Although, nominally, the engines which drove the paddle wheels were of 1,000 h. p., they were capable of working up to 5,000 h. p., while the screw engines worked up to 6,000 h. p., or with combined paddle and screw her engines could develop 11,000 h. p., which it was estimated would enable her to maintain at sea a speed of 20 knots per hour, and to accomplish the voyage between England and Australia in 30 days. “It is a question of much interest to determine what amount of speed this power will impart to the vessel. Messrs. James Watt & Co.’s anticipation is that the speed of the vessel will be about seventeen miles per hour, and from that to eighteen miles seems to be about the limit engineers have hitherto predicted. But we believe that these anticipations fall very short of what the real speed will be, and which we do not hesitate to predict, will turn out to be between twenty-four and twenty-five miles per hour.” (“Illustrated London News,” 23rd May, 1857). On Tuesday, 3rd November, 1857, the first attempt was made to launch the GREAT EASTERN. The hour named for commencing the launching operations was 11 o’clock, and was kept fairly punctually. The chief machinery for moving the hull was boxed off, and nearly altogether out of sight. The vessel’s name, LEVIATHAN, was given by Miss Hope (who afterwards became the Duchess of Newcastle), the daughter of the Chairman of the Great Eastern Steam Navigation Company, and the name displayed upon a board; the change of name from GREAT EASTERN to LEVIATHAN occasioning a good deal of surprise. After the customary bottle of wine was smashed against the vessel’s bow, a “fortissimo obligate” of sledge hammers resounded above and around—then ceased. The great ship moved for a few feet, then stopped. The congregated thousands waited in suspense, when suddenly a terrific report was heard. One of the powerful drums used in the launch had cracked. An order had been misunderstood; the after-winch handles were turned the wrong way; the heavy iron handles revolved wildly, striking down the men, fracturing their arms and legs, and with a fatal result in one instance. A second attempt was made to launch the LEVIATHAN on Thursday, 19th November, 1857, but the efforts were even less successful than on the first occasion, for despite all the mechanical power brought to bear on her she would not move an inch.