Howlett, Robert, Pumps for Hydraulic Rams, The Great Eastern

Robert HOWLETT (photographer), printed to the back 'The Leviathan Steam Ship, Pumps for hydraulic rams, Photographed by Robert Howlett & George Downs, published at the Photographic Institution, 168 New Bond Street' the image showing stereoscopic photograph of engineers around one on the hydraulic rams used to launce the great eastern Great Eastern Steam Ship, overall card size 84 x 173mm. (images 74 x 74mm),

Condition: both images with good contrast, card corners bumped, paper to rear with fingermarks, pencil marks for '7282' and 'No.5'

The Hydraulic Pump of the Great Eastern Launch

Among the many challenges faced in building the Great Eastern, few were as formidable, or as revealing, as the task of getting her into the water. A stereoscopic photograph taken in 1857 captures part of the solution: a hydraulic pump used to operate the massive rams that helped launch the ship from her berth on the River Thames.

This image not only documents a vital piece of equipment, but also opens a window into the competing ideas behind the launch, and into the tension between two key figures behind the ship’s construction: Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the ship’s chief designer, and John Scott Russell, the shipbuilder tasked with bringing it to life.

A Launch Unlike Any Other

The Great Eastern was far too large to be launched in the traditional way. Built sideways along the riverbank at Millwall, she needed to be eased — not dropped — into the water. Brunel’s plan was to use a system of hydraulic rams to control the launch carefully and gradually. The stereoscopic photograph shows the pump unit used to drive these rams: a robust, riveted assembly of iron cylinders, pressure lines, and control valves, designed to exert enormous force in a controlled manner.

Brunel saw this method as the safest and most reliable option for handling such an unprecedented task. He understood that controlling the rate of movement, inch by inch, would reduce stress on the hull and allow for adjustments as needed.

But John Scott Russell, a respected engineer in his own right, had a very different view. He favoured a gravity-based launch — a more traditional method where the ship would be allowed to slide freely down greased timber ways, its motion governed more by natural forces than mechanical ones.

In practice, both approaches ended up being used. The hydraulic rams proved too slow and underpowered to move the full weight of the ship alone. Additional winches, chains, and eventually sheer manpower were needed. The launch, intended to be a one-day spectacle, stretched into weeks of stop-and-start effort. The Great Eastern finally floated free in January 1858, months behind schedule and at great expense.

A Glimpse into Industrial Process

The stereoscopic image of the hydraulic pump presents the machinery as both functional and monumental. In three-dimensional view, the intricate details of flanges, rivets, and pipework come to life, giving modern viewers an almost tactile sense of the equipment’s scale and solidity.

The pump was not a failed idea, it worked, just not well enough on its own. It is a reminder that innovation often comes in stages, and that even the greatest engineers have to revise their plans in the face of reality.

Two Minds, One Ship

The launch of the Great Eastern highlighted a deep divide between Brunel’s methodical, controlled engineering style and Scott Russell’s more intuitive, experience-based approach. Brunel preferred systems he could calculate and monitor; Scott Russell trusted what had worked before.