Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

26 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. THE NEEDLE CASING DECKED AND READY FOR THE VOYAGE TO ENGLAND. large and hard stone had cut through the iron skin for- ward of the end bulkhead, “Cleopatra” and - as the breached. doors of the different compartments had been left open, the vessel had consequently filled with water. Three days were spent in endeavouring to pump the vessel dry. This proving impossible, a timber crib about nine feet square, filled with old rails and stones, was hauled forward against the cylinder, and, by means of a couple of hy- draulic jacks working on the top of the crib, the cylinder was once more rolled sea- tugs were moored in the bay to pull on the wire hawsers Wound five times round the cylinder at each end. Tho screvz-jacks were manned, and the ship moved slowly but surely, making in the course of the day two attempts to run off to sea, amidst the cheers of the onlookers, but stopping each time after the hawsers had unwound about a quarter of a turn, so that at sunset the cylinder had advanced into but three feet of water. On the morning of the second day the jacks were set to work again, and with the help of the tugs the cylinder took a fine roll into about seven feet of water, and then, to the disappointment of all, again came to a standstill. The tugs were backed again and again to get a good pull, until the towing tackle, one of the more powerful wire hawsers excepted, had given way. It was then discovered that the cylinder was full of water. At first it was thought that the manhole covers, pointing downwards, had been torn off by the jerks on the hawsers. An examination showed, however, that a wards. As soon as the bottom plates came to the surface a patch, was riveted over the hole made by the stone, and the vessel emptied and towed by th© tugs into dock at Alex- andria. There a cabin-house and rail were now fixed on top of the cylindrical body ; two bilge keels, 40 feet long, riveted one on either side ; a mast and rudder placed in position; and twenty tons v°ya&e r commences, of iron ballast put mto the vessel. The Cleopatra, manned by a crew of five Maltese under an English captain, set sail on September 21, 1877, from Alexandria in tow of the steamer Olga. It was decided to travel at not more than five or six knots. For the first twenty days all went prosper- ously and uneventfully, but on the morning of Sunday, October 14, by which time the craft had reached the Bay of Biscay, a squall arose, and towards noon developed into a gale. The Cleopatra stood the gale well, how- ever, not shipping enough water to do her any serious harm—until about six o’clock in