2 6 4 S.S.W. N.N.E. 66 8 6 10 12 02246∞ 8 10 12 Sunday 18th, P.M.-Steady trades and fine weather. Employed getting the anchors over, and other sundry jobs about the rigging. Carpenter caulking the pinnace. Midnight; ditto wind and weather. At 8 A.M.; a strange sail in sight, standing to the southward and eastward. Noon; steady trades and fine. Lat. obs. 17° 4' 0" N. Long. chr. No. 288, 21° 47′ 45′′ W. Lat. ac. 17 2' N. 66 784, 22 0 0 W. Long. ac. 21 41 W. Monday 19th, A.M.-Steady trades and hazy weather; set starboard steering sail. At 6; ditto breezes and hazy. At 7h. 50.; observed breakers close ahead, instantly put the helm to starboard and braced the yards forward, ship struck; immediately let go top-gallant and topsail halliards; ship still striking heavily, and the surf breaking on board. Ship on the reef from ten to fifteen minutes, during which time she struck very heavily; sounded the pumps, two feet water in the well, and sounded alongside in five fathoms; set both pumps going, and set topsails and courses; observed breakers on the lee bow, which we just cleared. Ship going about E.N.E. at the same time found the rudder disabled. Sounded the pumps and found three feet and a half in the well, still kept the pumps going; sounded a short time after and found five feet, ship still gaining fast, and both pumps going. Sounded again and found eight feet, pumps still going. Commenced to clear the boats, and very shortly after the water was in the between-decks; got the boats over the side, and put passengers, and a little provision and water in them. At midnight found we could do nothing more, pumps being of no service to keep the ship up, and sinking fast, all hands got in the boats, at the same time the water coming in the cabin windows, and level with the lee side of the main deck. At 30m, A.M. the ship disappeared,-lay-to in the boats until daylight, Bonavista bearing north-west; proceeded to St. Jago with crew, passengers, and two boats, where we arrived on Tuesday at noon, the 20th of April. [The foregoing is a copy of the Charlotte's log, from the departure from Madeira to the time of her loss, and as it is important that the position of the reef she struck on should be made known, we shall be thankful to any of our readers who may have sufficient leisure and inclination to work the days' works and send us the results. Those unaccustomed to merchant ships' logs will observe, that the knots against each hour must be doubled, as they stand for that hour and the preceding.---ED. N.M.] ENLARGED SERIES.-NO. 10.-VOL. FOR 1841. 4 s RODGER'S ANCHOR.-The Ryde experiment. In several former numbers of this work, we have had occasion to allude to the merits of Rodger's anchors; not that they are unknown, or that they are not extensively patronized, as we shall presently show; but that we were desirous of recording and placing conspicuously before our readers, (as in duty we felt bound to do,) the most perfect machine of its kind yet made, along with the proofs which entitled it to be so considered. An old seaman once remarked to us respecting this important item of a ship's furniture, on which the safety of the ship, and the lives of all on board frequently depend, that "although to outward appearance it was perfect, yet the common anchor was the most fatally deceptive article on board!" And any one who has had any experience of the breaking of anchors, which of late years has become so common, or who witnessed a recent series of experiments on Ryde Sand, can be at no loss to subscribe heartily to the opinion above quoted.-The former speaks for itself. In bad weather the breaking of anchors, owing to bad construction, is common enough, but there is another feature in the anchor which is no less fatal to its good properties than "bad construction," and that is "bad form," with which, be the ground ever so favourable, an anchor is worse than useless. This last assertion was fully verified by the experiments to which we have alluded, and which showed distinctly that while Lieut. Rodger's anchor, from its peculiar form, had a downright tendency to bury itself, the greater the strain exerted upon it; the common anchor, (that indeed used in her Majesty's navy,) had directly the reverse quality. No sooner was a strain applied to it, than unable from its form with its immense palm, to enter the ground, it ploughed its path along towards its opponent as the latter lay snugly buried in the sand, reviling as it were the inert fuming of the other anchor. The foregoing will be more intelligible when we describe the preparations for these experiments, which were witnessed by "a large concourse of spectators," among whom were many naval officers. They were conducted officially by Mr. W. Purdo, the master-attendant of Portsmouth dockyard, and Mr. W. Miller, the master of the Victory, with 80 men supplied from her Majesty's ship Impregnable, at Spithead, and certainly never was success more completely triumphant, than in the properties of Lieut. Rodger's over the common anchors. The anchors to be tried, were placed at about a hundred feet apart on the sand, the stocks towards each other. A three-fold block was secured to each, and rested on a small sledge to keep it off the sand, and at the two ends of the fall were stationed forty men. The anchors being placed, the fall rove, and the men at their stations a series of experiments commenced, giving the following. Result of experiments made on the 27th of August, 1841, upon the sand on the