Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1861-10-11
All but Wreck Of the Great Eastern.


FATHER PolNr, Tuesday, Oct l, 1851
The following in regard to the disaster to the
steamship Great EaStern is taken from the
Euglish papers:
The Great Eastern lefs her mornings in the
river Mersey at Ii o'clock on Tuesday, the 10th
Of September. The pilot left her at o'clock
on Thursday, wheD, a strong breeze prevail,
ing, tue aft tackle of ore of the forward boats
90 the port side became unlocked, leaving il
suspended by Que tackle. The captaiu endea-
vored to steady the ship while this was r0stis
ied, but found to his surprise that she would
not answer the helm. The fact was, though
it was not known at the time, the rudder-pin
was broken. TIE fore staysail was run up,
bal the wind Immediately split i, into ribbons
The fore trysail was then run up but il was
blown away. The paddle engines were now
stopped, an! The boat lashings ordered to be
cut away. when the Great Edsfern oace more
started on Der course. The passengers then
went down TO dinner, and from that moment
commeueed chaos of breakages, which listed
without inler:nssi9n fer three days. Every
! thing breakable vas destroyed. Furniture,
fittings, services of plate, glasses. piano all
we're involved 80 one common fate. Ii now
tec me known that ths rudder was unmansgee
blo About six o'clook the vessel had TO be.
| stopped again owing TO two rolls Of sheet lead,
weighing several hundred weight each, which,
were 10 the enginoroom, rolling about with
every oscillation of The vessel with fearful
force. These having been secured, auother
start was made, when tremendous grinding
was heard under the paddleoboxrs. The shaft
had become twisted, and the floats wero grind
ing against the side cf the ship. The paddle
were stopped, aud thenceforlh tho scene is
| described as fearful in the extreme. The ship
rolled so violently that the bolts we're washed
away. TIE cabin, beside undergoing the dau-
| gers arising from the crashes land collisions
which we're constantly going on, had shipped,
| probAbly through ths porthuies. a gaeat deal
Of water, and the stores we're foaii1g about 10
utter confusion and ruin. Some of the chand-
lers fell dowu with crash. large mirror
was smashed into thousand fragments, rails
Of banslers, bars, and numerous other fits
/ tings, we're broken inio humserles pieces
| Some idea of the roughness of the nights ins
cidents may be gathered from the fact that the
| ehain-cables polished tbenst Ives bright with
/ friction on deck. A spare riding lit gave way
to the cable deck, aud snecked a hole through
the ships side. Two oil tanks, aso on the
sable deck, were so muoh d4m4gei by another
cOncussioa that two hundaed galio1s Of fish oil
contained in them rsu iato the hold aud caus-
ed, during the rest of the unhappy voyage,
most iDtulerable odor. The luggage of the
passengers III the lower after cargo space was
lying IN two feet Of water, and before the de-
liyerance of the ship was effected, the luggage
was literally reduced to rags aud pieces of
timber. Twenty-Five frac ures oil limbs occur
red from The concusSlobs caused by the tire.
mendons lurchlUg of the vessel. Cuts and
bruises were iDnmerable. One Of the cooks 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 pow
et to protect himself Another lurch drove
him against one Of the staneh;ous, by which
eencussion one of the ppor fellows legs was
broken IN three places. Tue baker received
injuries of very terrible character in vital
paIts, and one of the most striking incidents
Of the disaster was this poor, brave man,
crawling, 10 bis agony, TO extinguish some por-
ton of the baking gear which at that moment
bad caught fire. On Thursday night the gale
was from the southwest, but on Friday morn
ing it had turned round to the northwest, and
the ship was drifting an unmanageable log in
the trough of the sea. She did not ship much
water on deck.
I.was soon discovered Bhat was the matter
with the rudder. The pin upon which il turn
cd bad broken off three feet above the point
whore it entered the stern of the ship. Ii was
wrought iron, ten inches in diametcr-aDd the
} iron appeared thoroughly good, breaking at
| that particular point where it appeared the
: strongest, which was one Of the most curious
7 incidents of the disaster. Ii was now found
necessary to rig up some kind of steering gear.
4 spar was thrown overheard with the anchor
6uke attached, which dragging in the water
behind the ship, might bring her head to the
wind. but the swing of the rudder made it
t useless; and plan was then suggested to the
S captain by the passengers, to which the escape
Q of the vessel is probably attributable. ltwas
. 10 pass two or three turns of chain cable
around the ruddsr pin, immediately below the
point at which the breakage occurred, and
secure it with wedges and small chains. by
pulling either end Of the cable, a circular mo-
tioL of the pin was produced, and connec-
tion boing effected with the usual chain attach
ed to the rudder, and temporary wheel rig
ged up below the deck, shift was made once
laore to proceed, but The eores Of the vessel
upon which the locomolion now depended
hardly vestige of the paddles remaining
soon stopped, being fouled by the rudder, by
which the ruGdeR was prevented from veering
more than was necessary 10 steer the ship.
AL Of Friday was occupied with these ar
raDgemenis. The ship had drifted up the
west coast Of Ireland, out Of the ordinary
track. Go Saturday night the brig Magnet,
of Halifax, hoge i'm sight, hauled alongside aud
lay to for the purpose ef rendering assistance.
Sunday, at two O'Clock, the Greaf Eastern
] got under way, the Iudder was found to act,
aud the vessel proceeded at the rate of nine
knots aD hour with the screw alone
She met the Persia the next morning, and