_STEAM NAVIGATION--THE ‘GREAT EASTERN’ STEAM-SHIP._
_COMPLETION AND SUBSEQUENT HISTORY._
A.D. 1858-1859: ÆTATIS 52-54.
A.D. 1859-1870.
PREPARATIONS FOR COMPLETING THE SHIP--FORMATION OF THE GREAT SHIP
COMPANY--MR. BRUNEL’S ABSENCE FROM ENGLAND--PROGRESS OF THE WORKS
FROM HIS RETURN TO HIS LAST ILLNESS--VOYAGE TO WEYMOUTH--EXPLOSION
OF WATER-HEATER--STORM AT HOLYHEAD--DESCRIPTION OF THE SHIP--HER
FIRST VOYAGE TO NEW YORK, JUNE 1860--SECOND VOYAGE TO NEW YORK, MAY
1861--VOYAGE WITH TROOPS TO QUEBEC, JUNE 1861--FRACTURE OF
RUDDER-HEAD AND DESTRUCTION OF PADDLEWHEELS, SEPTEMBER
1861--VOYAGES IN 1862--ACCIDENT OFF MONTAUK POINT, AUGUST 27,
1862--VOYAGES IN 1863--FORMATION OF THE GREAT EASTERN STEAM-SHIP
COMPANY--REMARKS ON THE HISTORY OF THE ‘GREAT EASTERN’ PREVIOUS TO
HER EMPLOYMENT IN LAYING SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH CABLES--TELEGRAPH
EXPEDITIONS OF 1865 AND 1866--FRENCH CABLE EXPEDITION OF
1869--VOYAGE TO BOMBAY AND ADEN, 1869-70--CONCLUDING
REMARKS--_NOTE_: DIMENSIONS OF THE SHIP AND ENGINES.
Soon after the launch of the ‘Great Eastern,’ efforts were made to
obtain funds for finishing her, and Mr. Brunel proceeded to prepare
designs with the view of obtaining tenders for the execution of the
decks, skylights, fittings, rigging, &c. He obtained advice from persons
thoroughly conversant with this class of work; and a specification was
carefully prepared, providing for the completion of the ship in a
perfect manner.
* * * * *
Meanwhile it had been considered that, large as the ship was, she might
be profitably employed in the American trade, and that it might be
expedient to run her on that line for a few voyages before placing her
on the Eastern route. Captain Harrison went to America to examine the
harbour at Portland, and brought back a favourable report of it.
All efforts to raise the funds for finishing the ship proved unavailing;
and it was determined to reconstitute the company.
* * * * *
The new company, which was called the ‘Great Ship Company,’ was formed
towards the end of the year 1858. In the beginning of December, Mr.
Brunel was compelled by ill-health to go to Egypt for the winter. On
leaving England, he strongly urged the Directors on no account to fail
to make a strict contract, distinctly defining the work to be done, and
the manner of its execution, as provided for by the specifications he
had drawn out. But his advice was not followed.
After Mr. Brunel’s return to England in May 1859, he continued to give
the greater part of his time to the ship. The difficulties which he had
to encounter were certainly neither fewer nor less vexatious than those
which had arisen at earlier periods in her history; but they were the
last with which he had to contend.
* * * * *
On September 5 he left her in the morning, feeling the commencement of
the illness which ten days afterwards terminated fatally.
* * * * *
The ship left her moorings on September 7, and with the assistance of
several tugs steamed down the river. She stopped for a night at
Purfleet, and again at the Nore, and then left for Weymouth.
On the voyage a serious accident happened, which was made the subject of
much misrepresentation.
Round each of the funnels of the paddle engines was what was termed a
water-casing, or jacket, consisting of an outer cylinder, about 6 inches
from the inner cylinder which formed the funnel. The top of the annular
space between the cylinders was at about the level of the deck. From it
a stand-pipe was carried up, which, after rising to a certain height,
was turned over, and the end brought down into the stokehole. The object
of this arrangement was to heat the feed-water before it entered the
boiler, and at the same time to keep the saloons cool, through which the
funnels passed. The arrangement of the stand-pipe gave this advantage,
that when the head of water in the heater and stand-pipe together became
equivalent to the pressure in the boiler, the water could be run into
the boiler by gravitation. The stand-pipe at the same time, being open
to the air at the top, formed a safety-valve to the water-heater.
