THE LEVIATHAN.

Colonist, Issue 95, 17 September 1858, Page 2

THE LEVIATHAN.

(From the Sun, lith June.) The Leviathan, has, during the last fortnight, bean daily "on view" at her moorings. For a magical half-crown the Londoners have been enabled in swarms to be whir-led down by railway, or in shoals to be floated down by water conveyance, to that particular spot between Bkckwall and Deptford. where the great monster steam-vessel rides at anchor—an object ;o every one who sees her of perpetual wonder and adjiiration. .. ■

Although the mammoth ship it still so far from; a state of completion that it is calculated it would take a thousand men five months'unceasing-toil day aiid night to fit her out entirely—there is still, in all conscience, quite eiKmgh of her visible to enable any reasonable mortal to arrive at some adequate-notion of her matchless magnitude and of her unrivalled magnificence. When Sir Cusack Roney's ingenious scheme for carrying out the original project without any further, delay whatever shall have been consummated as vigorously as it has certainly been commenced—aot very much, we fancy, will be left then to mere conjecture. The stupendous reality will then tangibly and palpably surpass the day dreams of all the Jay dreamers who have ever had romantic visions of vihat might ultimately, by a stretch of the imagination be accomplished in regard to the possible wondeis of naval architecture. We shall then have before ib, if we pay another visit (as who will not?) to the Leviathan, when absolutely completed—what is nowatihis moment there most majestically foreshadowed. <

There already, in that gigantic hull, ig the symmetrical structure of a ship made out of 30,000 wroughtiron pates, knit together by iron rivets, numbering exactly 3,000,000! There, in other words, is an'iron ship, the mere shell of which weighs fully 10,000 tons! A vessel in her length fully 700 feet, or, in other words, from stem to stern, measuring along1 that clear flush deck, fore and aft, one-eighth of a mile! Tn breadth 83 feet; so that without her paddle-boxes, she would stick in passing through one of the broadest streets in London—Pall-mall; while, with her paddleboxes, measuring as she then does 120 feet, she would come to a dead lock in going down the broadest street of all in London—Portland-place. ;

Remove one of her outer funnels, and lay it horizontally on the ground—and a man, six feet high ii his stockings, could walk upright through it without nibbing the top of his head bald in the process.

Unship one of those Brobdignagian paddle-wheels, and try, and you would try vainly, with all Mr. Cooke's horses and all Mr. Cooke's men (foi the diameter of the wheel is considerably the largsr) to deposit it in the circus of Astley's amphitheatre. Collected together and weighed in the balance of some good-natured Cyclops—the anchors and -wirewrought cables alone weigh 253 tons altogether! But then her anchors are to be 10, and her chain cable is to be measured out to the tune of 800 fathomt.

Bemember, for a moment, that the Leviathan is constructed to be worked alternately, or all at once, by wind and steam, by canvas, paddle-wheel, and screw propeller.

Considering her capacity as a sailing vessel, itis not surprising, surely, to find that four at least of her six masts are to be made of hollow wrought iron that three out of the number are to be square-rigged,, with iron spars ; that the rigging is to be of wire, and the huge shrouds of this material are to be 8J inches in circumference.

For the handling of capstans and warps there will be a crew of 350 sailors and engineers—to whose aid, however, will come the power of certain auxiliary* steamengines, for the purpose of working pumps, heaving anchors, and hoisting sails—sails capable of spreading forth 6500 square.yards of canvas. " ' ' f It would be idle, we have seen, to dream of fitting one of her paddle-wheels within the circus of_Astley's amphitheatre. It is not at all surprising, therefore, to find that a diameter of twenty-four feet has been given to her screw propeller, which is to have, moreover, a weight of 150 tons, and a length of shaft of 160 feet.

As to the steam engines, they are to be trough; into play by the aid of ten boilers and of 100 funiaces. They stand 50 in height, they are to give, at a pressure of twenty-five pounds to the square inch, a total average of 2G99-horse power, though capable, if requisite, of being worked to a force of upwar.ls of 10,000 horses. '.

No wonder the speed to be realized is estimated at 16 knots, or, in other words, 20 miles an hour—the whirl of a railway! So that, at any rate, in one month's time by the Cape of Good Hope miglt be accomplished the whole voyage from Englard to India, or from England to Australia.

Supposing, what is not now so very extraordinary to suppose, seeing that the chief difficulties have been ah'eady conquered, that the principal part of the vovk. (the solid iron framework) lias long ago been successfully, triumphantly completed—supposing the Leviathan to be now upon the eve of her first voyage, she might, in a month, take an army of 10,000 met out to the shores of Hindostan. Or, supposing she restrict herself to the ordinary compliment of 4000 passengers, viz , 800 first class, 2()06 second, and 1200 third-class passengers. She would carry, besides, 18,000 tons more in coals and cargo—giving a burden of 25,900 tons, the weight of the whole ship when voyaging. Although, under these complicated circumstances, drawing 30 feet of water, she will still tower above the water's edge 30 feet additional.

Gas being constructed on board—by gas will she be lighted. ■ ■. '

From her mast-head, during the night-watches, while she is coursing at the rate of twenty, miles an hour across the ocean-depths, there will'flicker re splendently the electric light—messages being always transmitted rday and flight, from the captain to the helmsmen, the engineers, the look-out men, above, below, fore and aft, by means'of,the electric telegraph. And for the realisation—for the whole scheme is already virtually, in a.great measure, indeed, actually realised—the Eastern Steam-Navigation Company (ire indebted to the-energy of how many gifted and enterprising men, each in his distinct department! For the original conception of this mammoth steam-ship, to Mr. I. K. Brunei, the distinguished ■engineer ; for the design of her lines and the construction of her metal hull, toMr.^ Scott Russell, the.eminent ship builder; for the-'fabrication of her huge screw propeller, and the application to it of the requisite motive power, to Messrs. James Watt and Co., of Soho, the famous enginewrights. For the responsible and difficult office of superintending the general fitting out of the.sea monster, to the gal'ant skipper of this largest ship in the world, Captain tlarrison. For the general management of the whole of the complicated arrangements, to Mr. John Yates, the company's intelligent and indefatigable . secretary. Thanks now, to the admirable suggestions of Sir Cusack Roney, the day is not so far off, after all, when we may hope to visit Blackwall anew, under yet more interesting circumstances, when the " Empress of the waters" will quit her mooringg on her first voyage, and when we may bid God speed on that first voyage to the world'? wonder—the Leviathan.'