The Express.
London, England, 1858-08-11 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 11, 1858.

perfectly it had been coiled away ; and to
paid against accidents which might arise
consequence of the cable having suffered
injury during the storm, the indicated strain upon
the dynamometer was never allowed to get beyond
1,700 lbs., or ler than one quarter what the cable is
estimated to boar. Thus far everything looked
promising of suers. Bat in such a hazardous
work no one knows what a few minutes may bring
forth, for soon after eight an injured portion
of the cable was discovered about a mile or two
from the portion paying out. Not a moment wan
lost by Mr. Canning, the engineer on duty, in setting
assn to work to cobble up the injury as well am time
word permit,for the cable was going out at such erste
that the damaged portion would be payed over-
board in less than twenty minutes, and former
experience had shown us that to check either the
speed of the ship or the cable would in all proba-
bility be attended by the most fatal results. Jost
before the lapping was finished, Professor Thereon
reported that the electrical continuity of the wire
had ceased, but that the insulation was still perfect.
Attention was naturally directed to the injured piece
as the probable -source of the stoppage, and not a
moment was lost in cutting the cable at that point,
with the intention of making a perfect splice ; bat,
to the consternation of all, the electrical testa applied
showed the fault to be overboard, and in all proba-
bility same fifty miles from the ehip. Not a second
was to be lost, for it was evident that the
out portion must be payed overboard in a few
minutes, and in the meantime the tedious and
difficult operation of making a splice had to be
performed. The ship was immediately stopped and
no more cable payed out than was absolutely neces-
sary to prevent it breaking. As the stern of the ship
was lifted by the waves a scene of the most intense
excitement followed. It seemed impossible, even
by using the greatest possible speed and paying
out the least possible amount of cable, that the
junction could be finished before the part was taken
out of the hands of the workman. The main hold
presented an extraordinary scene. Nearly all the
officers of the ship and of those connected with
the expedition stood in grumps about the coil,
watching (with that intense anxiety which
is seldom seen except round foreign gaming
tables) the cable as it slowly unwound itself
nearer and nearer the joist, while the workmen,
directed by Mr. Canning, cinder whose supwinten-
deuce the cable was originally manufactured, worked
at the splice ea only men could work who felt that
the life and death of the expedition depended upon
their rapidity. Bat all their speed was to no pur-
pose, as the cable was unwinding within a hun&ed
Asthma, and as a last and desperate resource the
cable was stopped altogether, and for a few minutes
the ship hung on by the end. Fortunately, how-
ever, it was only for a few minutes, as the strain was
continually rising above two tons, and it could not
hold on much longer, when the splice was finished,
the signal made to loose the stopper, and it passed
I overboard safely enough. When the excitement
consequent upon having no narrowly saved the
cable had passed away we woke to the

consciousness that the case was still as hopeful
as ever, for the electric continuity was still entirely
wanting. Preparations were consequently made to
pay out u little rope as possible, and to hold
ou for six hours, in hope that: the fault,
whatever it might be, might mend itself before
cutting the cable and returning to the rendez-
vous to make another splice. The magnetic needles
on the receiving instruments were watched closely
for the returning signals, when in a few minutes the
lest heir was extinguished, by their suddenly indi-
cating ' dead earth, which tended to show that the
cable had broke* from the Niagara, or that the insula-
tion had been completely destroyed. In three minutes,
however, every one was agreeably surprised by the
intelligence that the stoppage had disappeared, and
that the signals had again appeared at regular
intervals from the Niagara. It is needless to say
what a load of anxiety this news removed from the
minds of every one, but the general confidence in
the ultimate success of the operations was much shaken
by the occurrence, for all felt that at any minute a
similar accident might occur. For some thee the
paying out continued ss usual, but towards the
morning another damaged place was discovered in
the cable. There was fortunately, however,
time to repair it in the hold whitest in
any way marferiag with the
beyond for • time slightly reducing the
of the ship. During the morning of Friday the
20tb, everything went well ; the ship had bens bept
at the speed of about five knots, the cable going ant
at about el:, the average angle with the Meteor at
width it left the skip being about 16 legyeem ohne
the indicated strain upon the dynamomeeer side*
Mooed more than I,6ooibe. to 1,7006 e. asserew.
times made at noon showed that we had made geed
TO miles from the starting point sines the roam
day, with an expenditure, including the few 1k
hawing the splice and during the subsequent
stoppages, of 136 miles of Weis. During the hats
potion of the de/ the lemensseer fall;1
and towards this evening it blew elmitt a
of
Med from the eastward, dead • naiad ear
ism& As the breams freshened, the epded el therm.
e= gradially IDOMISII, but they'd:al mem then
he promotion, so that before thews went
dews the Ammonium was going full denim seism'
the wbed, sad only main a wised 4 *bent fear
kws an leer. Deming dee °venire legmaree were
leseeed, and ent pardweeile, en& indosetereep
*be aloft thaspt meld aft ismillssie to the wimi
lOUS* dews on Seek) Int stiii the slip main bet
limb Imp, shiefirlmesmes aft lir i Meg eft.
•110 Ninon' cm*. la feehalieenenlibeeted VI
1111/14/ if As wag WII*4I/6 amid be redueeicle
masts, rpm, emit lemardm decks, to Ling
feint
into Vatted& it wed to be oar
Imefineler ill fortune to ensue with best
It
%bib whiokever w* the , Ihipfe airs
*k w& On oar journey oat we had been
timititillged to ongshme an undue propertfoi‘ peg •
fur papt.iii an efisbely wind, and v.. owl
fleafilarbeing weeded bemuse of it. However
a..el
„,...
Ai day the wiled gradually went
*est, which, though ft raised a;
wad pill, yet allowed as to hathand our small;
atnee of fuel. On Saturday, the 3112;1
M noon showed es to be in
near: 111 min. N., sad longitude 26 deg. 444111.,
W., hating made good 120 miles of distance from
the starting point since noon of the previous (Lay.
with a loss of about 27 per cent. of cable. The;
Niagara, as far as mold be judged from the amount
of table the payed eat, whist), by a prodem
arrangement, was signalled at every ,
miles, kept pace with us, within one or two
the whole distance across. Daring the afternoon
Saturday the wind again freshened up, and before
nightfall it again blew nearly • gale, sod a tre-
mendous stn ma before it from the south-west,
which mode the on pitch to such an ex-
tent that It was tboeght impossible that the cable
weld bold ill through the night. indeed, had it
not hero for the esnesent are and vatabfalatai ex-
ercised by Me. Bright, and the two energetic en-
gineers, Mr. Conan and Mr. Clifford, who Mild
with him, it eould not have been done at all.
Men were kept at the wheels of the machine to
prevent them stopping, se the stern of the ship TOW
and fell with the sea, for had they deem so, the
cable most eadealetediy have parted. During Sun-
day the sea dad triad increased, end before the
main it blew a smart gals. Now, indeed, were
Ow emu and activity of all
g: fi. the
taxed to the utmost. 11:=4 wed Mr.
two eagisesse who had the the
et the
*heels at the dywasemoWediat le hi
watch altersately eiri'y asaliiigi,'
while on duty are daring to let their atteitise
removed from their easagation foe we massato be ,
oa their rebuke; the beam every time the mesa
of the ship fell into the trough of the ma settee]
depended the safety of the cable, and the
shows how ably they have discharged their dirty.
Throughout the night there were few who had the