, 1865-08-04

mile. So far as regards the cable.
AS concerns the Great Eastern herself,
Captain Anderson and his officers have
taken every possible precaution as to her
stowage and general equipment. From
outside she seems at the first glance 10
be almost alarmIngly deep in the water.
1t is, however, less her actual depth which
creates this unpleasant impression than
the appearance which she presents OF
~"sagging' amIdshipS. OF course, this
awkward and most unpleasant appearance
is merely an optical deiusion, no doubt
created by her deep trim astern. There
is a difference of nearly five feet between
her trim fore and aft. .Astern she draws
IS feet Of water, while under The bows it
is only 80. Levels have been carefully
taken to ascertain if any detection was
p%ercepuble under the pouderous weight
She bears. No sign of change, however,
has been observable. Before any of the
cable was coiled on board 1,40O tons Of
water were pumped into the aiterm,st
compartments of.the ship, and LOO tons
into the compartments most forward.
Under these weights at her eXtremlties
the Great Eastern drfected nearly an
inch and a-haIf, recovering herself direct
" the water was pumped out. Tnis
proof of strength Is, of curse, very salts
factory. 1t would have been more SO,
however, if the test strains emplOVed
bore a closer relation TO the enormous
weights which she has now on hoard.
All told, the Great Eastern will leave the
Thames with rather more than %, 900
tons in her, a burden almost as great IS
the whole fleet with which Nelson fought
the battle of Trafalgar could have car
ried. All the weights are slowed as high
as possible to counteract to the utmost
the Great Eastern's most unpleasant ten
dency to roll. 1t is popularity supposed
that this ship is almost immovabIe in any
sea. Against a head wind she is certain
Iy very steady, though she can pitch as
well as other vessels, and has, in the At
I%antic, aye, and even in the Channel,
taken in heavy seas over her bows. Never
theIcsS, in a beam sea she is particularly
"IiyeIy," and rolls just in proportion 10
her slZe-that is to say, she rolls very
much indeed. Her motion is easy, slow,
and deep, occupying about Is seconds.
To make her do this, however, a beam
sea, of Is seconds interval between the
wave is necessary, and such a sea is rare
even in the Atlantic. OF course, all her
system Of stowage proceeds OH The theory
that high-placed weights will prevent her
rolling. The Agamemnou was slowed
after the same fashion on the occasion of
the last Atlantic expedition, and our
readers will probably recoIlect that on
that occasion the great lIne-of-batlle ship
rolled as if she was never coming up again.
All the compasses now on board were at
first considerably affected by the magnetic
Influence of the cable. Some deviated sB
much as 80 points, while others, strange
10 say, though almost similarly situated
with regard to the tanks of wire, varied
as little as six. Every one of them has
now been carefully adJ ustcd, aud every
one will again need read juSlment when
the cable is out of the Great Eastern at
Newfoundland. All the r~unning-gear
has been removed from the rigging, so as
to obviate the possibility of anything
falling from aloft into the paying-out ma
chinery. Some of the yards have been
lowered, and scarcely a spar has sails.
The village of huts and workshops has