The Express.
London, England, 1858-07-15 00:00:00

(Stamped ld. Additional.) [TWOPENCE.

Niagara early in the morning, Captain Preedy was
unwilling to run before the gale entirely without in-
forming Captain Hudson of his intention, the ship
was worn with the intention of putting her on the
starboard tack, in the hope of thus holding our own
for a little longer. When she got well into the
trough of the sea, however, she became almost
unmanageable, rolling like a log, almost every sea
breaking in over the bulwarks, and pouring in tons
of water down the hatchway. About fifty tons
of coal which had been stowed upon the lower deck
broke from their fastenings and poured down on to
the engines, which were in motion at the time,
though fortunately without injuring them. At the
same time the great coil of cable in the main hold,
which during the previous day had shown a disposi-
tion to lift on the surface, now fetched away, and
flew from side to aide of the hold in tangled masses.
Men were immediately sent below to try to secure
it with planks and cordage ;. but as it drifted it soon
entangled their limbs, and they were obliged to de-
sist, though not before one of the men was severely
hurt. The ship could now no longer stand up
against the gale ; it would have been even impos-
sible to lay her to, so the only resource left was to
run before it. The ship's head was quickly put about
and the yards squared, and in a few minutes we were

reefed topsails. Throughout the whole of the day
Iha ship .00ntinned to drive before the wind, the
gigantic seas following as if they would smash
her to pieces, bat in consequence of the great
speed at which we were going they seldom did
1 more than dash the spray upon deck. About
I two o'clock, however, one of the stern posts
was stove in, and the wararoorn flooded; and to- I
wards the evening some of the cabin windows were
broken, and the starboard quarter gallery stove.
We passed three or four homeward bound American
ships, all of whom were either laying to or running
before the wind.
No one can properly appreciate the feelings of re-
lief all felt that day alter the ship was put about. She
no longer strained as the seas struck her, though she
still rolled considerably. Towards the night the wind
fell off, and the sea, to the relief of everyone, began to
go down, and soon after daylight on Tuesday, the
I 22nd, the ship's head was put about, and we again
stood back for the rendezvous. As the day ad-
vanced, the wind and sea fell calm, and before the
evening no one could believe the ship was sailing in
the same sea which on the previous day had pre-
sented such an awful aspect. The day following
(Wednesday, the 23rd) was occupied in repairing
the damage which had been sustained by the vessel
in the gale. The rigging had to be reset up, the
coals which had broken away to be started into the
bunkers, during which latter operation a man unfor-
tunately got his leg broken. The main coil, which
now presented an aspect of the greatest
disorder, bad to be set to rights before
the splice could be made. Day and night
men were at work uncoiling the tangled
portion, but it progressed very slowly, and though on
Thursday evening about ten miles had been taken
up and coiled away in various parts of the ship, still
the aspect of the upper surface did not look very
encouraging. The electrical instruments and the
apparatus connected therewith had to undergo a
complete overhauling, for what between the rolling
of the ship and the salt water, very few of them
were in working condition. On Friday, the 24th,
by observation, we appeared to be nearly upon the
appointed rendezvous, which had been fixed in 82.2
north lat. and 33.18 west ion. About twelve o'clock
we fell in with the Valorous, and an hour
after the Gorgon and Niagara hove in sight, so
that by four o'clock in the afternoon all the four
ships were once more in company, after an absence
of 12 days. The afternoon was, as may be imagined,
spent in making mutual communications and in-
quiries, from which we learnt that the Valorous had'
KaSecompany with the Gorgon on the 13th, and
arrived at the rendezvous on the 20th. She
encountered the full force of the gale on the 21st,
and was obliged to go under full steam to keep the
ship's head to the sea. The Gorgon, too, had what
the sailors term " made bad weather of it," having
nearly lost both her masts, and expended a large
proportion of her coal. She did not reach the centre
until Wednesday, the 23rd. All were in great
anxiety, as may be imagined, about the safety of the
Agamemnon. The Niagara fell in with the other
ships on the 22nd, having reported suddenly losing
sight of us daring a squall, at a time when they thought
we could not hold together much longer. The even-
' ing was beautifully calm, and suitable for making
the splice, but many little things had to begot ready, so
it was finally arranged that the operation should be
commenced on the following day, Saturday, the 26th.
Everything was activity on board the ships on the
following morning. The whole of the disturbed
cable, which amounted to more than a hundred
miles, had been cleared, and the instruments put to
rights, on board the Agamemnon, and about 12
o'clock boats were sent from the Niagara with a
hawser, and the two ships having been made fast to
each other by the stern, the Niagara's end of the
cable was brought on bard, and the splice securely
effected, and about half-past one it was lowered
overboard. A hundred and fifty fathoms of cable
were then veered out front each ship, and a pre-
concerted signal having been run up, the
ships started ib opposite directions, at the rate
of two knots an hoar. After a little more than three
miles had been payed out, the continuity suddenly
ceased, and shortly after a red flag hoisted showed
us that it had broken from the Niagara, as we after-
' wards learned by the cable getting off the sheaves
and being cut by coming in contact with the tar
scraper. Though the end was still hanging to our
stern, and it would have been quite Possible to have
reeled our portion in, yet it was considered, and with
justice, that more valuable time would be lost in
performing the operation than would be worth ten
times the amount of wire, so it was cut adrift. The
ships returned to make a fresh splice, which having
been effected, was lowered safely overboard at 7.30
Greenwich time, which for the sake of uniformity
was need on both ships TOO &thorns having been
paid out, the signal to start was again hoisted, and
we Noon lost sight of the Niagara in the distance.
• • '

