The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-16 00:00:00

TEE NORTHUMBERLAT D.

To-day, at half-past two o'clock, another stupendous
mechanical effort will bo made at Millwall to lift and force
this great ship into the water. Our readers will be glad to
hear that on this, the third attempt, there is every pro-
spect of complete success. The tide, it is calculated, will
be of unusual height. It is almosi a matter of certainty
that at the high flood there will be 24 feet of water under
the ship's keel at the sternpost, and should the wind 'hold
from its present quarter, and as it has held since Saturday,
there is every chance of the 24 feet being increased to 26,
and the depth at the bows from five feet to seven. When
it is recollected that after the midship section is fairly im-
mersed in water every foot additional rise takes off a pres-
sure upon the launching ways of upwards of 500 tons, it
is a matter of certainty that a 26-feet tide alone must lift
her. But, though that is known by calculation, no amount -
of calculation can say to what extent the tide will real
flow. Enormous artificial powers of flotation have there-
fore been devised, so greatly in addition to all that has
hitherto been tried that with their aid even a 20-feet tido
will affect the Northumberland more than a 26-feet tido
without them.
In order to understand the operations of to-day, it is
necessary to explain that the launching ways of the
Northumberand, over which the cradle should glide with
the vessel into the water, have been made on a rather less
incline than usual. This was done to check the impetus
which such a vast mass would acquire if launched rapidly
into the river. The launching ways, therefore, are for
the first 250 feet of their length only sloped at an incline
of one foot in 25, and for the remaining 200 feet at the rate
or about one in 13. When the first attempt was made to
launch the ship she moved very sluggishly over the low
gradient, and on the fore part of the cradel arriving at the
point where it becomes steeper it appears to have "nipped,'
and since then held her fast and immovable. The attempts
to move her which have preceded the efforts to be made
to-day have principally consisted, as our readers are aware,
of endeavours to lift the stern by artificial floating power,
and to force the bows over the hitch by means of hydraulic
pressure. Some objections have been taken to these
methods, on the ground that as the storm was floated the
pressure upon the ways of the bows of the vessel, -which
are not water borne, would be still further increased.
There is, undoubtedly, a second mechanical reason for
supposing this, but those who urge the objection seem
quite to forget that the limited area of the slip on which
the vessel is built precludes the officials from employing
so much floating power under the bows as they would
otherwise, no doubt, gladly avail themselves of. To-day,
however, all that can be done in this will be tried 11
having empty hogsheads equal to floating up about 100
tons lashed under the bows. Since the failure of the 154
attempt the works necessary for the effort to be made this
afternoon have been going on without intermission day
and night, whenever the tide permitted. The first thing
to be done wee to remove the huge bilge logs which fain
the midship part of the cradle, and are connected with the
supports at either end which keep the vessel upright'
The enormous friction of these logs passing over those of
the launching has caused them almost to ignite, and burnt
out the lubricating grease between them. It has been
necessary, therefore, to replace this grease, though it in-
volved an operation of the utmost mechanical difficulty,
and even hazard. So firmly were the logs pressed.
down by the enormous weight of the ship that all
ordinary attempts to remove them proved futile.
Each log, therefore, had to be perforated all over
with large holes, and the remains then cut our with adzes
foot by foot. As each piece was removed the launch'
ing ways under it have been carefully and anWl7
regreased, and new greased bilge logs forced into the
places of the old beams. All the parts of the cradle, there-
fore, which have been "nippe]." on the ways have actually
been removed from under the ship's side, and replaced b 7
newer and stronger materials. The foremost part of thecane
cradle also, consisting of the uprights—technically
the " poppets " has been dealt with in a similar manner;
and, in addition to this, supplementary launching vie.)
inside the original ones have been built from the bows t 0
a length of about 70 feet under the fore part of the vessel'
Over these, also, the fore part of the cradle timbers 113°
been extended, so as, for this length, to double the area of
foundation on which this part of the timber structure is t°
slide. Any mechanic can sco at a glanoe how importtint
are the gains made by these alterations. The employment
of lighters and " lumps " lashed under the Northumber"
Was stern will be entirely dispensed with to-day. Til°
expense of their employment was very great ; there was
,
no uniformity in the amount of lifting aid they renderoul
and thus while some would be in danger of sinking fr°lll
the efforts they made, others were doing nothing. Thei.f
pull was never a strong one, and most unquestionably
was never "a pull together." Their places, therefore, to;
day will be better supplied by four enormous " carnel3,ll
or, more plainly speaking, gigantic wood9n buoy's,
whic
have been made at Deptford dockyard. Each of these is,
roughly speaking, 50ft. long, 25ft. deep, and 22ft. w.iodbe,t
and each has a power of flotation equal to raising a Nvel°
of 300 tons-1,200 tons in all. They are constructed fro°.
moulds of the ship's side, so as to fit " closely under
bottom at the stern. All are, of course, both air and
so Nv, et
tight, and all are fitted with large iron sluice doors, that
the water may be let in and allow them to drop off f°v,
the ship directly their services are no longer nenesSars;
Two of these
"camels" were at low tide onSaturdaychained under the ship independently of each other', 0

