Floating City with pictures!

[shousa]

I wish "Floating City" (which has a story line distinctly similar to the movie Titanic) was in English.

Jules Verne was on the greatest engineering marvel of perhaps all time "The Great Eastern" (a real ship he took a voyage on in 1867 and he wrote a love story that took place on the ship). It was a massive ship a hundred years ahead of its time because it was designed by perhaps the greatest engineer of all time....Brunel.

Brunel made faster railways, the first tunnel under a navigable river and the biggest bridges - this was possible because he was a genius and to do these things he had to solve long-standing engineering issues that seemed impossible.

Here are the pictures from the book:
http://jv.gilead.org.il/rpaul/Une%20ville%20flottante/

Here are many of his books:
http://jv.gilead.org.il/works.html


Why it was so great IMHO
1) the Great Eastern had a double hull and so would have survived the buckling that sunk the Titanic (it took 100 years before another ship had a double hull and now they are compulsory)
2) The ship was 5 times larger than anything built before.
3) Its engines were 4 storys high and on such a scale they could not be sure the power generated would even turn the props.
3) 300,000 plates of iron pieces made the hull. It took 6 men to winch each one.
4) This was more than 50 years before the Titanic.
5) First propellor driven iron ship
6) used steering engines

I wonder if anyone is interested in this story or who knows where an english translation or another story on the "Great Eastern" can be found?

[GeoffC]

Amazon.com have 1 copy in store ...... $14.95 ..... http://www.amazon.com/Floating-City-.../dp/1410100251

http://www.jules-verne.co.uk/the-blockade-runners/
provides a story called The Blockade Runners is a translation of Les forceurs de blocus (1871). The Blockade Runners, a novella, was included along with A Floating City

[shousa]

Thanks a lot!

[curtw]

Kind of off-topic, but if you enjoy these illustrations, you should really take a look at the film "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne." All of the special effects, and many of the backgrounds are done in the same style--emulating 19th century woodcuts. Fascinating stuff!

IMDB link

[montsnmags]

shousa, I realise that the only connection between your comments and the following is science fiction and the phrase "floating city", but, nevertheless, I thought you might like the following post on a conceptual art piece on the SF blog, io9:

http://io9.com/372613/overpopulated-...terate-the-sun

Cheers,
Marc

[shousa]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

shousa, I realise that the only connection between your comments and the following is science fiction and the phrase "floating city", but, nevertheless, I thought you might like the following post on a conceptual art piece on the SF blog, io9:

http://io9.com/372613/overpopulated-...terate-the-sun

Cheers,
Marc

I REALLY love that kind of art....but have not seen any since I was young.

Any links like this will be much appreciated! Thanks.

[curtw]

Originally Posted by curtw

... film "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne." All of the special effects, and many of the backgrounds are done in the same style--emulating 19th century woodcuts. Fascinating stuff!

Oh, and you can buy the movie here