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    798 THE LEADER, [No. 438, Atjgust 14, I8...

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    THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH, An interesting a...

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    The Cherbourg Fetes. The Events Attendin...

    « At eleven o ' clock in the morning , the Eniperor and Empress went to hear mass at the Church of the Trinity . Their Majesties were received at the entrance of the building by the Bishop of Coutances , surrounded by his clergy . -After mass , the Emperor and Empress , folio-wed by all the Imperial cortege , proceeded to the Place Napoleon , to inaugurate the equestrian statue of Xapoleon I ., which took place in the presence of an immense crowd . On the arrival of their Majesties , the sheet which covered the statue was removed , amidst the most enthusiastic cries of ' Vive l'Empereur ! ' Vive Napoleon I . ' ! Vive ITapoleVm III- V * while at the same moment salutes -were fired from all the vessels in the harbour and from the forts . The Emperor , observing round the statue

    a number of persona -wearing the St . Helena medal , invited them to approach to the foot of the platform . Each of them lad in his hand a wreath of immortelles or of laurel , and they advanced with , the loudest acclamations to the place assigned to them . As soon as . silence -was restored , the Mayor of Cherbourg ascended the steps of the platform and delivered the following address : — ' Sire , —Cherbourg is , of all the towns of France , that which is most indebted to the Empire . The history of its renovation is written at full length in . the special decree of the 6 th of June , 1811 , which your Majesty has authorised to be placed beneath the pedestal of this monument . It is also from the Imperial era that may be dated the vigorous impulse given to these prodigious

    • works , before-which the imagination remains confounded , and the importance of -which can only be characterised by these memorable yords , —" T have resolved to renew at Cherbourg the wonders of Egypt ; I have already raised my pyramid in the sea , and I ^ v ill also have my Lake Mceris . " Towards the limits of the horizon . rises majestically tliat pyramid , standing on its firm foundation in the midst of the waves , the fury of which expires at its feet- Like an advanced sentinel it closes and defends the magnificent roadstead , in which our navy will at all times find an ample shelter . Thanks to yon , Sire , our Lake Mceris now also exists . Only a few hours ago , in sight of your Majesty , the sea , amidst the-applause of the whole of France , broke into that , immense dock , hollowed out of masses of rock

    -which seemed , to defy all the efforts of human perseverance . Bui if it belonged to you , Sire , to complete the vast projects of the mighty founder of your dynasty , it belongs likewise to- the town of Cherbourg—and it is an honour which your Majesty will permit it to claim—to raise , as an imperishable testimony of its gratitude , a statue to the memory of its immortal benefactor . [ Henceforward , therefore , ive may here show with pride ia one place the venerated image of the hero , and in another the most gigantic - \ rork of ancient and modern times , carried on and terminated in the glorious reigns of Napoleon I . and Napoleon III . Confounding thus in one and the same idea both our reminiscences of the past and our impression of the wonders which we have just -witnessed , let us sum up oar sentiments in the national cry of Vive VEmpereur f

    " The Emperor made the folio-wing reply : — ' Gentlemen , —In thanking you oa my arrival at Cherbourg for your cordial address , I told you that it appeared to be my destiny to see accomplished in peace the great designs which the Emperor had conceived during war . In fact , not only have those gigantic works of -which he conceived the idea , been completed , but , in the moral order of things , the principles which he sought to enforce by means of arms now triumph through the simple effect of reason . Thus , one of the questions for which he struggled the most energetically—the freedom of the seas , which ratifies the rights of neutrals—is solved by common accord ; eo true is it that posterity always takes on itself to realise the ideas of a great man . But ,

    • while rendering justice to the Emperor , we must aot forget in these places the persevering efforts of the Governments which preceded and followed him . The first idea of the creation of the port of Cherbourg dates back , as you well know , to him who created all our military ports and all our fortified places—Louis XIV ., seconded by the genius of Vauban . Louis XVI . actively continued the works . The chief of my family gave them a decisive impulse ; and since that time every Government has looked on it as a duty to follow his example . I thank the town of Cherbourg for having erected a statue to the Emperor in the place for which he felt

    so much solicitude . You have wished to render homage to him who , in spite of continental wars , never lost sight of the importance of the navy . Nevertheless , when there is now inaugurated at the same time the atatue of the great captain and the completion of this military port , public opinion feels no alarm ; for the more powerful a nation is the more it ia respected , and the stronger a Government , the more moderation there is ia Its councils , and the more justice ia its resolutions . The repose of the country , consequently is not risked to satisfy a vain prido , or to achieve an ephemeral popularity . A Government which is founded on the will twill ot tlie

    of the masses ia nnt thn rIava nt n « wr •»„_« . . . ne masses is not the slave of any party it does not make war , except when compelled to do so in defence of national honour , or of the great interests of the people . Let us , therefore , continue to develop in peace the different resources of Franco ; let us Invite foreigners to come and inspect our works ; lot them come ao friends , and not aa rivals . Lot us show thorn that

    nation in which unity and " confidence prevail resists the passions of a day , and , being under self-command , only obeys the dictates of honour and of reason . ' " The speech was received with loud acclamations from the thousands of persons assembled . The Emperor then descended the steps of the platform and distributed decorations to some soldiers , sailors , custom-house officers , and civil functionaries , who were presented to him . After this ceremony , tlie troops , the crews of the fleet , and the marine infantry and artillery who had been stationed round the place filed off "before their

