The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1879-02-26
why the Great Eastern i. n Failure.

In commercial sense the great ship has undoubt-
edly been utter failure, and il has been stated
good authority that between 1855 and 1859 million
sterling had been lost upon her. by the vArious pro-
prie;ors who have attempted to work her, Nor Is il
dificuit any impartial review OF her design and
subsequent history discover the cause Of this fail
ure. First Of all. Mr. Brunei despite his remarkable
foresight, did not realise the changes which have
been produced in single generation By the progress
Of steam navigation. Coal mines have been opened
up in all parts Of the world and even If 1t may
have been it Is longer necessary desirable
for steamer carry coal for return voyage. either
from India Australia in fact, the proverbial folly
Of carrying Goals TO Newcastle" may be applied to
an Australian to sn English eoal-dsld- Further,
the improvements in marine engineering which have
been introduced since the Great Eastern designed
have rendered possible large ecoEeDies Of coal
sumption. Il is said that the engines fitted TO the
ship consumed about $50 tons Of coal per day when
the speed averaged about Is knots per hour but If
the modern type of ompound engine had been fitted
the rate Of consumption would not have exceeded lSo
tons. Mr.. Brunei appears have been too sanguine
in his estimate Of the speed and coal consumption,
and that Is scarcely surprising when the entire de-
partnre from previous examples Of steamships is re-
enbered He hoped that the ship would make the
passage to Australia in So days, which would have
required average speed Of II knots per hour and
this speed Was to be purchased by the consumption
Of 200 tons Of coal per day. With engines of the
modern type his hopes may have been more fully
Ae1, anu u mas eeen reported tnA tne present pro-
pristors tlsTs) of the ship have contemplated
compromising the engines in order to fuel. but
change Of this kind has yet been begun. The chief
cause OF failure in 8 commercial sense was however,
the practical impossbilty of securing such
NOUS complement of passengers and cargo
tinated to be necessary in order to working
penses and earn profit. Six thousand tons Of dead
weight was the quantity Of cargo required but to
ship such quaniity must ut any time have involved
serious delaysiu port, and as matter Of fact mer
chants and insurers not ready to the risk
involved in enbarking so much in single bottom
On the whole, therefore, two or three steamers o.
moderate size and with modern types of engines
could be probably employed to carry the same
number of passengers and the same aggregate dead
weight of cargo those for which the Great Eastern
| was designed. During the last three or four year
strenuous efforts have been made to improve th,
steamship service between Britain and Australia,
competition has been keen, not merely between sail
ing ships aud steamers. bat between different lines
! steamers. Some of these latter now make the pass
age-via the cape-in from 10 to As days, aud it il
proposed to abridge this time to SO days but
has imagined it desirable to employ ships exceeding
about one-fourth the weight of the Great Eastern.-
| Great AndHstries Of Great Britain.