For the purpose of testing the joints of the jacket with water pressure,
while the ship was being finished, a stop-cock had been placed on the
stand-pipe, which unfortunately had not been afterwards removed. While
the ship was proceeding down Channel, the donkey feed-pumps were not
working well, and to ease them it was thought better to cut off the
water-heater, and to force the water direct into the boiler. The
communication of the water-heater with the boiler was therefore cut off;
and, as was afterwards ascertained, the stop-cock at the top of the
water-heater had been also closed. The water confined in the heater soon
produced steam, and when the ship was off Hastings the casing exploded.
The funnel was thrown up on to the deck, and a body of boiling water and
steam was driven down into the boiler room, severely injuring several of
the firemen, who afterwards died.
That the effects of this accident were confined to one compartment of
the ship, was due to the complete protection afforded by the transverse
bulkheads.
After she arrived at Weymouth the funnel was repaired; but as an outcry
was raised against the water-heaters, it was thought desirable, from
deference to public opinion, to discontinue their use; although this
accident had not in any way proved them to be objectionable, and they
are now generally adopted.
While the ‘Great Eastern’ was at Weymouth Mr. Brunel died.
Many visitors went in the ship when she left Weymouth on a trial trip to
Holyhead. At Holyhead she lay in a somewhat exposed situation; and the
sudden storm came on in which the ‘Royal Charter’ was lost. The great
advantage of having both paddle and screw was now, for the first time,
felt. A portion of the temporary staging erected by the contractor at
the breakwater was carried away, and drifted down upon the ship. During
the gale her engines were kept going, in order to relieve the strain on
the cables. The timbers of the staging got foul of both paddlewheels and
screw; but, as it was always possible to keep one of the engines at
work, the ship was saved from drifting.
The season being now too far advanced for a profitable voyage to
America, the ship left Holyhead and went to Southampton Water for the
winter, where several alterations and additions were made.
In Mr. Brunel’s report of February 5, 1855, printed above, at p. 315, he
describes the leading features of the ‘Great Eastern’ as she was then
being constructed, but a more detailed account of them will fitly
precede the history of her career as a passenger-ship.
The main arrangements of the ship are shown in the woodcut (fig. 16, p.
397).[173]
The ship is 680 feet long, 83 feet wide, and 58 feet deep. Her gross
tonnage is 18,915 tons. She is divided into water-tight compartments by
ten bulkheads (_a_ and _b_), all of which, except two (_b_), extend
completely across the ship, and up to the upper deck. These two are
complete to 6 feet above the 28-foot water line. In addition there are
partial bulkheads (_c_), which form the ends of coal bunkers, and aid
materially in strengthening the flat bottom of the ship. The more
remarkable parts of the construction of the ship will be understood by
means of the transverse section. The bottom is made double, and between
the two skins are webs, running longitudinally. Mr. Brunel considered
that the double skin would greatly diminish the chance of such an
accident occurring as would cause any of the compartments to be filled
with water. The material being arranged in the direction of the length
of the ship is all capable of taking part in the strains that are thrown
on the bottom, as well as on the top, by forces tending to bend the
ship.
Mr. Brunel also made the upper deck cellular, in order to resist the
compressive strain that would come on it when the ship was heavily
loaded in the middle of her length. Great additional strength to the
ship, considered as a girder, is given by two longitudinal bulkheads, 36
feet apart, extending for 350 feet. These bulkheads, with the sides of
the ship, form the vertical web plates of the girder. Her structure
resembles the tubes of the Britannia bridge; the cellular top flange
being connected with the cellular bottom flange by plate-iron webs.
[Illustration: Fig. 16. _Longitudinal Section_
_Plan showing Machinery and Coals_
_Midship Section showing Cabins and Boiler Room._
‘GREAT EASTERN’ STEAM-SHIP
_a._ Complete transverse watertight bulkhead
_b._ Transverse watertight bulkheads complete up to water line
_c._ Partial transverse bulkheads
_d._ Longitudinal bulkheads
E. Cable decks
F. Chain cable lockers, &c.
G. Ice-house, stores, &c.
H. Forward cargo space
I. Paddle boiler rooms
J. Paddle engines
K. Cross coal bunkers
L. Paddle auxiliary engines
M. Screw boiler rooms
N. Screw engines
O. Screw auxiliary engines
P. Screw alley
Q. Grand saloon
R. Ladies’ saloon
S,U. Lower saloons
T. Upper saloons
V. Passage tunnel
W. Steam-pipe tunnel
X. Aft cargo space
Y. Aft cable deck, &c.
Y’. Deck for auxiliary tiller, &c.
