The Express.
London, England, 1866-07-27 00:00:00

PROGRESS OF THE ATLANTIC CABLE.

VALENTIA, JOLT 26.
The following telegram received from the Cheat
Eastern :-12 Noon (ship's time). Latitude 48.49
longitude 91.16. Payed out, 1,744 miles. Dis-
tance run, 1,568 miles. Slack, 11.93 per cent.
All going well. Weather foggy. Sea calm.
VALENTIA, JOLT 26.
The following hes been received from the Great
Eastern, 6 p.m. :
" Frigate and Albany in sight. Weather clear."

As soon as the Great Eastern has completed her
work that vessel, with the Terrible, Albany, and Medway,
will at oath and with all speed, working night and day,
proceed to fill up with fuel. The Terrible and Albany will
be coaled first, and start directly afterwards for the
exact latitude and longitude in which the Gable of lest
year was broken. When this precise spot is ascertained
marked buoys," with which both ships are pro-
vided, will be moored for guidance in grappling.
The Great Eastern and Medway will follow these
ships, but in sass of their not joining their consorts soon
after the " marked buoys" are placed the Albany will
proceed to grapple for the cable of last year. This vessel,
with all the other ships of the squadron, is equipped with
the moat perfect hauling in and paying out machinery,
with an ample store of buoys, " marked buoys," wire
grappling ropes, and dynamometers to show the strain
on all pans of the ropes and app eratos used. After the
buoys are placed the Albany will at once proceed to
"sweep" for the end of the *ebbs of 1865. This some-
what anxious and most laborious process is effected by the
ships in search of the wire carefully lowering their grap-
nels till the bottom is ascertained with certainty, and
then slowly straining at right angles across the line along
which the cable has been laid ten miles each way to the
north and south of it. On the north side they would have
to go more than 20 miles to reach the defunct wire of
1858, and at least 30 miles to the south of their proper
route to jeopardise that which it is believed here has just
been laid. As, however, all the vessels sweeping for the
wire are strictly limited to • distance ten miles north or
south of its thoertabed position, there is little
fear of their catching anything but what they
are in search of ; for even in the densest fog
the dead reckoning of the skip and speed of en-
gines would show the distance run. In case of the
Albany grappling the end of last year's rope she is
gently to lift it as far as possible, and as far as is consis-
tent without at ail approaching the breaking strain. The
grapnel rope is then to be moored to an immense buoy, find
then secured. She is again to grapple for the wire further
to the east or English side till she succeeds in again lifting
it. Thus, again and again, her labours will be continued
till a series of " bights" are brought near to the surface
of the ocean, so that on the arrival of the Groat
Eastern anyone of these loops may be at once
and easily raised and the splice made. Mom
than enough of the cable will then remain to en-
able her to continue, or rather we should say complete, the
work of carrying the second wire to Newfoundland. If,
however, the Great &stern and Medway arrive before the
end of the cable is found by the Albany, all three ships
will at once take up their positions and
toecommnts. " sweep-
ing " with their grapnels. The Medway is be to the ex-
treme west with the greatest lifting strain ; the Great
Eastern in the middle, with a smaller lifting power ; said
the Albany three miles to the east of the Great Eastern,
with the least lifting power of all. So, if the cable is broken
by the Medway, the wire half-way up will be held by the
grapnels of the Great Eastern, and the strait on the reps
reduced by its being partially eupported by the Medway.
It is not intended to try to raise the siting end of
the cable broken last year, as this is hampered with the
heavy grapnels and heavier wire ropes which were used in
vain to recover it last autumn, and which, if anything is
known with certainty of deep-sea soundings, is believed
to be lying in a massive tangle over the end, of the repe—
-1 a weight which nothing could raise. Directly, therefore,
that the Albany has succeeded in getting her end of the
line, and the Great Eastern and Medway have secured their
ortion', the Albany will steam ahead at full speed, so as
sop break the portion of the line she has grappled and Mani
' the end free to some up unfettered by the obstacles
heaped upon it in the efforts to recover it. She willm
the
then
return and keep inside the Medway, taking fro
latter vessel her grip of the wire, and holding on by it till
the Great Eastern has spliced, if possible, her end. The
Terrible in all oases will assist in carrying massages from
ship to ship. She will also keep ahead of the Great
Eastern and direct her to alter her coarse by firing one
gun for a port helm and two guns for helm a starboard.
Three guns are to signify danger ahead either in case of
ships or ice. One gun from the Great Eastern is the
signal to bring all her consorts round her immediately.
I Moot of the chief officials connected with the old At-
lantic Company and the new Anglo-American are still
waiting at Valentia. for the completion of the great work.
Mr. Latimer Clark has been there some days. As *lee-
' tried engineer to the company be has to report neon and
decide whether or not the cable has been truly laid. It
will be given over to him for this purpose, and his strict
tests for " conductivity" and insulation will probably
occupy some twenty-four hours. When the cable has
Ipaced through this last ordeal it will be aompted by the
sonspaay as completely laid.
A continuous stream of applioaticas is Swim! day by
day on Mr. Glees, offering almost any, sums far pnority
messages to America when the line is opened. It may
save these inquirers a deal of time and money—for these
requests always come by telegraph—if It is Weed at Sea.
that se masseges swept those of the ilea sad
(overmans! will have any priority at all, ease tiro le
arrive afts: the line has been publicly declared *Pm