THE GEE AT EASTERN'S VOYAGE TO NEW YORK.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1459, 2 October 1860, Page 5

THE GEE AT EASTERN'S VOYAGE TO NEW YORK.

The Great Eastern steamship, which left Southampton on the morning of the 17th June, reached New York on the morning oi the 28th. The following is from a correspondent on boavd : —

At 0.55 the engines were stopped, the pilot boat lowered, and Mr. Bowyer and his two men left the ship. As the little boat pulled in for the shore, the order was given for both engines to go " easy ahead," and a course was shaped down channel. With the screw makiug 30 revolutions, and the paddies 7\ revolutions, and ship seemed to make 12 knots "with great ease. Her draught of water at starting was 26 feet aft •atA 22 feet forward. On leaving the Needles we ran clown Channel with light winds from the northward, with hazy weather. No attempt was made to get anything like speed out of the ship. It was felt that in the actual condition of things the most judicious course was to go steadily and get the men used to their work, before attempting to push the engines in the slightest degree. In fact, the object was to make a safe rather than a speedy voyage to New York.

Monday, June 18, commenced with light variable breezes and fine neither. Ship steaming steadilj on her course, with paddles making eight revolutions and tiie screw twenty seven or twenty eight. As we rouuded the Sicily Islands the long swell of the Atlantic became very apparent, and soon produced its natural effect. The great ship acknowledged its power by a slight but very distinct roll. The wind had been blowing- from the westward.} (about 1 p.m. it got round to the northward and eastward, and began to freshen so ranch as to make it worth while to spread canvas. By midnight, it blew so hard that the foresail aud topsails were hauled up and the men appeared to have much

difficulty in stowing them, from the force of the wind. Tuesday, June 19, commenced with fresh gale and heavy rains. The behaviour of tbe ship after the sail was taken off her justifiies the belief that the anticipation that passengers will not suffer from sea sickness will befully realised. Her motion during a blow is rery distinct ; but it is so slow and regular, as compared with an ordinary vessel, and the absence of pitching is so decided, that the most susceptible may trust themselves to make a voyage in her, with the certainty that if they do not escape altogether, , they may rely on having their sufferings reduced to a minimum. At breakfast . time, although still blowing pretty strougly, a cup of tea on the table did not roll OHt any of its contents into the saucer. At noon, our latitude by observation was 48 deg. 41 m. N. ; long., 16 dep. 12 m. W. : distance run, 340 miles. I

Wednesday, June 20. — Freah breezes from W.N.W. prevailed all the morning, ship steaming steadily against the wind, about 12 knots an hour. In the morning watch, in order to test the compasses, the ship's head was turned due north for fifty minutes, and then due south for the same period. This of course made her lose one hour and forty minutes in her direct course. Only one compass was found to be in any way affected by the attraction of the iron in ,the ship's hull. Gray's method of counteracting deviation from this cause seems therefore to be? perfectly effective. , Thursday, June 21, commenced with strong breezes and thick weather. Wind hauled a^ain to the westward, with heavy, squalls of rain. ,At eight a.m., took in all sail. A long westerly swell this morning, which caused the ship''toroll more than she, has done, before. • The motion, however, was still inconsiderable as compared with that of an ordinary vessel and did not in any way prevent the least habituated among the passengers from taking their usual promanade on deck. In one of the large unoccupied spaces of the lower deck a party of English and American athletes were discovered to be deeply engaged in an international match of skittles. Foot races have been quite popular and the usual distance run-once round the noble deck was found quite sufficient to " breathe" the aspirants very effectually. A peculiar and very interesting feature of tbe voyage has been an evening performance of choice music in the ladies' saloon.

Without recording the daily speed of the vessel and the winds an 1 weather which prevailed, it may be stated that she made a southern passage to avoid meeting ice on the banks of Newfoundland. On Sunday, June 24, divine service was performed by the Rev. Thomas Castle Southey, one of the passengers. Wednesday, June 27th, commenced with less fog than had been prevailing. Engines at half speed till daylight. Towards noon fog lifted. New York pilot boat No. 1, hove in sight to windward, ran down alongside, fired a gun, and dipped her colours— the first salute to the great ship in American waters. Our colors hoisted and dipped in acknowledgement. From indicator diagrams taken 10-day from both screw and paddle engines it was found that the paddle engines were working up to' 3760 horse power and the screw engines to 3970 horse power making a total of of 9640 horse power. After dinner to-day the health of the captain was proposed by General Watkin one of the passengers, and responded to -in very graceful terms. Subsequently, at a meeting of the passengers, expressing their conviction of the superiority of the Great Eastern as a passenger vessel, and their admiration of her performances during the voyage, On Thursday, June 28th, the weather was clear, inclining at times to be misty on the horrizon. Ship nearing the laud. At 8.30 a.m., the Highlands of Navesink,in New Jersey,at the entrance of the bay of New York, wete made out through the morning haze, and at 720 we passed the light ship off Sandy Hook, having completed the run, without deducting stoppages to sound and delays from fog aud the gulf stream, in eleven, days two bouts. This practically ended the voyage, as the ship had to lie off the bar for water enough to get over. Notwithstanding the disadvantage under which the ship laboured from the state of her bottom, she has averaged by the log over 13 knots an hour for the whole run Had she come the shortest route, she would have saved a day's steaming, and avoided detention in the gulf stream. Nothing could exceed the perfect smoothness with which both screw and paddle engines have performed, and but for the fog and the stoppages to take soundings they would have worked continuously from the Needles to Sandy Hook without any necessity for interference.