Z. Cabins
NOTE.--_The masts of the ship, six in number, are not shown on this
woodcut._]
The two skins of the ship, with the web plates between them, forming the
cellular bottom of the great girder, may also be considered as a number
of smaller girders placed side by side, each resisting the excess of the
pressure of the water over the load that may happen to be resting on it
inside the ship. The difference of pressure or upward strain is
transmitted by the cross bulkheads (_a_, _b_, _c_) from the bottom of
the ship to the sides and longitudinal bulkheads.
The double skin extends up to about 6 feet above the water level
throughout the whole length of the ship, with the exception of the
extreme ends.
The foremost compartment next the bow has two cable decks (E), with
capstans and all the necessary riding-bitts, stoppers, and other
appliances for working the cables. These arrangements answer well, and
the 3-inch chain cables are worked with great facility. The capstans
were originally driven by a shaft from the paddle auxiliary engines, but
this was found inconvenient, and a small independent engine has been put
to work them. The cables are stowed in chain lockers on a deck (F) below
the cable decks, and below this (G) are ice-houses and store-rooms. The
next compartment of the ship (H) is intended for cargo. It is at present
occupied by the forward cable tank.
The main part of the ship, 350 feet in length, up to the level of the
lower deck, 34 feet above the bottom, is occupied with her engines,
boilers, and coal bunkers. The space above the lower deck was occupied
with saloons and cabins for passengers, except at the paddle engine room
(J). The boilers, four in number, two in each boiler room (I), which
supply steam to the paddle engines, are placed forward of the engines;
and forward of the boiler rooms is a coal bunker (K), 20 feet long; and
abaft of the paddle engines are the six boilers, two in each boiler room
(M), that supply steam to the screw engines (N). These three boiler
rooms are separated by coal bunkers (K), 20 feet long. On either side of
the boilers and engines, and also upon plate iron arches above the
boilers, are bunkers for coal. This will be seen on the transverse
section of the ship. Between the paddle engines and boilers is a
water-tight compartment, 10 feet long (L), in which are placed a pair of
auxiliary engines of sixty horse-power, which pump water out of the ship
and also work fire-pumps. There are two other auxiliary engines of sixty
horse-power in a compartment (O) aft of the screw engines, intended to
keep the screw propeller turning round, either when the ship is at
anchor, to relieve the strain on the cables, or when, for any reason,
she is only using her paddle engines. They also work bilge-pumps and
fire-pumps. Each set of auxiliary engines has two independent
high-pressure boilers. Throughout the bottom of the ship there are two
bilge-pipes, fitted with valves, with branch-pipes leading to the
various compartments of the double skin. These bilge-pipes can be
connected with either of the auxiliary engines, and so the water can be
pumped out of any part of the ship.
The paddle engines, of 1,000 nominal horse-power, consist of four
inclined oscillating cylinders, 14 feet stroke and 6 feet 2 inches
diameter, each pair of which work on to a single crank. There are means
for disengaging either paddlewheel from the engines.
The screw engines, of 1,600 nominal horse-power, consist of four fixed
horizontal cylinders, 4 feet stroke and 7 feet diameter, the two
cylinders of each pair working opposite to each other on one crank.
In each boiler room are two donkey engines for supplying the boilers
with water, and the main engines are also fitted with feed-pumps. Each
of the donkey engines is capable of pumping water out of the ship, and
of being used in case of fire.
The screw shaft passes along what is termed a screw alley (P). The
weight of the screw rests on the bearing where the screw shaft passes
out through the stern-post of the ship. To prevent the water that leaks
in through this bearing from penetrating into the screw alley, there is
a bulkhead with a stuffing-box round the screw shaft, a short distance
forward of the stern-post. To enable access to be gained to the bearing,
a tube was provided leading down from the main-deck. This was intended
to be fitted with appliances for pumping air in so as to drive the water
out, and to admit men to get at the bearing under air pressure.
Another arrangement was also provided for the same purpose. On the after
side of the stern-post was placed a ring of india-rubber; and, by
pulling in the screw-shaft, the screw was pressed tightly against the
india-rubber ring, which prevented the water from entering. By means of
this arrangement the stern-bearing was examined and repaired at
Southampton.
