The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-03
CABLE WORKS
 LIKE A CHAR M
Continued from First Page)


 beat necessary in the picking up the buoy could have survived and no thought was given to make the attempt at this time. Another marked buoy was put down some distance away and the Silver town returned to 99 harbor and anchored off shore. It was agreed between Captain Martin and Chief Cable Engineer Benest that no further work would be attempted until the wind agated and the seas calmed. From Tuesday until Thursday nothing was done. On the first day of the new year scarcely a breeze stirred the waters of the harbors, and advice | came to the ship from Diamond Head l light house that the channel was quite l calm with only a moderate swell running. A few minutes after 4 o'clock in the morning the Silvertown heaved anchor and made start down the bay.
 | At daylight she arrived off koko head where the shore end had been buoyed since Monday.
 | With little difficulty t-le line from the | bottom was placed upon deck and passed over the stern sheaves and a start was made for the outer buoy. The cable was paid out at the rate of seven knots m hour. Shortly after 1 o'clock In the af- ternoon the Silvertown reached the end where the San Francisco end was buoy ed. The sea was not rough but the swell rolled the vessel considerably. great care was taken in handling her while taking up the buoy. It was finally accomplish ed at 3:H o'clock The connection with the testing room was quickly made and San Francisco responded promptly to the call. Congratulations and compliments of the season passed between the ship and San Francisco.
 Joy on Board silvertown. Connection was made at 4:40 between at- q ,1,.1.. A1.A x4.x There was joy on board the Slvertown when the extraordinary strain which had rested upon the entire staff for nineteen days came to an end. Four hours were spent in testing and allowing the recent ly-1aid line to acquire the temperature of the ocean depths. At $40 D. m., Honolulu time, came the first call from San Fran cisco.
 The voyage of the Sllvertown was event. full and at times unpleasantly exciting. Twelve hours out from San Francisco the cable ship was beset by bad weather, which continued, with the exception of one day, to the end of the voyage. Vari- able winds that at times approached the velocity of gales and heavy seas that buff feted her about retarded the progress as well as endangered the safety of the ca ble; in fact, every adverse condition that is usually encountered in the laying of cable was met with and at times made the task hazardous. When the Silvertown steamed away from San Francisco at 12:30 on Monday morning, December 15, the weather was fine. At noon of the same day the vessel ran into a squall of wind and rain that came out of the west. The velocity of the wind increased and during the afternoon great green seas boarded the starboard bow and swept along the deck and escaped into the sea through the port scuppers. Toward even ing ropes were strapped about the deck and everything was made fast. The rain ceased but the storm continued with un- abated force throughout the night. A de- l viation from the course was obviously out of the question because such action would not have lessened the strain upon the cable on account of the danger of get | ting into the depths. To cut and buoy the cable would have been equally dangerous. | The Slvertown's bow was kept to the southwest Tuesday, December 16 but there was no improvement In the weather. Heavy Sea Sweeps Deck. | One particularly heavy sea boarded the starboard bow and swept the deck fore to aft, doing considerable damage and in- turing portions of the vessel. One of the cooks was badly scalded by a cauldron of spilled soup. The saloon steward was hurled against door and severely bruised and injured.
 Under ordinary conditions the line is paid out per cent faster than the speed of the vessel. This was increased during the storm to 10 per cent, and even with this concession the strain was terrific. As the ship lifted and 1urched the great drum around which the strand was pass ing would almost cease to revolve, again only to resume with a rush the next, minute, threatening the lives of the men in the tanks.
 The wind abated at noon on Tuesday, but the seas continued with heavy swell