Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1858-03-17

monster actually foated, did the prepara-
tions for hauling her off seem to attract
much attention. The tide ran up with
usual swiftness, and as the flood relieved
the weigh: upon the launching ways,
some OF the hydraulic machines were set
to work for the last time, to push the
monster as far as possible into the centre
of the river. She moved easily and with
sucn low rate Of pressure that short
time gave an advance of 80 inches, which |
showed that more than half The cradles
were quite pushed off the ways and rest
ed on the river bottom. At halfpast
one, the men in the row. boats stationed
alongside observed that she no longer
rested on the cradles-that she was, in
fact, ahoat, but, of course the transition
was so gradual, that few were aware of
it, until the tugs began steaming ahead
and showed at last that she was fairly
under way. Then the cheers which
arose from the yar1 and from the decks,
from the boats in the river, and the crows
of the ships at anchor up and down the
stream, spread the great news far and
wide, and thus, under the most favora-
BILE circumstances, the Leviathan COM
menced her first voyage on the Thames.
Two powerful tugboats 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 managing her. At first
the efforts of those ahead seemed to have
little effect, and when at length some
way was made on her, it was abruptly
checked by one of the paddle wheels
fOuling the cradles. 1t took some time
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,
f)rwaTd, clear of the cradles. These,
as our readers are aware, were composed
of bulks of timber, on which the
vessels bottom rested, and which her
weight alone kept down. The police,
tae refore, had 10 take unusual precau-
items yesterday, to keep all boats clear
i her while the wrecks of the candles
:, unged up in tremendous masses as
ach was released by the onward move
II ent of the Levisthsn.
1t was 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 great crash that churned the wa
ter into foam around them. Some bro
ken and splintered by the violence with,
which they were thrown against each
other, formed loose tangle of timber
work, and wen. slowly drifting up the
river in little islands, which rose some
four or FIVE feet from the water. 9th.
ers, long after the great mass had float
ed up, came plunging to the surface,
falling about in way that showed the
necessity of the precautions taken by the
polieec. and the certain destruction that
would have overwhelmed any boat with
in their reach.
Soon after the cradles were cleared,
and the surface of the river covered with
their fragments, the Leviathan fouled
barges which, moored with tremendous
chains, were formerly used TO pull her
down towards the river. Ga this occa-
sion, to judge from the liberal proffers
of advice from all sides, everybody on
deck seemed eminently skilled in deal
ing with impracticable barges. aad it
was quite refreshing to hear how the men
in the barge were desired to undo the
mooring chains and cast off the hawsers,
which it had been the business of the
last three months to fasten aud riyet
firmly; but at last Captain Harrison got
a hearing, and uader his direction, every
remonstrance which sledge hammers
and axes could urge on the refoctory
tackle having been used in vain, it was
decided to scuttle the barges. This expe.
dent was, of course, decisive, and the
was again got under way. and
brought slowly down to her moorings,
opposite Deptford. Hore she was in
stantly made fast, stem and stern, to the
government moorings in the centre of
the river, at part where, even at low
water, she will have almost double the
depth required to float her. By the
time she was family moored, the news of
her being afoat had spread up and down
he river, and the Thames was almost
covered with small boats, which rowed
around her, some of which were laden
o the water sedge with men, women and
children. Fortunately, no accident took
,Iace, and the Tiny fleet that followed in
he wake of the Leviathan, and which
made the banks re- echo with their pro-
Onged cheering, quietly dispersed before :
lightfall.
THE LEVIATHAN.
The great ship is launched, fairly