The screw propeller has four blades, and is 24 feet in diameter and 44
feet pitch. The paddlewheels were 56 feet in diameter, with 30 floats,
each 13 feet broad and 3 feet deep.
Over the boiler rooms run two tunnels; one of them (V) serves as a
passage to enable the engineers to pass from one compartment to another
throughout the part of the ship occupied by the boilers and engines. The
openings leading from the tunnel to the engine or boiler rooms are
provided with watertight doors, which can be shut in the event of any of
the compartments getting full of water. The other tunnel (W) serves as a
passage for the steampipe, which leads from the boilers to the engines.
Though the boilers are divided into two sets, one for the paddle engines
and one for the screw, the steampipes are connected, so that the whole
of the ten boilers, or any of them, may be used to supply steam for
either of the engines.
In one point a deviation was made from Mr. Brunel’s arrangements. It was
his intention that there should be no apertures in the water-tight
bulkheads except at the tunnel (V), from which the various boiler and
engine rooms were to be entered by openings, to be closed by water-tight
doors. The tunnel was placed high up, so that in the event of a leak
there might be ample time to close the door. The inconvenience of
ascending and descending by ladders was, however, considered an evil;
and it was found necessary at times to carry coals from one compartment
to another. For these reasons, upon the requirement of the Board of
Trade, doorways, fitted with sliding doors, which can be closed by
handles on the upper deck, have been cut in the bulkheads between the
boiler rooms. This arrangement exists in other ships; and in the ‘Great
Eastern,’ even without closing these doors, there are eight watertight
compartments.
At the stern of the ship (Y) on the main-deck are arrangements for
working cables, similar to those at the bow.
These appliances are required when the ship has to be moored so as not
to swing with the tide; and they would allow of the ship’s riding by the
stern instead of by the bow, which it might often be useful for her to
do in narrow waters. On the lower deck (Y), at the stern of the ship, is
a spare tiller and wheel for working the rudder, in case anything goes
wrong with the main tiller, which is on the upper deck. The weight of
the rudder is carried on the lower deck by a grooved collar, resting on
a ring of cannon balls.
The compartment (X) immediately aft of the screw engine room is for
cargo.
The saloons and cabins are all in the middle of the length of the ship,
where there is least motion. The usual plan of putting the first-class
passengers at the stern was not adopted, and they were placed forward.
As the smoke generally drifts towards the stern of a ship, the
first-class passengers in the ‘Great Eastern’ are not annoyed by the
smoke, or by the dust and smell from the boiler and engine rooms.
The transverse section shows the arrangement of the cabins.
Mr. Brunel intended that the upper saloons (T) should be used as
sitting-rooms, and the lower saloons (S and U) as dining-rooms. These
were to be lit and ventilated by shafts on either side of the upper
saloons, rising up to the skylights on deck. The smell of dinner was
thus to be kept away from the sitting-rooms. The cabins (Z) on either
side were to be approached from the saloons by passages and steps, as
shown on the section. The saloon marked (Q) is the first-class, and (R)
the ladies’ saloon.
The ship is rigged with six masts. The arrangements of the masts and
rigging were especially intended for the Eastern voyages. At the extreme
bow and stern are low masts, which carry trysails and staysails. The
sails on these masts were chiefly intended for manœuvring the ship.
She also has three large masts, the lower masts being of iron. The two
foremost of these are square-rigged, and all three of them have trysails
and staysails. The aftermost of the three was also made strong enough to
be fitted with square yards, in the event of its being desirable to rig
it in that manner. Aft of the three principal masts is a large mast,
only intended to be rigged with fore-and-aft canvas. The ship has no
bowsprit, the stay of the foremost mast being attached to the stem
inside the bulwarks.
* * * * *
In the beginning of June 1860, the ship made a trip from Southampton
down the Channel, as far as the Start Lighthouse and back, to try her
engines; and on June 17 she sailed for New York, under the command of
Captain Vine Hall, who had succeeded Captain Harrison. She arrived
there, after a prosperous voyage, on June 28, and was received with
great enthusiasm. The ship left New York on August 16, and, having
called at Halifax, arrived at Milford Haven on August 26.
In the course of these two voyages the stern-bearing of the screw-shaft,
which was in white metal, had worn down between two and three inches.
