T. E. Lawrence Correspondence – Page 11

through the Scheider period without battle-scars. I am sorry about the inconclusive trial of the baby target. It seemed to me extraordinarily promis- ing. The splash was like all the Trafalgar Square fountains rolled together, and it towed beautifully. At a guess I'd put the strain down at about 15 cwt.; but the job wants tackling seriously, first to decide if the wire mist be 5 cwt or 10 cwt, and then to invent a suitable winch for dealing with quantities of wire with a suitable brake. Our thing took 20 minutes to wind in ! The Calshot party wanted to get away, so would not leave 200 here to go on testing. In a week or so, with the Ferry-Perkins 35-footer, we could settle the 5 cwt wire question, and demand a 10 cwt or 15 cwt, if you sent approval. The winch I would drive just with a belt and pulley, and idle wheel, twisting the belt at right-angles, which is quite feasible for light loads. It could be driven off the R.H. engine at 500 revs., while th L.H. steered the boat, and would bring the wire up in two minutes, thus making it possible to turn safely and quickly. The only day we had for testing it opened in driving mist, which turned to heavy rain and wind. The Sound was quite impossible, being full of sheltering ships. So we waited for high tide at 6 p.m. and went up past Saltash, where the lake was only choppy, and visibility about half a mile. There could not have been worse conditions, for man and