The New York herald., 1862-12-02
The Great Eastern.
70 TIE EDITOR OF TIE HERALD.

New YORK, Dec. 1, 1862
We have read with great regret editorial on the
steamship Great Eastern in your issue of to-day, based
apparently upon tho communication Of correspondent
which appears in another part Of your journal, and
which is calculated to do great injury to the ship and her
owners.
We have therefore ITO request your Insertion OF this
letter, IN which will endcavor int on. the princi
pal Of tho mistakes OF your correspondent who
is in N almost every particular.
We desire rs correct impression which
you of the nature Of accident ard its relative
consequence 70 the Crest Eastern ard any other vessel
In your EDITORIAL you remark thd, ke giant, who
perishes the scratch Of PIN this pondercus mcnste
IS almcsl thrown of service by apparently trivial
accident in getting through the hoa Of the sound
which wouit not affect lightcr ana more Insignificant
craft" We have only 70 mention that the
result Of the accident was fracture eighty
five feet long, and ia scnlc places four feet
broad, and remind you that she delivered nearly
thousand passengers and two thousand tons Of iner
chandisc sonc or which remained on board for week.
without ace dent or tho damage any roston OF her
cargo demonstrate that o'her vessel In tho world
affords tac protection against accidents as does
she Great Eastern. The sc sci, being built with two
ssxns Ia IA fact one vessel inside og another and Il Is
aono owing this construct5n that she could survive
such accident an hour-the water being unable TO
penetrate Inc inner skin No other ship could have re-
cclvod injury and lived 10 redcn n9r QeStln lti0D
Your pondcnt begins his desc nton Of the ship
by reparng that she is greatly "lrched' We beg TO
inform him that this has been accomplished with con
siderable labor, by moving coal 10 the Siarboard side
and when desirable, the ship can be returned to an up
right position in The water by the smpc process OF re
turning the coal TO its place Hc next informs us That
she Is badly hoggod.n This appca s the resnl. or
an optc dcGsion owing TIC great hcishth OF the vcs
se ot water and her having been built without any
snear.~ II has been frequently noticed, but entirely
ds,royed by scientific experiment.
The legend Of the .Engish pilot has no existence IN
act there BOARD, he could not 'rc'rSc,
when Oh New london, to take on board an American
not ana then proye by the sequel that his Confidence
wa an assumption by touching her reef Of rocks of
Noni,uk, which, by the way. Is some twenty miles 70
was hove OIL Montauk, waiting for her pilot when she
struck rock which is Lot marsed down on the chart.
The injury done was entirely to the ships bo'tom her
screw not having been touched.
With respect TO the application u Golfer dam, your
correspondent in the main correct, EXCEPT that we
would inform him that the Of the undertaking
has boon Such, UP to the present tine, that workmcn
have engaged for nearly two weeks past in drilling
ryet holcs and putting in the iron plates over the irac-
ture ia the vessels bottom The riyets are put IN rca
hot ia the original construction of the ship and tho
only delay present Is IN waiting or iron plates, which
c1n be PIT faster than they be made, owing TO the
enormous quantity OF Iron required Tor the United States
AZ 10 tic purity Of tho air the dam from "whch the
atmosphere is almost entirely excluded" and whore
"they compelled 70 use peculiar patent safety
lamp we have 10 remark that, ewing 70 the two man-
holes (cach lett sqrare) and the tendency Of bad air TO
ascend the experience of The writer and all who have
been In the dam Is that nerc L. no more difficulty ia
breathing inside than there IS outside.
IL trrc that admirable lamp recently invented by
Boston diver and constructed burn, with acicar
Light great depth IN the waes has been service 10
us in fitting the Golfer dam 10 its place.
We add that the Great tastcns inner tkin (Which
OF the thickness as the outer onel being unin
paired the opinion Of scientific engineers that even
without any repairs, the ship would have been perfectly
saworihv aud could have cd tho without risk
Recalling To your correspondent mind the TACT o the
ship having before been placed On tho yridron IN
Milford Haven have to remark that "if not success
fa present undertaking, We shod still be disin
rned 10 consider tho Great Eastern as, of course en-
tlrely useless aud, apoogizng for the length OF This
letter. which have written TO prevent, possiblc in
justice being donc 10 this uc ship, sir your obe
dent servants, ROWLAND ASPlNWAIL,
Agents for steamship Great Eastern.