[Footnote: See Engraving in SUPPLEMENT NO. 584.]
The history of the Great Eastern is full of surprises. It is always that
which is most unlikely to happen to her which occurs. Not long since we
recorded her sale by auction in Liverpool for £26,000. It was stated that
her purchasers were going to fit her out for the Australian trade, and that
she would at once be sent from Dublin to Glasgow to be fitted with new
engines and boilers, and to undergo thorough renovation. Lord Ravensworth,
in his address to the Institution of Naval Architects, spoke recently of
the bright future before her in that Australian trade for which she was
specially built. Yet at this moment the Great Eastern is lying in her old
berth in the Sloyne at Liverpool, and unless something else at present
quite unforeseen takes place, she will once more play the undignified part
of a floating music hall. It seems that although she was certainly sold, as
we have stated, the transaction was not completed. Her owners then cast
about for the next highest bidder, who at once took her. He is, we
understand, a Manchester cotton spinner, and he paid £25,500 for her. It is
no secret that Messrs. Lewis made a considerable sum out of the ship last
year, and the knowledge of this fact has no doubt induced her present owner
to follow their example. The ship left Dublin on Sunday, April 3, under her
own steam and in tow of two Liverpool tugs, the Brilliant Star and the
Wrestler, and arrived in the Mersey without accident on Monday, after a
passage of only thirteen hours. Mr. Reeves, formerly her chief officer, has
been made captain. Mr. Jackson is still chief engineer. We cannot at
present explain the fact that she went more than twice as fast as she has
done recently, her engines making as many as 36 revolutions a minute, save
on the assumption that while lying at Dublin much of the enormous growth of
seaweed on her bottom died off, as will sometimes happen as a result of
change of water. Her engines and boilers, too, have had a good overhaul by
Mr. Jackson, and this may account in part for this improvement. It is much
to be regretted that the scheme of using the ship for her legitimate
purpose has not been carried out. It is not, however, yet too late. The
Great Eastern was not a success in Dublin, for one reason, that a beer and
spirit license could not be obtained for her. It is said that notice has
been given at the Birkenhead police court that any application for a
license of a similar kind will be opposed. Whether the ship will be as
popular a resort without as she was with a license, we cannot pretend to
say; and we may add that all our predilections are against her degradation
to the status of a floating music hall. The greater her failure as such,
the greater the chance of her being put to a better use; and it may help to
that desirable end if we say here something concerning the way in which she
could be rendered a commercial success as a trader.
It may be taken as proved that the present value of the ship is about
£26,000. Mr. De Mattos gave, we understand, £27,000 for her, and he bought
her by auction. The last sale gives nearly the same figures. If we assume
that there are 10,000 tons of iron in her, we may also assume that if
broken up it would not fetch more than £3 a ton at present rates; but even
if we say £4, we have as a total but £40,000. To break the ship up would be
a herculean task; we very much doubt if it could be done for the difference
between £26,000 and £40,000; her engines would only sell for old iron,
being entirely worthless for any other place than the foundry once they
were taken out of her; as for her boilers, the less said about them the
better. In one word, she would not pay to break up. On the other hand, by a
comparatively moderate further outlay, she might be made the finest trading
ship afloat. There are two harbors at all events into which she can always
get, namely, Milford and Sydney. There are others, of course, but these
will do; and the ship could trade between these two ports. By taking out
her paddle engines, she would be relieved of a weight of 850 tons. The
removal of her paddle engine boilers would further lighten her, and would
give in addition an enormous stowage space. By using her both as a cargo
and a passenger ship, the whole of the upper portion could be utilized for
emigrants, let us say, and the lower decks for cargo, of which she could
carry nearly, if not quite, 20,000 tons. She would possess the great
advantage that, notwithstanding she was a cargo ship, she would be nearly,
if not quite, as fast as any, save a few of the most recent additions to
the Australian fleet. There is every reason to believe that she has been
driven at 14 knots by about 6,000 horse power. We are inclined to think
that the power has been overstated, and we have it on good authority that
she has more than once attained a speed of 15 knots. Let us assume,
however, that her speed is to be 13 knots, or about fifteen miles an hour.
Assuming the power required to vary as the cube of the speed, if 6,000
horsepower gave 14 knots, then about 4,800 would give 13 knots--say 5,000
horse power. Now, good compound engines of this power ought not to burn
more than 2 lb. per horse per hour, or say 4.5 tons per hour, or 108 tons a
day. Allowing the trip to Australia to take forty days, we have 4,320 tons
of coal--say 5,000 tons for the trip. The Etruria burns about this quantity
in the run to New York and back. For each ton of coal burned in the Great
Eastern about 15,000 tons of cargo and 3,000 passengers could be moved
about 3-1/3 miles. There is, we need hardly say, nothing afloat which can
compare in economy of fuel with this. Taken on another basis, we may
compare her with an ordinary cargo boat. In such a vessel about 3,000 tons
of grain can be moved at 9 knots an hour for 600 horse power--that is 5
tons of cargo per horse power. Reducing the speed of the Great Eastern to 9
knots and about 2,000 horse power, we have 9 tons of cargo moved at 9 knots
per horse power; so that in the relation of coal burned to cargo moved she
would be nearly twice as economical as any other vessel afloat.
The important question is, What would the necessary alterations cost? Much,
of course, would depend on what was done. A very large part of the present
screw engines could be used. For example, the crank shaft, some 2 feet in
diameter, is a splendid job, and no difficulty need be met with in working
in nearly the whole of the present framing. If the engines were only to be
compound, two of the existing cylinders might be left where they are, two
high-pressure cylinders being substituted for the others. If triple
expansion were adopted, then new engines would be wanted, but the present
crank and screw shafts would answer perfectly. The present screw would have
to be removed and one of smaller diameter and less pitch put in its place.
All things considered, we believe that for about £75,000 the Great Eastern
could be entirely renovated and remodeled inside. Her owners would then
have for, say, £100,000 a ship without a rival. Her freights might be cut
so low that she would always have cargo enough, and her speed and moderate
fares ought to attract plenty of passengers. Sum up the matter how we may,
there appears to be a good case for further investigation and inquiry as to
the prospects of success for such a ship in the Australian trade, and the
opinion of merchants and others in Melbourne and Sydney ought to be
obtained. Something would be gained even if the opinions of unprejudiced
experts were adverse. We might then rest content to regard the ship as an
utter failure, and not object to see her sunk and filled with concrete to
play the part of a breakwater. Until, however, such an opinion has been
expressed after full discussion, we must continue to regard the ship as fit
for something better than a music hall and dancing saloon.--_The Engineer_.
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