News of these conditions was relayed to Britain, mainly by William Howard Russell, special correspondent of The Times. Hearing the news, Samuel Morton Peto, one of the leading railway contractors of the day, offered with his partners Edward Betts and Thomas Brassey, to build at cost, without any contract or personal advantage, a railway to transport supplies from the port of Balaclava to the troops outside Sevastopol. They promised to have a railroad at work in three weeks after landing at Balaclava. The offer was accepted and the contractors began to obtain supplies, to purchase or hire ships, and to recruit the men, who included specialists and navvies. The vessels engaged to carry the railway material and men consisted of seven steam and two sailing ships, of the aggregate tonnage of 5491 tons, and 900-horse power, as follows - "Lady Alice Lambton," screw-steamer, 511 tons, 90-horse power; "Great Northern," ditto, 578 tons, 90-horse ; "Earl of Durham," ditto, 554 tons, 90-horse; Baron von Humboldt," ditto, 420 tons, 60-horse; " Hesperus," ditto. 800 tons, 150-horse; " Prince of Wales," ditto, 627 tons, 120-horse ; "Levant," paddle-steamer, 694 tons, 500-horse power; "Wildfire," clipper sailing ship, 457 tons; Mohawk," ditto, 850 tons. The material consisted of 1800 tons of rails and fastenings, 6000 sleepers, 600 loads timber, and about 3000 tons of other material and machinery, consisting of fixed engines, cranes, pile engines, trucks, wagons, barrows, blocks, chain- falls, wire-rope, picks, bars, capstans, crabs, and a variety of other plant and tools; besides sawing machines, forges, carpenters' and smiths' tools, &c. This material was distributed over the different vessels in such a manner that should any one or two vessels be lost disabled, it will not endanger the efficiency of the whole. The ships convey, in parties of 50 or 80, 500 workmen; each party under a charge of a foreman and assistant; as well as a surgeon to each vessel.