    Majesties amidst loud cries of * Vice . VEmtpereiir ! ' ' Vive VlmperatriceP ' Vive le Prince Imperial . T . Their Majesties returned at half-past . twelve to the Prefecture , and after a breakfast , to which the Emperor invited the chiefs of the army and navy and the principal civil functionaries , their Majesties proceeded to the dockyard stairs , and embarked in the Imperial barge to proceed on board the ISretagne . At two o ' clock , that vessel , with their Majesties and suites on board , got under weigh and left the harbour , under a salute from all the ships and forts . "

    798 The Leader, [No. 438, Atjgust 14, I8...

    798 THE LEADER , [ No . 438 , Atjgust 14 , I 8 RR ,

    The Atlantic Telegraph, An Interesting A...

    THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH , An interesting account of the expedition of the Agamemnon , one of the vessels engaged in laying down the Atlantic cable , has been given by the Daily News correspondent , who -writes : —• " The rendezvous was reached on the evening of Wednesday , the 28 th of July , just eleven days after our departure from Queeiistowm . The rest of the squadron were in sight at nightfall , but at such a considerable distance that it was past ten o ' clock on the morning of Thursday , the 29 th , before the Agamemnon joined them . We were , as usual , greeted by a ¦ perfect storm of questions as to what kept us so much behind our time , and learned that all had come to the conclusion that the ship

    must have got ashore on leaving Queenstown Harbour . The If iagara , it appeared , had arrived on the rendezvous on Friday night , the 23 rd ; the Valorous on Sunday the 25 th ; and the Gorgon on the afternoon of Tuesday , the -27 th .. The day \ ra . s beautifully calm , so no time , was to be lost before making ; the splice ; boats were soon lowered from the attendant ships , the two vessels were made fast by n , hawser , and the Niagara end of the cable conveyed on board the Agamemnon . Abo-ut halfpast twelve o ' clock , the splice was effectually made , but withl materials very indifferent . Instead of carefully rounded semicircular boards -which , had been used to enclose the junctions on previous occasions , it consisted merely of two straight boards nailed over the joining , with

    ¦ the iron rod and leaden plummet attached to the centre . In hoisting it out from the side of the ship , however ^ the leaden sinker broke short off , and fell overboard , and there being no more convenient weight at hand , a 321 b . shot was fastened to the splice instead , and the whole apparatus was quickly dropped into the sea without any formality , and , indeed , almost without a spectator , for those on board the ship had witnessed so raany beginnings to the telegraphic line , that it was evident they despaired of there ever being an end to it . The stipulated 200 fathoms of cable having been paid out to allow the splice to sink well below the surface , tlie signal to start was hoisted , the hawser cast loose , and the Niagara and Agamemnon started for the last time

    for their opposite destinations . For the first three hours the ships proceeded very slowly , paying out a great quantity of alack , but after the expiration of this time the speed of the Agamemnon was increa sed to about five knots per hour , tlie cable going at about six , without indicating more than a few hundred pounds of strain upon the dynanometer . Shortly after six o ' clock , a very large whale was seen approaching the starboard bow at a great speed , rolling and tossing the sea into foam all nround ; and for the first time we felt the possibility of the supposition that our second mysterious breakage of the cable might haro been caused , after all , by one of these animals getting foul of it under water . It appeared as if it were making direct for the cable , and great was the

    relief of all when the ponderous living mass was seen to slowly pass astern , just grazing the cable where it entered the water , but fortunately without doing any mischief . All seemed to go well up to about eight o ' clock ; the cable payed out from the hold with an evenness and regularity which showed how carefully and perfectly it had been coiled away ; and to guard against accidents which might arise , in consequence of the cnWo having suffered injur y during the storm , the indicated strain upon the < lynanon \ eter was never allowed to get beyond 1700 lbs ., or less th an one quarter what the cablo is estimated to bear . Thus far everything looked

    ¦ promising of success . But in such a hazardous worlc no oae knows what a few minutes mny bring forth , for soon after eight an injured portion of the cable was discovered about a mile or two from the portion paying : out . Not a moment was lost by Mr . Canning , the engineer on duty , in sotting men to work to cobblo up tho injury as veil as time would permit , for tho cable was going out at such a rate that the damaged portion would bo paid overboard in less than twenty minutes , and former experience had Bhown us that to check either the speed of the » hip or the . cable would bo in all probability be attended by tho most fatal results . Just boforo the lapping was finished , Professor Thompson reported that tho

    electrical continuity of the wire had ceased , lot that fiT insulation , was still perfect . Attention was nSSS directed to the injured piece as the probatle souTcf the stoppage , and not a moment was lost ineutHn « , «? cable at that joint , with tie intention of maSL perfect splice ; but , to the consternation of all n electrical tests applied showed the fault to be ovwbiJrf and in all probability some fifty miles from the 3 2 s ot a second was to be lost , for it was evident thafcti ?' cut portion must be paid overboard iu a few mumtT and in the mean time the tedious and difficult oi ) erat ; n » of making a splice had to be performed . The shin £ 2 immediately stopped , and no more cable payed outran was absolutely necessary to prevent it breaiine As tfc ! £ ? £ *^ *!* ™™& « ie ^ es « ie of Z

