Il
probably Attributable. II was to pass tSo OF
three turns of chain cable around the Iudder-
pin, Immediately below the point at which the
breskage occurred, and secure It with wedges
and small chains. BY pulling either end Of this
chain cable, q circular motion Of the pin was
produced, and q connection being effected with
the usual chain attached to the rudder, and q
temporary wheel riggsd up below the deck, q