CHRISTENING THE " LEVIATHIAN." 131 



around its outer edge passed a band of iron, to work in the manner of a friction -clutch, 

 or break. This, with the aid of strong iron levers twenty feet long-, brought such a pressure 

 to bear upon the discs of the drum as to entirely stop them in case of the chain being 

 paid out too fast. Everything being thus prepared that human ingenuity could devise 

 (as was supposed), the launch was fixed for the 3rd of November, 1857. On that day, 

 although the sight-seeing public did not congregate in large numbers, and the scaffolding 

 erected on many points was untenanted, yet there was a swarm of well-laden craft of all 

 kinds on the river, and crowds on both its banks and around the yard. The engineers and 

 men of science mustered strongly, not only from all parts of England, but from Germany, 

 France, America, and Russia. The Comte de Paris, the Duke d'Aumale, the Siamese Am- 

 bassadors, and some of the Lords of the Admiralty, were the most conspicuous persons present. 

 At half-past one Miss Hope, the daughter of the chairman of the company, 

 appeared, and dashing a bottle of wine on the bows, bade the Leviathan, as she 

 was originally called, " God speed ! " amid the cheers of those assembled. In a 

 few moments afterwards the word was passed to commence the launch. At the 

 signals the lighters slowly but steadily commenced to haul taut their tackle from the 

 river. This strain appeared to have no effect on the vessel. It remained stationary 

 for about ten minutes, when the peculiar hissing noise of the hydraulic rarns at work to 

 push her off was heard. It should have been mentioned that each of the drums was 

 constructed so as to be turned by ordinary windlasses, in order to wind up the slack chain 

 between the drums and the cradles ; otherwise, if any slack were left when the hydraulic 

 rams started the vessel, it would run it rapidly out, and dreadful consequences might ensue. 

 When the "rams" began to work, the order was distinctly given to "wind up" the 

 slack between the drum and the cradle. This was done at the forward drum; but, 

 unfortunately, at the stern of the vessel the men did precisely the reverse, and uncoiled 

 more slack chain. Suddenly there was a cry " She moves ! She moves ! " The fore part 

 of the vessel slipped, and the stern rushed down some three or four feet in the space of 

 a couple of seconds, in consequence of the slack chain from the after drum offering not 

 the least check. In an instant the strain came upon the drum, which was dragged round, 

 and, of course, as that was connected with the windlass by multiplying wheels, the latter 

 turned round some ten or fifteen times for every foot the drum moved. The men at the 

 windlass madly tried to hold it, but the heavy iron handle flew round like lightning, 

 striking them, and hurling five or six high into the air as if they had been blown up by 

 some powerful explosion. A panic seemed to spread as this disastrous accident took place, 

 and the men stationed at the tackle and fall of the lever next the windlass rushed away. 

 Fortunately for the lives of hundreds of the spectators, the men at the lever at the other 

 side of the drum stood firm, and, hauling on their tackle, drew their lever up, and 

 applied the break on the drum with such terrific force that the ship instantly stopped, 

 though she seemed to quiver under the sudden shock as if she had received a violent 

 blow. The injured men were then carried off to a neighbouring house, where one of 

 them shortly died. When the wreck of the accident had been cleared away, it was 

 determined to make another effort to launch the vessel, but without effect ; for all pressure 

 that the "rams" could apply was found insufficient to move her. After straining for 



