The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-31 00:00:00

Change of Temper in the Amei ican Congress.

It is a fact, and a pleasing one, to every intelli-
gent mind in the country, that since the PRESIDENT'S
" extraordinary speech" there has been a decided
improvement in the temper of the members of both
Houses of Congress, as manifested in their delibe-
rations uponthey
havethe
great issues of the day. Whether
because
seen their own grave faults re-
flected in the conduct of another, and discovered
there was something due from themselves to their
high offices, if they would have their dignity upheld
in the eyes of, the people, it does not come within
our province at present to inquire. Suffice it to say,
there has been a change, and for the better, and we,
in common with all who sincerely wish the country
well, must hail it as a favourable omen. The pre-
sent time is big with the future ; the great events
which are transpiring in America are of that serious
, character which makes all attempts at facetite pecu-
liarly repulsive ; and whoever so far forgets him-
self through passion—no matter what causes may
have given rise to it—as to indulge in language
which has become too common to American politi-
cians, and degraded them in the estimation of the
statesmen of Europe, is justly deserving the uni-
versal condemnation of the country. If Americans
have drifted to that stage of Republicanism where
there is no longer felt any respect for office it is
unfortunate, and the sooner office-holders can de-
mean themselves in such manner as to regain that
respect the better ; but the experience of the past
four years plainly shows that they still retain an
honest admiration and regard for the welfare of the
nation ; and there are few indeed who think the
trials of•the day are fit subjects for stump logic or
the display of lingual accomplishments. We can-
not affect to be indifferent over the prospect—the
differences which have sprung up between the
leaders of the party that was united through-
out the war in defence of the Union, however ac-
ceptable they may be to those who have been
persistently hostile to the Government, are the
source of the deepest regret to us ; but if there
must be a division, we trust it will be after all the
arguments of reason, uninfluenced by those of
passion, have been exhausted. If the point has
been reached where there must be a divergence
—a separation of those who have been travel-
ling the same road so harmoniously, and who
now only disagree as to the route to be taken to
reach the same end,--the perpetuity of the Union—
it is to he hoped nothing will be done at the parting
unbecoming the exalted dignity of the cause they
have each sought to promote. The present attitude
of Congress is encouraging to every one desirous of
seeing the prosperity of America. May we not
expect there is an end to all appeals to prejudice,
and that public men of all parties will hereafter en-
deavour to address themselves to the intelligence of
the people ?

the general manager of the Millwall Works, had
made her cradles of the most extraordinary strength,

and these, under the shock of her almost sudden

stoppage, held her firm, and probably nothing but
this good workmanship saved her from turning over
and at once becoming a wreck. She held straight
and as upright as if she had never moved, and all
the strength of the dockyard was at once em-
ployed to keep her so by shoring her up on all sides
with powerful timber struts. On the following
Sunday there was 24ft. water under her stern,
and some 2ft. under her bows, and 10 or 12 steam-
tugs were employed, hawsers got out and rigged to
capstans on the other side of the river, and every
effort made to start her, but in vain. No one, how-
ever, who saw this effort was in the least surprised
at its negative result. The power of the capstans
and hawsers over such a mass was but small, and

as for the steamtugs no two of them were ever pull-
ing together. Since then—that is, during the last
fortnight—a most careful survey has been made of
the ship and of the ways beneath her, and divers
have even been down to examine that part of the

stern which projects beyond the ways. The result of
every inspection showed that the ship has not strained
in the remotest appreciable degree ; the ways were
stated only to have depressed as little as 1- Bth of an
inch, while no obstacle of accumulated mud or gravel
was in her way astern. It was then also ascertained
that she hung by her cradle forward, and partly by
that astern, but that both, as we have said, were as
firm and compact, and still held the ship as perpen-
dicular, as before she moved from the stocks. Unier
these circumstances it was determined, after consul-
tation between Sir J. Hay, Mr. Lungley, and the
most experienced Admiralty and private yard offi-
cials, to attempt getting her off by floating the stern
and applying such powerful hydraulic pressure to
the bows as would give her a good start, and then
trust to her own impetus to make the best of her
way into deep water. Since that decision has been
come to, the works necessary to secure the success
of such a stupendous operation have been going on
day and night at Miliwall. Everything has been
done under the advice of the best nautical authori-

