02

THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH.

The Sphinx gave very unmistakable indications of having a harder enigma thanshe bargained for, as she engaged in her task of taking soundings, which nowhad become important. We were getting into deep water, having passed the bankon which there is only 200 fathoms, and had come suddenly to the slopebeginning with 700 fathoms, and running in one degree to 1,750 fathoms. Thisslope is not, however, severer than that of Holborn-hill, though it looks verysevere upon the map. Towards noon the sea and wind increased. The Sphinx,which first sent down topgallant masts, finally sent down topmasts, but wasunable to make head in the sea way, and dropped further and further astern. Atnoon our course was W.N. W. f W., the wind being strong on the port bow, andthe weather thick all round, with drizzling mist. Our position was made out to beLat. 52° 18' 42", Long. 15° 10", distance run 111^ miles, Cable paid out 125 miles,total distance from Valentia 178 miles. At 1'45 p.m. the Terrible signalledthat the Sphinx was unable to keep up with us, but the Cable was running soeasily it was resolved not to diminish our speed. Later in the afternoon, theTerrible sent down topgallant masts ; later again, she signalled that Ave Averegoing too fast for the Sphinx; but as the Great Eastern was not exceeding 6-5-knots an hour, at Avhich rate the Cable rolled off easily from the drums, theengineers did not think it adAdsable to reduce her speed, and so the Sphinx Avasleft further astern, till at length she Avas hull doAvn on the grey horizon. Eachhour it became more important to know AA r hat depth of Avater avc Avere in ; andthe inconvenience of parting Avith the Sphinx Avas felt, as Avell, perhaps, as thedefective nature of the arrangements AAfith the Admiralty, Avhich had furnished onlyone sounding apparatus. The Terrible had got no deep-sea sounding apparatus.There was none on board of the Great Eastern. In deep-sea soundings a specialapparatus is requisite, and the leads and the lines ordinarily used by mcn-of-Avar only penetrate the upper strata of the Avaters of the Atlantic. It Avas conjec-tured that Ave had passed over the 2,050 fathoms’ soundings, and the Cable piwed,by a slightly increased pressure on the dynamometer, that its trail Avas lengthen-ing in the Avatery waste ere it ruffled the smooth surface of the ooze tAvo milesbeloAv. The insulation tests shoAved an improA r ement, and the transmission 01signals between the ship and the shore afforded most satisfactory indications.At night the wind came round to the north-west, the sea somewhat decreased,and as evening closed in, the Terrible dreAv up on our beam, Avorking tAvoboilers; but Avhen night fell, the Sphinx Avas scarcely visible on the distanthorizon.

July 27 th .—Morning broke on a bright bounding sea and clear blue sky.From the Testing-Room came gratifying reports of the improved insulation ol