east side of Ryde pier, close to the upper end, in order to ascertain the comparative holding qualities of anchors, as now made in her Majesty's dockyards, according to the tables of dimensions dated Admiralty, the 4th of July, 1840, and the small-palmed anchors and kedges without palms, on Lieut. Rodger's patent principle. During the second trial, one end of the fall was made fast to the kedge, and the whole of the men hauled upon the other end, which led from the block hooked to it, and consequently the first impression came upon the kedge, which clearly proved its great superiority over the anchor. The following experiments were now made with a heavier anchor upon the Admiralty plan. The anchors were placed about 100 feet apart, on level ground, consisting of oaze and sand, interspersed with patches of shingle, at the depth of from ten to twenty inches, and drawn together by means of a tackle composed of two treble blocks and a chain fall, having forty men upon each end. It should be understood, that the tackle was not literally hooked to the anchors, which would have represented the ship riding with a long scope, and the chain resting upon the ground. On the present interesting occasion, Lieut. Rodger had recourse to a very simple contrivance, in order to make the experiments more generally satisfactory. To effect this, two fathoms of chain was attached to each anchor, the opposite ends being hooked (at the height of one foot,) to two sledges upon which the blocks were placed, so that the sledges represented two vessels moored stern to stern, the cable during the experiment being entirely off the ground. This, we consider, a very fair representation of a ship riding with a moderate scope of cable. On the 30th of August, another series of experiments was made upon Ryde Sand, having the same object in view. The above experiments were made about a cable's length to the eastward of Ryde Pier, on a level bank of soft sandy ground, intermixed with strong blue clay, at the depth of from ten to twenty inches below the surface. Eighty men from the Impregnable were supplied as be fore. It is worthy of remark that the Small-Palmed Anchor never lost its hold, but indicated the peculiar quality of Rodger's anchors; namely, a constant tendency to penetrate deeper; whilst the Admiralty anchor became partially "shod," and in some instances when obstructed by gravel did not take hold at all. Had the ground consisted of stiff clay to the surface, we are fully convinced that the Small-Palm would have exhibited a still greater superiority. The foregoing results speak for themselves, and show the extraordinary tenacious power of Lieut. Rodger's anchor as evidently on paper, as was witnessed on the sand. Indeed, the experiments excited considerable interest among nautical men, while they were going forward; and the burying propensity of his anchors in contrast with the tendency of the Government anchors to lift themselves out of the sand, was remarked by all present. There are one or two facts on this subject which also should be recorded. It is asserted by Lieut. Rodger from experiment that one of his anchors on good holding ground will bring home the common anchor of twice its own weight! It is also stated by him that instances are very rare of his anchors being broken, but there are many instances of cables having parted from them, a sufficient proof in itself of the good holding qualities of the anchor. In our June number of last year we gave an instance of a kedge of Lieut. Rodger's employed to bring up a vessel at her launch being bent in a remarkable manner from the strain occasioned by the vessel's way from her slip, and we believe there is now an anchor in Portsmouth Dockyard of 20 cwt., from which her Majesty's ship Zebra parted in the bay of Acre, bent in a surprising manner, shewing the rough treatment it has undergone, and which might have broken a common anchor under similar circumstances. These good qualities are sufficiently appreciated by the mercantile marine of this great country, among which Lieut. Rodger's anchors are used to a large extent, and we shall conclude this notice with a few testimonials which have been drawn up by various associations of merchants connected with shipping, involving an insured capital of a very considerable amount. But we shall first repeat here the instance of the kedge above alluded to, and then place on record a few former experiments to test the properties of the anchor under the inspection of some of these gentlemen. The following testimonial of the holding property of Rodger's Patent Kedge, without palms, appeared in the Nautical Magazine of June, 1840. Pacific Steam Navigation Company's Office, 5, Barge Yard, Bucklersbury, May 15th, 1840. MY DEAR SIR.-Having lately subjected "Lieut. Rodger's Patent Kedge" to a most extraordinary trial, I feel it would not be doing justice to that gentleman, or my nautical brethren, not already acquainted with the peculiar merits of this paradoxical anchor, were I not to give the circumstance as much publicity as possible. I have, therefore, to ask the favour of your inserting the following in your valuable little work, and remain, To the Editor, &c. Yours, &c., GEO. PEACOCK. "On the 18th ult., when the Pacific Steam Navigation Company's ship" Peru," of 700 tons, was launched, one of Lieut Rodger's Patent Kedges, of only 2 cwt., was let go, when the ship had run about her own length clear of the ways, with the stream chain eleven-sixteenths, bent |