The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-16 00:00:00

OF ANCHORS.

Our notice on Tuesday of a new testing experiment of
the strength of anchors, leads to the further considera-
tion of the principle of construction, the strength of form,
the holding power, and other qualities of those im-
portant instruments of safety to our ships in the hour of
trial.

It is understood by landsmen as well as sailors that
the intent and purpose of an anchor is to hold a ship; to
every man therefore interested it is desirable to kno‘i
what description of anchor is best adapted for that pur-
pose. There is neither difficulty nor mystery in the way
•
draulic press the exact extent of resistance an anchor will
bear is ascertained with precision and certainty. In.
each of her Majesty's dockyards in which anchors are
received as naval stores, one of these powerful presses
performs the duty of testing by a given scale according
to weight the strain which an anchor of good quality of
iron ought to bear when fixed on rock or ether unyield-
ing substance—a scale so correct that not one in twenty
of the Government anchors will bear a greater strain
than from 1 to 5 per cent. beyond it, while many of
those used for cheapness in the merchant service will not
bear the strain at all ; but on the indisputable and un-
erring evidence of this press, we find that an anchor well
known in the Royal and mercantile navy as " Porter's
anchor," exhibits a power surpassing that of the Govern-
ment anchors by about 170 per cent.—a power beyond
the possibility of a vessel to break, even in the worst of
dangers.
The quality next in importance is holding power in
ground of the ordinary and softer kinds; and in this we
find a superiority in the same ratio. Experiments have
been made between the Government anchors and Porter's,
not by Porter, but under the entire control and super-
intendence of officers appointed by the Admiralty. 13y
them the different kinds of ground were carefully ex-
amined and chosen, to prevent either anchor having an
advantage—and the results clearly showed the bolding
power of Porter's to range from 40 to 170 per cent.
beyond those of the old form. The cause of this extra-
ordinary power is obvious and convincing to any man of
the least mechanical knowledge. By its construction in
parts, it will be seen that when this anchor is on duty
every ounce of iron is brought into action at once, pro-
ducing a union of strength and elasticity, just as carriage-
springs are better in parts than if made of one piece.
The common anchor, on the contrary, is a rigid mass of
iron—of no elasticity; hence it often snaps asunder
either by strains or by falling on rocky bottoms. About
one-fuurth of the anchor cannot at any time be brought
into action, but forms a dangerous projection upwards,
often hooks the cable of its own and other vessels, be-
comes fouled, disabled, and incapable of holding the ship.
Again, in shallow water there is danger of this pro.
jeeting:arm and fluke breaking through theship's hot
within m
as
while passing over or overlying it, by which no less
'°
than five vessels were sunk in the Tyne alone
many months. Such accidents will ever occur by an-
chors with fixed arms—the common form of con-
struction. Sailors have been familiar with this trea-
chery for more than a thousands years. Hundreds lof
attempts have been made in vain to improve them—
elcarly. demonstrating the erroneous principle of their
formation. Any instrument intended for a special pur-
pose must be imperfect if it cannot be relied on—more