The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-13 00:00:00

111A1?KE7 S-2 HIS DAY.

LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET.
July 13.—Sales probably 10,000 bales. The mprkot
steady.

VOYAGE OF THE BERMUDA FLOATING

DOCK.

The Daily News contains a pleasant story of the voyage
of the Bermuda Floating Do& across the Atlantic. A
correspondent who has gone across with it writes under
date " Porte Santo, July 4." He describes with adreiraj,
tion the huge structure. Imagine, he writes, a gigantid
letter IT—for as such it appears on looking through it—its
height above the water some 63 feet, with 11 feet below
water, making 74 feet in all ; its breadth, from side to
side, 83 feet, with a thickness of 20 feet of bull on either
side, making in all 123 feet across, with a length of 381
feet, supposing one walked straight through the hollow of
the letter. Such are the shape and dimensions of the vessel.
Its capacity can best be explained by saying that
It will take a ship as big as the Bellerophon comfortably
enclosed within the caissons, which as yet are not in it.
And its lifting powers are startling enough when you hear
of them as (vial to 8,300 tons, or say a vessel of the
Northumberland and Agincourt class. The main features
of its construction are water-tight compartments three
by means of which the necessary
immersion is obtained, these compartments being
filled by an ingenious arrangement. The voyage
across does not seem to have been a very
eventful one. By nine o'clock on Wednesday, the
23rd June, the Northumberland had got the Dock in tow,
and the Agincourt sveighedin company, but as yet only
followed in the wake until we had turned and twisted
through the tortous channels leading to more open water.'
At about noon the Admiralty yacht came up through the
Naze, and shewed us that at Whitehall too there was an
unusual interest taken. All the Board had turned out,
and followed our progress for some time with interested
eyes. Then bang went the Northumberland with:
nineteen guns, as recognition of their presence. Salutes
personal were exchanged. A final signal wishing us
good-bye, and almost immediately they were lost in
the fog. Before we got to Dover Captain May thought
ihe time was come for the Agincourt to put
forth her powers, and accordingly, sheering a-head,'
her boats were lowered, and before long a
hawser passed by means of which the towing
cables were hauled on board the Northumberland,
and then the voyage may be said to have begun. At
several stages of our progress we saw signs of the
interest our novel voyage excites. Off Portsmouth, Sir
James Hope, commander-in-chief at that port, came out
in early morn in his yacht ; and later in the same day
another steamer came up full of other officials from the
same place. When off Plymouth Sir W. Martin came
out in the Vivid, in which the sprinkling of naval men
was agreeably diversified by a proportion of the fair sex,
whose graceful curiosity gave new energy to our endea-
vours. Such was our good-bye to the English shores, and
with every promise of fine weather, we plunged into that
bete noire of the seaman, the "Bay,' on the night of the 26th.
Fine weather in all excepting one night made the Atlan•
tic a most pleasant place. On July 4 the correspondent
writes of the arrival at Porte Santo : "About two-thirds
of her journey has yet to be accomplished (he says),
brat to the squadron which has begun the journey and
closes it here--I think we may say, without egotism--.
belongs the honour of the day. From this, there is a
certainty of fine weather and fair winds ; before, the pro•
bability lay quite the other way."

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