The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-03-02
THE DISPATCH.
TUINpAY MORNING. ARCH :. iSoe.
IAuNca OF THE LEvlATHAN.

The prctrsctsd and asfacuis process Of launch.
rag tAls nosstsr vssssa ~as tteught 10 suecess
ssl ssrmissssoa % ths 3iss Of January. when she
was Aosted % the wAys By the spring tides, and
hauled 10 her moosings. This is an event OF no
connnoa intersss and importance; for, u - De
found THAI the ocean can be navigated eonvenisnI
~ aad safely By vessels Of such huge dimension.
a. the aIsviatAAn" the enterprise will be followed
BY Others, perhaps on still more gigantic scare
We hnd IN Interesting account OF the iaaneh :"
the London Times Of February let:
aYesterday afternoon the long-protracted pro
cess OF lAunching this vessel was happny orousnt
% 3 successful terminafion-ana tue besiathau was
A.sst~A % her rays and towed to her moorings 10
"rhe weather was zoe, dear, and calm, with
eezre.ly aay bre@ss. and what little there was all
IN favor Of the vessel at high tide The tide ran
up with unusual swiftness, aud 40 the food re-
leved the weight apoB she iaanchinR ways some
Of she hydraulic machiaes were Get 70 work for the
last time 10 push the monster ~ far % possible
into the centre OF the river. She Moved easily.
and with such low rate Of pressure that . short
time gave an advance of eighty inches. which
showed that more than half the cradles were
quite pushed Oh the wsys and rested on the river
bottom. At ~ the men In the row-boats station
Cd alougside observed that she no longer rested
the cradles-that she In fact afioat. but. of
course, the transition was 10 gradual that few
were aware Of IL until the tugs began stearning
ahead. and showed that at last she was fairly IN
der way. Then the cheers which arose from the
yard and from docks. from the boats ef the river.
cad the crews If the ships at anchor up aud down
the strrMm, spread the great news far and wide,
and fhus under the most favorable circumstances
the Levisthan commenced her first voyage the
Thames
'srwo powerful tug boats were at her bows and
two we're fastened astern. Other steamers also
were 10 attendance and rendered their aid, but the
efforts OF the four We have mentioned we're mainly
In har
Of those ahead seemed 20 have little effect and
when at length some little way was made on her
81 was abruptly checked by one Of the paddle
wheels fouiing the cradles. 1t took some time to
clear her of this obstacle, but IL at last accom-
plished her head was let swing partly round with
the tide, and the steamers began moving her slow
ly, but very slowly, forward clear of the cradles.
These, as our readers are aware, were composed Of
immense baiks OF timber, on which the vessels
bottom rested, aud which her weight alone kept
down. The police, therefores had 70 take unusual
precautions yes .erday to keep all boats clear of
her while the wrecks of the cradles plunged up in
tremendous masses each released by the
. co ward movement OF the Lesiathan.
SIT was curions to see these huge groups Of
beams emerge from the river, risng rapidly from
the surfacs Of the water twenty or thirty feet,
with slow heavy movement, and then falling
over with great crash that ehnrned the water
into foam aronhd them. Some, broken and spin
tered by the violence with which they were thrown
against each other, formed loose tanglc of timber
little islands, which rose some four or five feet
from the water. Others, long after the great mass
had hoated up, came plungiug to the surface. fall
ling about 10 way that showed the necessity OF
the precautions taken BY. the police and the GER
tain destruction that would have overwhelmed
any boat within atheir reach.
"Soou after the cradles cleared, and the
surface of the river covered with their fragments,
the Levisthan fouled the barges which, moored
with tremendous chains, were formerly used to pull
her downward towards the river On this occa
sion. to Judge from the liberal proffers of advice
from all sides every body on deck seemed emf
nently skilled In dealing with impractcable
barges, AMI IL was quite refreshing to hear how
the men In the barge desired to undo moor
ing chains and cast off hawsers which ii had been
the business of the last three months to fasten and
rset firmly; but at last Capt. Harrison got
hearing, and, under his directions, every remon-
STRANGE which sledge-hsmmers and axes could
urge on the refractory tackle having been used in
vain. It was decided to seuttle the barge.
The expedient was, OF course decisive, and the
Levtathaa again got under way and brought
slowly to her moorings opposite Deptford Here
she w&s instantly made fast stem and stern to the
Government moorinys ia the centre of the river,
at part where, even At low water, she will have
almost double the depth to float her. BY the time
she was fairly moored the news Of her launch had
spread up and down the river, and the Thames
was almo>t covered with small boats, which rowed
round her, and some of which were laden to the
waters edge with meb, women, and children
Fortunately no accident took place, and the tiny
fleet that followed in the wake of the Leviathan
which made the banks re-echo their prolonged
cheering, quietly Dispersed before nghtfali."