The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-01 00:00:00

LAUNCHING THE LEVIATHAN.

Thetedious process of moving this gigantic struc-
ture to the water was recommenced at 9o'clock yes-
terday morning, and was continued with the utmost
success till a hitch occurred, and an annoying and
irremediable accident to one of the hydraulic ma-
chines stopped further progress. This time the fact
that the launch was takingplace was of course very
generally known, but the public appeared also to
be aware that the whole process, after all, afforded
nothing particularly well worth seeing to people
who were outside the yard, and who could no more
detect the motion of the vessel than they could
discern the revolution of the earth.
The number of spectators, therefore, whO braved
the sharp cold wind and raw air of the river for the
plor gratification which the sight afforded was very
small, and even with these half-an-hour's exposure
and speculation as to why her the vessel was moving
at all or not sesmed to satisfy the most ardent.
The work commenced at a few minutes bt-f :re 9
o'clock. There were then no men in the yard but
Mr. Brunel and Capt. Harrison and their assist-
ants, and, of c )urse, also Mr. Yates, the Secretary,
who since the vessel made her first slip seems re; er
to have left the yard at all, but to have redoubled,
if possible, the vigilance and care with which he
has watched every step in her progress for nearly
the-I*st four years. In the first effort to start h.r
all the screw-jacks, as well as the hydraulic ma-
chines, were used, and, contrary to the expecta-
, dons of many, who ittagined that after, remaining
a whole night upon the ways it would be very diffi-
cult to stir her again, the great mass got into mo-
tion on the first pressure, an 1 began to e. osp
very slowly down tha ways. H. r progress at first
was at the rate of an inch in about two minutes,
but after a while it improved, and con•inued for
some time at an inch per 40 seconds. As the
vessel is now much advanced from the place at
which the hydraulic rams are fixed, each time the
pistons aro . driven out to their fill. pressure, con-
siderable delay is occasioned in _again fitting in
beams of sufficient length to reach the cradles and
push her on again. In most cases the beams are
not long enough till joined in ono or more place-.,
which again occasions loss of tiino, as in order to
prevent their giving way laterally un.lor thetre-
mendous pressure iron plates have to be b Ateddown
to the ways over the joiangs, and in addi ion they j
,have sometimes also to be bolded with iron ballast.

All theseexpedients are absolutely -necessary-end
essential to the safe progress of the ship ; thougli,
nevertheleQs, they tell much upon her rate of ad-
vance. When the 1 o'clock bell rang for dinner the
total distance accomplished was 413 inches forward
and 423 inches aft, showing that during yesterday
morning's work the stern instead of being 26 inches
b Alin(' the bows was in advancei of t em. During
the whale morning the rate of advance was as
regular and noiseless as on previous occasions, the
only chance being that the metals, if anything,
showed st 11 leas signs of friction, and there was an
evident tendency of the vessel to move at a much
slighter rate of pressure. _

The men returned from dinner and recommenced
their work a little before 2 o'clock, but the hour's
pauso seemed to have exercised an adverse influence
on the further progress of the ship. For a long time
it was very diflicutt to move her, though the screw
jacks and hydraulic machines were pressed to their
utmost, and the men at the double windlasses broke

the great mooring chain which dragged her bows
to the stream. Suddenly, 'n the midst of all their
efforts, the monster slipped on the ways-5 inches
forward and 9 inches aft. She slid this distance in
the space of a single- second, and with an awful
rumbling kind of noise, which at once seemed dis-
tant and alarmingly near. This sudden motion
and her tremendous vibration surprised and
alarmed the men, who all dropped their tools
and stood prepared to run at the first signal
of danger. There was not, however, the least
occasion for alarm, and the pressure was again gra-
dually applied to the cradles on every part with
redoubled vig mr, but all in vain. The jerk and
sudden stoppage evidently fixed her with unusual
firmness, and no efforts could dislodge her, though the
pressure from the rams was applied with such force
that a beam 17 inches square crumpled up like a
reed and bounded into the air from a strain of
about 800 tons. This wa soon replaced by another
and a stronger beam, wh'cli was bound to the ways
and loaded at the point with hallos'. This held
out with the others for a long time, and the

struggle between the pressure applied and the pas-
sive resistance of the great masses ortimber at last
became one of almost terrible interest. The beam
strained, cracked, and vibrated, the escape valves
of the rams were loaded with weights and held
violently down, the men could scarcely move the
handles, but still th© vessel did not yield. In the
midst of these great united attempts a loud dull
explosion, followed by a rattling sound, occurred,
and in a minute aft .r it was known that one of the
10-inch hydraulic rams had burst its cylinder from
top to bottom. Tho thickness of solid hen which
had thus given way tinder the pressure of a few
quarts of cold water was 7' inches, and a corn-
pari,on of tbo diameter of the piston with the
force it was ex rting on the area of timber showed
that the cylinder had only yielded under the stu-
pendous pressure of some 12,0001 b. or 13,0001 b. to
the square inch. Of course, no ill effects attended
its bursting. This accident, which put an end to
ail further efforts for the day, was much to be re-
gretted, as just before it took place it had been
decided to continue work all night, so as to bring
the Leviathan within good reach of this day's high
water. About an hour before the accident 03•
curred a message had b:en sent to Messrs. Easton
and Amos for two more hydraulic machines, and
one, if not bath of these, will be fixed so as to enable
work to be resumed at an early hour to-day. Trot-
man's anchors will also be sunk in the river, and
the tackle which hauls the vessel iu that direction
made secure to those powerful holdfasts. Never yet
since anchors were first made were any subjected to
the tests which these must undergo, for it all goes
well in the course of another day the Leviathan will
bo quite out of reach of the hydraulic machines,
and must depend entirely on the strain from the
river. It was stated in our account of yesterday
that all the dockyard moorings which have been
used in these great attempts have repeatedly given
way, but this was an error. We are informed it
was the old city moorings which have broken down
and up so often. Out of all the chain cables sup-
plied by the dockyard only one has broken yet, and
every aid which the Deptford authorities could offer
Mr. Brunel has been most cheerfully placed at that
gentleman's disposal. The high tide of last slight
would for the first time place about 12 inches of
water under the keel of the Leviathan. If an
average amount of success attend this day's efforts,
the high water at two o'clock will place about six
infeesut under hetor cfleonattre,haenr,d
will attholeuagalti,toafkecoaubrosted,
5,000 tons off the dead weight on her ways, and so
facilitate her progress that it is confidently hoped
by Wednesday or Thursday at latest she will be
brought all safe to her moorings in the Thames.

SURVEYOUSIIIP OF HER IYIAJESTY'fro PICTURES.-- The
Atheneum of Saturday says :—" We believe that the
Queen has appointed Mr. Redgrave, 11. A., Surveyor of
her Majesty's Pictures, in the place of the late Mr.
Uwin?. The duties are said to be extended to a sopa.;
Intendeoce over all works of art in the royal collection.'