The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-02-18
TRYING TO FLOAT 4 BIG sHIP.
The Coast Wrecklng company's Do
ings at seabriqht.

Inc Coast Wreeking Company'S Do
ings at seabright.
Moving the stranded L,Arnerianc. 4rhe
Enormous Gables ana Tremendous
Power Empieysd-when the ship
naay be in Port.
The great steamship pAmerique, to
MI appearances, lies as high and dry at
Seabright is when, on the morning OF
the 7th OF January, she went ashore.
Yet she has been moved two hundred
and ninety feet, and to-day, as on the
first day OF her misfortune. men and
women, and even children, walk out to
her, 40 she lies at the shores edge, and
stern L. seventy.tlve feet further out
from shore by reason OF this backward
and slightly outward progress OF
nearly 800 feet. there Is no more
water between her port side
and the sand than the same narrow
ditch that at low tide existed ut first.
| This IL because the waves that strike
the shore ct either end OF the mammoth
vessel push quantities OF sand before
| them, and as Che hull OF 500 feet length
protects this constant growth OF the
been built point or little cape that
reaches TO the vessels side, shifting. Us
that la moved, far out beyond the line
OF coast on either side. Mono OF the
wrecking eompany's apparatus for NOV
| ing the ship Id visible from shore. The
ascent to the deck OF the vessel 10 made
| In u boatswain's chair--a board hung
from pulley, running along tho rope
that reaches from the vessels deck TO
the beach. Timid men clutch the chair
with desperate grip, and are hauled
/ ~ tsnt
alive, but those OF steadier nerves who
perform tho feat enjoy Its novelty.
Once on deck, the greatness OF the
wreelsers' undertaking IL appreciated.
| Over the entire deck ARE massive
chains. ropes 40 big Us q mans head,
aud blocks and falls that seem big and
strong enough to move the whole Trans
Iatlantique Company's fleet. This net.
| work OF chains and cables a1d blocks and
| falls resolves itself into five immense
hawsers that lead from the stern and
starboard quarter OF L'Amerique Tar
out Into the sea, at the bottom OF which
they are anchored and held In yet firm
or place by other equally large eables,
also anchored, which cannot be seen at
all. The frat OF these great hawsers
leads from the great steam windlass
| In the forward part OF the ship, It Is "
| 15.inch rope, 900 fathoms ia length.
and Its anchor Ia made doubly secure
by d chain OF 2a-inch wire, 10 fathoms
long, held by al anchor weighing 1900
pounds. The second ha'#seris 200 faith
oms long, and Is worked by the forward
donkey engine. The chain attached to
anchor OF 44o0 pounds. The third
hawser or cable. leading over
the starboard quarter, Is worked
by an after donkey engine, and Is 200
| fathoms in length and Is inches Ia cir
cumference. Bent on above the
4aO0-pound anchor that secures this
| cable Is another cable, equally large
and nearly as long, secured by m an
Choir weighing two tons. The fourth
and fifth cables lead direct from the
stern Of the steamer, and are each 100
fathoms In length. Each is strength.
ened by duplicate or itself, and held
by anchors weighing more than 1000
pounds. The two hawsers leading from
the vessels stern ore to pull her straight
backward out OF the mud she lies In,
and tho three great cables that are run
/ out from the starboard quarter are TO
ease her gently outward toward the
sen Us she IL dragged along. At first
/ the cables were all run out from her
starboard side and anchored, so that
they pulled more from tho side than
from the stern, but the high walls OF the
mud bed In which she has settled were
Iinsurmountable. With the present or.
rangement the waves that whirl past
her stern keep eating out the sand
ahead and open q roadway as she
moves. The method OF working the
great cables has been described In do
tall. All the cables are frightened until
they are stiff and straight. They are
so flexible and elastic that, with a
steady, even strain upon the vessel,
they gradually slacken lower and
lower. easing the ship along until
they sway with their own weight.
Captain Merritt, who Is in charge OF
the vessel for the wreckers, believes
further, before she will feat, but 1t will
need water such as Is only obtainable
in a southeasterly gale. Then, by
! taking advantage Of every swell that
brings the water around her, she can be
hurried along to water OF O sufficient
fixed depth to float her. But there have
been no southeasterly gales since the
4 L'Amerique went ashore, although they
are usually frequent at this season Of
the year. During eighteen days past
the sea has been as smooth as o mill.
pond, although the sailors and fisher
men OF the coast declare no calm
OF such duration has been known
lin twenty years. The sightseers
are watched from the ship by
nearly two hundred imprisoned souls
anxious for change, most Of them
ANXIOUS for any sort OF change. The
sputtering, quarrelsome French sailors
do nothing but jabber and eat, and long
te get away. The agents OF the Custom.
House and the company eat and drink
and smoke and possess the same long.
ing, Capt. Puzolz seldom leaves the
ships side, never loses sight Of her. he
PAGES the decks and prays that the YES
sci may be saved. Pilot Viewer, usually
good-natured, blasts his starry toplights
and shivers his timbers whenever pilot
boat heaves in sight. Capt. Merritt alone
is cheerful, for he confident that, how
ever long success Is deferred, it will