The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-20 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SIIN.

beg t ) annex an official copy of the en-
gineer's report of the operations on board of the
United States frigate Niagara up to the date of
the accident to the Atlantic cable.—Yours, &c.,
GEORGE SAWARD, Secretary.
22, Old Broad-street, London, Aug. 19, 1857.

REPORT.
TO THE DIRECTORS OF THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH

COMPANY.

London, Aug. 18, 1857.
Gentlemen,—l forwarded by the Leopard a brief
statement of the circumstances attending the frac-
ture of the cable on the morning of the 11th inst.,
and I have now to lay before you the full particu-
lars connected with the expedition.
After leaving Valentia on the evening of the 7th
inst., the paying out of the cable from the Niagara
progressed most satisfactorily until immediately
before the midhap.
At the junction between the shore end and the
smaller cable, about eight miles from the starting
point, it was necessary to stop to renew the splice.
This was successfully effected, and the end of the
heavier cable lowered by a hawser until it reached
the bottom, two buoys being attiched at a short
distance apart, to mark the place of union.
By noon of the Bth we had payed out 40 miles
of cable, including the heavy shore end, our exact
position at that time being in lat. 51 deg. 59 min.
3G see. N., lon. 11 deg. 19 min. 15 sec. W. ; and
the depth of water, according to the soundings
taken by the Cyclops, whose course we nearly
followed, 90 fathoms.

Up to 4 p.m. on that day the egress of the cable
had been sufficiently retarded by the power neces-
sary to keep the machinery in motion at a rate
a little faster than the speed of the ship, but as
the water deepened, it was necessary to place some
further restraint than by applying pressure to the
friction drums in connexion with the paying-out
sheaves, and this was gradually and cautiously in-
et eased from time to time, as the speed of the cable
compared with that of the vessel and the depth of
the soundings, showed to be requisite.
By midnight 85 miles had been safely laid, the
depth of water being then a little more than 200
fathoms.

At eight in themorning of the 9th we had finished
the deck coil in the afterpart of the ship, baying
payed out • 120 miles ; the change to the coil be-
tween decks for ward was safely made.
By noon we had laid out 136 miles of cable, the
Niagara having reached lat. 22 deg. 11 min. 40 sec.
N., long. 13 deg. 10 min. 20 sec. W., and the
depth of the water having increased to 410
fathoms.

In the evening the speed of the vessel was raised
to five knots an hour ; I had previously kept down
the rate at from three to four knots for the small
cable, and two for the heavy end next the glom,
wishing to get the men and machinery well at work
prior to attaining the speed which I had anticipated
making. By midnight 189 miles bad been laid;
. .

At four o'clock in the morning of the 10th the
depth of water began to increase rapidly from 550
fathoms to 1, i5O in a distance of e ght miles. Up
to this time 7 cwt. strain sufficed to keep the rate of
the cable near enough to that of the ship, but as
the water deepened the proportionate speed of the
cable advanced, and it was necessary to augment
the pressure by degrees, until, in the depth of
1,700 fathoms the indicator showed a strain of
15 e wt., while the cable and ship were running
five-and-a-half and five knots respectively.
At noon on the 10th we had paid out 255 miles
of cable, the vessel having made 214 miles from
shore, being then in lat. 52 deg. 27 min. 50 sec. N.,
long. 16 deg. 00 min. 11 sec. W. At this time we
experienced au increasing swell, followed later in
the day by a strong breeze.
From this period, having reached 2,000 fathoms'
water, it was necessary to increase the strain to a
ton, by which the rate of the cable was maintained
in due proportion to that of the ship.
At six in the evening some difficulty arose through
the cable getting out of the sheaves of the paying
out machine, owing to the tar and pitch hardening
in the groves, and a splice of large dimensions pass-
ing over them. This was rectified by fixing addi-
tional guards, and softening the tar with oil.
It was necessary to bring up the ship, holding the
cable by stoppers until it was againproperly disposed
around the pulleys. Some importance is due to this
event, as showing that it is possible to lay to in
deep water without continuing to pay out the cable
—a point upon which doubts have been expressed.
Shortly after this the speed of the cable gained
considerably upon that of the ship, awl up to nine
o'clock, while the rate of the latter was abeut 3 knots
by the log, the cable was running out from 5} to 51
knots per hour ; the strain was then raised to 25
cwt., but the wind and sea increasing, and a current
at the same time carrying the cable at an angle from
the direct line of the ships course, it was not suffi-
cient to check the cable, which was at midnight
making 2i knots above the speed of the ship, and
sometimes imperilling the safe uncoiling in the hold.
The retarding force was thereforce increased at 2
o'clock to an amount equivalent to 30 cwt.; and
then again, in consequence of the speed continuing
to be more than it would have been prudent
to permit, to 35 cwt.

13y this the rate of the cable was brought to a
little short of 5 knots, at which it cout:nued steadi-
ly until 3.45, when it parted, tin length payed out
at that time being 335 miles. I had up to this
time attended personally to the regulation of the
breaks, but findirftg that all was going on well, and
that it being necessary that I should ba tempora-
rily away from the machine to ascertain the rate of
the ship, and to see how the cable was coming out
of the hold, and also to visit the electricians, the
machine was for the moment left in charge of a
mechanic who had Leen engaged from the first in
its'-construction and fitting, and was acquainted
with its operation.

I was proceeding to the fore part of the ship
when I heard the machine stop. I immediately
called out to ease the brake and reverse the engine
of the ship, but when I reached the spot the cable
was broken.

On examining the machine, which was other-
wise in perfect order, I found that the breaks had
not been released, and to this or to the hand-wheel
of the brake being turned the wrong way, m bo
attributed the stoppige, and the consequent frac-
ture of the cable ; when the rate of the wheels
grew slower as the ship dropped her stern in the
swell the brake should have been eased ; this had
been done regularly before whenever an unusually
sudden decent of the ship temporarily withdrew
the pressure from the cable in the se 4, bit owing
to our entering the deep wat-r the previous mor-
ning, and having all bawls ready for any emer-
gency that might occur there, the chief part of my
staff had been compelled to give in at night through
sheer exhaustion, and hence been short-handed.
I was obliged for the time to leave the machine,
without, as it proves, sufficient intellig(nce to
control it.

I perceive that on the next occasion it will be
needful, from the wearing and anxious nature of
the work, to have three separate relays of staff,
and to employ for attention to the breaks a high
degree of mechanical skill.

The or:gin of the. accident was no doubt the
amount of retarding strain put upon the cable, but
had the machinery been properly manipulated at
the time, it could not possibly have taken place.
It has been suggested as a cause of the failure
that the machinery is too massive ant, ponderous ;
my experience of its action teaches me otherwise ;
for three days in shallow and deep water, as well as
in, rapid transition from one to the other nothing
could be more perfect than its working, and since
it performed its duty so smoothly and efficiently in
the etnalle; depths where the wei4ht of the cable