For a little time after starting, the ships
were kept at a speed of rather under two
knots an hour, while a considerable quantity of
slack cable was run out to allow the splice to get fairly
to the bottom. The Agamemnon was kept steadily
going two knots, the cable going from foar-and-a-
half to five for three hours, when, according to the
arrangement entered into with the Niagara we were
at liberty to proceed as we thought best. The speed of
the ship was, therefore, increased to about three-
and-a-half to a little over four knots per hour, the
cable going out steadily at about five, though the
strain upon the dynamometer in no instance exceeded
2,4001b5. Everythieg went on well until about
half-past 3 on Sunday morning, the 27tb, when the
electrical continuity of the cable was reported lost
by Professor Thompson. The signals had • been
received from the Niagara and returned with
perfect regularity by us until 3.40 a.m ,wben the cur-
rent ceased so suddenly and completely as
to leave no doubt in our minds that the
cable had parted, as we thought at the time,
from the stern. With as everything had been
going on so smoothly and regularly as to inspire
every one with the most sanguine expectations of
success. No time was lost by Mr. Canning and Mr.
Clifford, the engineers on duty at the time, in
stopping the ship, and getting the hauling-in gear
rove, and stopping the cable, to try and recover as
much of it as possible ; but while three preparations
were being made the cable broke over the stern,
with a sudden rise of the ship. A gun was imme-
diately fired, and a blue-light burned over the side,
to inform the Valorous of the misfortune ; and with
the same persevering energy which was displayed
by Mr. Bright and the engineers throughout the
cruise, the ships were again put about for the
rendezvous, for the purpose of making another join-
ing. During the ten hours and a half which

