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

TEE NORTHUMBEE,LA. D.

To-clay, at half-past two o'clock, another stupendous
mechanical effort will be 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. Tho 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 really
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 tide
will affect the Northumberland more than a 26-feet tide
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
of 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 sterm was fleeted the
pressure upon the ways of the bcws 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 by
having empty hogsheads equal to floating up about 100
tons lashed under the bows. Since the failure of the last
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 bo done was to remove tho huge bilge logs which forte
the midship part of the cradle, and aro 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
volved an operation of the utmost mechanical difficult'',
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 Wier
with large holes, and the remains then cut our with edges
foot by foot. As each piece was removed the launcl3-
ing ways under it have been carefully and amply
regressed, and new greased bilge logs forced into the
places of the old beams. All the parts of th© cradle, there"
fore, which havobeen"nippol" on the wayshave actually
been removed from under the ship's side, and replaced by
newer and stronger materials. The foremost part of the
cradle also, consisting of the uprights—technically called
the " poppets "- has been dealt with in a similar manner ;
and, in addition to this, supplementary launching ways
inside the original ones have been built from the bows to
a length of about 70 feet under the fore part of the vessel'
Over these, also, the fore part of the cradle timbers 10-14
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 see at a giallo° how important
are the gains made by these alterations. The employment
of lighters and " lumps " lashed under the Northumber-
lanl's stern will be entirely dispensed with to-day. TO
expense of their employment was very great ; there 'Os
no uniformity in the amount of lifting aid they rendered,
and thus while some would be in danger of sinking fregt
the efforts they made, others were doing nothing. Theiir
pull was never a strong one, and most unquestionably ,t
was never "a pull together." Their places, therefore, to;
day will be better supplied by four enormous " oaniels'ou
or, more plainly speaking, gigantic wooden buoys, whi.
have been made at Deptford dockyard. Each of these g,
roughly speaking, 50ft. long, 25ft. deep, and 22ft. we wigidi/
and each has a power of flotation equal to raising a
of 300 tons-1,200 tons in all. They are constructed feore
moulds of the ship's side, so as to fit closely under her
bottom at the stern. All are, of course, both air and w`
at
tight, and all are fitted with large iron sluice doors.,so Oa"
the water may be let in and allow them to drop off Wilt
the ship directly their services are no longer recess
arl"
Two of these "camels" were at low tide on Saturday
chained under the ship independently of each other, are
two more, the largest and most important, as being t 0„ •
furthest astern, were safely secured in their position Ye
terday afternoon. The ten small " camels" whichvif.
used at the last attempt will also be employed again, .sre
day. Their lifting power is about 300 tons, and they '3 't
been shifted rather nearer to the bows, in order that therl,
lift may be exerted to the best possible advantage. Flll
ward of these the barrels we have already mentioned ""_r
be lashed, and their flotation will relieve a strain, or rat.heis
pressure, of more than 100 tons upon the point where ihas
most) needed. The :power of the hydraulic rams riy
been increased by more than a third. The one beige'g to
1,000 tons pressure temalus under the bows, as
lift the ship upwards, but the efforts of the two of 000
tons each which have been used to start the cradle ;1 to_
now to be supplemented by two more of 400 tons eaullLt'
plied at both sides. From the river two powerful gtcoo
capstans will haul on hawsers attached to the stern,
''
nd
two land capstans will be fixed on the opposite slier° the
worked by hand from there, simultaneously with to
efforts of those on the river. Boats aro to bo moored
of
these cables to prevent their being affected by the O.' ft,
the tide, and thus exercisiug their strain upon the 44
any way but directly astern. h
One of the most formidable dangers connected w.-- sso,
attempt to launch the ship is the possibility of the I.,ei
yelding very slowly to the gigantic forces which Nrii
employed to move her. In such a case the risk of her 6te:
when floating being carried 'upwards by the tide, an: at
" slowing" the vessel upon the ways, would be veil g„
:of
indeed, and it is not too much to say that in the eve-0 it
such an unfortunate occurrence, if the tide fell bef:rve
could be remedied, the Northumberland might heciity of
total wreck. Happily, there is very little PuSsib _iabeen
such a disaster, though every possible precaution
taken to avert it. No less than three line-of-battle s,roe
chain cables have been fastened to each side of the
is t1)0,
and moored so firmly in the ground as to be able, it tbo
lieved, to completely resist the action of the tide 11.1700,
vessel, either up or down the river. These action 115
are so arranged that each only comes into direct a_totree
the vessel progresses down the ways. Once 0ut..T...c00 to
stream, a number of powerful tugs are to be in rescluire the
take charge of her and tow her to her moorings, wberiontS
work of fitting her with engines and internal equiP
will be carried on.

_---7--'-----
THE LATE MR. KEBLE, according tO a c°rrecl;
°l3ll
pondent of the Guardian, while he had no common gro.,
of sympathy with Nonconformists, spoke " with vitaul
trollable emotion" of Dr. Newman's " Apologia pre
ot
Suit." The writer whom we are quoting says he d°es 13. g
031
think he is expressing himself too strongly in 0
130
that he hailed it with rapture, and ho augured that
fre 0
it would spring the beginning of a peace between the
great Churches of the West, which, said he, ' though
shall not live to see it, you will recognise as God's
"Or.
derful mercy towards us.' "
A BONAPARTE DESCENDED FROM SCOTT'S " 4:), r-
MOILTALITY."--" Old Mortality" was one "Robert l'lLLe,',-
son ;" old Paterson, whom Scott saw reviving the inser
Lions on the a
Marquis tr
theorle dbesr
taohnf
edwtf
Dhaeteiuhi
keeCserioeoovyffe. Covenanters, ;e1.,:
h, edaertsse,
and
isnwsodtenenijr went
oiht. ;do
stiat'fffi3l(.olls:
~Jcr:ci,e,v::
amnadr
Patersonrblee dc
a tmhmee
The direct blood of Old Mortality went in another an a 0
i•eamsanrkevabelre a direction. His granddaughter, Miss ralitelg:
son,w was the first wife of Jerome Bonaparte. The groin'l'allva-
"legally" annulled, and a son, who sprang if
it, the great grandson:of Old Mortality, is now on to °
of his cousin, the Emperor of the French.
I, d Ili°
THE LATE Mn. FAIRHOLT has bequeaths to,
large collection of books of pageants, including 113/iti"
volumes of a high degree of rarity, to the Society of A.
cod
quaries. With this collection will be appropriately Flaw
the autograph manuscript of his unfinished work shaky
pageants of the Middle Ages. His volumes of 00
spearean drawings and collections he leaves to the gs.o ci,
at Stratford-on-Avon, and a few books, speciallY 111.080
to the British Museum. The residue of the librall I
be sold for the benefit of the Literary Fund,