The Portland daily press., 1863-01-16
Friday Morning, January 10, 1863.
How the Great East ern was Repaired.


What of the Great Eastern? 1t has been
known to the public for some three months
that this ship was lying in the Sound off Fort
Schuyler, in a disabled condition, and some
learned reports and speculations have occa-
sionay appeared in the newspapers in regard
to her, all of which are about as near correct
as such productions usually are when promul-
gated by those who know nothing about the
subject professionally.
1t has been known to engineers that there
were efforts being made to repair the damage,
and that the Messrs. Rcnwck of New York
were employed to direct the work, and we
were satisfied it was only question of time,
that it was within the power of the engineer
to accomplish it, and that the gentlemen Sc
lected were competent and equal to the task.
The injury was caused by the ship striking
on sunken rock off Montauk Point in Au-
gust last, causing fracture of a most iormid-
able character. The peculiar construction of
the ship saved her from immediate destruction.
She has two skins, or shells, casing her sides,
both Of which are perfectly water-tight; hence
if hole of indefinite size is stove through the
outer shell, the inner one is tight and saves
the ship The space between these shells is
two feet nine inches, and is divided into COM
partments water-tight, there being communi-
cation from one to another by means of "man-
holes" when desired.
The fracture was eighty-six feet in length,
and varied materially in width. Its extent
and locality was ascertained by divers, armor
clad. Exact measures were taken. The frac-
ture occurred on the side, or at the turn of the
bilge, where many of the immense plates were
torn entirely out, others bent in every con-
ceivable shape, and it was found necessary to
cut out many in order to restore it to its orig
inal form. 1t must be understood that this
fracture was "a feet under water, and these
plates to be removed, others fitted and riveted
in their places, and this to be done, not in a
temporary manner, but thorough, complete,
and permanent.
Now they did it by building semi-circu-
lar scow, with the concave side open, and the
edges, or gunwales, accurately fitted to the
side of the ship surrounding the fracture, the
shape of which was found by fitting moulds
to the interior SHE'LL and adding the distance
of the outer from the inner shell to the radius
of the circle Thea, in order to insure wa
ter-tight joint, channel was made around on
the top of the gunwale, in which was placed
large empty hose. This scow was 104 feet in
length, by l5 in breadth, which being secured
by chains carried on board of the ship, was
balasted with iron to submerge it, and by
means of the chains on board, was carried un-
der the ship, and by the direction of the divers
was located SO as to cover the fracture, when
other chains were passed under the scow, and
hove up with windlasses on board. A couple
of shafts or outlets from the scow were car
ried up the side of the Ship through which the
divers entered, and found it all right in loca-
ton.
The next operation was to pack or render
water-tight the joint between the gunwale of
the scow and the side of the ship, without
which it would be failure. This was accom-
complished TO perfection by forcing water in
to the hose which had been placed in the
channel on the gunwale for that purpose The
next operation was to pump the water out of
the scow, which was soon accomplished, at
the rate Of three thousand gallons per minute,
thereby leaving space or submarine work
shop 104 feet long by fifteen feet wide and
seven and hall feet high, and thirty-four feet
below water! Here the plates were removed,
new ones fitted, riveted and caulked with as
much facility as in dock!
The plates removed measure ninety-six feet
in length and average nine feet wide-equal
to eight hundred and sixty-four square feet;
rather an extensive patch. This ship seems to
have been an especial occasion for Yankee en-
gineers to show their peculiar cuteness and
skill in getting her out Of difficulties Let us
enumerate: First, the plan of building her
with two shells or skins was invented and pa
tented both here and in England, by Mr.. Otis
Tufts, of Boston. This, we have already seen.
saved her in her late disaster. Second, it will
be remembered that on her second passage
out from England she was disabled in a Storm
ger of swamping at sea with all on board. AT
ter various attempts to rig steering appara-
tus, all of which failed, Mr.. Towle, an engineer
IN. Y, being one of her passengers invented
and applied an apparatus that accomplished
the object and saved the ship Now again,
the Messrs. Henry B. and Edward S. Renwick
are called to save her and accomplish it, eav-
ing her, so far as her late damage is concern
ed as good as new!
This last repair, if our description is under
stood, 1t will be seen was one of great difficult
ty and required precisely the tact and talent
usually possessed by the American engineer,
who, from the sWte Of the art in this country,
owing to the lack of appliances is often thrown
upon his own resources to accomplish what
the English engineer gets great credit for eff
fecting with all the experience and appaEatus
afforded by centuries, at hand. AS an exam
pie, had the accident to the Great Eastern hap
pened in the river Mersey, she would have
been towed into a Liverpool dock where the
water could have been removed, and she then
could have been repaired with the ease that a
ship could have been caulked and coppered :
but being big ship, "the Great Eastern"
there would have been a great display and
flourish OF bunting and the engineer would
probably have been knighted as Sir Riyet
Head! or! some other equally euphonious
name!
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