laid, and in a very little time,
people passing up and down the river Thames were attracted by the first
signs of the building of the 'big ship.' Up from the river's edge, for a
distance of 330 feet, ran the two sloping 'ways' or slides, and across
these were laid the cradles in which the huge baby was to lie. Each of
the 'ways' was 120 feet broad, and they were separated by a distance of
some 200 feet. Owing to the size of the proposed ship, it was found
impossible to build her, as is usually done, with her stern toward the
water. Mr. Brunel feared that it would not be safe to launch her in such
a position; he decided therefore to plan the erection parallel with the
stream, so that he might lower her gently into the water sideways.

Nothing that had been done before in the way of ship-building could be
taken as a guide, for the increase in size made difficulties that no one
had yet had to encounter. Little did those who only 'looked on' realise
the thought and trouble which this new enterprise meant. Again and again
the engineer had to alter his measurements, as fresh considerations
arose. Among other things he was obliged to take into account the depth
of the water at low tide in the river Hooghly, at Calcutta; for if the
_Great Eastern_ was built so as to sink too low in the water when fully
loaded, she would never be able to enter the port of the capital of
India at all.

But at last all the measurements were decided upon. The ship would be
693 feet long, 83 feet broad, and 58 feet from keel to upper deck;
weighing altogether 13,000 tons. With room in its iron shell for 5000
people, the _Great Eastern_ would be a floating town, containing more
inhabitants than many flourishing communities in England. The frame, or
skeleton, consisted of 'bulkheads,' or huge webs of iron stretching for
400 feet lengthwise of the ship, and crossed by similar bulkheads from
side to side, placed at intervals of about 20 feet. These formed a
strong framework on which to fasten the walls of the ship. There were no
openings between the compartments formed by the bulkheads, except on a
level with the first deck; so that if water did, by any misfortune,
burst through from the bottom, it would not flood the whole ship.

The hull was completed at the end of the summer of 1857, and was ready
for receiving the engines for driving the screw and the two enormous
paddlewheels. The latter were between 50 and 60 feet in diameter. Then
came the prep