The Express.
London, England, 1860-12-31 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 81, 1800.

ME LAUNCH of THE WARRIOR.

The asiveentm of the new theory in our system of
naval defence will have reason to congratulate them-
selves on the result of last Saturday's proceedings
at Blackwell, as the punctuality and success with
which our first great iron war ship was transferred
from the stocks to the water, were a credit at mice
to the commercial ahipwrights of this country, and
to the particular firm, the Thames Iron Company,
to which this great national work had bees
entrusted. The public, taught caution by the mis-
haps and delays of the Greet Eastern launch, had
not been at all sanguine, and, as usual, the croakers
had an abundance of reasons ready to show—firat,
that the launch would not be attempted •
and, secondly, that if it were, the Ice
:
and a thousand other canes would be sure to make
it result in failure. The very mention of the term
" hydraulic ram" was a basis upon which to frame
a whole host ef misgivings founded ou the sad ex-
xrience cif Millwall, but it was forgotten that in the
case of tho Great Eastern the ship lay broadside an
to the water, whereas the Warrior stood in the old
but more judicious position, stern on, with the
regular incline and thereforegave the rams mach
less to do in driving her on to her "native element.*
Indeed, had it not been for the frost which hardened
the grease on the way., and gripped everything in
its icy embrsoe, the Warrior would have slid dowil
the iodine in ordinary fashion like any other well-
, &ulckphip if her toms., but the director
liren Clelnpanyl
li taught wisdom by the es-
parto...d Ike& nerediews, determined to leave
nothing W shame, an hence the unqualified suc-
rasa of Saturday's operations.
L Although the day wasone of those stefully cold
ones in which the frost often indulges, when a
coming south wind has given it notice to quit, the
interest of the proceedings, both national and me-
clumicial, attracted a very large crowd of visitors et
high and low degree to Bow-creek. The Blackwell
Railway bad a busy time of it for two or three
hours previous to the learnt', ,and when at last we
leaded in that strange territory in which
round
F to which you want to go is " just
the corner," but takes a sou* of miles walking
Ito reach, we found the blank, dismal roads
r and faint converging towards the ship-yard
oovered 'with pedndriturs, who were loud hi their
ackurration of the hews= but beautifully proper-
nosed vessel The hull, perched high upon
cradle, seemed to be almost within reeili, but as
y?t, thanks to the admirable and plan of the
city of Blacktrall, kept a very portable distance
betvreehit shalt' • admirers. net of • the tall
chimneys of the neighbourhood had, be let out
for the day and were crowded by entliseindic ama-
teurs in shipbuilding, who could be seen in the
aerial distanceldowing their fingers and waiting
patiently for the interesting . 'come when
the ss,gnal gun was to "Minoru:oe the 'tart.
ing of the marine Colossus. the premises
of the Thames Compact, O* slips, ways and
workshops, -being built on both-sides of low-creek,
allowed of that ancient and leil-known estuary
being made available for the 'fins! plume* of the
ship, thus avoiding the obirtruetiens of the Thames.
All round- its shores were crowds of anxious apse-
tators, and the huge bailee which. across ore a ferry
made many voyages. The Wrinkle looked splendid,
agreeably disappointing penises • who had cows
down. especting to see a huge shapeless .4' steam-
ram," bristling with iron plates, and who to their ear.
prise /Mind a noble ship built on the finest lines,
and exhibiting the mast elegant 'cons, look-
ing as the nautical men . not half her
tonna'', so perfectly symmetrical was she in fans
and cline. As the Warrior was an administra-
tive child of the late government, it was to be ex-
pected that some of its members would be present
[ to witness tie (igen of their o&pring.
MeV Jolui Pakington was there, and qv
000 r-
d Colonel Knox, and some half dozen of lb
friends. The Lords of the Admiralty present were
Sir Richard Dundee and Captain Frederick, and in
addition we recognised Messrs. Penn, Saumcia,
and several other gentlemen more or lees con-
' nected with marine engineering. As far as we
could judge by appearances, the arrangements for
the launch were, with the exception of the "rams,"
pretty much as usual in large ship yards. There
was a platform at the stern for the Lords of the
Admiralty and the more distinguished visitors, and
galleries near the bows for the rest of the company.
Punctually at the appointed time the "dog-
shores" were struck away, and the hydraulic rams
commenced their operations. This was a very anxi-
ous time, as for nearly ten minutes after all ob-
structions had been removed, the Warrior seemed
to be obstinately bent on taking her rest for
some time longer. The rams strained their hardest,
the people on the ship's deck commenced running
backwards and forwards, and a gun was fired
in the vain hope of starting the grim monster from
its repose. It seemed as if it was going to be ano-
ther Great Eastern affair, and the croakers, who
"knew all along how it would be," were again
vociferous, but the last persuasion being applied,
in the shape of immense cables run out at the stern,
and taken in tow by three powerful steam tugs, the
Warrior began to move, at first slowly, and with
hesitation, but gradually increasing its pace, until
it had got about half-way down the ways, when
with one majestic sweep it plunged bodily into the
water, where the next moment it could be seen
floating as gracefully and as buoyantly as a swan.
All the hopes and fears of architects, contractors,
and shipwrights for the last twelve months were
now set at rest, Captain Ford and his brother
directors drew long breaths, and the croakers
were silenced—at least for the present. Every
one said that she was a beautiful ship—and
so she was—and that she would "knock the
Gloire into lucifer matches "—the most modern
metaphor for naval destruction, which we hope
she may do if the occasion should arise, and we
were ourselves of opinion that the contractors had
turned out a very elegant and complete piece of
work, which, if it take the water as
naturally when the ship has got her iron
jacket on, will certainly be a most war-
like and weatherly sea-boat. We have only
to add respecting the launch that the baptismal
ceremony was performed by Sir John Palungton,
being the first time that this particular branch of
sacerdotal duty was ever entrusted to one of the
rougher sex. The right hon. baronet no doubt
looked upon the Warrior as his own child, and
wished to send her out into the watery waste with
his own paternal benediction.
This is not the place to enter into criticism as to
the fitness or unfitness of the great ship for the work
she is intended to perform, but the account of her
launch would be incomplete without a few detail/
as to her sine cost, and oonstruction. The shell
is built entirely of wrought scrap iron. The keel,
or portion to which the ribs are bolted, is
formed of immense slabs, 3 feet 6 inches deep,
and llin. thick ; the ribs which spring from this
are wrought iron T shaped beams, made in
joints of bit. in length by 2k in deptili. They are
placed 3ft. gin. apart, except for a distance of 10ft.
on each aide of the keel, where they are bolted at
half this distance apart. The main and upper decks
are of iron, covered with timber, and the orlop deck
is of timber. The decks are supported by rolled
wrought iron girders of enormous strength. Along
the entire length of the vessel, from stem to stern,
there are solid wrought iron beanie placed at inter-
vals of bit inside the ribs, and these again are
strengthened by cross girders. The bows and stern
of the ship are divided into twenty-oven water-tight
compartments, and are shut of from the engine-
reom and fighting part of the ship by wrought iron
transverse bulkheads. As the armour is not in-
tended to cover the whole of the ship, these com-
, partments will afford increased security. They
; may be riddled by shot in every direction without
affecting her safety—nay, even were the bows and
stern shot clean away, the centre would still ramie

