504 
Proceedings of the Boyal Society 
by three ships. The catenaries concerned in these operations were 
illustrated by a chain with 15 per cent, of slack hauled up simul- 
taneously at three points. 
The plan which seemed to the speaker surest and simplest is to 
cut the cable at any chosen point, far enough eastward of the pre- 
sent broken end to be clear of entanglement of lost buoy-rope, 
grapnels, and the loose end of the electric cable itself; and then, or 
as soon as possible after, to grapple and lift at a point about three 
miles farther eastward. This could be well and safely done by two 
ships, one of them with a cutting grapnel, and the other (the Great 
Eastern herself) with a holding grapnel. The latter, on hooking, 
should haul up cautiously, never going beyond a safe strain, as shown 
by the dynamometer. The other, when assured that the Great Eastern 
has the cable, should haul up, at first cautiously, but ultimately, 
when the cable is got well off the bottom by the Great Eastern, the 
western ship should move slowly eastwards, and haul up with force 
enough to cut or break the cable. This leaves three miles of free 
cable on the western side of the Great Eastern’s grapnel, which will 
yield freely eastwards (even if partly lying along the bottom at 
first), and allow the Great Eastern to haul up and work slowly 
eastwards, so as to keep its grappling rope, and therefore ulti- 
mately the portions of electric cable hanging down on the two 
sides of its grapnel, as nearly vertical as is necessary to make sure 
work of getting the cable on board. This plan was illustrated by 
lifting, by aid of two grapnels, a very fragile chain (a common brass 
chain in short lengths, joined by links of fine cotton thread) from 
the floor of the Eoyal Society. It was also pointed out that it can 
be executed by one ship alone, with only a little delay, but with 
scarcely any risk of failure. Thus, by first hooking the cable by 
a holding grapnel, and hauling it up 200 or 300 fathoms from 
the bottom, it may be left there hanging by the grapnel-rope on 
a buoy, while the ship proceeds three miles westwards, cuts the 
cable there, and returns to the buoy. Then, it is an easy matter, in 
any moderate weather, to haul up safely and get the cable on board. 
The use of the dynamometer in dredging was explained ; and the 
forces operating on the ship, the conditions of weather, and the 
means of keeping the ship in proper position during the process of 
slowly hauling in a cable, even if it were of strength quite insuffi- 
