Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-07-26
THE AFbANFIG CABLE.
Laying the shore End at VaIentia-
Trying Trip of the Great Eastern
The Work SO Far We'll Done

the shore End at Vaientia-
Trying Trip of the Great Eastern
The work SO Far We'll Done
The telegraph has already announced
hat the shore end of the Atlantic cable
1ad been laid, and that the Great Eastern
had proceeded on her voyage, having paid
Dut, at last accounts, l35 miles. HE
CT the main cable TO the shore
end was 20 take place on Wednesday, tho
1Iib inst. The Great Eastern met with
strong gales and high seas on her way TO
B~eerhaven with the cable on board, well
calculated to test her trim and sea going
qualities. At one time the wind was so
fierce and 50 full ahead as to take a knot
and 3 half an hour of her speed, and
bring her down from nearly seven to little
more than five knots. The heavy swell
and wild chopping seas, too, in the IRISH
channel told not only on her speed, but
even on her s~teadiness, and, though her
rolling was trihing, she plunged her bows
into the heavy seas with q depth and Ire
ouency which she has never done since the
memorable night when she was so nearly
lost in the gale on HolyheSd. Beyond
these disagreeables there is nothing much
of incidental interest TO record. The
Great Eastern anchored At Beerhaven on
the 9Th Of July. The condition OF the
vast submarine wire on board the Great
Eastern was tested night and day during
the trip by Mr.. Willoughby Smith, the
chief electrician. It's condition had stead
ilv improved since its immersion under
water in the tanks, and was considered to
be electrically perfect
LAYING THE SHORE END-INTEREsTING
DESCRIPTION
The London Posts Valentia correspon-
dent gives the &ollpving relative to the
LAYING of the shore end Before we reach
ed the anchoring ground n or two boat
came alongside, TO the crews Of which
Mr.. Gloss made known his desire to have
a number of boats. This news seemed tt
spread as if by magic, for in the course OF
two or three hours no fewer than forty
two boats had collected round the ship
and gradually took their places ct the
stern, where they formed 4 long lini
strstcbigg toYards the shore, and appear.
ing. when viewed ffahi the top OF the
cove like the tail of p great kite-if it Di
allowable to compare a ship engaged il
30 serious an undertaking 10 a s~choolboy':
plaything.
Preparations were speedily made, the
cable was got up and passed from the
hold into a short metal pipe, which ended
in q deep curved groove, whence it passed
round the drum of the paying-Out ma.
chine, and thence to the sheave at the
sierra, oyer which it descended to the wa
ter. A grass line WIS sent gssor2 from
the ship and stretched from the stern u
q rock at the base Of the clilf, close To the
spot where the cable wa 10 hg landed
To this line are the boats held on, passing
if along each from stem TO stern. After
SONS iirae tho wind rose a little from the
southwest, ana the bo4Is began 10 DAFT
towards the northern CHS, occupying {
p~osition which would have ssat tie cable
upon q very rocky bottom, and it Was fol
a moment q question whether the wori
should not be postponed; bat it was deci
ded, on E1e suggestion Of Captain Army
tage, of her Maiesty's ship lagoon, to at
tach the grass line 10 the other side OF tsi
cove, and this had the desired effect Of
keeping the boats more to the southwark
and IN lie proper line from ship to shore
This plan OF laying tAe shore end of
cable was first tried last year, ana was
suggestion Of Captain White, the office
Of the coast guard st this station. TIL
modo formerly employed was TO make
raft upon which TIE first part Of the cabl,
WAS paid out, and then the raft vas taWal
ashore but the present plan has beer
found much better. Before describing il
it is needful to state hat the present cabl,
has been somewhat differently oo~nstfu5te,
at the shore end from those previousll
laid. The thick portion of it, which is o
immense strength, and might be betterde
scriEea SIS iron bars than as wire, is abOu
thirty miles in length, and t9Pers graiu
ally at Inc seward end to meet the ocesI
cable TO which it is 10 lie spliced. At
point close to low water mark the yerl
thick part ends, and the remaining por
ton, which may be called the beach end
stretching from thence up the Cliff and in
to the telegraph house at top, is withou
the protection of the strong wire, and i
consequently much lighter and more fex
ible, being simply covered with compare
lively light galvanized wire. To show
the value of this apparently light i'm
provement, it may be said that it is NOR,
than probable that on the ebb tide of Sat
urday it would have been impossible {,
have got on shore a sufficient length o
the thick cable to have reached up tn.
cliff and into the telegraph house; but, b,
this new arrangement, the whole opera
ton was performed in about half the tim.
consumed on the corresponding works las
year.
This thin shore part was coiled up il
the ships boat, and being splieed to tn.
thick cable which had been passed owe.
the sheave, the operation of paying on
commenced at a quarter past one o'clock
as the cable was paid out the ships boa
moved on, and one of the hired boats tool
up her post behind her to receive the mex
part Of the cable, all the boats comm!
thus in turn close TO the ship, and follow
ing the first boat, which gradually neareC
the shore, hauling on the grass rope be
fore mentioned. The scene in the BAY
was very lively, and was most PICTURESQUE
when viewed from the north cliff, whence
many watched it with the greatest inter
est, walking over the beds of wild thyme
Notwithstanding the rain which descend
ed in thick, drizzling showers, with very
short intervals between, the mist also OBJ.
soaring the views ofthe distant wilds.
A guy rope was sent from the point Of
landing TO direct the boats near the shore
10 the north side ofthe cove, and at pre-.
cisely three o'clock the thick part of the
cable reached low water mark, and the
~ .z-4--- ,-a- h,,,11l ~ ~l.-. W.
was given to let go, every boat dropped
it over the side, and the first part of the
cable was laid. All hands on shore then
set to-the ladies pressing forward to as
sist by Selling the end-and hauled the
beach end up the cliff along the trench
which had been dug for it. and where
might be seen the end of the cable of
1865 and the earth line which was also
laid at that time. Everything was so
speedily and successfully accomplished that
at twenty minutes past three, signals
were passed from the telegraph house TO
the ship, and the electricians reported dali
right, insulation and continuity perfect"
The William Cory then prepared to leave,
and by five O'Clock, having received her
orders through the cable, was steaming
out and laying it most satisfactorily.
At half-past seven she sent word that
the slack did not exceed four per cent,
and at ten she had gone about fifteen
miles, and was rolling q good deal at ten
minutes to three this morning she had
laid the cable, to which she attached q
buoy, and at four was on her way TO
Berehaven TO Join the Crest Eastern, hav-
ing laid her thirty miles of cable in ten
hours-the whole work of layingt the shore
end having thus been accomplished in
twelve hours, less ten minutes, from the
first interchange Of signals.
Among those who watched the Drorress