Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Wednesday, May 30. 2012

The Great Eastern

Our latest title image is a Currier and Ives print of The Great Eastern, the largest ship ever built when launched in England in 1858. Double-hulled, compartmented, and capable of ferrying 4000 passengers from Europe to good old New York City. It was claimed that she could circle the globe without refueling. (The pairing of fossil fuel with wind persists today in many recreational sailboats - and in all tax-subsidized wind turbine schemes scams. Wind was always undependable - and the reason the Pilgrims ended up in a chilly and mostly food-free Massachusetts instead of their intended destination in a welcoming Dutch New Amsterdam.)


She represented a revolution in global transportation but ended her career as a humble cable-laying ship, thus participating in another tech revolution. Here's another Currier and Ives image of her majestic self:


Posted by Bird Dog in History, Our Essays at 18:01 | Comments (5) | Trackbacks (0)

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Not just recreational sail boats. They've got a system to use kites to augment container ships. Theoretically, they can save 30% fuel if in the right wind latitudes.
#1 JKB on 2012-05-30 20:31 (Reply)
Lots of interesting info about the ship at wikipedia.org
#2 PacRim Jim (Link) on 2012-05-30 23:51 (Reply)
A humble cable-laying ship.

I'll put gold your family made money on that venture.

Humble.

Choke on your ham sandwich.

Schmuck
#3 Chris Paul on 2012-05-30 23:58 (Reply)
Designed by the legendary Victorian engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. What a fascinating man he was.
#4 Ray on 2012-05-31 04:00 (Reply)
When the Great Britain was near the end of its useful life, it was converted to sail only and made several voyages that way. Take a trip to Bristol and check it out!

But I like to have at least one working engine along when I go to sea . . .
#5 Claritas on 2012-05-31 08:12 (Reply)

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