Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-02-26
From the Londos Times, february l.
Floating the Leviafhan.

Yesterday afternoon the long protracted |
process of Launching this vessel was happily I
brought to a successful termination, and the |
Leviathan was fieated off her ways and tow |
ed TO her mooring in the river. As was sta
ted in our last impression, it was resolved on |
FRIDAY night that the attempt to haul her to |
her mornings should be made on thefolowing |
day and to this end all the necessary prepa- |
rations and precautions were duly arranged. |
Bat within a couple of hours after this decis- |
ion had been made every arrangement was |
frustrated and all the plans overturned by |
the sudden change of wind. |
Toward Saturday morning the breeze stead |
lily increased, sweeping across the river full
on to the broads;de of the Leviathan with
such force as would have driven her high and |
dry back again to her old position in the yard
had she once fioated even for five minutes
With the break OF day, therefore, Capt. Har-
rison, with whom alone rested the response
bility of taking her to her berth, decided
against floating her on Saturday. and imme
diately all the pumps and auxiliary engines
were set to work TO pump back again the wa
ter ballast of which, to the extent of some
5000 tons, she Lad been lightened during the
night.
Saturdays weather justified all these pre-
cautions TO the fullest extent The wind
kept back the tide. SO that, even empty of
ballast, the Leviathan would scarcely have
"
a pressure of nearly 100 tons upon the mon
ster's broadside. Even under the most favor
able view of the case she must have gone
ashore at once, or. failing in this, have swept
broadside up the stream, tugs and all, when
she would have entirely settled the question
rs TO the supremacy of the river, and put
the Great Eastern Steam Navigation Compa-
nv into the Gazette in half an hour.
Nothing of this kind, however, was to be
apprehended yesterday. The weather was fine,
clear and calm, with scarcely any breeze and
what little there was all in favor of the YES
sci and high tide. The tide up with I'M
usual swiftness, and as the floor relieved the
weight upon the launching ways, some of the
- lraulic machines We're set to work for the
last time, to push the monster as far as posi-
bic into the centre of the river. She moved
easily. and with such a low rate of pressure
that short time gave an advance of so inch
es which showed that more than half the
cradles were quite pushed off the ways and
rested on the river bottom. At ! the men in
the row boats stationed alongside observed
that she no longer rested on the cradles-that
she was, in fact, afoat. but of course the transi
ton was so gradual that few were aware of it
until the tugs began steaming ahead, and
showed that at last she was fairly under way.
Then the cheers which arose from the yard
and from the deck, from the boats in the river,
and the crews of the ships at anchor up and
and wide aud thus under the most favorable
circumstances the Leyiathan commenced her
first voyage on the Thames.
Two powerful tUg-bOats were at her bows,
and two were fastened astern. Other steam
trs also were in attendance. and rendered
their aid. but the efforts of the four We have
mentioned were mainly instrumental in man
aging her At first the efforts Of those ahead
seemed to have little effect and when at
V-a IN bpt.i H.
ruptly checked by one of the paddle-wheels
tOuling the cradles. II took some time to clear
her of this obstacle, but at last it was accom-
plisht d; her head was let swing partly round
with the tide, aud the steamers began moving
her slowly, but very slowly forward, clear of
the cradles. These, as our readers are aware,
were composed of immense bulks of timber
on which the vessels bottom rested, and
which her weight alone kept down. The po-
lice therefore, had to take unusual precautions
Yesterday to keep all boats clear of her while
. the wrecks of the cradles plunged up in ire
mendous masses as each was released by the
onward movement of the Leviathan.
1t was curious 10 see these huge groups of
beams emerge from the river, rising rapidly
from the surface of the water 20 or 80 feet,
with a slow heavy movement, and then fall
ing over with great crash, that churned the
water into foam around them. Some broken
and splintered by the violence with which
they were thrown against each other, formed
a loose tangle of timber work. and went
slowly drifting up the river in little islands,
which rose some four or five feet from the wa
ter. Others, long after the great mass had
doated up, came plunging TO the surface, fall
ing about in way that showed the necessity
of the precautions taken by the police, and
the certain destruction that would have over
whelmed any boat within their reach
Soon after the cradles were clear d, and the
surface of the river covered with their tTag-
mcnts, the Leviathan fOuled the barges which
mOored with tremendous chains, were former
ly used to pull her downward toward the riv
er. On this occasion, to judge from the lib
eral profieTs of adj vice from all sides, every
body on deck seemed eminently skilled in
'aling with inpracticable barges, and il was
Juite refreshing 90 hear how the men in the
bargcs were desired to undo mOOring chains
and cast of hawsers which it has been the
business of the last three months To tastCn
and rivit firmly; bur mt last. Capt Harrison
got a hearing, and under his directions. every
remonstrance which sledge hammers and axes
| could urge on the refractory tackle having
been used in vain, it was decided to scuttle
the barge.
The eNpcdient was, Of course, decisive, and
! the Leviathan was again got under way and
! brought slowly down 10 her mOorings Oppo-
site Dcpiord Here She was instantly made
fast stem and stcrn To the Government moor
ings in the centre of the river ut part where
even at tow water she will have almost dou-
bic the depth TO float her. by the time she
was fairly moOrcd the news of her being atioat
had spread up and down the river, and the
Thames was almost covered with small boats,
which rowed around her. aud some of which
was ladened to the waters edge with men,
/ women and children. Fortunately no acct
dent took place, and the tiny fleet that fol
lowe in the wake OF the Levathnn, and
which made the banks re-ccho their prolonged
cheering, quietly dispersed before nighttall.