Last of the Paddle Liners 83 



her, and surely her fate points a warning 

 finger to other designers who would leap 

 before they can run. 



The rest of her story is soon told. After 

 costing a tremendous sum in her building 

 stage, she proved very costly in launching 

 and then working. There came a great 

 opportunity for service, and after some 

 alterations which took away a funnel and 

 some boilers, she was employed in laying 

 the first Atlantic cable a job for which 

 her great size was thought to specially fit 

 her, though quite small vessels are now 

 used for the purpose. 



Then came what seemed her end in 

 being sold for a coal hulk at Gibraltar. 

 For some reason, she was put up for sale 

 again in London in 1884, when she was 

 knocked down for 26,000. Then she 

 became a show ship and went round the 

 coast from port to port as " the largest 

 ship ever built." It is said she was con- 

 sidered such a nuisance by select seaside 

 resorts that Parliament was asked to 



