The Express.
London, England, 1855-08-02 00:00:00

LUNCH OF THE MARLBOROUGH.

, P ....0.-..

PORTSMOUTH, Avo. 1.
On the het of this ship being quite fast on the
stooks beaming quits apparent, one of the Assistant-Sur-
veyors of the Navy was telegraphed for from Somerset-
hunt, to give his advice se to the it st meats of getting her
afloat, and Mr. Watts was sent down by mail train for this
perpom, and be arrived at the Dockyard at half-past 12 at
night, just in time to hear the vociferous cheers of the men
engaged upon her, on their having successfully achieved
their object. When it was obvious, in the muse of the
afternoon, that the huge ship could not be got afloat till
the tide turned, measures were taken to shore her up, to
prevent her falling over, but this could only be effected as
far as her bows were concerned, the remainder of the
skip being too far out of the dock to be so
reached. Before low water this was done, the
vessel resting quite upright on her cradle, and
quite out of danger. Heavy lighters wire also placed
on each side of her astern, and some 60 empty auks were
brought to give her a floating power. The tide turned at
about 7 o'clock, and at half-past 8 the greatest joy was ex-
perienoed at seeing the ship make a start—it was hoped a
Seal one—but after going about three feet she came to a
stand-still again. A fresh system of shoring her up was
then carried out, and she remained stationary again for
another hoar. The aid of the capstan was then brought to
bear, sad she was moved another tea feet into the water,
where she stood till lalf-past 12. The tide was then nearly
at its height, and a grand effort was made to force her out,
and successfully, for she floated into deep water in beautiful
style amid the most deafening cheers of many hundreds of

men who were at work about her. The scene was a most
exciting one, the vast dock which she had just quitted
being lighted up by the blase of dozens of torches employed
to light the men at their work. Being once off the stocks,
ell danger of accident was at an end, and with the aid of a
bright moon she was made safe for the night, and now Bee
alongside a hulk In the harbour, presenting that magni-
ficent spectacle of gigantic and symmetrical naval architec-
ture which it was hoped would have greeted the eyes of the
Queen and her subjects yesterday.
Various opinions prevail as to the cause of her becoming
fast on the slip. The popular belief is that she became
fixed in the ground ; but this is a perfect fallacy, as there
was mach more than ► sufficiency of water, even at low
tide, to float her. Another opinion is that eke was " ribbon-
bound," or that the cradle on which she had to travel was
confined on the ways within too narrow a space;
bet this does not appear to be the awed solution.
A third idea is that the ways were net coastrunted
with a reliant declination, and this appears to
be the most probable cause of the failure. The great weight
of the ship naturally led to the conclusion that a very slight
declination would be sufficient to give her the requisite
momentum ; but hen, in the opinion of many practical
shipwrights, the mistake, if any, mu made. Too little
is, however, at present ascertained on the subject for any
one to speak confidently, and allowance must be made for
the difficulties of the case, inasmuch as she is the heaviest
ship ever launched from any dockyard in the world. As it is
the result is fortunate, and too much praise cannot be given
to the officers and workmen of the yard for their exertions
in getting her off so soon after she became fast, for had she
remained on much longer the oonsequences premise now to
have been disastrous. The ways extended from the build-
ing slip far out into the harbour, where they were built on
piles driven in fer the purpose. When she came to a stand-
still nearly the whole of her weight rested on these piles,
and in consequence of such a great weight, they, we are in•
formed, sunk. It is fortunate they sunk on both sides in
the same ratio, otherwise the vessel would probably have
canted over.