Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-07-26

one mile the hour, and gradually increased TO
Two knots SIX fathoms up to O'Clock IN aud
the cable being paid out three and "a half knots
per hour; and from that hour till midnight uni
To- IN spec d was maintained of three -and-a-half
miles the hour, and the cable was paid out, a.
shown by the Indicator. at the rate Of four and =
half miles the hour. Our machinery was work
ing as well as we could desire, cable running
from the coils and going over il with ease and
reeula ity. when TO our great surprise, at fifteen
minutes past one O'Clock a m on the 2nh, Sun
day the electricians reported that there had been
no sig nails from the Agamemnon for the last ten
minutes. We kept going on slowly: as previously
agreed upon, until 40 z. IT Tin the mean time
the electricians tested the cable in the ship and
reported the continuity and insulations perfect
when the ships Roadway was entirely stoppel /,
and we commenced heaving in with the mac bin
cry. The cable parted at SO a. IN and we lost
on this occasion, as measured by the indicator,
AZ miles 300 fathoms of cable, and started for the
rendezvous, wi . e on Monday, the 2sth the Aga.
memnon and Niagara were secured together, the
splice made, lowered down, and the ships sepa
rated, as has been already described at 80 p. m
Our speed for the first hour was only three quar-
tiers OF mile; second hour, 26 miles third
hour, miles and the fourth hour, 3h miles
on Tuesday evening, the Goth, (when we ceased
to get signals from the Agamemnon, and the en-
gines showed DOWN. the speed of the ship had
been four-and- a. half miles the hour, and the ca
BILE paid out five and a half miles the hour, as
shown by the indicator.
The engines Were stopped at ten p. m, and the
shi hung In a measure by the cable until twenty
minutes after midnight, when ii parted, the in
dictator showing loss on this occasion of 14s
miles $50 fathomS of the cable Our electricians
again thoroughly tested all the cable on board
ship, and found the insulation and continuity al
perfec>, and there was but one opinion among
those gentl. men, which was that the cable had
parted al or near tue AgamemnOn, the Particular
of which we shall ascertain when she arrives al
this port to All up her coal.
arrangeme mt had been made when the ship.
separated on the 2Sth instant that in the event OF
any accident to the cable before either should
have run one hundred miles, we were To return
To the rendezvous, unite the cable, and make
another effort to lay 1t out il beyond that dis
lance, the vessels were TO proceed to Queens.
town, fill up with coal, and again renew oui
efforts.
In the Niagara we had all the coal that we re-.
CURED for laying down our part of the cable
There were serious doubts, however if we ran
fuIther, or any distance beyond the one named
whether the AgamemnOn's coal would hold out
without any expenditure in getting back to the
rendezvOusD and leave her enough to Insure steam
ing back to Valentia Bay with the cable, In the
event OF no further casually to IL the way the
Mr. Everett's machinery has paid out the cable
with apparent ease and uniformity of strain and
we find it admirably adapted to the work II has
TO perform In all its parts
h Nj steamer Gorgon, which accompanied us
arrived here with the Niagara. We now await
the arrival Of tire Agamemnon and Vaorous
when we hope to be OF again in seven or eiyh,
days, under more favorable auspices of weather
than we experienced in the month of June
Ii affords me pleasure To report the continued
good health of officers and crew
] have the honor to be, respectfully, your ODE
dient servant, WM l.. HUDSON, Captain.
Hon. l. Toucey,
Sec. Of the Navy, Washington.