With the view of allowing for any depression of the stern-bearing, the
lengths of the screw-shaft were not rigidly connected throughout, but
the end length, attached to the screw, was coupled to the remainder of
the shaft by a universal joint, consisting of two double cranks. Thus
the two shafts might be, to a considerable extent, out of line, and yet
revolve efficiently.
When the ship returned to Milford Haven, a gridiron was prepared on the
beach, and she was grounded on it; and the screw-shaft was drawn in. By
this time it had become the general opinion that a shaft cased with
brass, and running in lignum-vitæ bearings, was the best. A lathe and
machinery for making the shaft revolve were provided, and fixed in the
stern of the ship; the shaft was turned, and brass collars shrunk on.
The bearing was made with lignum-vitæ, and the brass-covered shaft
replaced in it. It has since worked well, and has shown no signs of
wear.
The ship, commanded by Captain William Thompson, left Milford Haven for
New York on May 1, 1861, and returned to Liverpool from New York on June
4, having made an average speed of 13¾ knots on the outward and 14 knots
on the homeward voyage.
At this time the Government determined to send her out with troops to
Quebec, and she was fitted up for that purpose. She took upwards of
2,500 troops, and about 40 passengers. There were, altogether, about
3,000 persons on board, and 200 artillery horses. Scarcely any of the
troops were placed in the regular passenger part of the ship, as they
were accommodated in the cargo departments (H, X). Thus a much greater
number of men might have been carried in her with perfect comfort. She
was commanded on this voyage by Captain James Kennedy, of the Inman
service. She left Liverpool on June 27, and arrived at Quebec on July 7.
She returned to Liverpool with about 500 passengers in August.
By this time her superiority had become recognised by the regular
travellers between England and America. Those who had been in her found
that, while they passed other ships rolling and pitching in the sea, the
deck of the ‘Great Eastern’ was so steady that it was difficult to
believe that there was a gale blowing;[174] and when, after a
continuance of heavy weather, she began to roll, the motion was so slow
and easy as to be comparatively unimportant.
When she left Liverpool again, there were a considerable number of
passengers, and it seemed as if her success was ensured. She started
under the command of Captain James Walker, on September 10, and three
days afterwards encountered a severe Atlantic gale.
The ship was behaving well, when one of the boats, which hung on davits
outside the ship forward of the paddlewheels, got adrift on the weather
side. Fears were entertained that it might foul the paddlewheel, and the
captain determined to cut it away. The direction of the ship was
altered, in order that the boat might float clear. The ship then resumed
her course; but shortly afterwards fell off, with her broadside to the
sea.
Relieving tackles having been put to assist the men at the wheel, the
tiller was kept hard over, to bring the ship’s head to the wind; but
with no effect. Towards evening, as the seas beat heavily against her
side, first one paddlewheel and then the other was destroyed, being
completely torn away from the central bosses. During the night she lay
in a helpless condition. The gale had been of some duration, and the
waves being large and long, the ship was placed in a very unfavourable
position to receive them; and she rolled considerably.
The next morning, when an officer went to examine the auxiliary tiller
on the lower deck, he discovered that the rudder-head was twisted short
off, just above the point where it entered the ship. The rudder was
still in its place. The accident had most likely happened on the
previous evening, when the ship fell off her course. It had not been
noticed by the men at the helm, perhaps because there were so many of
them at the wheel and relieving-tackles that they held one against the
other; and the broken parts of the rudder-head, grinding together, threw
jerks on to the tiller. The fracture of the rudder-head was caused by
the badness of the workmanship in the interior of the forging.
Attempts were made to get sail on the ship, but without much success;
and with the hope of bringing her head to wind, the screw engines were
reversed.
As soon as the ship was driven astern by the screw, the rudder, being
uncontrolled, was forced round by the rush of water, and it knocked
away the after stern-post.[175] No other harm was done, as the rudder is
secured by a pin into the heel of the ship, and by a collar round the
rudder-head, attached to the hull above water.
