Commenced at Millwall early in 1854, she was not launched until near upon four years later. The launching itself was a difficult and expensive business, costing £60,000, and only effected after various attempts extending over nearly three months. The total cost of the vessel has been estimated at £732,000.
ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL.
By permission of Messrs. Graves & Co.
It will be seen at once that so large an outlay required an immense business to yield a satisfactory return, and indeed, financial difficulties hampered her success almost from the very commencement, even before she was launched.
She was planned, in 1852, by the great engineer, I. K. Brunel, and by Scott Russell. In the life of Brunel by his son, it is stated:—“It was, no doubt, his connection with the Australian Mail Company that led Mr. Brunel to work out into practical shape the idea of a great ship for the Indian or Australian service.”
The Eastern Steam Navigation Company desired a vessel to trade to Australia and back, large enough to carry a sufficiency of coal for the outward and homeward journey, and yet to have space for a goodly number of passengers and a bulky amount of cargo.
That was the idea, and we perhaps can hardly realise what a difficulty this question of coal carrying capacity was in those days, before the problem had been solved by high-pressure steam boilers, triple expansion engines, improved condensation, and quick passages. Even so great a philosopher as Dr. Lardner could not believe in 1835 that a steamship could voyage from Liverpool to New York without stopping—we presume for fresh fuel.
The Great Eastern, therefore, was planned to carry 15,000 tons of coal; whereas now the large Atlantic liner Paris needs only 2700 tons for her Atlantic trip. The difference is most striking, for the Paris is one of the largest steamships afloat, but her working steam pressure is 150 lbs. instead of the 15 or 25 lbs. of the Great Eastern.
This immense vessel was also planned to carry some 5000 persons, or about 500 less if any large number were to require state-rooms, and finally she was to convey 5000 tons of cargo. The idea of water-tight compartments was anticipated in her case, even to the extent of longitudinal ones, and she had half-a-dozen masts of which five were of iron.