| Ref No | DM1306/11/1/5/folio 222-224 |
| Title | Letter from Isambard Kingdom Brunel to the Directors of the Eastern Steam Navigation Company |
| Description | Written from 18 Duke Street, Westminster, London. The letter remarks that they are receiving so many individual enquiries about the launch date for the Eastern Steam Navigation Company's ship that it seems to Brunel to be a good idea to find some way of releasing the information generally and also using it to clear up any unfounded rumours about the nature of the launch operation. The letter also comments on Brunel's expectations of being ready for a launch in early November 1857 but the risk of delay that potential bad weather is causing and Brunel wonders if it might not be more prudent to delay the launch until 2 December 1857 and explains how carefully he has considered matters before coming to this conclusion. Brunel also restates the fact the he will not be launching the ship in the traditional sense but will merely be letting it slide down to the low water mark and then float off its cradles over several tides and suggests some of the risks that he thinks may attend on the launch. |
| Date | 23 October 1857 |
| Format | Manuscript volume |
| Extent | 3 pages |
| Access Conditions | This material is held at the Brunel Institute - please contact the Brunel Institute to arrange access. |