Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-08-07
TIME OF DEPARTURE NOT YET FIXED
Correspondence of the Manchester Guardian.l
NEARING VALENTIA Tuesday Night.

the More. In spite OF her gigantic size she has
been made to feel that she is a ship and that she
bears no immunity from the tendency to roll and
pitch which belongs TO all floating structures We
are forcing our way slowly of lee shore, and the
night is as dirty as we could wish not to see. To-
morrow morning we shall be of Valentia, but the
programme arranged before we started has been
upset BY the failure of the Caroline to fulfil her
part of it. This vessel, screw steamer of mode
rate tonnage, was entrusted with the duty of laying
the shore end of the Atlantic cable. She left
London with the end on board eleven or twelve
days ago, and ought, long before now, to have
reached her destination and performed her work,
so that the Great Eastern Immediately on her ar
rival at Valentia, could if the weather had been
fine, have made splice and proceeded TO sea-
In the channel, however, she was met by heavy,
suually weather, and found herself unable TO get
on. She put into Falmouth, and there she remain
ed until Monday morning, when she came out, and
SLOWLY at TIE rate of about four knots an hour,
continued her voyage! OFF the Lands End, we
to our great astonishment and disgust, fell in with
her. There was nothing 10 be done but TO take
her in tow, and help her along to Nalentia with all
convenient speed This was done at once, and,
since Monday afternoon, We have been dragging
her after US at the rate OF about six knots an hour,
| a speed which the bad trim of the Great Eastern,
and the bad weather we have had to struggle with,
has made il impossible for us to exceed, to any ma
| terial extent, at any time during the voyage
! twelve o'clock on Saturday. This was good
deal later than the time first fixed but although
it might have been desirable for some reasons TO
start very early In the day, and thus get as many
hours of daylight as possible TO show her the way
through the narrow part OF the Channel of Dover
and FolkstCne, it was more important to have a
rising tide while passing through the shadows at
the mouth of the Thames, so that on the event
of the ships bottom touching sand the tide
would float her off, Ever since the Great Eastern
has been devoted TO her present duty, very
strong interest has been shown in her welfare,
and, of course, when the moment for her depart
ure arrived, an attendant train OF yachts clus-
tered round her, sailing along her sides, with
their mastheads just peering over her buwarks,
tacking athwart her stem or stern, sometimes so
close as almost to brush the paying. out apparatus
with their psails. The morning was perfect in
every way-almost coudess, with just sufficient
wind to carry Off the smoke, but none that could
in the least perceptble degree affect the steering
of the ship. The trim TO which she had been
brought did not of course, promise any very bril-
liant performances at sea. She drew at starting
thirty-four feet t. inches aft and a trifie over
thirty feet forward. This was by several feet a
deeper draught than she was designed for, and
told very seriously against her speed. Moreover
she ought properly to be on an even keel If re-
quired to behave well. Many screw steamers re-
Quire deep draught asern, but this Is not the
case with the Great Eastern. The evil will, how
ever be remedied when the actual work of the
voyage commences, by paying out the cable In
the after tank first
large party had accumulated on board the
Great Eastern during the two days previous to
her departure. Although the Telegraph Con-
structOn and Maintenance Company have deter
mined on a rigorous system of exclusion so far as
the voyage from Valentia to Newfoundland is
concerned, invitations were issued literally
enough for the trip round to the west of Irelanc.
Most of the guests were friends of the directors
whom it is not necessary to name; but, as many
gentlemen on board are well known In the
scientific world their presence may be mention
ed. Mr.. Fairbairn Mr.. Brassey, Mr.. Clean and
Mr.. GOoch were among the visitors. Mr.. Cyrus
w. Field was, of course, on board but he goes the
whole way, as also Professor Thompson, regular
ly engaged to give his valuable scientific services
to the enterprise. NJ Despeches French gen
tleman connected with the ocean telegraphy, was
also among the passeDge :. Captain Morlarity,
the chief sailing master of the navy, had been
lent by the Government to assist in the naviga-
tion of the vessel, and TO superntend the adjust
ment OF the compass before starting. This last
named operation was one of great difficulty be-
cause ship like the Great Eastern could not be
regularly swung, IL was necessary TO let her
swing herself and to observe the magnetic devl
atiols by means Of sZimuth observations as she
went round. owing perhaps, TO the presence on
board of the Atlantic cable the variations of tile
been carefully corrected By the insertion of mag.
nets in the compass boxes.
As soon as the anchor was up, the Porcupine-
q Government surveying vessel, the services Of
which have been frequently placed at the disposal
of the Atlantic telegraph before-steamed slowly
ahead, and the huge engines OF the Great Eastern
began to Ievolve. They did not carry her on
very rapidly at first and the swift POrcupine had
to check her speed constantly in order to allow
her unwieldy consort TO follow. For the first few
miles of the journey we cannot have gone ahead
more than five knots an hour. The paddle en-
gines made about five revolutions minute, the
screw engines twenty-five The screw did most
of the work | believe, for the deep trim of the
ship was highly uniayorable 10 the action of
the paddles. The screw engines are, indeed,
very much more powerful than their cOmpan.
ions. Ii is diffcult to believe this while looking
at the colossal proportions of the paddle engines,
compared 10 which the moving parts of the other
appear sUall but the effective power of an
engine does not depend on the amount of iron
in the crank shaft. No tugs were in attendance
on the ship at her departure, although when
she left the Medway to take up her berth al the
More, no fewer than seven hovered round her to
render service if they were required. On that oc.
casiOn however, it was found that the ship was
handled easily, and that she could safely be trust
ed TO steer herself. The alterations which have
been made at the stern OF the vessel to accOmmo-
date the machinery for pa ling out the cable had
necessitatsd complete change in the arrange
meht of the steering appaI atus, but this change
had not been followed by any injurious results
At present the wheels are below the upper deck
and the chains pass upward through guide pul.
leys. There are four wheels on the steering shaft
and eight men are required to work them even in
a calm. in heavy weather it is necessary to put
on 4 greater number The dial of q signaling
apparatus, directed by means of a small wheel on
the bridge, is fixed in view OF the helmsmen and
in obedience to its direction the ship is steered
The Porcupine led on out through a channel
very rarely used nearer the Essex shore than that
along which ships proceeding from the Thames
round the North Foreland habitually pass. This
was a roundabout way bat the channel was
broader and deeper than the other, and better
adapted to vessel of the Great Essterns draught.
Ii forced US TO take very long sweep round the
coast and il was past six o'clock before we got
into the Downs. Tne excitement Of the day was
calsed by the enthusiasm of numberless small
yachts. row boats and steamers with excursion.
ists which pushed off from the coast to see Us 60
by. The Duke of Sutherlands yacht, good
sized paddle steamer, accompanied US for few
miles and owing to the deliberatiOn of our move
ments. the sailing yachts also found it easy 10
keep up with US as long as they were disposed 10
do 30. A Margats boat going up 20 London al
tered her course as 70 run past us close along
side, and a scre steam yacht, which passed Us
near the ForelAnd, lay TO, and gave us two guns
by way of salute. Later in the evening OIL Deal
the water was crowded with small boats, and, so
long as the light lasted, one prolonged chorus oil
yociferous good wishes was bawled into our ears.
The Porcupine, by the way, expressed herselt
very gracefully when she left us 10 Our own de-
E.ls and ~