The Express.
London, England, 1860-09-17 00:00:00

THE GREAT EASTERN.-MILFORD.

OWN ♦ 001/111PONDI1T.)
MILFORD HAVEN, Stn. 13.

The Great Eastern in the centre of attraction in
South Wales, and the thousands who daily crowd
to Milford Raven to see her return evidently de.
lighted with their trip. The number of visitors
increases daily, as excursion trains are runnin,, at
Is. more than the usual single fares from the chief
stations along the South Wales Railway, beginning
at Gloucester, and every available vehicle is
ployed in the transit of sight-seers from places.at
present unprovided with railway accommodation.
The average has been nearly 2,000 persons per day,
and it is expected that when she is on the gridiron,
and after the harvest is secured, the numbers will
greatly increase.
The charge for carrying visitors from the rail.
way terminus at Nayland (about three-quarters of
a wile) to the ship, including admission, is 2s. per
head, and of this 3d. per head is allowed as boat
hire ; but as this leaves ls. 9d. for each, and as the
daily expenses of the ship are very trifling, the
shareholders may congratulate themselves that she
is earning something towards a dividend. Evidently
she will remain an object of curiosity wherever she
may be, and her exhibition may be relied upon as
a source of revenue.

It is expected that the tide of Friday, 14th,
or Saturday, 15th, will give sufficient water
to place her on the gridiron ; when there, 200
men will be employed to scrape and clean her
bottom, upon which now appear plenty of
long weeds, and very small barnacles ; pro-
bably they will be larger below. Captain Hall
has sent all disposable weights out of her, and she
will be lightened, so as to draw about 19 feet only.
For five or six days there will be from 2i to 3
hours each tide when her bottom will be dry, and
after a proper cleansing she will be coated with
Mclnnes's copper paint. The composition is very
good, but has been found to be inferior to Peacock
and Rectum's, as appears by certificates from the
Peninsular and Oriental and Royal Mail Steam
Companies ;it is also more costly. It appears to
be a preparation in which copper is mixed. Of
course this must oxidise the iron to some
extent, and it is to be regretted that the
directors have not determined to adopt the
known bed thing for this important pur-
pow. Peacock and Buchan's composition is a
preparation of oxide of zinc, which metal does
not oxidise iron, and is equally efficacious in pre-
venting the adhesion of weeds cud barnacles. No
doubt Dr. Callager's patent is better still, as it is
a stronger preparation of the same metal, but it has
not been certified like Peacock and Buchan'e, and the
patentee has not urged its adoption under an im-
pression that as he, as a shareholder, has
at times opposed the directors, his com-
position has nu chance of being adopts!. If
reasonable expedition is used, favoured by
a but sun, the composition will be applied
and the vessel ready for floating again by Tuesday ;
she may then proceed to coal up and receive cargo
for her departure to New York on the 17th proximo.
The South Wales Railway Company, in return
for the advantages it is receiving by the conveyance
of vis.toni, has provided the gridirou free of cost,
and undertaken to supply coals free on beard at
12e. W. per ton. Thu operation of coaling will
occupy some time, 500 tons a day being the extent
to which they can be skipped at present. The
eight steam cranes contracted to be supplied by Mr.
Russell are sadly wanted.
The opportunity afforded alsile on the gridiron
will be embraced to introduce LI new bush to the
aftermost bearing of the nmin screw shaft. The
fiat floor peculiar to the Gnat Eastern, and other
vessels constructed on Mr. Russell's now approved
and all but perfect lines, will enable the Great Ship
to sit perfectly upright and ...cure, either upon the
gridiron or the beach beneath it, but will afford
little opportunity for the application of the protec-
tive costing underneath. Experience, however,
proves that adhesions are rawly found on this part
of a ship, but are most abundatit midway between
the ke.4 and the water line.

The directors should strain every nerve to get
her an. again on the 17th of oetober, because if
she goes at or near that date she will obtain a very
large number of passenger; for New York. and a
largo cargo of bnaulatuilii, ke., home ; in fact, one
merchant in London has applied to have 10,000
barrels of flour brought back by her, and others
would gladly secure a similar advantage. The
breadstutfa ordered in anticipation of a short har-
vest here must be paid for, and therefore the
sooner they arrive here for re-aide the better. It
is a great pity that none of the directors are in
businovt, us they would then understand these
matters, and act aocordingly. There are many
thousands of Americans in England and on the
Continent who will return to the States about the
middle of October.

ANOTHER FATAL ACCIDENT IN THE ALPS.

