218 MISCARRIAGE OF A SECOND LAYING. 



that was necessary for laying it without strain on the 

 not quite level sea -bottom. My brother had become 

 bolder through the luckily surmounted dangers and 

 wanted once more to attempt the laying without more 

 ado with the present contrivances. I opposed this, 

 however, since I had lost all confidence in the drum, 

 and the ship freighted with it. Finally we came to the 

 determination to coil the cable over, and carry out the 

 laying in the usual way with cone and dynamometer. 

 When the troublesome and tedious coiling of the 

 cable was finished and the fatal drum laid aside, we 

 proceeded to our second attempt. The weather was 

 again splendid, and the laying went forward without 

 any difficulty. The depth of the sea however proved 

 to be greater than was given in the French charts, 

 and we w r ere obliged to load the dynamometer to a 

 hazardous degree, in order not to pay out too much 

 cable. I controlled the expenditure of cable by my 

 electric log. which hitherto had always done good 

 service. Thus things went without disturbance, until 

 we had already clearly in sight the high coast near 

 Cartagena. Suddenly my log refused to act - - as it 

 subsequently appeared because its screw had got 

 entangled in sea-weed. As my last reckoning had 

 shown that we had cable to spare, and should arrive 

 in Cartagena with a surplus. I went to my brother 

 and requested him to unload the dynamometer some- 

 what, in order to be secured against the fracture 

 of the cable. He was greatly delighted, and was 

 about to show me first how beautifully and equably 



