The Great Eastern as a Floating Theatre.

Southland Times, Issue 9636, 30 September 1887, Page 3

The Great Eastern as a Floating Theatre.

This hugo Btoamship is now at anchor in tbo Clyde between Greenock and Helenaburgh, where the vessel i 8 being used aa a show plac, with theatre and concert room. The following description of tbe leviathan appeared in the Glißgow Weekly Mail : — The length of the Great Eastern is 692 feet, the width between bulwarks is 83 feet, and the height is 60 feet, exclusive of the masts, which tower and tapir in the sky. The bull is constructed of wrought iron, 30,000 plates having been need, measuring 00,000 feet superficial, and weighing 8000 tons. Thete plates are secured by 3,000,000 wrought-iron rivets. The paddle engines weigh 850 tone. According to original calculations they could work up to 3000 h.p. indicated, when making 11 strokes per minute, with ateam in the boilerd at 151 b to^tho Bquaro incbj; and could work safely and smoothly with 251 b of steam, under which circumstances they would develop a power of about 5000 horses. On leaving this eDgine-rooru the visitor, by passing through a tunnel about GO yards long, muy reiich tlio screw en^inos. The four great cylinders aie of 84-inch diameter with a 4 feet stroke, weighing about 30 tons each, and driving a 24-inch diameter crank and ecrew sliaft of 150 ft in length. The propeller, or " ecrew," is four biased, 24 feet in diameter and 44 feet pilch. It ia mad a of cast iron and weigha 35 tons. Originally the nhip had 112 furnace?, but the number was reduced to 80 some years ago when new boilers were fitted. The Great Eastern is the only vessel in the world carrying six maats, 11. M.5. Agincourt being the nearest approach to her in this repect, having five. Two of the masts are square rigged with iron spars, except tbe upper topsail yards. Tho standing riggiDg is of iron wire rope, and tho largo Bhrouds of this material are eight and a half incheß in circumference. The masts are capable of spreading 6500 yards of canvas. The funnelß appear small in contrast with the mastß, but are 100 feet high from the level of the grate-bars to the top, and are ti feet in diameter, the draught given being excellent. There were originally live funnels, but fifteen years ago the alterations inado for the admission of a cable tank included the removal of one of these und two of the boilers. The proper nautical designations of the masts are jigger, foremast, mainmast,, after mainmast, mizzen, and afcer-jigger ; but bo unaccustomed were the sailors to the abnormal number of *ix, that on the occasion of her trial trip they nicknamed them according to the days of the week from Sunday to Friday. The dimensions of the chief saloon are 62 feet long by '6G feet wide, and 12 feet in height, excellent ventilation being obtained from the deck abov<\ Tho decorations are tnoat effective. The roof io panelled in red, blue, and gold, the walls being richly relieved by raised patterns in white and gold. When ready for sea the Great Eastern had cost £Q lefifl tb.AA 1*732,000, q£ which

sum L 175,000 had been expended on internal fittings. After a varied career, during which she laid the Atlantic cable, sbo wae brougbt to the hammer in accordunco with a decision of Mr Justice Chitty, and found a purchaser in Mr Eiward do iMattoa, representing the London Traders, Limited. It was the intention of her new owners, as stated, to adapt tbe Great Eistern to the purposes of a coaling hulk at Gibraltar, where her great capacity would enable her to store large quantities of coal. Local influence at Gibraltar was brought to bear against granting the owners Jtho necessary " hulk Tcenee," and rather than waste time in further diaputes and litigation, the London Traders, Limited, boldly struck out a new line, and at once acceded to an offer made by Messrs Lewis and Co., of Liverpool, to charter the vessel daring the summer of 1886 for the purpose of .exhibiting her and giving popular entertainments on board at Liverpool.

At a banquet on board, ex-Provost Lyle, in proposing the health of the owners of tbe Great Eastern, said they had had not a few great ships at Greenock, and while they were perhaps built on much more modern lines than the Great Eastern and more attractive from a certain point of view, it was only when they came on board tho Great Eastern that they could recognise tbe enormous size and the enormous value of tbe ship as a specimen of marine architecture. He was sure they had all been struck with the enormous dimensions and proportions of everything on board. He had been speaking to a gentleman in Glasgow and that gentleman told him that he, along with his cousin, had gone on the first voyage with the Great Eastern, and that after going on board they did not see each other until tbey had arrived at America. He believed that during the hours they had been on board they had eeen absolutely little of the great veeßol, There were many attractions on board, and when tbey considered that there was a great theatre in tbe ceutro of the ship and concert rooms, besides the other attraction, he thought it wua no wonder tbe public crowded on board to see these things. The Atlantic cable, ho said, would not probably have been laid for twenty yearß to come but for the enormous ship. Mr Worsloy, in replying, Baid, speaking of the future of the great ship, that he believed there was a great future for it, and even should it do nothing else, the luyiog of the American cable had won for her a medal of merit as umongst the wonders of the world. Although tho vesßel waa about thirty years of age, they had lately taken off some wooden casing, which showed the iron wan yet almost quite as good as new. He wue also told by her engineer that tbe iron of the vessel was almost as good aa the steel made at tbe present day.