If the paying-out could have been stopped at once, and the Cable taken in over the stern, the delay would have been very trifling; but that was impossible. The picking-up (necessarily slow under the most favourable circumstances) was rendered unusually tedious by the inefficiency of the boilers. An interval of 19 hours had occurred, and these faults and stoppages had caused so much labour and anxiety that Captain Anderson was obliged to remain on deck for 26 hours, whilst Mr. Halpin, Mr. Clifford, Mr. Canning, the electricians, and the whole staff, were exposed to an equal strain till the Cable was over the paying-out wheels again.
_July 30th (Sunday)._--The weather was exceedingly thick all night--a fog hung round the ship, and the drizzling rain was so cold as to give an impression there was ice close at hand, but the water showed it was erroneous, as the temperature was 58°. It was a dead calm, and the Great Eastern seemed to float on a grey and polished surface of cloud. The preparations for paying-out were completed and tested. There would have been a better result had not an accident occurred this morning as the Cable was being passed aft from the bow, in order to transfer it from the picking-up to the paying-out machinery. Owing to a sudden jar it flew off from the drum, and before the machinery could be stopped several fathoms had become entangled amid the wheels, and were so much injured that it was necessary to cut out the pieces, and make two new splices and joints. At 10·8 a.m. (ship's time being 8·10 a.m.) the Cable was veered out astern once more, our communications with Valentia being most satisfactory. The Cable electrically was all that could be desired, its condition being represented by 1,500,000,000 British Association units. At noon our position was Lat. 52° 30', Long. 28° 17'; distance from Valentia, 650·6 miles; Cable payed-out, 745 miles.