The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-28 00:00:00

THAMES.

BREAKING A MAN'S LEG.— Michael Lynch, alias
O'Brian, who was stated to be a returned convict, was
charged with committing an assault on Joseph Cummings,
who has been in the London Hospital for the last fortnight,
and is now under medical treatment and in a very precarious
condition.

It appeared that the injured man was quarrelling with a
woman named Margaret White, at the corner of Dock-
street, Whitechapel. The prisoner interfered, and struck
and kicked Cummings several times, and at last tripped
him up and broke his leg. The man wan taken to the hos-
pital, and it was stated it would be at least three months be-
fore ho would be in a fit condition to appear and give evi-
dence.

The prisoner, in defence, said that a dog bit Cummings'
leg 16 months ago, and he was obliged to go to the
hospital.

Mr. Woolrych—A bite from a dog would not break a
man's leg 16 months afterwards.
The prisoner said one of the women engaged in the
quarrel bit him on the cheek.
Mr. Woolrych eaid he would adjourn the case for three
weeks if the prisoner could find bail, but if he could not do
so he would remand him for a week.

Testing Chain Cables and Anchors.

Yesterday a number of scientific gentlemen at-
tended at the Proving-house of Lloyd's committee,
i❑ the New-road, Poplar, for the purpose of wit-
nessing the mode designed by Mr. T. M. Gladstone,
C.E., of testing the merits of chain cables and
anchors. Several engineers,shipowners, and masters
of vessels were present, and also some ladies and non-
professionals, who took great interest in the experi-
ments. The importance of having what is techni-
cally called the "ground tackle" in a sound and reli-
able condition has been long felt by seafaring men,
inasmuch as however perfect in other respects
a ship may be, unless her cables and anchors are
trustworthy the lives and property on board may
be sacrificed, The attention of the Legislature has
been frequently called to the subject, but up to the
present time the " collective wisdom" has done
nothing to guarantee " Those that go down to the
sea in ships" that their ground tackle will be ade-
quate to its purpose. Last session, Mr. Laird,
M.P., the shipbuilder, a gentleman sensitively alive
to the importance of the subject, introduced a bill
into Parliament for the purpose of making it im-
perative on shipowners to have their chain cables
and anchors properly tested before going to sea, but
the bill underwent so many alterations in committee
as practically to defeat its original purpose, and it
was consequently withdrawn.

Lloyd's committee have, however,taken measures
which render a compulsory act of parliament almost
unnecessary. Government, the Indian Board, and
the Emigration Commissioners having refused to
charter any vessel not having a certificate tat its
"ground tackle has been tested up to the Admi-
ralty proof, Lloyd's committee have made arrange-
ments for proving all chains and anchors voluntarily
brought to their proving-house, erected last year at
Poplar, under tha directions of Mr. Gladstone, their
engineer, and further arrangements are now in
progress for the erection of similar establishments in
almost all the important seaports in the country.
The Proving-house at Poplar is about s'►o feet in
length, and here a chain cable of about 75 fathoms
in length can be proved in one operation, in•
stead of having it tested as formerly by the
dilatory and less satisfactory process of testing
it in sections of from 121 to 15 fathoms, and after-
wards connecting them by shackles. By a beauti-
ful and mechanical contrivance invented by

Mr, Gladstone, and appropriately designated
" Gladstone's Dromedary," the chain, cables,
and anchors of a ship are lifted out of a barge
in the dock (or from the ship herself when
she can be brought alongside), conveyed Into the
Proving-house on a railway, which runs from the
dock into and along the Proving-house, weighed,
deposited in a trough which runs the length of
the house, and having been subjected to the re-
quired strain is coiled up and returned to the ship
from whence it was taken with a facility that seems
to set the law of gravitation at dcfiance. This en-
gine performed its work with an ease and celerity
which excited the admiration of all present. The
dromedary is a substantially made steam-crane,
mounted on a four-wheeled truck, provided with
means of self-propulsion as a locomotive, and also
with means for underrunning cables and driv-
ing a net of hydraulic: pumps. As a crane, this
machine will lift, swing, and lower 10 tons. Sta-
tioned near the pumps, and working through a
universal joint, it will in about two minutes get up
a strain of about 300 tons on 'l5 fathoms of cable,
and no more thatt slk or sereti filen ineltiding
eneacinen, smith, and labourers, are employed
in the entire Work of bringitig et kaatile tt author
from tbsti tiott, testing, repairing, and redelivering
it. The process of lifting the ground tackle from
the barge, placing it oh. the trli.,k plAtiched to the
dromc cl.at •3 tutiVeyitig• it on tile fail Way into the
Proving• house, weighing it, testing it,and returning
it to the dock, is accomplished in a few minutes.
We have been informed that by the arrangements
at the Proving-house as much work can be done in a
day as could be accomplished in a week by the old
system. A machine for exactly dotermining the
arnonnt of strain is fizcd at ono end of the Proving-
house, from which point a view of the whole opera-
tion is obtained. The arrangements for the preven,
tion of accidents that might arise from the snapping
of imperfect chains while undergoing the proof are
such that no casualty has, occurred to any of the
operatives since the Proving-house was opened.
Whea a chain cable requires repairs, the. dromedary
takes tho forgo to the chain, instead of adopting
the more ted ous process of bringing the chain to
the forge. ciditiooal works are in progress at the
Proving,-hot s by which iw;rcusd facilities for
testing will I.e afforded.