Year: 1859

| How VIII the Great Eastern Sail.


To THE EDITOR THE LONDON TINES SIR As
there is among the public very prevalent idea that
there will be no motion in the Great Eastern even dur
ing the heaviest gale of wind permit to point out
at least two positions in which there will be very
siderable iveliness to nautical password, if the
experiment which she is destined 10 exempy be vgor
Ously carried out.


The leading characteristic of the Great Easern-that
in which she differs from every other ship hitherto con-
struced-is that she SHALL under no circumstances be
compelled to lie to- nor In any way to dverge from her
great circle course by any action OF wind or wave.


She is to sail exclusively great circle course and is
not to be hove to allowed to ree or run out of
gale, uness she has the heels of it, nor generally to
have recourse to any of those dodges which resored
to to ship under stress of weather That she will
do all this, who has admired her noble symmetry
and exquisite lines, will for moment doubt but will
she achieve this deSlderGtu and be free of all mrtion
at the same time?


Her dimensions are based upon certain calculations
OF the late Dr. Scosby which assigned six hundred and
eighty feet the extreme length between the cress of
TWO waves, with an average depth in the intervening
trough of sixty feet, elevation and depression
OF thirty feet each way above and below the level of the
ocean at rest
do not wish to impugu the Rev. Doctors hard earn
ed experience but adopting his method of calculation
as detailed in an early number of Household Words
once measured eight hundred feet between the crsts
when lying to in the Collins steamer Baltic in which
measurement l was confirmed by Captain Comstock
and rather think that Captain Harrison himself was
IN command of the Africa when she, starting from Lv-
epoo three days after u.s. experienced the same gale on
the i1th of October, 1854


upon these data the Great Eastern was constructed
and care was taken to make her so enormously strong
amdshps that there would be detection or hcggng
when she was suspended by bow and stern over tough
SIX hundred and eighty feet wide with barely anv wafer
under her centre rCing the crest of wave with bow
and stern almost out of water.


AS has been well remarked she is built on the same
tubular principle as the Mena Railway viaduct opy
vastly stronger, each compartment is only O10 tho
length of that suspension tube Her bottom is oIoo
constructed OF two segnents of very obate epse-
about SIX feet each side of the mesa plane being al
most at and, as all the world knows unprovided with
keel N~" "''"


Now, suppose on her voyage out to Portland (which
implies on an average W. S. W. course) she happens
to be struck by gale from due north It is obvious
that, ii the Great Eastern is vigorously kept on her
course, the trough OF $50 feet wde over which she is
suspended VIII not be spanned by even her great length
lnasmuch as she crosses it diagonally.


Now, contend as the wave catches her beneath the
quarter where from her great sharpness forward she is
rather inclined to be lean, she must roll and having no
keel 1t Will De very severe ronot in the remotest
degree dangerous but still quite enough to dscompose
landsman.


In the second place, suppose she is running before
heavy gale OF wind it is equally manifest that nodi
cation OF the foregoing will take place. the difference be-
ing that instead OF a rolling, there must be what is





ty in Of short sea- of very severe shock to the
stern post though repeat her great strength renders
this comparatively unimportant am only Speaking of
her as comfortable ship in very heavy sea-


Suppose thirdly, that still sailing from Holvhead for
Portland, immediately after rounding Malin Head or
Cape Clear she should happen to encounter westerly
gale, which likely, for the time it lasts to knock nm
quite as high sea any other the sea will catch her
on the starboard bow while her stern still descending
into the trough AS, however, she will be advancing at
rate OF about ten knots, she will burst tbrough the
wave quite moonless, it is true riding lnaeSticalv
through from wave to wave. AS, however the waves
will pass her with their velocity of about thirty
miles an hour, plus her speed of twelve miles an hour
In all lortyWo miles hour, there will be toerabe
! lash of spray


When ship is lying-to in heavy sea- little dex
ferrous manipulation of the wheel will keep her comnar
atvey dry: Let her fall off but single point, and
though she has bare teerage way on her stand v
tor a green Such was the case with the America
when she had to put back some three years ago The


The height out OF the water of the Great Eastern and
the concaVlty OF her upper lines forward will prevent
her taking sea on board but she will be covered with
spray forward as tar nearly as the paddle-box


The popularity OF build already noted in her bottom
Will prevent her long turning in the event of any sud-
den emergency such as she is likely to meet among the
coral reels oil the Eastern SEAS the crowded water
highways OF our own seagr ise except at an expense
oil stewards crockery painful to contemplate TO nm
practced voyagers should explain that the same prin
cpe In natural philosophy which makes circus horse
lean towards the centre of the ring causes steamship
to do the same, il suddenly compelled to veer at high
angle to her previous repeat the strength and
proportions OF this noble ship such as to preclude
the idea OF danger; but to absolute freedom from
motion sea abeam of only $50 feet from crest to crest
H. sea at right angles to her direct course) will GER
tainy cause her to roll and, having no keel she will roll
worse than usual


Old Ocean is proud of this last splendid specimen of
enterprise but he resigned to being utterly ignored
by young ladies and seedy dandies nor will he even at
the price OF big ship, submit to be ridden over rough
shod. Let us be content with an average of twenty
miles hour, safe to our Eastern possessions
and exemption from motion, save in exceptional cases.
and let US bid the good ship God speed and wish the
spirited officials from the Chairman and Captain Harrison
downwards pleasant, rapid voyage, and great COM
mercial success


am, Sir your obedient servant,


YATES ANTE FACTUM