Last of the Paddle Liners 8 1 



power to drive the screw propeller, it 

 hardly seemed possible that such a state- 

 ment regarding her deficiency could be 

 true. 



But when we learn that the Oceanic of 

 1899, the first vessel to surpass the Great 

 Eastern had 28,000 horse-power engines 

 without being in any way a racer, we can 

 see where Brunei failed. And we must 

 also remember that the steam engine of 

 Brunei's day was not the magnificent 

 fellow of to-day. It was mainly because 

 the engines were not sufficient to drive 

 the huge hull economically that the Great 

 Eastern never became anything except a 

 ' White elephant ". Again, people did not 

 travel as they do nowadays; thus, there 

 were never enough passengers to use the 

 palatial saloons and staterooms. 



It is said that the Great Eastern was 

 designed originally for voyaging between 

 between England and Australia, it being 

 held that her huge size would not only 

 make for safety, but allow enough coal to 



