The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-11 00:00:00

TIILI LEVIATHAN.

Since the efforts to move this vessel were brought
to an abrupt close by the fog of Tuesday, the whole
of the hydraulic machines employed have been
moved up close to the ship's cradles, so as to exert
their force through a very short interval arid save
the loss of power occasioned by their being at a dis-
tance from the ship. Early yesterday morning they
were all set to work again, and, after a. consider -
able delay and after their pressure had been exerted
to the very utmost, a short slip of 14 inches
aft and 13 inches forward was effected, but
beyond this trifling distance it was found impos-
sible to move the ship. In the subsequent efforts
which were made the mooring tackle which hauls
the stern towards the river, and which (with similar
tackle at the stem) is now mainly depended on for
keeping her in motion whoa once the rams have
started her, gave way without breaking, and the
anchors which held it began to " come home." This
defection of so important a part of the apparatus
was final, and after a short consultation Mr. Brunel
determined to give up farther efforts until to-mor-
row (Saturday) morning, or until such time as a
firm, unyielding holdfast can be obtained for the
moorings in the river.
Since the launch was first begun these river
moorings have been an insurmountable impediment
to anything like rapid progress. At the commence-
ment they were not in great request, but now their
services are absolutely essential, and, of course,
when just most wanted their break-down becomes
most difficult to meet. The reasons which render
them of such importance now is that the Leviathan
has hitherto been moving on an incline of one foot
in ten, but from the present and untile'she reaches
the water the " ways" over which she has to travel
only slope at an inclination of one in twelve. For
the future, therefore, it will require a greater force
to statt her, and a greater strain to keep her in
motion for five or six feet at a time. It is only by
hauling on the river moorings that a continuous
strain of this kind can be exerted, for the hydrau-
lic pressure, of course, ceases the instant the vessel
yields an inch. For this purpose anchors of all
sorts" awl sizes have been laid down right across the
river to hold the moorings from which the strain
is exerted. As each of these in turn proved ineffec-
tive, others were resorted to, until last week a
large anchor of Trotman's patent was laid down to
secure the moorings at the stem, and anchor at the
stern. The former still holds, though in such un-
favourable ground as to make it doubtful whether
it will bear the required strain, but the ground
whore the latter was cat is such a peculiar kind
of dense concrete that a pickaxe scarcely makes
any impression on ir,--and all attempts even to drive
piles into it have failed. Into this gravelly mass
even Trotman's anchor has been unable to pens,•
trate more than a foot or so, and it has been at last
decided to give up either faith or hope in anchors
altogether, and drive piles—for the stem tackle in
the wharf t f Messrs. Humpbrys at the other side of
the river, and for the stern in the loose gravelly soil
on the river's bank, near the Watergate Ferry, at
Deptford. With the strain which these piles will
enable the tackle to put on the Leviathan it is con-
fidently hoped that at every start she will be kept
in motion for five or six feet at a time. Should this
prove so, of course this most lingering of all launches
will soon be over. We must, however, own we
are not sanguine as to such immediate results, and
much fear that now that the vessel is on a slighter
incline its rate of pr egress will be even slower than
heretofore. The total distance it has already accom-
plished is 104 feet 6 inches forward and 96 feet 1
inch aft. To-morrow will be the earliest date at
which operations can be resumed.

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