Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-03-16
From the London Times of Feb. Launch of the Leviathan.

Launch Of the bev1athan.
 The following account of the launch of the great steamship Leviathan, will be read with interest:
 Yesterday afternoon the long protracted pro- cess ot launching this vessel was happily brought to a successful termination, and the Levathan was hoated oil her ways and lowed to her moorings in the river. It was resolved on Fri day night that the attempt to haul her to her moorings should be made on the followipc day and to this end all the necessary preparations and precautions were duly arranged But with in a couple of hours after this decision had been made every arrangement frustrated and all the plans overturned by the sudden change of the wind.
 Toward Saturday morning the breeze steadily increased, sweeping across the river full on to the broad-side 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 loated even for five minutes With the break of day, therefore, Captain Harrison, with whom alone rested the responsibility of taking her to her berth, decided against floating her on Saturday, and immediately all the pumps and auxiliary engines were set to work to pump back again the water ballast of which, to the ex- tent of some 3 GOO tons, she had been lighetned 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 foated: while at the same time it blew with pressure of nearly 15O tons upon the monster's broad- side. Even under the most favorable view of the case she must have gone ashore at once, or, failing this, haveswept broadside up the stream, tugs and all, when she would have entirely set tied the question to the supremacy of the river, and put the Great Eastern Steam Naviga- ton Company into the Gazette in half an hour
 Nothing of this kind however, was to be ap- preheuded yesterday. The weather was fine, clear, and calm, with scarcely any breeze, and what little there Was in favor of the vessel. and high tide The tide ran up with unusual swiiue>s and the fool relieved the weight upon the launching ways, some of the hydraulic machines were set to work for the last time to push the mohSter as lar as possible into the centre of the river. She moved easily. and with such low rate of pressure, that a short tune gave an advance of so inches, which show ed that more than half the cradles were quite pushed off the ways and rested on the river bottom. Al li@ the men in the row-boats sta- toned alongside observed that she no longer rested on the cradles--that she was, in fact. aHoaJ, but, of course, the transition was so gradual that few were aware of 1t 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 decks, from the boats in the river, and the crews of the ships at anchor up and down the stream, spread the great news far and wide, and thus under the most favorable circumstances the Leviathan commenced her first voyage ou the Thames
 Two powerful tug-boats were at her bows and two were fastened astern. Other steamers also were in attendance, and rendered their aid, but the efforts of the four we have mentioned were mainly instrumental in managin. her. At first the efforts of those seemed to have lit tie effect, and when at length some way was made on her, 1t was abruptly checked 0Y one ni the pa |dle-wheels fouliug the cradles It took some tune to clear her of this obstacle, but at last It was accomplished; her head was let swing partly round with the tide, and the steamers began moving her slowly, but very slowly for ward clear of the cradles. These, as our readers are aware composed of immense halkS of timber, on which the vessels bottom rested, afd which her weight alone kept down The police, therefore, hal To take unusual pre- cautions yesterday to keep all boats clear of her while the wrecks of the cradles plunged up in tremendous masses as each was released by the onward movement of the Leviathan
 l curious to see these huge groups of beams emerge from the river, rising rapidly from the surface of the water twenty or thirty feet, with slow, heavy movement, and then falling over with a great crash that churned the water into foam aroud them. Some broken and Splmterei by the violence with which they were thrown against each other, formed loose tanGle of timber work, and went slowly drifting up the river in litls islands, which rose some four or five feet from the water. Others, long after the great mass had foated up came plung- ing to the surface, falling about in way that showed the necessity of the precautions taken hy the police, and the certain destruction that would have overwhelmed any boat within their reach.
 Soon after the cradles were cleared, and the surface of the river covered with their frag- ments, the Levathan fouled the barges which moored with tremendous chains, were for merl y used to pull her downward toward the rver. On thls occasion, to judge from the liberal pfoilers Of advice from all sides, every- body on deck seemed emiuently skilled in deal- ing with impractcable barges, and it was quite r refreshing to hear how the men in the barges were desired to undo mooring chains and cast oft hawsers which 1t has been their business of the last three months to tlsten and rvet firmly. but at last Capt. Harrison got hearing and und ar his directions, every remonstrance which SItH9c-hahlineIH anu axes could urge on the refractory tackle having been used in vain, it Was decided to scutte the barge The expe- dlent was, ofcourse, decisive, and the Leviathan Was again got under way and brought slowly down to her moorngs opposite Deptford. Here she was instantly made fast stem and stern to the government moorngs in the center of the river at a part where, even at low water, she will have almost the double the depth to float her. By the time she fairly moored the news of her being af1oat had spread up and down the river, and the Thames was almost covered with small boats, which rowed around her, and some of which were laden to the waters edge with men, women, and children. Fortu- nateIy, no accident took place, and the tiny fleet that followed in the wake of the Levathan, and which made the banks re-echo their pro- longei cheering, quietly dispersed before night fall.