The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-18 00:00:00

Diary of the Atlantic Telegraph Expedition

The Great Eastern, laden with a freight in which
the whole civilised world was interested, took her
departure from Berehaven, Bantry Bay, at 6.30
p.m ,on Thursday, the 12th of July. During the
week she lay in that safe and capacious harbour her
coaling was completed, and mechanics and artificers
of all kinds were busily engaged in adjusting and
testing the new machinery, which had been planned
and executed to meet requirements and to guard
against contingencies which the experience of last
year's expedition suggested. The deck presented a
very animated scene of active labour, and one could
scarcely have believed that so much work could have
been got through in so short a space of the time.
The live stock had this year to be shipped in Ire-
laud, which occupied a considcable time. 10 bul-
locks, 1 mild cow, 114 sheep, 20 pigs, 29 geese, 14
turkeys, 500 fowls, were brought on board at Bere-
haven. There was dead stock, too, which consisted
of 28 bullocks, 4 calves, 22 sheep, 4 pigs, 300 fowls
—a goodly supply for the inhabitants of the float-
ing town we live in. The public already know all
that occurred during the passage of the ship round
from Sheerness. She left her anchorage at noon on
Saturday, the 30th of June, and a telegram from
Mr. R. A. Glass, the managing director of the Te-
legraph Construction and Maintenance Company,
from Valentia, put them in possession of the fact
that the shore end of the cable, haling been suc-
cessively landed by the 'William Cory steamer at
Foilhommerum Bay on Saturday, the 7th of July
had been buoyed on the following morning about 27
miles from the land. At 6.45 a.m. on the 12th our
convoy, consisting of her Majesty's ship Ter-
rible, 21 guns, and the screw steamers Albany
and Medway, both vessels about 1,800 tons
each, left the anchorage at Berehaven,
with instructions to proceed to where the William
Cory left the buoy, and await the arrival of the
Great Eastern. On the evening of the same day,
having got up her monster anchor, the big ship
steamed majestically out of Berehaven, accompanied
by H.M.S. Racoon. It was about 50 miles from
Berehaven to the buoy placed over the shore end.
The night was very thick, so much so that the fog
whistle was kept constantly going. Wind from the
south.

FRIDAY, July 13.
At a quarter to 3 a.m. we sighted the Terrible,
and the Racoon about a quarter to 4. Shortly
afterwards we saw the Albany and Medway, and at
5.50 a.m. the buoy was made out astern of the
Albany. We came up close to it at 7. Signals
were made to the Terrible and other ships to send
boats. The Terrible's cutter came and made fast to
the buoy, which was now about a cable's length from
our stern. At 9.10 the Albany's boat arrived, and
at 9.30 we made the end of the drum-rope on to the
buoy-chain and commenced to haul in the mooring-
chain on the end of the shore end cable. There
was a good deal of strain on the chain, which was
at a considerable angle on the port side. The wind
was on the port quarter, canting the ship to star-
board, the left-hand screw working astern. Capt.
Anderson, seeing the position of the chain, gave
orders to Mr. Beckwith, the chief engineer, to dis-
connect the port paddle-wheel, and to reverse full
speed with the starboard. This order, which was
executed in about 18 or 19 minutes, brought the
stern of the ship in line with the cable, which was
speedily "up and down." At 11.30 the end was
brought on board—by 11.40 it was on the drum.
This was the first practical test of the new pick-up
machinery, and the steam-engine attached thereto,
made by Messrs. Penn and Son, of Greenwich,
and nothing could be more satisfactory than the
manner in which it did its work. Preparations
were now made to make the joint. The cover-
ing-wires having been taken off the rope, the
skilled workmen from the Guttapercha Works
soon settled themselves under shelter of Mr. Can-
ning's office on deck (it had been raining in torrents
since 9 a.m.), and completed making the joint at
1.30 p.m. Mr. Willoughby Smith, the chief elec-
trician, lost no time in testing the insulation of the
cable to shore, which was found to be perfect. The
making of the splice was now. commenced ; by 2.30
p.m. it was completed and coiled in the after cable-
tank. Just as the hands of the clock indicated 3.20,
Greenwich time, the Atlantic .Telegraph Cable of
18G6 commenced to pass over the wheel at the stern
of the great cable ship. A hearty cheer from those
who witnessed thus far the success of the start, the
firing of a couple of guns, the hoisting of the en-
sign, and of that compound flag of nationalities, the
union-jack and the stars and stripes, which had been
in the service of two previous Atlantic telegraph ex-
peditions, made up all the demonstrations which
Could be mustered. The Racoon gave us one parting
gun, and availing herself of as fair a wind as could
well blow in her favour, set every stitch of canvas
and left for Valentia. The course of the ship was
now settled W.N.W. for 33 miles, to be changed
about 9 o'clock to N.W. by W., which will take us
quite clear to the southward of our mute relative of
1865. The following programme of proceedings for
laying the Atlantic Telegraph Cable of 1866 had
been prepared by Mr. Samuel Canning, the chief
engineer, so far back as the month of May last, and
approved of by Mr. Glass, the managing director
It will be seen that punctuality up to the present
moment has been pretty strictly maintained :

PROGRAMME OF PROCEEDINGS FOR LAYING
THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLE.

1. The screw steamer William Cory, having re-
ceived on board the shore end for the Irish coast and
machinery at North Woolwich, will leave the
Thames not later than the 30th inst., and proceed to
Berehaven to be in readiness to lay the shore end
when the weather is sufficiently fine.
2. The screw steamer Albany, having her re-
covering machinery, ropes, buoys, and stores on
board, will leave the Thames on the 26th and pro-
ceed to Cardiff, fill up with coals, and go from
thence to Berehaven to assist the William C Dry in
laying the shore end. She will afterwards accom-
pany the expedition to Newfoundland.

3. The screw steamer Medway, having all her
coals, cable, and machinery on board, will leave the
Thames about the sth July, and proceed to Bere-
haven to join the Great Eastern, and be ready to
accompany her in laying the cable.
4. The Great Eastern will leave Sheerness on the
30th June for Berehaven, to complete her coaling,
and be ready to steam out to the buoy on the shore
end on or about the 10th July. The splice to the
main cable will be made on board the Great Eastern.
5. After the shore end is laid by the IVilliamCory,
and buoyed, if the weather is fine she will
oiltlreirre remain
by the buoy, and the Albany will return
Bere-
haven for the Great Eastern.
G. Upon commencing to lay the cable from the
Great Eastern, the position of the Terrible will be
ahead of the Great Eastern, on the port or starboard
bow, io keep other vessels out of the course, and
the Medway will be on the port, and Albany ;on the
starboard quarter, in readiness to pick up or let go
a buoy, or other work as may be signalled from
the Great Eastern.

7. All the accompanying ships to keep their
allotted positions, and within signalling distance of
the Great Eastern.

8. The speed of the ship over the ground, in
paying out the cable, should in no case exceed six
knots per hour.
9. In laying the cable of 1865, the average slack
paid out through the deep water was 15.6 per cent.,
at au average speed of ship of 6.34 knots per hour,
and with a strain ranging from 10 to 14 cwt.
10. The total length of cable taken out this year
being 2,724 miles, it will be seen from the following