Steps were then taken to get command over the rudder. Chains were
wrapped round the stump of the rudder-head inside the ship, and a
certain amount of control was thus obtained. A more effective plan was
at the same time carried into execution. A man was lowered by a rope
from the stern of the ship, who hove a piece of wood, with a line
attached to it, through the screw-opening. The wood with the end of the
line was caught with a boat-hook; and a rope, and afterwards a hawser,
and then a piece of the ship’s chain cable were passed through behind
the rudder. The two ends of the chain cable were brought together at the
stern of the ship, and a large shackle put round both parts of the
chain, and shaken down till it held them together. In the edge of the
rudder-blade a notch had been made by the rudder striking against the
screw, and into this notch the shackle was made to drop. In this way two
chains or pennants had been attached to the back of the rudder. One of
these was brought to each side of the ship, and they were hauled on by
means of the stern capstan.
The ship then turned homeward, and the weather having moderated, she
arrived off Cork harbour on the afternoon of September 17. By this time
the chains round the rudder had shifted, and were of little service; and
before night it began to blow heavily towards the shore. It was
dangerous for the ship to remain on a lee shore; and, although the
steering-gear was out of order, the captain wisely determined to take
advantage of the ship’s head pointing in the right direction, and
steamed out to sea.
Three days afterwards the ship, assisted by several small steamers, was
got safely into Cork harbour, a temporary tiller was attached to the
stump of the rudder-head, and she proceeded to Milford Haven, where she
was placed on the gridiron, and her after stern-post and paddlewheels
replaced. The accident had proved that the original paddlewheels might
with advantage have been made stronger, and in the new wheels the
bracing was increased.
* * * * *
The ship, under the command of Captain Walter Paton, left Milford Haven
for New York on May 7, 1862, and returned to Liverpool on June 11. She
left again on July 1, and returned on August 6. Besides the number of
passengers the ship accommodated, she carried a considerable amount of
cargo; she brought over large quantities of grain and provisions. The
custom of carrying this class of freight in steam-ships received a great
impulse from the success of the ‘Great Eastern’ in the traffic. As it
was found that the shallowness of the bar at Sandy Hook prevented her
taking full advantage of her carrying power, she had on this voyage
followed the route along Long Island Sound, so as to arrive close to New
York in deep water, and on her return voyage she brought as much as
5,300 tons of cargo in bulk, which with 4,350 tons of coal gave her a
mean draught of 28 feet.
She left Liverpool on August 17, and arrived off Montauk Point, at the
entrance to Long Island Sound, at about two in the morning of the 27th,
to take in the pilot. While stopping, a loud rumbling noise was heard,
and presently the ship heeled slightly over to one side. The pilot,
when he came on board, said that the ship had passed over a reef of
sunken rocks, which was not marked on the charts.
It was at the same time found that many of the spaces between the double
skins were full of water. The ship went on to New York, and most of the
passengers landed in ignorance of an accident which in any other vessel
would have been fatal.
* * * * *
Steps were at once taken to examine the damage, and the divers reported
a large fracture in the outer skin 80 feet long and about 10 feet broad.
They also discovered afterwards several smaller fractures. It was
considered that this damage might be mended while the vessel was afloat,
and a very skilful arrangement, contrived by Messrs. Renwick, of New
York, was adopted. A large wooden barge was made with a gunwale shaped
to fit the ship’s side, and two wooden passages leading down into the
barge. It was placed so as to cover the large fracture, and was secured
by chains passed round the bottom of the ship. The joint between the
gunwale of the barge and the ship’s side was made water-tight; the water
was pumped out, and men and materials passed down through the shafts. By
the exertions of those engaged in this difficult operation, the great
fracture was repaired, and the ship returned to England in the beginning
of 1863.
A gridiron was made at Birkenhead; the ship was placed on it, and the
repairs were proceeded with under the direction of Mr. Brereton, who at
Mr. Brunel’s death succeeded him as engineer to the Great Ship Company.
On examination, it was found that fractures had been made in ten
separate places in the outer skin.
The ship started again in May 1863, and made three voyages to New York
and home. At this time, however, there was a severe competition with
other vessels, and the Company could not afford to run the ship
unremuneratively for any length of time. In 1864 she passed into the
hands of a new company, which consisted almost entirely of those who,
from their belief in the capabilities of the ship, had found the money
for starting her again after each of her successive misfortunes.
The ship lay idle for some months, and was then chartered by the
Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company.
* * * * *
The ‘Great Eastern’ had in the course of the four years from 1860 to
1863 made nine voyages across the Atlantic and back. Though this was not
the route for which she had been intended, it had given her many
opportunities of showing her merits. Adverse fortune had added to these
opportunities, and had at the same time demonstrated the necessity of
many of the precautions which Mr. Brunel had taken to ensure her safety.
