The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-08-21
DAILY LEADER
The CABLE.
Tho FuII DetaiIs OF the Final WfsfOr.
fOrtune--HOW Ine Freak Occurred.

THE CABLE.
Tho FuII Detail OF the Final WIsf0r
z fOrtune--HOW she Freak Oeeurred.
tHaE - Lr4 F
The New York papers Of Saturday con.
tain an abstract Of the official report Of
the cable expedition, giving full details Of
the final and fatal disaster. We extract
from it the description of the cause of the
accident and its effect upon those on board.
The reader must bear in mind that $ de
feet IN insulation had occurred on the End
Q fAugust owing it is supposed, to the same
eluse as that of the defect on the 2Sth alt,
vis, q piece of broken wire forced through
the guttA percha of the cable; that by cut
ting the cable on board the Great Eastern
ii had been sscertsined that the defect ex-
isted in that part Of the cable already paid
out that therefore, the winding-in process
had beeu commenced, and had continued
for nearly two hours and that steam had
given out and the Great Eastern was lying
quiet, waiting to get up steam, when the
final disaster came. Here let US refer our
readers 10 the graphic description given
by the report alluded to-:
Lunch Wss just over. Some had left the
table, and Others we're about leaving. The
scientific gentlemen had very much cheer
ed US by stating that they believed the
fault was only six miles away, and 80 ere
dead night falls we might hope TO havethe
f-nlL on beard, make 8 new splice, and pro.
coed on our way to Hearts Content geo
graphically about six hundred miles sWsy.
Suddenly Mr.. Canning appeared in the
saloon, and, In 8 manner which told all.
said: at is al over it is gone" then
FASTENED onward to his cabin. Ere the
thrill of pain and surprise occasioned by
those words had passed away, Mr.. Field
came from the companion into the saloon
and said, with composure admirable under
the circumstances, though his lips uuivered
and his cheek was blanched, 1.-THE cable
has parted and has gone overheard
Ali were on deck in 8 moment and thare
indeed 8 glance revealed the truth.
owl IT OCCURRED.
1 will endeHvor now TO explain TO Won
how the fatal accident occurred. say
fatal for although, IS I write, we are drift
ing down upon the spot in the hope of get
ting hold of the cable with grapnelF, 1
scarcely venture to hope the attempt will
be crowned with success.
Let the reader turn his face toward a
window, imsging that he is standing on
The bows of the Great Eastern, and then.
Of course on his right will be the starboard
on his left the port side of the ship.
When the cable was hauled around on the
eft hand side and passed over the ic5r
wheels, it was carried over 8 drum which
ne must suppose TO be behind the spects.
ors, and ceiled up as fast as it was deliver
ID from the p~icking-up apparatus; but
when the engines failed to work this apps-
,Htus Of course the cable remained mo-
and as the ship was drifted by the
Wind from right to left and slightly for
yard, at last the cable came close up 10 the
snd under the fore foot of the ship.
There are at the bows of the Great Eastern
large hswser holes, the iron rims of
which project for more than q foot beyond 81
be line of the stem. Against one of them
cable caught on the left hand side while q
be ship kept moving to the left, and
nus chafed and strained the csble
realty against the bow. The
-reat Eastern could not 90 astern d.
ct the cable should be snapped, and with
ut motion some way there lie no power of
At the critical moment, too, the
ind shifted SO as to render it more diff
ut to keep the head of the ship to the =
sble, which then chafed so much that in
places damage was done TO it. A VI
lackle chain and S wire rope belonging -
one of the cable buoys were passed over Of
le cable and secured in blight below the In
awser holes. These were hsuled so as to "a
ring the cable to the right hand side of
le boat the ship still drifting to the left.
was necessary to do this instead of veer-
z awAz. As we were near the end of the
It OF the cable in thu haa4 Tha.eL
q large iron wheel with q very :
sep groove and tbs circumference
cbnically "a V" wheel, from the grove, :
? the side of which is q Hremitar," or =
Dsller wheel, On the same HaKis." The OF
BILE and the wire rope together were NJ
ming in over the bows and the groove in 8,
10 larger wheel, the cable wound upon q III
,um behind the machinery, which was Dl
ice more in motion, and the wire rope be- so
g taken in around the capsisn, by BARI, ;
1t the rope and cable were not coming up "a
q right line, but were being hauled in ~
ith 8 great strain on them at an angle So
ON the right Landslide, so that they did
1t work directly in the "V" in the wheel. u
ill the strain Wa shown on the indicator
be very high, but not near q breaking
At last up came the cable and a.
ire rope Stacking together on the "Vn a
heel In the boat. They were wound ia
iund it slowly, wire passing over these N
heels together, the first damaged part be- DO
q on board, when q jar wSs given TO the dr
.nRmometer, which flew up from sixty 81.
weight the highest point III
srkeo, with q sudden jerk, three
I'd 3 half inches In the cnain shsckle M
ID wire rope chamber, as it were, up out of do
10 groove on the right-hsnd side of the Y
the wheel, got on the top Of the rim Of ~
10 V wheel, and rushed down with q pc
ash on the small wheel, giving, no doubt, pc
severe shake to rhe cable, to which it was a.
The machinery was still in mo-
on, and the ropes travelled aft together, 80
ae toward the capstan and the other to-
ard the drum, where, just sc the cable
,scbed the dynamometer. it parted, and in
18th one bound lesped, IS il were, 9 q dl
feet of intervening spsce, and splashed Ii
TO the sea.
It is not possible for any words to Por-
sy the dismay with which the sight was or
iInessed and the news heard. When 8 Dc
came afs with q piece of the inner end P.
shed still to the chain, and one saw the h,
strands, torn wires and lSceraied re
it is no exsggeratiOn TO say that III
range feelings of pity, IS though some
being had been mutilated and =
asunder by brutal force passed
the hearts OF the spectators. :