A statement from official souices gives the following totals of the work performed by the paddle and screw engines — Paddle engines 150* feet each revolution ; distance in statute miles, 3094; revolutions of engine, 164,326; statute miles run by engines, less \ slip, 4053; tons of coal, 1201. Density in boilers at lf^ Vacuum in engine room 25£ to 26 inches ; 4 p.m. 26th, 36*76 H.P. indicated. Screw engines — pitch of the screw, 44 fact; revolutions, 532,334; statute miles, less £ slip, 3901 ; tons of coal, 1676; total coal, 2877. Vacuum iv engine room, 25£ to 26 ijiches. Horse -power, 3976. Our presence was known in New York by 10 a.m., and two tugs and small passenger steamers immediately started, crowded with passengers, to, come and have a look at the ship. By 11 they commenced coming alongside, and from that time until our arrival in New York the scene was one of vooiferous cheering, and dipping of ensigns on the part of our warm hearted and enthusiastic " Aineiican cousins," and of very hearty but inefficient attempts ou the part of those who were on board to respond to their hearty-, wel- ! come. About 2 o'clock steam was got up, ajid under the able charge of Mr. Murpbjyyi&e New York pilot, we safely crossed the bar, and proceeded onward towards the noble bay , of New Yoik, surrounded by a flotilla of steamers, all crowded with passengers, whose spontaueyus bursts of enthusiasm bore testimony to their astonishment and delight, When the battery was reached it was found to be so densely packed with the human beings that no portion of the ample park-like space could be distinguished. Spectators clung to the tops and rigging of the shipping at the wharves like swarming bees. From eveiy steamer in port, either British or American, salutes were fired. Gun after gun blazed away so thick and fast, that we were fain to content ourselves with dipping our colours, and give up all hope of being able to make a return in kind.

Arrived at the placo selected for ber stay in New York, some difficulty was experienced in getting the ship's head turned agaiust the strong flood tide down stream. This was eventually effected, however, and she was run along, side hex- dock with very little more difficulty than an above-bridge boat on the Thames. If the rush to view her more nearly bears any proportion to that made to seoher entrance into New York, the Great Ship Company will have cause for congratulation in having sent her over the Atlantic.

Feabful Tbagedy in New York.— The i New York papers give the details of a terrible \ double murder in that city. The names of the I murdered men, of whom one was deliberately * shot down, and the other killed while attempting : to arrest tho assassin, are Mr. John Walton, a i wealthy distiller, of the firm of Long and Wai- \ ton, of Eighteenth-street, near First Avenue, < and Mr. J. W. Mathews, a railroad contractor. \ Mr. Walton was returning home at night with .■ with his cousin, Mr. R. H. Pascall, when at the ■ corner of Eighteenth-street and Third Avenue, , they observed a man leaning against a tree. They passed him and had -hardly got five paces, < when the man came up behind and discharged a loaded pistol at Mr. W.s head, the shot takin r t effect behind the left ear. Mr. Walton fell, an l i soon ceased to breathe. In the meantime Mr. ; Pascall, in company with several other persons ' who had witnessed the murder of Mr. Walton, pursued the murderer, and at the corner of Irving-place and Sixteenth-street, one of the ; party, Mr. John Watts Mathews, had got so . near to him that the murderer, to avoid arrest, ■ turned aud fired at Mathews, the ball piercing his breast. Mr. Mathews fell, exclaiming, " He has shot me," and in the confusion produced, the man escaped. Mr. Matbews was conveyed to the nearest drug-store, but died almosc before j he reached it. The muiderer of these two gen i tlenien has not been identified, and all search ] for him up to the present time proved unavailing. It is well known, however that Mr. Walton's life had been repeatedly threatened by a son of his wifeV by a prior marriage. From this lady Mr. Wai ton was endeavouring to procure a divorce, j on the ground that she treated him cruelly, and that he was afraid to live with her. Her name was Ellen M. Russell, and she stated to Mr. I Walton, on making his acquaintance, that she ; had been twice married. Shortly after th© ; marriage, however, Mr. Wallton found that the • lady had been married at least three times previously, and that one of her husbauds, a Mr. Morrison, was living in Dayton, Ohio, and that she had not procured a legal separation from him. The lady used every means in her power to preveut Mr. Walton from pursuing the suit for divorce, and two of her sons by a> former marriage, Charles and lidwin Jefferds, threatened to take Mr. Walton's life if he did not stop the suit. As a protection against these parties Mr. Walton never left his roam .at night unless accompanied by Mr. Pascall. One of the Jefferds has surrendered, but he puts in an alibi.