a floating battery, 2101 t. in length, 27ft. in depth,
and 53ft. wide. The armour of the frigate amends
of plates of hammered iron four inches and a half
thick. The tests applied to the plates furnished
by the builders [of the Warrior were of the most
trying character, as shown by the effects on the
Sirius. Some plates were fired at with 68-pounders,
at 200 yards distance, and were literally cut in half
by bells fired one after another on a line drawn on
the surface, each ball striking immediately below
its predecessor. Upon some other plates the ball
made a circular indentation nearly as deep as the
plates, exactly of the form of the projectile, and as
though a mould had beset taken of it in some soft
and yielding substance. It was only after repeated
trials that it was decided that the plates should be
of =nettled scrap iron. Only one row of the plates
ihas yet been fixed on the vessel's side ; it is on the
lowest tier, and level with the water line. The
weight of the wholec' a
of the plates would have been
little short of 1,000 tons, and it was considered ad-
visable not to add this weight to the ship before
launching, lest it might strain the vessel on the
wayer
For the purple of obtaining a high rate of speed,
the bottom of the ship has been made narrow
towards the keelson' Instead of having an wren
floor as in the esseof the Great Eastern, and in
the int) part there it a vast amount of material in the
shape of overhanging bows, figure head, bowsprit,
and other matters. In the case of the Oloire there
111 no figure-head, and her Lena foam as .hares,
angle with the level of the water, similar to our
own smaller gunbeata It was origiaally proposed to
give the Warrior the heavy rig of an eighty gun
ship, but it is said that upon a re-consideration of
the kinkiest it has been decided to follow in this
respect the barque-like rig of the Gloire, the Meg-
jack and Mine yards being dispensed with. Her
exact length over all is 420 feet ; between the per
pendiculani, 380 ; breadth, 58 feet ; depth, 42 ; tee-
nage, 6417 tons. Her screw engines are to be of
1,250 home-Fewer, and the gross weight is expected
to be, with boilers, armament, &c.,10,000 tons. The
lines upon which the vessel is built are exceedingly
fine, both fore and aft, and it is anticipated that'
she will make 14 knots as hour ; so that, assuming
the performance of the Globe has been correctly
reported, and that she really made 134 knots, and,
not miles, the Warrior will still be a faster vessel.
The port-holes of the Warrior are 9 feet above the
water line, those of the (Moire are, it is said, only
16 feet, and in a rough sea could not be worked.
This is a very important feature in favour rof our
frigates. To this the fact must be added, that id the
r;:lor and the Black Prince there will b 4 no
with .respect to unsemoned or unsound
timber ; and the effect of the shot will not tell upoff
them so severely as is the case of the plated
woqden ships of the French. The Warrior I has
been tflout twelve months in building, and' her
cost, *ken ready for sea, will be somewhere about
a million starlit&

