The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-08-20
THE RECEPTION or THE NIAGARA AT NEW
TORK-THE LAYING or TIE CABLE, &c.


covered with flags dashing around the point that enters
into the Narrows This time there could be mistake
and in few moments the guns Of the Spanish steam fri
gate Barrenguela lying on Quarantine flashed out
thunderous welcome to the noble American vessel In
few moments the bay alive with small boats and
crowds clustered along all it's shores fi4taE a
The Niagara, at first misty, moving spot In the dis
lance enlarged dimensions and doomed up grand
ly approached the city She fairly covered with
flags and streamers above all of which oated the Amen
can ensign
Guard commenced and two hundred guns let off at
intervals of five seconds between each shot The guns
excellently handled and seemed to keep continu
Gus roar until the last shot fired.
The cpper-ship World, which is lying at the Atlantic
dock, fired minuteguns while the Niagara coming
up The revenue-cutter Washington lying of the Bat
terry, also fired salute Of thirty three guns
The scene was of great interest. The day
bright and, though close there pleasant breeze
from the water The shouting multitude, the shots
from ship and Shore and the Niagara herself of the
finest vessels that graced waters went to make
up picture of surprising beauty and not often wit
messed
The Niagara arrived at four, M, and at two, p m.
crossed the bar and into Gedneys channel where
she met the steamship Persia hence for Liverpool and
the City of Washington from Liverpool, with whom she
exchanged signals.
her way up the bay she met by the steamships
Daniel Webster and Roanoke, outward bound, with
whom she also exchanged courtcses When near the
Narrows she saluted from Fort Hamilton with thirty
two guns From thence to the city she sauted on
all sides with cheers, steam Whistles bells, guns and
every other available thing that would make noise.
At quarantine very handsome display of flags
made by r. A. Locke esq boarding officer of the Uni
ted States station. The schooner Amy Chace,
tender to the Susquehanna also made show while the
cppership Swallow and British barque Celia were dress
ed from truck deck and the other vessels in quaan
tine all displayed more less bunting. The Niagara
anchored in the North river off the Battery, ati So p
where she continued To DO surrounded by vessels of all
sizes and shapes.
The vessels having reached mid-ocean the special
respondent of the Herald gives the following interesting
account of the laying Of the cable
About halfpast nine o'clock July 2s) the Agamem-
non having got up steam observed slowly approach
Ing u.s. and in somewhat less than hour after she
crossed bow previous to taking her position
STERN to be ready for splicing. All the preliminary
preparations had been made board the Niagara, and
everything was in readiness for the commencement
of the work far she was concerned The
at their posts by the machinery, the stop
pes all arranged the electricians were on watch in
the long vacant Office the tar tubs put in their
proper places the scrapes usted and nothing was left
untone that human foresight could provide for. Within
the boundaries of the rope that enclosed the machine
but the privileged few allowed to enter and
any did through ignorance, the inscription which
posted conspcuously in front, and which reads az
follows, warned him against further intrusion
.'No one here except the engineers watch. :
The Agamemnon has now taken her position about
hawser has been passed between the two ships previous
to making the splice Before the commencement of OPP
erations however Captains Preedy and Adham came on
board of ship, and Mr.. Field and one of the cleo
tricians visited the Agamenon to make further arrange
mens in regard to the work before After the neces
sary time these made and it is concluded that if the
cable should be broken after $50 miles shall have been
paycd out from each ship both vessels shall at once
coed to Queenstown, there to await orders from the
pany regarding the final disposal and stowage Of the
cable The captains have returned to their ships the
splice is made and the work Of paying out proceeds while
the ships slowly through the water that their
motion is hardly perccptble The of the cable is
certainly much faster than that of either of the vessels
for the simple that it has to descend to depth
of about two miles, and it will take considerable time
to do that The announcement comes from the eeotri
clans Office after the splice had been lowered that
the continuity perfect and with this assurance the
gneers go more boldly with the work In fact, the
engineers may be said to be under the control of the
electricians for if they report anything wrong with the
cable they brought to stand until they allowed
to go with their operations by the announcement
that the insulation is perfect and the continuity is all
right The Sailors who somewhat in the dark us to
the scientific definition of the term generally sup
posed to have particular animosty to it, under the be-
lief that it is it which all the difficulty Darn
the continuity said old sailor, at the end of scien
tic but rather foggy discussion which number of his
messmates had on the 'subect-''Dam the continuity
wish they would get rid of it altogether 1t has cost
darn sight more trouble than the hull thing is worth
say they ought to do without it, and let it go. be-
ieve they get the cable down If they didn't pay any
attention to it. You see, he went on II was on the
last exhibition expedition, he meant, but it was all
the samehis messmates did not misapprehend his
ing sand thought I'd never hear the end of it, They
| were always talking about it, and night, when
out last year, it gone for two hours, and we
thought that the end of the affair, and would
never hear of it again But it back and after
the cable busted. Now, tell you what, men, I'll
forget that night, tell ye all felt we had lost our
beat friend and / heard the word continuity
contiguty mentioned but was always afraid something
was going to happen And tlpts a fact
This conclusive the mind of the majority of
his hearers but number Of the opinion that it
all right and at the risk of being considered hum
bugs asserted their belief that whatever might be said
against the continuity they couldn't do without it, and
that because had gone all the trouble had occurred
| The work of paying out the cable was commenced at
O clock The speed of the vessel gradually in-
creased after sufficient had been lowered the
reach the bottom and by two o'clock five miles had
left the ship, and she had gone two miles from the start
ing point. The observation taken by the Agamemnon
and Niagara showed the position Of both ships follows
Lat. So 90, Ion 80 30 To accomplish the work, the
former has eleven hundred nautical miles and three hun
red tons Of coal while the latter had the amount
of cable and five hundred tons of coal This will give
our ship from ten to fifteen days seaming while the
Agamemnon has sufficient for ten days should she burn
at the rate OF thirty tons per day. But If should
find that have not enough to reach the land with
we WILL If necessary, burn the spare spars and should
we be still further pressed will take down tho
bukheads for fuel 1t is not very probable, however
that we shall be reduced to such straits Mr. Fol
lonsbee, chief engineer, assures that will
have sufficient. Let us get sight of Newfound
land however, and though every ton of coal in bunk
ere expended, will contrive to get into TInit,
jim II H., ~, -