Year: 1865

Breaking of the Cable.


The following is the most interesting
/ part of w. H. Russeils description Of


the Atlantic Telegraph cable:


| GREAT EASTERN, Aug. .
/ A sad, memorable day in the annals
of the Atlantic Telegraph Lunch was
over Some had left the table. others


were about leaving The scientific gen
tie men had very much cheered US by
their stating that they believed that the
fault was only six miles away. and so ere
dead night falls we might hope to have
the fault on board, make a new splice
! and proceed on our way to Hearts Con


tent, geographically about six hundred
miles away. Suddenly Mr.. Canning ap-
peared in the saloon, and in a manner
which told all, said, Its all over
1t is gone and then hastened onward to
his cabin. Ere the thrill of surprise and
pain oecasioned Ity these words had
passed away, Mr.. Field came from the
companion into the saloon, and said,
with composure admirable under the
circumstances, though his lips quivered
and his cheek was blanched The ca
bic has parted and gone overheard -
All were on deck in a moment, and there
indeed a glance revealed the truth.


HOW IT OCCURRED.


will endeavor now to explain to you
how the fatal accident occurred. I say
fatal. for although as l write we are drift
ing down upon the spot in the hope of
getting hold of the cable with grapnels,
l scarcely venture to hope the attempt
will be crowned with success. Let the
reader turn his face toward a window,
imagining that he is standing on the
bows of the Great Eastern, and then Of
course on his right will be the starboard
and on his left the port side of the ship.
When the cable was hauled around on the
left hand side and passed over the four
wheels, it was carried over drum which
we must suppose to be behind the spec
tators. and coiled up as fast as it was de
livered from the picking up apparatus
but when the engines failed to work this
apparatus, of course the cable remained
motionless and as the ship drifted
by the wind from right to left and slight
ly forward. at last the cable came close
up to the bow and under the forefoot of
the ship. There are. at the bows of the
Great Eastern, two large hawser holes,
the iron rims of which project for more
than foot beyond the line of the stem
A gainst one OF them the cable caught on
the left hand side, while the ship kept
moving to the left, and thus chafed and
strained the cable greatly against the
bow. The Great Eastern could not 90
astern lest the cable shoud be snapped
and without motion some way there is
no power of steerage. At this critical
moment, too, the wind shifted to render
it more difficult to keep the head OF the
ship to the cable, which then chafed so
much that in two places damage was
done to it A shackIe chain and wire
rope belonging to one of the cable buoys
were passed over tue cable and secured
it tight below the hawser holes These
were hauled so as to bring the able to the
right side of the boat, the ship still drift
ing to the left 1t was necessary to do
this instead of veering away, as we were
near the end of the cut of the cable in
the boat. There is a large iron wheel
with q deep groove. and the circumfer-
ence technically '.AV' wheel from the
groove. by the side Of which IS a .'Remi-
tar" or smaller wheel on the same .'axis''
The cable and the wire rope were coming
in over the bows and the groove In the
larger wheel, the cable wound upon a
drur, behind by machinery which was
once more in motion. and the wire ropes
H..
bars, Int the rope and cable were not
coming up in right line but were being
hauled in with great strain on them at
an angle from the right hand side, so that
they did not work directly in the ..V'' in
the wheel Sill the strain WIS shown
on the indicator TO be very high. but not
near breaking strain. At last mp came
the cable and wire rope shackling to-
gether on the " wheel in the boat
They were wound round it slowly. wire
passing over these wheels. together. the
first damaged part being on board. when
a jar was given to the dynamometer.
which tiewu from sixty hundred weight,
the highest point marked. with a sudden
jerk, three and half inches In the
chain shackle and wire rope chamber. as
it were. up out of the groove on the right
hand side of the ~ OF the wheel, got on
the top of the rim of the ~ wheel.
and rushed down with crash on the small
wheel, giving. no doubt, severe shake
to the cable. to which it was attached
The machinery was still in motion. and
the ropes travelled aft together, one to-
ward the capstan and the other toward
the drum, where, just as the cable reach.
ed the dynamometer. it parted, and with