Another fatal dianater in the Alps is recorded.
It happened in the Tyrol on the morning of the 31st of
August, the victim being the Rev. W. G. Watson, chaplain
of Gray s.inu, and giaudson of the celebrated Bishop of
Llaudittf.

At two o'dock in the morning the unfortunate gentle-
men, with his friend, Mr. Frederick K. H. Cock, barrister,
aterted from the chalets of the Ilutterberg Alp, at the head
of the Stulduyer 'Mal, where they had passed the previous
eight, foe the purpose of crossing the glacier paw, which
leads them to Mullen in the Outbid. They were &ix-umiak.
nied by Jakob Muller, a guide from Kierhach iu the
littibbayer Thal, who had bete highly recommended to
them by the cure of Neustift. They proceeded
in perfect safety to the summit of the pass,
having in their way up encountered no further
dillcmley than was preseuted by the state of
the suow, which in parts of the steep slopes by which
they aseenskst was knee-deep. The mute down time the
Col into the Witelacher Thal, a small lateral valley which
rura into the Otxt it within a *hod distance of Soklen, lay
over the 'deep snow ale:rs of the Witailacber Ferner or
glacier (in the Tyrol " ferner" Ss the name by which glaciers
are known), which in parts were intersected by ridges of
rock, along which it was impe.dble to pass. Upon reaching
the secoud of these ridges Mr. Watson, who huh complained
of the excessive roughness and difficulty of the first, sug.
gaited to the guide to coos. over the row in preference.
The guide 7ieldiug a ready assent, the party proceeded to
'• gliss.tile' down two of the snow slopes in succession.
Upon reaching theme! of the ...suds third presented itself,
hemmed iu on ono side by a wall of rock, and as the other
descending gradually to a lower elevation, where, as it was
afters-Ird* dieocivered, it terminated in a glacier stream.
Here, r before, the guide, in answer to an inquiry from
Mr. Watson, whether they might cross by the snow, replied,
Hy all means." Accordingly the three proceeded abreast,
Mr. Cock being on the extreme right, Mr. Watson to his
left at as distance of about two feet, :and the guide to the
left of Mr. Watson at about the same distance. They had
rue Mout half way down when Mr. Cock suddenly felt
his left leg sinking wider him, awl iu au instant it went
throsiali the snow up to the hip. lie threw himself forward
ou to .he knee of his other hg, awl s:rese the left leg after
and so upon the firm snow beyond. He was in the
act of rising and of remarking to his friend, "That
was a nasty place," when, ou looking towards Mr.
Waren, he heard the poor fellow exelatim.
" Hallo!" and saw him disappear downwards perpendicus
lowly as rf through la trap-ilisir. A loud rumbling noun wee-
sired by hie fall suemetleal, at the cud of which there was
a momentary silo:0e, broken by a faint moan, which lasted
fur a few woods, when all was Still. It was now 25
minutes past six cm. Mr. Cock and the guide Lay down
' upon the snow, 1104 looked down the cavity which Mr.
Watson had made, but they could discern nothing but an
appareutly fathomless abyss of ice. After waiting ten
minutes in vain for a response to their urgent entreaties to
Mr. Watson to speak to theni and let thou know his posi-
tion mid the injuries which lie hail sustained, Will iater
letting down a rope, which the guide thou for the
first time in the day prutlueed, it is said, Mr.
Cock despatched the guide for assistance, he mu'anwbile
remaining by the side of the fatal hole. After an absence
of throe hours laud a quarter three men arrived from
some chalets in the Wanda cher Thal with a nipe, be which
they let down one of their number. Mr. Cock had cm.
ployed the intervening time in throwing down the small
stark of provisions that was Wt., and in letting down the
guide', rope, leugtheued by Mr. Watsou'ii plaid, which he
cut in half and attached to it, mail imploring his friend to
speak to him, and fasten I • self ; hut all iu vain. The man
who descended reported that all was. dark below him, and he
could see malting. It was thee iehietantly determined to
leave the spot and proceed with all mead to Seidel'
for a longer nape and more hands. Mr. Cock and
the guide amonlingly ileseen.leil to sehleu, where, with
the aid of the curi, nspes and inert w
here, pro-
cured, with about Mr. Cock rtituroed at once. It WAS
plat two o'clock when they left S ' elden and it was
riot till about half.p.e.t five o'clock iti the afternoon that
they reached the avow of the disaster. Here a ,o„ng man
named Joseph l'ailinxer. of Kays. r, near gadell, was
lowered into the abyss, awl after las hail ikscensied, at the
imminent danger of his life to a depth of uleott 90 feet
English, he diseovered the body of the mifortunate gentle.