§ MR. GOURLEYI beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can give the House any information relative to the cause of the carrying away of H.M.S. Anson's port cable when the squadron under Rear Admiral Tracey's command were weighing anchor in Vigor Bay on the 10th instant; and if he can state the size of the cable, and when and at what strain it was tested prior to being put on board; and how long the vessel was detained in consequence of the accident?
§ LORD G. HAMILTONInformation has been received at the Admiralty as to the breaking of the port cable of the Anson, when anchoring in Vigo Bay, on April 10. The accident appears to have been due to a failure in the action of the compressor, the brake of which set itself up before the anchor reached the bottom, the sudden jerk breaking the chain. Inquiry is now being made into the circumstances. The cable in question was 2⅜ inches thick, and the proof strain to which it was subjected before delivery by the contractors in 1885 was 101½ tons. The cable was surveyed in November, 1889, and was hen reported to be in a very good condition. The official Report of the accident does not state whether the movements of the ship were delayed in consequence.