two more, the largest and most important, as being
furthest astern, were safely secured in their position Sve r:v"o,.
terday afternoon. The ten small " camels" which I
used at the last attempt will also be employed aga'°
linv°

say. Their lifting power is about 300 ton;, and they their
been shifted rather nearer to the bows, in order that
For-

may bo exerted to the best possible advantage•
ward of these the barrels wo have Already mentioned""
be lashed, and their flotation will relieve a strain, or rathe:
pressure, of more than 100 tons upon the point whore i, 1„0
most] needed. The :power, of the hydraulic raws
been increased by more than a third. The one 0 of l
°5
1,000 tons pressure remains under the bows, as bef
lto°
lift the ship upwards, but the efforts of the two of
tons each which have been used to start the cradle st
now to be supplemented by two more of 400 tons each, 5131;
plied at both sides. From the river two powerful oto a
capstans will haul on hawsers attached to the sterii, 0.4
two land capstans will be fixed on the opposite shore
worked by hand from there, simultaneously With
t't,
efforts of those on the river. Boats are to be moorea f
these cables to prevent their being affected by the set
clO
the tide, and thus exercising their strain upon the sbiP 1
any way but directly astern. tho -
One of the most formidable dangers connected with
attempt to launch the ship is the possibility of the leso
yelding very slowly to the gigantic forces which will
employed to move her. In such a case the risk of her sterll
when floating being carried upwards by the tide, and
" slowing" the vessel upon the ways, would be very gl.°. t of
indeed, and it is not too much to say that in the evelle
It
such an unfortunate occurrence, if the tide fell befor,
could be remedied, the Northumberland might becoa4
total wreck. Happily, there is very little possibility;
such a disaster, though every possible precaution has
bean
taken to avert it. No less than three line-of-battle sh'i)„,
chain cables have been fastened to each side of the 014
g",,
and moored so firmly in the ground as to be able, it is blic;
lieved, to completely resist the action of the tide upoll
vessel, either up or, down the river. These chains, “1"'
are so arranged that each only comes into direct action
the vessel progresses down the ways. Once out into the
stream, a number of powerful tugs aro to be in readinessiit:
take charge of her and tow her to her moorings, wile° t--tS
work of fitting her with engines and internal equiprae-
will be carried on.

- --
THE LATE MR. KEBLE, according to a cOrruP
pondent of the Guardian, while he had no common grottOc"
of sympathy with Nonconformists, spoke " with 0ne...,°11,:-
trollable emotion" of Dr. Newman's "Apologia pro 11"-i
Soft." The writer whom we are quoting says he does 11°e
think he is expressing himself too strongly in affirolilj,„,7
that he hailed it with rapture, and ho augured that fr-c,
it would spring the beginning of a peace between the illi
great Churches of the West, which, said he, ' thooo
shall not live to see it, you will recognise as God's
Or
derful mercy towards us.'"
A BONAPARTE DESCENDED FROM SCOTT'S 64 (),,,i;1)
MORTALITY."---" Old Mortality" was one " Robert 13';
son ;" old Paterson, whom Scott saw reviving the i10c"..i,"1:
tions on the tombs of the Covenanters, went to ii-t'o'f
and became the grandfather of a Paterson whose 11'14 'O,
`married the Marquis Wellesley. The sisters of tilat,;:d.
Paterson married the Duke of Leeds and Lord StA—raS
The direct blood of Old Mortality went in another and ter,
remarkable a direction. His granddaughter, Miss 1:,..,%g0
son, was the first wife of Jerome Bonaparte. Then mirage
son,
'froal
was never "legally" annulled, and a son, who sp
it, the great grandsontof Old Mortality, is now on
off
of his cousin, the Emperor of the French• a b"
m
ifIE LATE AIR. FAIRTIOLT has bequeath°
voi
large collection of books of pageants, including Yoti.
volumes of a high degree of rarity, to the Society of .00c1
quaries. With this collection will be appropriately' P' tile
the autograph manuscript of his unfinished wok Sitty....
pageants of tingeMddl Ages. His volumes ofr
.scoo
spearean draw and collections lie leaves to the 31",vniej,
at Stratford-on-Avon, and a few books, opeciallY ii` jo to
to the British Museum. The residue of the library
be sold for the benefit of the Literary Fund.