ties, and almost everything has been personally
examined by Mr. Lungley and Sir John Hay. In
the first place, to prevent the ship launching her-
self unexpectedly during some exceptional high
tide, she has
ueeu bnuL,l awl wedged in in Sueu
a manner that any downward movement on the
ways seems impossible. In addition to this, however,
two enormous chain cables have been taken through
the hawse holes and made fast to anchors buried in
the ground, while the ship's own capstans have been
used to draw these massive links of iron as taut as
harpstrings. This is to retain her till the last mo-
ment, when all is ready to heave her off. The ar-
rangements for floating, however, are farmore com-
plex. Every part of her keel, from her bows to well
astern, hasbeen wedged up in the most massive man-
ner, so as not only to secure and ease the weight up,
but take some of her enormous pressure off the for-
ward cradle. In addition to this, 12 large wooden
pontoons, or " camels," as they are called, have been
constructed. Each of these is 30ft. by 9ft. broad
and 9ft. deep, and each is perfectly caulked and
water tight, like a little wedge shaped, unpainted
wooden vessel. They are all so carefully made from
moulds as to fit like a glove close to the bottom of the
ship, on each side of which six were chained toge-
ther yesterday, two and two ou either side, cross
chains under the keel connecting all. The floating
power of these is equal in all to about 400 tons.
Yesterday also men were employed all day in lock-
ing tiers of empty puncheons under the sterns.
Nearly 400 were so coupled up, and these will give
a lifting force of about 100 tons. The chief reason
for employing these puncheons is that they, from
their narrowness, can be got into places between the
ship's side and the dock where no other means to
assist flotation can well be used. At dead low water
last night eight lighters were moored by chains stem
on—four under each side of the Northumberland's
stern. Each of these, if fastened broadside on, would
have a lifting power of 100 tons or so. But the
length of the vessel open to the river was not suffi-
cient to admit of their being thus arranged. They
have therefore been chained in twos, with their bows
turned under the stern, and counter balancing
weights of iron ballast are placed in the sterns of
each to prevent their being pulled bows under as
the tide rises and finds them secured to the gigantic
hull which they are to assist in floating. These
counterbalancing weights, however, of course, take
off immensely from the lighters' buoyancy, so that
instead of each lighter being able as it floated to lift
100 tons, it is calculated that the efforts of all will
not amountto much more than 400 tons. The total
floating power, therefore, including pontoons, bar-
rels, and lighters, will be rather short of 1,000 tons.
This, however, with a spring tide, when the ship is
almost afloat already, is thought quite sufficient for
the purpose of getting her off. In the centre of the
river a dredging machine will be moored, with a
steam capstan on board, and this, with hawsers,
can, it is estimated, exercise a strain of 100 tons ;
and powerful purchases will also be applied on both
sides of the ship from Millwall yard itself• Under
the bows of the Northumberland three powerful hy-
draulic rams have been placed. Two of these, equal
together to a pressure of 1,200 tons, are fixed one
against each cradle, and both are most securely sup-
ported with immense timber backings down to the
launching ways. The third, similarly held by au
immense frame of timber, is of nearly 1,000 tons
power. This, however, is fixed in the centre, and
upright, so that it can work from the ground up be-
neath the bows of the vessel, which it will, to the
full extent of its immense pressure, partly lift and
ease off the ways forward.
The anodes operandi of this curious half launching,
half lifting, half pushing process will be as follows :
when near high water the steam capstans and all the
hawsers attached to the crabs and windlasses will be
drawn to their utmost tightness, and at high water,
as soon as there are even the slightest symptoms of
liveliness upon the
.immense hull, the three rams
will be set to work simultaneously, the centre to
lift, and those on each side to push her off. If she
goes, the men on board the lighters will stand-ready
with axes to cut away all their fastenings to her—
an operation which must be quickly done, for the
Northumberland is certain otherwise to pull them
under her stern and then under water like light-
ning. The great danger of the attempt is that the
vessel may only lift so little as to be just influenced