elapsed since making the splice on the previous
evening to the time of the breakage, 39 miles of
cable had been payed out, and thirty miles of abso-
lute distance made good by Massay's log. This was
a much smaller percentage of slack than we had
expected to expend, more especially on the deep
water. The whole of Sunday and Sunday night the
ships continued beating up against a head wind
towards the rendezvous until about two o'clock on
Monday, the 28th, when we again fell in with the Nia-
gara. To the no slight astonishment of all she imme-
diately signalled as, " How did you break the cable ?"
which was answered, of course, that we did not
break it. A boat soon brought the Niagara
engineers on board, from whom we learned that the
electrical continuity had ceased with them at the
same instant and in the same unaccountable manner
that it had with us, the cable having parted
while reeling it in, after about 160 fathoms
had been recovered. There was no way
of accounting for the accident unless upon
the far-fetched supposition . that the continuity
had been destroyed by.the cable resting upon some
rocks' at the bottom of the ocean. No variation in
the strain upon the dynamometer at the time of the
accident was observed in either ship when it
occurred. It was ay that the only effectual way
towstissoly lbw auaba.aasaiwapiimak.
and hope for be !lune the next time. The
sttips were again connected together by a hawser and
a third splice having been effected it was thrown
overboard, and the ship started for her destination
for the third and last time, at 10.15 p.m. For the
first three hours, as on the previous occasion, a great
deal of slack cable was payed out, the ships going at
the rate of two knots an hour ; but after this,
namely, at 1.65 a.m. on Tuesday morning, the 29th,
the speed of the ships was increased to between four
and five knots, the cable running out from
five-and-a-half to six, and the strain upon
the dynamometer being kept steadily at from 2,200
to 2,500 pounds. Nothing could exceed the ease
and regularity with which the various machines
worked, the paying-out engine and the other appa-
ratus being as nearly perfect in their action as it is
possible for mechanical contrivances to be; not the
slightest hitch occurred during the whole operation,
either in the running out of the cable from the deck
coil or in its final delivery through the machine into
the sea. There was one circumstance which will
prove not • little perplexing to the many learned
gentlemen who made theoretical calculations re-
presenting the probable strain which would be
exerted upon the cable to cause it to leave
the ship at a sharp angle namely, that though
in many instances the cable described an angle as it
left the ship of 10 and 11 degrees from the horizon,
and rarely fell below 15, yet the strain never, in
any instance, exceeded 2,6001 b., and not often
reached even that limit. At noon on Tuesday, four
hours after the commencement of the operations,
observation showed us to be in 62.12 N. lat. and
31.11 W. lon., having paid out 88 miles of cable
and made good 72 miles of absolute distance, being
a smaller proportion of slack cable than bad been
calculated upon. At 10.10 p.m. (10 o'clock ship's
time) 110 miles of absolute distance had been run,
and 130 miles of cable payed out during the 24
hours since leaving the rendezvous. Everything
went on so smooth and calmly that the chances
of our successfully submerging the whole length
of the line, even if three times the length,
were very great. The only fear we had
was about the transition from the deck coil to
that in the lower hold ; there was a considerable
distance between them, and, of course, if any stop-
page had occurred, the cable must have parted. Under
the circumstances, it was only an act of common
prudence on the part of Mr. Canning, the engineer
in charge of the operation at the time, to re-
duce the speed of the ship, in order to allow the
splice between to pass over as easily as possible. At
IL3O p.m. the speed of the ship was reduced to
miles per hoar, and subsequently to less than 3 knots,
and as there now onlyyemained some 2or 3 miles
in the deck coil, so the speed of the ship was still
further reduced, and consequently that of the cable
alto, when in a few minutes the report of a gun fired
from the port side of the bows told us too truly that
the cable had parted. Every one was thoroughly taken
by surprise ; there was nothing to account for the
occurrence, as the strain on the dynamometer at
the time only indicated 2,200 pounds. The distance
run was 118 miles, and a consultation was immedi-
ately held between the captains of the two ships and
the officers of the company, after which it was
agreed to stand back Once more to the rendezvous to
endeavour to meet the Niagara, and to make a fourth
and last attempt. Au agreement had been made
with the Niagara that the two ships should return
to the rendezvous in case a breakage occurred be-
fore either had proceeded 100 miles. Thus, though
we broke the letter of the agreement by putting
back, yet there was still a chance that the
Niagara might not have completed the specified dis-
tance, in which case it would be as well not to
throw away a chance of bringing the expedition at
length to a successful issue. The ships' heads were
therefore soon put about, and in a few minutes we
were standing back for the central place of meeting.
Our ill fortune did not end here. Every hope of,
meeting with the Niagara of course depended upon
the weather remaining clear • but on Wednesday,
the 30th, a dense fog set in, through which it was
impossible to see 100 yards. For four days we re-
mained cruising about without well knowing where
we were, as no observation could be obtained, with-
out once even sighting the Valorous, which we knew
was cruising within a short distance of us. Every
noisy device was had recourse to to attract the at-
tention of the ships, should they pass in our
vicinity. GUM were fired at intervals, and bells
and bugles were kept in constant aetion ;
but all to no purpose. On the morning of Sunday,
the 4th of July, the weather cleared a little, and
we again sighted the Valorous, but on obtaining an
observation we found our position was still some
distance from the rendeevous. A taw hours' sailing,
however, soon put us on the spot, where the chips
remained until mid-day on Tuesday, July 6. There ,
was still no appearance of the Niagara and Gorgon, ,
and arrangements were entered into that we should
wait no longer there than 8 p.m. on the same even-
ing. The evening came, but still no signs of the ships,
I so all sail was immediately made for Queenstown.
The wind was fair during Wednesday and Thursday,
and without almost making an alteration in a rope, the
ships made an average speed of 8 knots an hour, but
lon Friday morning, the 9th, the wind fell light, and
obliged the Agamemnon to lower screw and get up
steam. On Saturday, the 10th, *when about 260
miles off Cape Clear. we again fell in with a dense
fog, which continued until Queenstown harbour
was made, on Monday, the 12th, about noon. On
Sunday the fog was so thick that, though we knew
by reckoning that the ship was in the immediate
neighbourhood of the cape, yet no light could be
seen. However, the ship found her way on by
keeping the lead going, and sighted the harbour
early in the morning. The ships of the squadron
are now recoaling, and will in all probability start
upon a final trial on Saturday next.

TRIG CHARGE OF DROWNING A SEAMAN.— t,
Strums', WE.DIIII/111DAY Mositunit.—The superentendent of
polite at Sunderland hes cause across hate this morning, and l'
approbwedied Mr. Merin Fox, the seater of the Schiedam, of
Lando., em a Amp, d motoring William Barron, a teams'
babe eng to the Renew. of enmdeelend. in cowpony with i
the mar of dm letter oemel. by throwing him into the
EL.. ma nrairr of the Reltasta, Mr. Menbam, hes
Malady been emrelmnded and the whole coal will now come
bakes the Mileandal a the town.
ORTIFIAL PALACI.—ON! SHILLING DAY. •••
I WiaparaisAy, Jinx 14 —ilidniteneme on payment, 7,214 ;
ditto by ram 90h; WM, 11,142.
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