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

IF rom the London Times. Monday, Feb. IL
Yesterday afternoon the long protract
ed process of launching this vessel was
happily brought to successful termina.
tion, and the Leviathan was floated of
her ways and towed to her moorings ii
the river; The whole affair was effected
with such perfect regularity. and with
so much the appearance of its being
quite a matter of course and every day
occrrence, that it is almost difficult tc
discover any incident to distinguish il
| from other events of the same kind which
takes place along the rivers bank al
each full tide. As was stated in our
last impression, it was resolved on Fri
day night that the attempt to haul her
mornings should be made on the follow
ing day, and to this end all the necessary
preparations and precautions were duly
arranged. But within a couple Of hours
after this decision had been made every
arrangement was frustrated and all the
plans overturned by the sudden change
of wind. Friday afternoons high tide
gave depth of 18 feet inches under
her stern; the tide of Friday night should
have been some FIVE inches higher, but
the change of wind kept it down to less
than Is feet.
Towards Saturday morning the bre eze
steadily increased, sweeping across the
river full on to the broadside Of the
Levialhan with such force as would have
driven her high and dry back again to
her old position in the yard had she once
hoated even for five minutes. With the
break of day, therefore Captain Harri-
son, with whom alone rested the re-
sponsibility of taking her to her berth,
decided against floating her on Satur-
day, and Immediately all the pumps and
auxiliary engines were set to work to
pump back again the water ballast of
which TO the extent of some 5000
tons, she had been lightened of during
the night.
Saturdays weather justified all these
precautions to the fullest extent. The
wind kept back the tide, so that even
empty of ballast, the Leviathan would
scarcely have floated; while at the same
time it blew with pressure of nearly one
hundred and fifty tons upon the mon
ster's broad side. Any one practically
with towing difficulties, will
see at once that any atempt to haul her
off under such circumstances would have
been absolute madness. Even under
the favorable 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 en-
tirely settled the question as to the
of the river. and put the
Great Eastern Steam Navigation Com
pany into the Gazette in half an hour.
Nothing of this kind, however, was to
be apprehended yesterday. The wealth
sr was fine, clear, and calm, with scarce
y any breze, and what little there was
al in favor of the vessel, and high
ide. The public had been so often dis
appointed as to the launch; that although
{ seemed generally known that yester-
lay was the best and highest tide, and
hat, if ever, she float on that day, the
prospect of her floating at all seemed
Luite as generally disbelieved. The
'resence of all the workmen in the yard
therefore, was regarded as a
hing of no account, and not till the huge {