The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-06-21 00:00:00

THE NEW ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH.

At last the long-pending question as to the probability
of telegraphic communication being established between
this country and America teems in a fair way of being
settled. The British Transatlantic Telegraph Company
prolate, within this year if possible, to lay their cable
from the Land's-end, in Cornwall, to Blanc Bablon, an
island in the Straits of Belle Isle, at one of the entrances
of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and • little to the North of
Newfoundland. A short wire, to be laid by • separate
company, takes the cable in from Blanc Bablon to the
Island of Anticosti where it meets lines already open,
communicating with Quebec, Montreal, and, indeed, all
parts of Canada. Another short line from Anticosti
will be submerged to Cape Breton, wl.ere it will join
the network of lines which coiniounicate with Halifax,
Nova Scotia, Boston, New York, Sic. The advaiitaipa
which such a route preseuts over one starting from the
wed coast of Ireland are immense. The average depth
of the entire route is supposed to be leas, and by starting
from Land's-sod the *tem. range of aubinerine usiountaina
on the west coed of Ireland, on which the Atlantic
telegraph was lost, is entirely avoided. On the
Atlantic side, the lines not being hampered with pre-
poiderous conditions for ine.sagee as those which would
check tlitir transmission over Newfoundland, the tariff
for their re-transmission will 1.10 has than one-half of
what would be charged if sent by the American Company
from Bt. John'a, Millie the hoe being all submerged, is.
of coons.., less exposed to injury than in crossing the
almost unexplored wilds of Newfoolull aid. On dila
ade of the water the advantages of having the terminus
et Land's-end are alme.t greater. The increased
distance is very little uvir 150 ; but a message
arriving at Land's-end is tranainitted direct to its desti-
nation at a small cost, while the cost from Valenti* is
munch greater, and the inesmge itself has to be re-trans-
mitted always four tones, and monetimes oftener. If it
merely avoided the necessity of messages coming from
America to London being first known at Liverpool,
where by the Irish route they intuit be transmitted, the
gain to merchants by a Land's-end terminus would be
most important. The British Transatlantic Tel -ftraph
Company propose, to We a cable of the very lightest
description. Its lightness, in fact, is made its strength,
and the outer covering of wire is entirely done away
with. The conductor Is to be composed of seven collier
wires having about twice the sectional area of that used
by the old Atlantic Company. It will be coated with a
combination of gutta perch., with manifold insulators,
the outer portion being wound round with a textile
fabric in • peculiar manner, AO as to perfect and
strengthen the rope and its insulation to the utmost.
The outer covering of all will be of hemp, interwoven
longitudinally, so as to he without either turn or stretch.
The diameter of the gutta percha insulator will be about
double that used in the rope of the old company, and the
diameter of the whole cable about two-thirds of an inch.
The weight is less than 8 cwt. per mile, the breaking
drain about two tons, or eoual to supporting nearly six
miles of its own weight in air and no less than 25 miles
of its own weight in sea water. The cost of the whole
cable will be about half of that which was lately lost by
the old company. The contract will not be at so much
per mile, but for a certain sum under £:350,000 the con-
tractors undertake to make the wire, insure it, submerge
it, and deliver it over to the company in working order.
During the time of its manufacture the company are to
advance certain sums to the contractor* not exceeding
in all 50 per cent, of the entire contract price. Only
when the cable is laid in working order, and possession
formally given to the company, will the contractors
become entitled to receive the money for it. In order
to prevent the over crowding of messages the tariff of
charges will be arranged according to thaee scales—viz,,
one for ordinary messages, one for express messages,
one for special messages. The prices of these, it is
supposed, will be El, 1:5, and £lO respectively. No
ordinary message will be sent while an express message
is on the list, and no express message will be despatched
while • special message is on the list, • regular printed
return of the number (if any) of both being kept at the
station for the information of all persons wishing to
send montages. By means of such a tariff each
will be transmitted, according to the seals which the
ie
sender thinks ita interest or importance to himself
requires. Any chance, also, of the wire being two or
three days in arrear of its business will be entirely
obviated.