Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-10-11

Tie STEAMSHIP Great Ea5,ern has had
an er. ..a.a which upsets cdectually the
c-lc.l.H-.. sc who c,aimei that she
would .s Unaffected seriously by storms, and
would Irr. lr safer for passengers than
smIier and would carry them with
little or DID .-Iosure to sea sickness. She
ARRIVED q. Queenstown on the 18th ult,
having experienced terrific gale when about
$50 miles mics Of Cape Clear.
Advent well with her until clock on
Thursday, when the captain found to his
ur9r,ss t.al die ship would not answer the
helm. THE In upon which the rudder
turned had broken OF three feet above the
point whore it entered the stern Of the ship.
l. Uas wrought iron ten inches in diameter
and tc iron appeared thoroughly good,
breaking iu tal- particular point where it
appeared tl. strongest. On Thursday night
tie gale was from tie southwest. bat on
Friday morning 1T had turned round to the
nortn-west, and tae ship was drifting, an
uumanc1aa.e leg, in the trough Of the sea.
S3e dil upt ip much water on deck.
The l..es,ay sail was run up, but the wind
immediately srI. ID into ribbons. The fore
topsau v.e .ael run up, but it was blown
away, ald from ,bat moment commenced a
chaos o brllhaeas which lasted without in
termj-siun Gr three days. Everything
breakab.e va DESTROYED. Two rolls of sheet
lel1, weighing some hundred weight each, ,
were In tae engine room, rolling about with
fearful force.
These were scare IL secured, when a ire
men3ous ding was heard under the pad
die boxes which had become twisted, and the
H51ts were grinding against the sides Of the
ship. The paddles were stopped and thence
forward the scene is described as fearful in
/ the extreme. Ihe ship rolled SO violently
/ that the boats were washed away. The
/ cabin, besides undergoing thedangers 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. Some
| idea Of the r0ughness of the nights incl
dents may Do gathered from the fact that
/ the chain-cables polished themselves bright,
with friction on the deck.
| The luggage Of the passengers in the lower
after cargo space, was lying in > feet OF water,
| and before the deliYerance of the ship was
/ effected, the luggage was literally reduced to
/ rags. - fractures Of limbs occurred from
/ the c0ncussions caused by the tremendous
/ lurching Of the vessel. Cuts and bruises
were Innumerablo. The baker received in
| iuries of a very terrible character in vital
parts, and one Of the most striking incidents
# the disaster was this poor, brave man,
crawling in bis agony to extinguish some
/ portion Of tic baking gear which had at tha'
moment caught fire.
Ii was, of course, found necessary to re
up some kind Of steering gear. A spar was
/ thrown overheard with the anchor attached
which dragging in the water behind the shif
( might briug her head TO the wind, but The
swing Of the Tuddcr made it useless, and
! plan was suggested to the captain by tht
pass n-cc5, 70 which the escape of the vesse
| IS attributable. 1t was to pass two or three
! turns OF chain cable around the broken ruddel
pin, a1d secure it with wedges and smal
chains, and connection being effected witt
the usual chains attached to the rudder, ant
/ temporary wheel rugged up below the deck
( a sallt was made once more to proceed, bu
the screw OF the vessel, upon which locomo
motion now depended, soon stopped, it bein:
fouled by the rudder, by which the rudde
was prevented from veering more than wa
necessary 10 steer the ship.
Friday aud Saturday, while these arrange
meuts were making, the ship drifted, prett.
much at the mercy of the winds and waves
On Sunday morning the rudder was made t
act. ard on Tuesday afternoon she reache
| Cork. The anxiety of the passengers aboar
during these events can be easier conceive
than described.