Note 118 — Chapter VIII · STEAM NAVIGATION. THE ‘GREAT WESTERN’ STEAM-SHIP. A.D. 1835—1847. ÆTATIS 30—42.

To enable the ship to resist the action of the heavy Atlantic waves, especial pains were taken to give her great longitudinal strength. The ribs were of oak, of scantling equal to that of line-of-battle ships. They were placed close together, and caulked within and without before the planking was put on. They were dowelled and bolted in pairs; and there were also four rows of 1½-inch iron bolts, 24 feet long, and scarfing about 4 feet, which ran longitudinally through the whole length of the bottom frames of the ship. She was closely trussed with iron and wooden diagonals and shelf pieces, which, with the whole of her upper works, were fastened with bolts and nuts to a much greater extent than had hitherto been the practice.

The principal dimensions of the hull and engines are given in the note to this chapter (p. 245).