* * * * *
The construction of the hull of the ship has been proved by experience
to possess the advantages anticipated by Mr. Brunel.
Its strength as a whole has been proved by the absence of all signs of
weakness in the heavy weather she encountered on several occasions, and
especially in the gale of 1861, when her rudder was disabled. The
strength of the ship has since been fully tested by the enormous loads
she has carried while on telegraph cable expeditions.
The importance of the double skin was shown on the occasion of her
grinding over the rocks at Montauk Point, when so large a number of
leaks were made in all parts of her bottom that no ordinary system of
bulkheads would have saved her from foundering. Moreover, the space
between the two skins was sufficient to allow of the outer skin and the
webs being crushed to the extent of three feet, while they at the same
time acted as a buffer and prevented the inner skin from coming in
contact with the rock.
The engines have not had any opportunity of working at high speed in the
long voyages for which they were intended, but in the rapid and
comparatively short passages made by the ship across the Atlantic they
worked with great regularity and success. Although they were commenced
seventeen years ago, they are still fine specimens of marine engines,
and bear witness to the care taken by their builders in their design and
manufacture.
Of the points on which Mr. Brunel laid stress, and which, as he
remarked, ‘involve no other risk than that of being useless; they cannot
do mischief,’ many have now come to be considered essential parts of
good marine engines. He thought it of great importance that the steam
cylinders should be jacketed, especially at the ends; and it was
intended that the high-pressure steam for this purpose should be taken
from the auxiliary boilers. This plan was, however, not adopted.
Mr. Brunel was also anxious that the steam should be heated immediately
before it entered the cylinders, and that fresh water should be supplied
for the boilers by using the same water over again. Arrangements for
effecting these objects have since been brought into general use.
The advantage of having several cylinders to each engine was shown while
the ship was running to America. Part of the valve-gear of one of the
paddle-engine cylinders gave way, the engines were stopped for four
hours, and the ship was propelled by the screw alone. The cylinder was
disconnected and turned back out of the way, and the engines worked
efficiently with three cylinders for four passages across the Atlantic.
The average speed of the ship on those voyages in which her performances
were fairly tested was about 13½ knots. On two occasions she made the
voyage from New York to Liverpool at an average speed of 14 knots; and
she maintained her speed in rough weather and head winds to a much
greater extent than is the case in smaller vessels.
By having two sets of engines, the ship was saved from serious disaster
at Holyhead, and again in the gale of September 1861.
The great handiness of the ship is one of the many beneficial results of
the use of both paddles and screw. By working the paddlewheels astern
and the screw ahead, she can be kept from moving forward or backward,
and at the same time the stream of water from the screw, acting on the
rudder, makes her answer her helm and turn round on her centre. By
modifying the speed of the two engines, she may be made to creep slowly
forward; and as the rudder is in the full rush of the water driven back
by the screw, the ship has practically as much steering power as she has
when moving rapidly. The importance of this power of controlling her
when passing through narrow channels, in entering and leaving port, can
scarcely be over-estimated.
* * * * *
The career of the ‘Great Eastern’ since the formation of the present
Great Eastern Steam-Ship Company, has been prosperous.
In the commencement of the year 1864, when Mr. Cyrus Field had succeeded
in reviving the project of laying the Atlantic cable, the Telegraph
Construction and Maintenance Company took the contract for laying it,
and hired the ‘Great Eastern.’ She was brought round to Sheerness,
where the cable tanks were fitted into her. One tank was placed in the
forward cargo compartment, and another in the after cargo compartment;
and the largest tank was placed over the middle screw boiler room, the
funnel being removed. Therefore, during the cable-laying expeditions,
the ship only used eight of her boilers.
* * * * *
The history of the laying of the Atlantic cable is well known. The
‘Great Eastern’ started from Valentia on June 23, 1865, under the
command of Captain (now Sir James) Anderson, and the cable was laid more
than half way across the Atlantic; but, on hauling in to recover a
fault, it was broken, and dropped to the bottom of the sea.
The grappling tackle was not sufficiently strong. The cable was three
times partially raised, and each time lost; and the expedition returned
to England defeated, but with the knowledge that ultimate success was
certain.
