Isambard Kingdom Brunel
was the son of Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, a remarkable inventor,
a former French Naval officer and, before he came to England
in 1799, chief engineer of New York. Among Sir Marc's inventions
were bridges, docks and a stocking knitting machine. I.K.Brunel's
mother, Sophie Kingdom, was barely 16 when she was sent to
Rouen to learn French. At the house of a mutual acquaintance
she met Sir Marc and fell in love but the terror of the French
Revolution was to keep them apart .He managed to escape but
she was imprisoned in a convent at Gravelines, a convent which
had a guillotine erected outside its walls. Fed on only black
bread mixed with straw the prisoners lived in fear of execution
but on the death of Robespierre they were freed. Sick and
emaciated Sophie made her way back to her friends who nursed
her back to health and took her to England. There she was
reunited with Sir Marc, were married, and their son Isambard
was born in 1806.
Isambard was educated in Paris
and Caen and, at the age of 17, joined his father who was
at the time engaged on the construction of the Thames Tunnel
under the River Thames between Rotherhithe and Wapping. During
the construction the tunnel unexpectedly flooded and Isambard
risked his life when he rushed in to rescue the threatened
workforce.
On completion of the tunnel
Isambard quickly became very interested in the new mania that
was sweeping the country - the railways. When the Great Western
Railway was formed be became the company's chief engineer
building superbly designed bridges, tunnels and railway stations.
It was at a board meeting that a member queried the length
of the proposed from London to Bristol and Plymouth and jokingly
asked, 'Why not make it longer and have a steamboat go from
Bristol to New York and call it the Great Western'? A joke
it may have been but Brunel saw the concept in a different
light.
Brunel seated at his desk
Sitting on the anchor chains of the Great Eastern
At the time the idea of a
steamship crossing the Atlantic was unheard of. A Dr. Dionysius,
at a meeting of the British Association in Bristol, produced
calculations that showed that it was impossible for a ship
to carry all the coal necessary to complete the voyage Brunel,
now a Fellow of the Royal Society, heard him out with patience
and told the good doctor to 'wait and see'. Brunel was in
charge of the design, the size, the building of the vessel
and always had the confidence that it would succeed.
1836 was an important year
for Brunel. Firstly, he married Mary Horsely, although her
family were not too happy with the union, and secondly, work
was started on his Great Western at a shipyard in Bristol.
Built in oak as a paddle-steamer
the Great Western was 236' long with four masts to carry sail
for auxiliary power and one tall funnel. Launched in 1837
she was sailed round to London to have her engines mounted.
During her stay she became a spectacle and crowds were 'astonished
at her magnificent proportions and her stupendous machinery'.
They were equally amazed at her magnificent 75' saloon decorated
with painted landscapes and elaborate fabrics.
The "Great Western" leaving Bristol in 1838
at the beginning of her maiden voyage.
During the return trip to Bristol
to pick up passengers with Brunel and the company's directors
on board the Great Western suffered two mishaps. The first
incident occurred when the ship ran aground on Canvey Island
with no serious damage, and the second when a fire broke out
in the deck-beams and planking. The fire was quickly extinguished
by the chief engineer but in rushing to assist Brunel fell
18' off a ladder and was laid up for several weeks. Typically,
however, the accident did not prevent Brunel from issuing
instructions regarding the repairs from his sick bed.
The delay was a set back
for Brunel. A small steam ship, the Sirius, commanded by a
naval officer, was also attempting to be the first across
the Atlantic under steam and Brunel was determined to beat
her. After a very stormy passage the Sirius did arrive first
to a tumultuous welcome but in doing so had to burn everything
that would burn after the coal ran out. Although the Great
Western sailed three days after the Sirius she actually arrived
within sight of New York on the same day. Brunel need not
have felt unduly put out. The sheer size of the Great Western
earned her the cheers and flag waving as she steamed up the
Hudson River. Furthermore, she had only consumed three quarters
of the bunker coal and proved Dr Dionysius to be wrong. The
New York press were overwhelmed and one newspaper referred
to 'her engines awful to behold' and the ladies boudoir as
'a love of a spot'.
Illustration of the Great Western from 'Whympers Sea' (K.Fenwick
Collection)
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