Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume III

374 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. On arriving within sight of the distant buoyed end, the ship is gradually slowed down and stopped as near to the buoy as possible, the cable being allowed to run out till it hangs almost vertically from the stern. Meanwhile a stout line has been passed from the picking-up drum round the ship’s side to the stern. When it has been securely “ stop- pered,” the cable is next cut abaft the pay- ing-out drum, and after being made fast to the line is led round to the bows by the picking-up gear. The shoreward end is then detached from its buoy and picked up on one of the other bow sheaves, the buoy being taken inboard at the same time. The shore- Picking up ward end is next tested through, „ . „ . and if the electrical condition Buoyed End. of both this and the main cable is quite satisfactory, a splice is at once effected between them. Two new hempen ropes are then secured (as shown in Fig. 30) to the bight of the cable a few fathoms on either side of the splice, and the ends of these ropes taken round the two picking-up drums, one round each. Both drum-ropes, holding on to the two sides of the bight, are now eased away through the stoppers till their fastenings with the cable reach the baulks. Two thimbles are next secured, one to each leg close inside the bow sheave, ropes being passed through them, and the two parts of each brought round outboard over both bows. One of the two ends on either side is secured to bollards on the fore- castle, the other being passed in through hawse-pipes, and there kept well in hand. Both drum-ropes are now slowly paid out, the legs of the cable being eased through the stoppers, and seized to the drum-ropes as they go out. The slip-ropes are also eased out as required. All this time the bight is being carefully tended by several men, who stand by till the Fig. 30.—PREPARING TO LET GO FINAL SPLICE AND BIGHT. time is ripe for passing it over the bow sheaves. The procedure is, indeed, very similar to that described for passing the bight from the bows to the stern. When the bight is well be- low the bow baulks, the ship is put astern, and both drum-ropes cut simultaneously. The bight should then have found its way to the bottom, thereby bringing to a successful close the laying of the entire cable, involving a good deal of arduous work, not unmingled with anxiety. Throughout the laying of the line a con- tinuous electrical test is, as has been shown in the previous article, kept on the cable from the ship. This test is for ascertaining Fig. 31.—LETTING GO FINAL BIGHT.