The engineers and scientific men on board the ‘Great Eastern’ drew up a
memorandum as to the results of this expedition, and, among other
things, stated--‘That the steam-ship “Great Eastern,” from her size and
constant steadiness, and from the control over her afforded by the joint
use of paddles and screw, renders it safe to lay an Atlantic cable in
any weather.’[176]
Sufficient additional cable was made to lay a second one and to finish
the old cable when it should be recovered. The ship started again on
July 13, 1866, and laid the cable across the Atlantic without the
slightest mishap. She then returned, and after three weeks of hard work,
the end of the cable which had been lost the year before was picked up,
and completed to Newfoundland.
On her return to England there did not seem to be any immediate
employment for her in cable laying, and the tanks were taken out. In the
following year a company was formed in France to charter the ship, and
to work her between New York and Brest during the French Exhibition. She
made one voyage from Liverpool to New York and back to Brest and
Liverpool; but the undertaking was a commercial failure.
She remained at Liverpool till October 1868, when it was proposed to lay
a cable from France to America; and she came round to her former berth
at Sheerness. Tanks were made in the fore and aft cargo spaces, and a
very large tank, 75 feet in diameter, was placed amidships. The
bulkheads were cut partially away to make room for it, the ship being
strengthened above and below. She started on this expedition from Brest
under the command of Captain Robert Halpin, and encountered very heavy
weather. The cable was laid successfully.
* * * * *
The ship then returned to England, and was fitted out for the greatest
adventure she has yet undertaken. She was to proceed with a full cargo
of cable round the Cape of Good Hope to Bombay, to lay it thence to
Aden, and from Aden a portion of the way up the Red Sea. With her cable
and coals, on leaving England, she drew 34 feet 6 inches, with the
enormous displacement of 32,724 tons. She laid the cable with perfect
success, and returned to England.
* * * * *
Throughout all these cable-laying expeditions, and especially in the
work of picking up the Atlantic cable of 1865, the good qualities of the
ship have been fully exhibited.
* * * * *
The later voyages of the ‘Great Eastern’ were undertaken for the
accomplishment of a work in which Mr. Brunel had felt a great interest.
In 1856, Mr. Cyrus Field came over to this country in order to consult
English engineers and scientific men upon his project of an Atlantic
cable. It is stated in a work written by Dr. Field,[177] that--
From the beginning Mr. Brunel showed the warmest interest in the
undertaking, and made many suggestions in regard to the form of the
cable and the manner in which it should be laid. He was then
building the ‘Great Eastern,’ and one day he took Mr. Field down to
Blackwall to see it, and said, ‘There is the ship to lay the
Atlantic cable.’
It appears, however, from drawings in Mr. Brunel’s sketch-books that at
this time, and again in 1858, he thought that it would be better to
have a vessel specially built for the work.
He was throughout sanguine as to the ultimate success of the
undertaking, as is shown by the following extract from a letter written
in December 1856:--
I would suggest a more moderate expression of doubts of the
successful results of the American cable. The impossibility of
running steamers profitably over the surface of the same sea was,
though it is now denied, asserted and proved from established facts
just as clearly as the impossibility asserted now to exist in
respect of the electric telegraph. It is a pity in these days to
lay down any such dogma. Every day’s experience proves that
nine-tenths of them are refuted; that the circumstances do not
prove to be such as are assumed, or the difficulties are overcome;
and however correct the arguments may have been, the result is not
as predicted.
The ‘Great Eastern’ has not yet been engaged on the work for which she
was originally designed by Mr. Brunel; but her employment in the
promotion of great scientific enterprises has been an occupation worthy
of her connection with his name.
NOTE (p. 395).
_Dimensions of the ‘Great Eastern’ Steam-ship._
Extreme length, 693 feet
Length between perpendiculars, 680 "
Breadth, 83 "
Depth, 58 "
Greatest draught of water, 30 "
Registered tonnage, 13,343 tons
Gross tonnage, 18,915 "
Displacement at 30 feet draught, 27,419 "
DIMENSIONS OF PADDLE-ENGINES.
(1,000 nominal horse-power.)
Number of cylinders, 4
Diameter of cylinders, 6 feet 2 inches
Length of stroke, 14 feet
Number of boilers, 4
DIMENSIONS OF SCREW-ENGINES.
(1,600 nominal horse-power.)
Number of cylinders, 4
Diameter of cylinders, 7 feet
Length of stroke, 4 "
Number of boilers, 6