About eight o'clock in the
morning of 2nd August
In these trying circumstances , the chief engineer accepted an offer made by the gentlemen in the ship , to take turn about in superintending the men at work in the tank paying-out the cable . `` It 's not pleasant , of course , '' replied one of the men , speaking for the rest , `` but we feel it to be justifiable , as well as necessary , and are very glad the plan has been adopted . '' Once more the big ship went merrily on her way , and the great cable went down to its ocean-bed so smoothly and regularly , that men began to talk of speedy arrival at Heart 's Content -- their destination in Newfoundland -- which was now only about 600 miles distant ; but their greatest troubles still lay before them . About eight o'clock in the morning of 2nd August another bad fault was reported , and they had once again to resort to the wearisome process of picking-up . At first all seemed about to go well . A gale was indeed blowing at the time , but that did not much affect the colossal ship . The cable was cut , fastened to its iron rope , passed to the bow , and got in over the pulleys .