NUNNROUS INIPWROW AND LOSS OP LIPN

At two &cloak yesterday morning the French
sloop Jean %Skits, with a valuable general cargo from
Dunkirk to Chefbourg, came ashore under the South Pbre•
Lod Light ; the wind, which was a perfect gale, was driving
dead oath* rookie ; the saiitain was drowned, the crew mired.
One of them was mash injured. They are at the Sallere
Roma, where every assirtanee hi rendered to them Which
kindness can dictate under each distressing circumstances.
The Tinsel mint became a total wreck.
We learn from our Plymouth comispondent by electric
telegraph' that a small trading sehrioner went ashore in Cew•
mod Bey, on Saturday, ins gale of wind, blowing from the
south-rust She WS/ the Speedwell, of Looe ; the captain,
Edward Husking; the testa, James Tossinsaed David Libby,
Thomas Clapp, sod Walter Boating, seams., were all
drowned. Their bodies have been picked up, and are at
Magma& An 11* me beamed to read and reetnapetii.
A barge was also upset in the Sound on Saturday, ancKone
man was drowned.

During a heavy storm and north.weirterly gale which pre-
vailed on Thursday night last, a Swedish ship, called the
Irene, SOO tons reprise, Captain Frederieksen master, fmm
Sundawell, for Bristol, with a cargo of timber, was carried
by the fury of the gale spinet the new breakwater at Port-
knit Bay, and was totally wrecked, • pilot who had charge
of her at the time losing his life. It appears, from a state-
ment of the crew, that during the wont part of the storm
the breakwater and it. light at the outer extremity were
seen close at hand, and in a few minutes afterwards the
ship wan dashed spinet the timber staging and shortly
became a total wreck. The crew, with the exception of
the pilot, were saved by means of • rope thrown to them
by the keeper of the lighthouse who was at hand when the
catastrophe took place. The pilot belonged to Cowes. The
damage down to the staging of the breakwater was erten-
sive. The wreck, after breaking up, was carried by the
wind and tide round the end of the breakwater, and was
strewn along the western beach of the harbour. The ship
is said to be insured for 7,00tk.

