AN UNLUCKY STEAMER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20988, 26 September 1931, Page 2 (Supplement)

AN UNLUCKY STEAMER.

STORY OF GREAT EASTERN. THE FIRST BIG LINER. SERIES OF MISFORTUNES. TRAGEDY ON FIRST VOYAGE. One oi the most unlucky ships in (he history oF the British mercantile marine was the Great Eastern, which, when she was completed in 1857, outclassed in size, equipment and accommodation for passengers all other ships afloat. Plans for tha construction of this first leviathan of the seas —she was christened tho Leviathan when launched, but the name was changed to Great Eastern — were completed in 1852 by Mr. Isambard Brunei, on behalf of the Great Eastern Steam Navigation Company. Her length was to be 692 ft., beam 83ft.; she was to have accommodation for 1000 passengers, and room in. her holds for 5000 tons of cargo. At that time there were no merchant ships above 5000 tons, but the Great Eastern was to exceed 18,000 tons. Many people declared that it was impossible to build such a largo ship; that if she were built she would not float, and that if she did float it would be impossible for her to move through the water except at a snail's pace. All these predictions were falsified; nevertheless, the gloomy forebodings of those pessimists who declared that the vessel would be a failure were realised. Launching Ceremony a " Frost." When the Great Eastern was being built at Millwall, on the Thames, by Scott, Russell and Company, many alterations were made in the plans, and these added to her cost. Not until November 3, 1857, was she ready to be launched. Thousands of people assembled at the ship-building yards to see her take the water, but the ceremony wasea " frost." She stuck on the ways, and she resisted many attempts to get her off, made in the course of the ensuing weeks. It was not until January 31, 1858 —89 days after the launching ceremony—that she was floated. The expense of launching her mounted up to £60,000, 'bringing the total cost of the ship to £732,000. In August, 1859, the Great Eastern was ready for her trials. A London weekly newspaper of that period, the Illustrated Times of August 13, 1859, contains a report of a banquet held on board the ship when she was completed and lying in the Thames. "The engineer who first conceived the project of building a ship like the Great Eastern, the naval architect who carried that project into practical execution, and tho capitalists who subscribed their money, may congratulate themselves on .the fact that the great ship is ready for sea," wrote the reporter. Banquet on the Ship. " The completion of this magnificent ship was formally celebrated at a banquet on board the ship on August 8. The function was honoured by the presence of mariy members of both Houses and some of the most distinguished engineers and scientific men in the kingdom. Many difficulties and obstacles impeded the progress of/ the work- There were scientific ' difficulties, commercial difficulties, monetary mishaps and some inecbar/ical blunders. "'We '&11 remember the protracted agonies of the launch, the disappointing bulletins from day to day—announcing now a progress of six inches, now a standstill of six -hours —the jokes, the criticisms and the final sense of relief when it was announced that the Leviathan was at length afloat in Deptford Creek. But then it seemed as if the real troubles of the undertaking were only about to begin. The capital had been expended and the public refused to advance any more money, and if the directors wished their ship to be anything but a helpless unfinished carcase £300,000 more must be raised. Not without difficulty and delay the money .was found and the vessel finished." Decorations of the Saloon. Then follows a detailed description of Bome of the chief features of the ship, her engines, masts, lifeboats, and passenger accommodation. Concerning the chief saloon, the report states: —"On this saloon the decorator has lavished his utmost efforts. Whether the fine traceries of gold and colour are examined in detail, or whether one chooses to judge by the tone and effect of the whole apartment, the decision is favourable. It is said that the mirrors, gilding, carpeting and silk curtains for this apartment alone cost £3000." The ship was equipped with sails, to supplement her engines. She had two paddle wheels driven by one set of engines, and a screw driven by another set. The engines were set in motion for the benefit of the guests at the banquet. As the paddle wheels began to revolve slowly, the engines controlling the screw were put astern, and the ship remained practically motionless at her moorings in the river. " This Grand Experiment." At the banquet the toast of " Prosperity to the Great Eastern '' was proposed by Lord Stanley, who said in ihe course of his speech:—"You have &U heard or read what the Great Eastern has been built to do. You are aware that she is calculated, according to the reckoning of her projectors, to make the passage from England to Calcutta in thirty-three days. We know that she is intended to carry her coals for tho outward and the homeward voyage, so as to save that enormous time and expense which at present arises of necessity for establishing coal depots in distant parts of the world. You know that 6he is calculated 19 carry a population of not less than 1000, including her crew. " You know that if the enterprise shall succeed it will constitute one of the most remarkable experiments of the time in which we live. It will have reduced by one-half the distance in point of time which now divides continents and nations, which Nature has separated by intervening oceans, but which science and trade are, as it were,. tending, in despite of Nature, to unite, You know that if this grand experiment succeeds it will bo a greater progress in the art .of ship 'building than has ever been accomplished in one generation.'i -

The Groat Eastern was intended for the trade with. India/ but before sending her on such a, long voyage the directors of the company decided to give her a trial trip across the Atlantic. She left the Thames on September 8, 1859, but when off Hastings, on the south coast, one of her steam pipes burst, seven persons being killed and others injured. Hie voyage, therefore, came to an abrupt end a few hours after the stnrt.

The steamer made another start across the Atlantic on January 17, 1860, from Southampton. She crossed to New York in eleven days without mishap. During the remainder of that- year and the following one , she made many voyages across the Atlantic. In 1867 she was chartered to carry passengers from New York to Havre for the Paris Exhibition, but the venture was not a commercial success. Although the steamer was able to provide much better accommodation for passengers than the smaller ships, people were afraid to travel by her. Her early mishaps had given her a bad name.

Tho Great Eastern was next employed in laying the first cable across the Atlantic between England and America, and she also laid the French Atlantic cable, the Mediterranean cable to the Red Sea, the cable from Suex to Bombay, and two more cables across the Atlantic.

No further use could be found lor the Great Eastern at sea, and eventually this great steamer, t which was by far tho largest vessel afloat, was used as a coal hulk at Gibraltar. She was afterwards sold at auction to be broken up, and she realised only £16,000, which was equivalent to less than 6d in the pound on the £732,000 spent on building her.