The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-05-17 00:00:00

PORTLA ND.

Tiir CHANM, IMLANIN'SCIOURINC TILLORAFIL
—The underrunning of this cable. rentb-red neves-
/airy in order to repair the fracture which recently took I
place, has within the last two or three clays been, so
far as it was necessary to go, satisfactorily acorn-
plished. As anticipated. the point of fracture was
found to be about four miles from Church Hope, on
the Isle of Portland. at which place the cable is at-
tached to the land wires of the company. On taking
up the cable a portion of it showed symptoms of
much chafing, which, considering the very unfavour-
able nature of the bottom in the locality of the Bill
of Portland. and the velocity of the ticke, which
here run with great impetuosity, is not to be won-
dered at. On the fracture being reached the current
of electricity from the other side of the Channel was
found to be perfect, pro% ing the sound conditicin of
the remaining portion of the wire. The cable will
doubtless Ice repaired in a few days. should the wind
and weather permit ; and it is probable will Ice laid
much more to the eastward of its old praition to
escape the rocks and currents which have alreiuly
done so much damage to it, and which. had proper
, information boon originally obtained from those who
' know the spot, might have been avoided. In fact.
Portland never should have 'teen the starting point
at all. Hall the wire been taken either to the east.
ward or westuarcl of the island, it would in all pro-
bability have remained perfect for many years. It
will now have to be taken over the great shoal knoun
as the Shambles. where the bottom is good, but the
influence of the tides and the tremendous seas, which
are frequent, must not lie overlooked. It is a ques-
tion whether the cable should not be still further
unclerrun, and its direction somewhat changed, so as
to avoid this shoal altogether. If this is clone, a good
job will he made of it, and not otherwise. The
Prince steamer, of Weymouth, was employed by the
company in taking up the damaged cable, and very
favourable weather was experienced on the occasion
•

FATAL ACCIDENT. —On Thursday an accident of
a fatal character occurred at Portland to a stone-
mason named James Waters, who resided at Upwey.
It appears that a trolly or truck used for tarrying
hewn-stone on to the Breakwater, and on which
Waters was riding, went off the rail and was pre.
cipitated to some stone below, when the wheels went
over the deceased and crushed his head. The
deceased was highly respected, and being one of the
fraternity of Odd Fellows, about thirty of the
brethren from Dorchester and elsewhere, walked
in procession after the body on Sunday afternoon,
to the place of sepulture, at Upwey church. Me
body was removed to Upwey on Thursday night after
the inquest, at which the verdict was "Accidental
Death." Several of the officials at the Breakwater
works also attended the funeral, which was con-
ducted by Mr. Parmiter, jun., of Dorchester. The
brethren of the Bud of Hope Lodge, Dorchester, wore
blaeksilk sashes, hat bands, and aprons. The regalia of
thedeceased, covered with crape, was borne on the top
of the coffin. We understand deceased has left a
wife, and that he had a few weeks before his death
paid the first premium on an insurance on his own
life for £lOO, effected in the National and Mercantile
office.