By the arrival of the Cape mail Intelligence has been re-
(wired of the sad lose of the Gladiator, a tine Liverpool ship,
1,500 tone mister, bound from Bombay to Liverpool, witb,
it is supposed, upwards of 40 lives. it took place during
the night of the 13th of last month, the vessel having run
on shore, between Port Padrone and the Bushman's River
(Caps of Good Hope). When discovered by the
ashore every means were taken to rescue the crew and
singers, but • heavy sea rolling in, thwarted their efforts, as
no boat could be got off. The ship by that time had broken
in two, and the sea was washing over her. The shrieks of
the poor creatures on board were awful. Late in tho day
°spiels Jeffrey, the master, and Mr. Peering (passenger)
were got ashore safe. hire. Peering and her children bed
been placed In a boat previously, but it capsized, and they
were drowned. Up to late on the night of the 13th the
remainder of the people had not been brought ashore. The
Gladiator had a valuable cargo of cotton and seed.
It is stated that her Majesty's brig Camilla, 10 guns
(which has been mewing for some coosiderable tune),
was posted on Lloyd's books on Saturday as having been
totally lost, with all on board, in the China MU. The in.
formation appeirs to have been obtained from a private
printed circukr published in China. The Camilla had been
placed on the China station about three years since. Her
°Moors end crew numbered about 200 in all.

TER ACCIDENT ON THE MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD,
AND LINCOLNSHIRE RAILWAT.-05e of the sufferers,
giving an account of the above accident briefly reported in
our columns on Sithurday, says *boot five minutes after the
train had left Usinsborough, • peculiar oscillation or jump-
ing of the carriage was observable, and one or two of the
pemengers remarked that something was going wrong.
Almost immediately after this a crack was heard, one of the
hinder wheel' having evidently broken. The carriage then
fell down on one aide, and both windows fell in, and with
every revolution of the broken wheel, the bumping now
became tremendous. It was soon apparent to all that
unless assistance could be speedily the most serious
couthosences would result, the carriage threatening to come
to pieces every moment. The puthogers cried out with
all there might, but without effect, and gradually • great
portion of the carriage was smashed to pieces, the flooring
of two of the three compartments at length falling
through, and precipitating, amid the shrieks of the or-
repents, several of the passengers en the rails. As the
planks of the flooring rose and broke, and the other portions
of the carriage came in contact with the metals and the
ballast, everything had the appearance of being on fire, there
being sparks flying about. One after another others of the
passengers last their hold of the framework of the carriage
to which they were clinging, and were cast upon the road.
In all eight were thus severely dealt with, the remaining
thirteen saving themselves from a similar fats by clamber.
big into the may compartment which remained entire and
clinging to the various portions of the carriage which yet held
together. All the accounts we have received fully confirm
our report as to the extraordinary escape of several of the
passengers. John William Rambla, 22, mechanic, sus-
tained a fracture of the bones of the forehead, catenates
scalp wounds, and serious braises as both knees.
NATAL AOOIDINT ON TEL LONDON AND NORTH
unrest RAILWAT.—At ea early hour on Saturday morn-
ing as awaidimt, unhappily attended with a fatal result, «-
mowed leer the Sudbury statism of the London and North
Western Railway. It
.appeare a policeman. named John
liaarawara, in the armee of the company, was proceeding
=line to tie Reed brashsignal-poet, to relieve the
vim bulbous en Eight ditty, when he isaiutionaly
vestored between theameale es which the 6.lSe.= null train
from Boston aielies wee wproaehing, and was struck down
titheringine and Migkeeift injured, the train pealing ever
sad mungleeely meeting hi legs from hie body. The
litiwir swig logos obscurity of the atmosphere, did
cad sevethe augers.' proximity of the unfortunate man
ustil it wee leskateke wrath the speed of the train, and when
amistasee wee rendered life was found to be extinct. _

—ciTTirrci.Aiaxi=ifili-TdicTw;"*lilv.-BA.
TUIDaT, Dio. 911.—Adainiaas as mast, 1,326; Aft
*ems Wink MOS ; Mg Taller% 3,533.