    _ >* most intense excitement followed . It seemed impossible even by using the greatest possible speed-and pavinc oS the least possible amount of cable , that tie function could be finished before the part was taken out of tZ hands of the workmen . Tkc main hold presented an extraordinary scene . Nearly all the officers of the shm and those connected -with the expedition stood in nouns about the coil , watching ( with that intense anxietv which is seldom seen except round foreign gaming .

    tables > the eallc as it slowly unwound itself nearer and nearer the joint , while the ' , workmen ,-directed by Mr Canning , under whose superintendence Die cable was originally manufactured , worked at the splice as only men could Work who felt tliat tlie life aud death of the expedition depended upon their rapidity . But all their speed was to no purpose , as the cable was unwinding within a hundred fathoms , and as a last and desperate resource the cablo was stopped altogether , and fora few

    minutes the ship hung on by the eud . Fortunately however , it was only for a few -minutes ,. as the strain was continually rising abo-vc two tons , and it could not hold on much longer , when the . splice was finished , the signal made to loose the stopper , and it passed overboard safely enough . When the excitement consequent upon having * so narrowly saved the calle had passed away , we woke to the consciousness that the case was still as hopeless as ever ; foe the electric continuity % vas still entirely wanting . Preparations were ¦ ¦ consequently mad ( 3 to pay but as little rope as possible , anil to hold on for six hours , iii hope that the fault ,.-whatever it might be , might mend itself before cutting the cable and returning to the rendezvous to make another . splice-.- Tlie

    magnetic needles on the receiving instruments were watched closely for the returning signals , when hi a few minutes the last hope was extinguished , by their suddenly . indicating ' dead earth , ' yvhieh tentlul to show that the cable had broken from the Niagara , or tliat the insulation had been completely destroyed . In three minutes ,, however , every one -was agreeably surprised by the intelligence tlat the stoppage had disappeared , arid that the signals had again appeared at regular intervals from the Niagara . It is needless-to say what s load of anxiety this news removed from the minds of e-very one , but the general confidence in the ultimate success of the operations was much shaken by the occurrence , for all felt that at any minute a similar accident might occur .

    ' * On Saturday , the 3 lst July , observations at noon . showed us to be in . latitude 30 deg . 23 nun . > ., and long . 26 deg . 44 min . AV ., having inailc good 120 miles of distance from the starting-point since noon of the previous day , with a losa of about 27 per cent , of cable . Th « Niagara , as far as could be judged from the amount of cable she payed out , which , by a previous arrangement , was signalled at every ton . miles , kept psicc with us ,, within one or two miles , the whole distance across . During tlie afternoon of Saturday the wind again freshened up , and before nightfall it again blow nearly a gale , ami a tremendous sea run before it from the south-west , which made the Agamemnon pitch to such an extent that it was thought impossible that the cablo cotild hold on through the night . Indeed , had it not been , for the coastant euro and walchfuluess

    exorcised by Mr . Bright , and the two energetic engineers , Mr . Canning and Mr . ' CliiVord , who acted with him , it could not have been iloiio at all . Men were kept at the wheels of the machine to prevent them from stopping , ns the stern of tlie ship roso and fell with the sea , for , had thoy done so , the cable must undoubtedly have parted . During Sunday the sea ana wind increased , and before tho evening it blew a smart gale . Now , indeed , were the energy and activity of all engaged in the oporations taxed to tho utmost . Mr Hoar and Mr . Mooro , tho two engineers who had charge of tho rulcusing wheels of tho dynamometer , had t 0 keep wntcli , and watch alternately overy four hours , and while on duty not darinir to let their attention be removed

    from their occupation for ono moment , for on their releasing tlie breaks every time tlio sUrn of tho ship »« 11 into tho trough of tho sea entirely depended tho safety of tho cablo , and tho result shows how ubly they have discharged their duty . Throughout the night thero were few who had the- lcust expectation of the cablo holding on till morning , and many remained awnko listening ; for tho sound that all most dreaded to hew , viz . tho gun which should announce the failure of » our hopes ; but still tho cablo—wliich in comparison with tho ship from wliich it was paying oat , and tuo gigantic waves among ; which >* whs dolivoiutl , was but a inoro thread—continued to hold on , only leaving a » Uvory phosphoric line upon the atujpoudouB seas aa tu « y

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 14, 1858, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_14081858/page/6/