The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-08-18
Diary OF CYrna W. T.ielI.

ing is Mr.. Cyrus W. Fields diary:
steamship Great Eastern, Atlantic
SOCean, North lat. 81 deg. % min, long.
~ Deg, O'clock Friday evening, Aug.
II, lS65.-The steamship Great Eastern
salIed from the shore of Sheerness Sat
nrday, July 10, ut 1890 o'clock, and at
halt past o'clock on Monday after
noon, 18th, she Overhauled the Caroline
that left London on the 9th inst. with
the shore end on board. She had been
detained by bad weather. We took her
IN TOW and arrived off Valentia at 6:45
A. NJ. of Wednesday. AS the weather
was unfayorable the Caroline went into
NaIentia harbOr and the Great Eastern
70 Beck Haven, Bantry Bay, followed
the next day by Her Majesty's steam
ers Terrible and Sphynx.
Iwenty-nine miles of the heavy shore
enu We're successfully laid from the
Caroline, tOwed by the Hawk, on Sat
urday, the 22d, at a quarter past 5
O'Clock. The next afternoon the splice
between the main cable and the shore
END was completed and the Great East
efh, the Terrible, and the SphynS.
steamed sI towards New FOundland, and
lentia.
All went on in the most satisfactory
manner until 2:2O A. NJ. on Monday.
the Z4th, when partial loss of insula-
tlon suddenly showed itself. Shortly
9Iter TINS the speed of the ship was re-
duced and the cable paid out more slow
~, while tests were applied to locate
the fault, which was found to be in the
water some distance from the Great
Eastern. e'''
At $50 A. NJ. the cable was transfer
req TO the picking-up apparatus Mt the
DOW, ana we began to haul i'll the cable
MS ms operation was frequently sus-
pehued by want of steam in the boiler
att4cned to the Piclling-up apparatus,
ana during the day portable boiler
was constructed.
AT i've minutes past O'Clock the
next morning the fault was brought on
2oaru ana found to have been caused
by u piece of wire, similar to that used
III the manufacture of the cable, about
TWO inches long having been forced be-
Tween the water wires and through the
gutta perchn into the copper wire. Ten
ana onG-quarter miles of the cable were
recovered, the fault cut out, and over
The cable was re-transferrcd to tbo|
paylng-out mMchinc at the stern, and MT
$50 a. NJ. Wednesday, 18th, an wns
again Ill perfect order, and the fleet was
on ITS way to America, having been de-
tanned thirty-seVcn hours and inv
minutes.
At noon on Wednesday. 2stb tn.
Great Eastern was one hundred and
seVenty-eight miles from Vnlcntin and
there had been paid out, including the
seventeen miles on the shore end, one
hundred and ninety-nine miles of Ca
DC; depth of water $50 flthoms; tests
On Thursday, 9th, the shin ran in
the last twenty-Tour hours i'll miles
ana paid out los miles of cable: denth
OF water 2, lGO; tests very good.
Friday, July 2S, the distance made
was 1857 miles; cable paid out I74 miles. |
depth of waterl $50 fathoms; tests verv
good.
Saturday; July %, the distance run
was 100 miles; cable paid out I7G miles:
good.
AT 1876 p. NJ. it was discovered that
there was Il serious fiIult i'll the cable
which entirely cut Off communication
WIN the shore. The ship was stopped
ana tho cable transferred to the pick
Ing-up apparatus, which commenced
hauling it i'll. AT 81 p, NJ, after nick
ing up two and II fourth miles of cable.
me fault came on board, and on exam
nation proved to have been caused by L
a snort piece of wire having been driven
entirely through the cable. Two and II
quarter miles of cable were recovered
from depth of 1900 fathoms. The on
peratlon of picking up from this great
uepth was frequently interrupted bV
want of steam. At night, it being dark
hnd Ioggy, the operation of splicing
ma transferring the cable to the paw
lhg-out machinery at the stern was
postponed until the next morning,
Tho Great Eastern was by the able
of Capt. Anderson, kent
mp all night to the cable, and SO pre-
vented any strain beyond the cables
own weight coming on it. At $40 the
splice had been successfully lowered,
ana the ship was again on its course. /
The detention by this fault was Is
hours and A minutes. On Sunday.
July 30, the distance made was 80
miles and 81 miles of cable was paid
out; depth of water, 1850 fathOns; tests
very good; Monday, July 81, distance
run l34 miles; cable paid out 15S miles:
water, 1,7T0 fathOms; tests vesy good.
Aug. LIST, distance made, 1855
miles; cable paid out, 40 miles; water
l ,7O9 fathoms; tests very good. We'd
nesdny, Aug. I'd, mt 5:2T a. M, on re-
the insulation tests, II was dis
covered that there was II partial loss of
insulation. The ship was soon atNer-
ward stopped and the cable transferred
to the picking up gear. This operation
of hauling in commenced by men, the
engine used for picking up had stopped
for want of water for u considerable
time. Two miles had been recovered.
and the cable was cut to see whether
the fault had been on board.
At about 1890 p. NJ. the cable caught
and chafed in the mouth of the horse
pipe, and was with considerable diff
Guilty removed, and ut 1895 it parted on
board, where it was injured, and in IL |
moment the end disappeared in the |
water. Distance gone in the last "a .
hours, ZIG miles; cable paid out, 1872 |
miles; recovered 2 miles; depth of wa
ter, 1850 fathoms; total distance from
Nalentia, 1908 miles; total distance to
Hearts Content, 600 miles; total cable |
payed out, 1912 miles; equal to IA per
cent. Steamed back toward Valentiu !
u miles and commenced dragging for
being evident from the strain that the
grapple had caught the cable. We be-
gan to haul it in, and mt 1850, when L.
$50 fathoms of graphing roTe had been
got OH board, II shackle broke near the
ship, and 400 fathoms of the rope sank
with the cable to the bottom of the At