Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-17 00:00:00

diree3ors of the company will decide whether it is
best teitry again immediately after the equinoctial
gales are.oer or wait until ao.other summer.

On Saturday seme-of the leading members of the expe-
dition that accompanied the telegraphiseeriadron, during
the week, arrived in London, and confirmed in full to the
directors, at the company's offices, the facb of the failure
of the Atlantic Telegraph, Mr. Cyrus Field was the first
to arrive in London, and made the followicg.offieial report
to his co directors:— -
" Her Majesty"s .ship 'Leopard, Captain Wainewright,
arrived at Portsmouth on Friday evening, .and reports
that the Atlantic Telegraph cable was lost at. a quarter
before four o'clock on Tuesday morning, after hiving then
paid out successfully- 33i nautical miles of cables and the
last 100 miles of it in water, over two miles in depth, and
the greater part of this at a rate of rather more-than five
knots an hour. At the time the accident occurred there
was a heavy swell on. The Niagara was going at the
rate of four knots anthoureand as the engineer found the
cable was running out in too great proportion to the speed
of the ship, he considered-itmeeessary to direct the breaks
to be applied more firmly, aud unfortunately the 'cable
parted at some distance from the stern of the ship.
The Agamemnon, Niagara,. and Susquehana . are to
remain a short time where the cable parted, to try
some experiments on the depth of water cf that
part of the Atlantic, of 2,003 fathoms, which it is
considered will be of great advantage to the compaety, and
then all the vessels go on.to.Piymoutte, Tee Cyclops was•,
sent back with despatches- to Valentia, and she was then
to join the Leopard at Portsaioeth. Although this unfor-
tunate accident will postpoae the completion of this. great
undertaking for a short times the result of the experiment
has been to convince all that took part in it, of the entire
practicability of the undertaking, for, with some•slight
alteration in the paying out. machinery, there appears to
be no great difficulty in laying down the cable. It has
been clearly proved that you can successfully telegraph*
through 2,500 Miles of telegraph c able, and that its sub-
mergence at a groat depth hal no perceptible influence on
the electric current. There is no practical obstruction to
laying it down at the rate-of five miles per hour in the
greatest depth of water that there is in the telegraphic
plateau between Ireland and. Newfoundland.. The expe.
rience now obtained must be of great, value to the cone;
pauy, aud it is understood that the directors of the com-
pany will decide whether it is best to have more cable
made and try again immediately after the equinoctial
gales are over, or wait until another summer."' .
It does not appear that the accident was owing in any
way to the too great weight of the paying-out machinery
and gear on the Niagara, but the machinery is susceptible
of considerable improvements. Some of the gentlemen in
command of the expedition urged the desirableness of
raising up the 300 miles, or of splicing that quantity on to
the shore end again, and going on towards the Newfound-
land shore in spite of the catastrophe that had occurred;
but it was eventually determined to return home, as it
would in all probability be found that the expedition
would neither have enough '° slack" nor available cable to
complete the length to be submerged between shore and ,
shore. There were two representatives of the Russian
Government, one of the French Government, two of the
British Government, and two of the American Govern;
ment with the expedition, together with Mr. J. W. Brett, ,
the well-known father of submarine telegraphs between
England and France, and the. Mediterranean,
.who arrived
in town shortly after Mr. Field.
The directors of the company hold•a special meeting on
Wednesday next to consider and determine whether at•
tempts shall be renewed in October next, after the equi-
noctial gales, or whether the further prosecution of the
enterprise shall be def_rred until next summer: ' Various
opinions are afloat with reference to the strength of the
cable, but it is asserted that, were it either stronger or
weaker, the desired en 1 in view would not have been are
rived at, and that up ,vards of 69 different kind of rope
were experimented on before the present form of cable
was determined on. This' is the first electric cable that
has bean sunk either in this or any other country to the
extent of three hundred and thirty-five miles; but it is
a singular fact that, with the exception of the Norwegian
telegraph cable, of some 93 miles long, the first attempt
in every previous experiment for laying down a subma-
rine cable has been a failure, although the second attern-pts
have been successful. The entire length of wire, copper
and iron, in the cable amounts to 332,500 miles, or enough
to go 13 times round the earth.
With reference to the arrangements on board the We-
gara, for regulating the „strain," which unfortunately
caused the cable to break, it appears that the cable
weighed one ton a mile, and could bear a direct strain of
four tons upon its strands. When, however, according
to Professor Whitehouse and Mr. Bright, the engineers,
it was immersed in the sea its relative weight was di. '
minished, and its downward pressure on the salt water
was a little under 14 cwt per mile. The greatest depth
over which the vessels would have to pass in depositirg
the cable was a little more than two miles, and this depth
was reached at the time that the cable broke, conse-
quently, if enough o f the rope were suffered to hang
motionless from one of the vessels. to reach the bottom
in this depth, the strain to be borne by the cable
would be one ton and a half. According to the• arranee-
ments, however, for the paying-out, the cables would be
constantly in motion, with only a sufficient restraining
power upon it to control and regulate its passing from the
Niagara until this was increased by a rate slightly faster
than the progress of the vessel. In this condition, of
things, another modifying influence came into. operation,
to act further in relief of the strain. The cable. would not
only be somewhat buoyed up, so to speak,, by the water,
but also by the influence of friction. It would not
descend as it was paid out in a vertical line, because the
friction of its sides against the water retarded the
sinking of the mess. The amount of this retardation,
and the length that would lie between the stern of the
vessel and the bottom of the sea, were determined by the
rate at which the cable was paid out, and at which the
paying-out vessel moved. In fact, so far- fromithere being
any strain, consequent on the weight of the cable, suffi-
cient to injure its integrity, it was.generally thought and
expected that there would be just pull enough to drag it
gently out of the vessel over the revolving sheaves.
The arrangements, in the event of any thing going
wrong, were to back the Niagara as rapidly as possible,
and so slacken the cable—the break, being bound down
on the friction drum to arrest the outrun, of the cable.
The rope would then be hauled in on. board, and on its.
being discovered the imperfect part out out, its plat*
supplied by splicing-iu fresh. cable, and the paying-out
resumed as usual.
The expectation, in the- event oe .success, was Cut,
within a month at the furthest, messages might be
, flashed through both England, and; America, and, it is
Some time back the Admiralty appointed a committee now, even in the face of temporaay failure. supposed that
of naval officers to consi ler the expediency of altering the that grand international result,. may be regarded. more
system of lights established for steam and sailing vessels. merely as a matter of time than:of actual and possible
It consisted of Admirals Chafes and Beechy, and Captains accomplishment.
Sullivan, Ellerby, and Harris, and it examined several The following appeared in our ex'ra edition of
witnesses, and finally arrived unanimously at the follow- Saturday :
ing conclusions : 11.11.5. Leopard, Captain Wainwright, arrived
Firsly—That na alteration should be made in the
present system of steamers' lights. at Portsmouth. on Fri lay' evening, August 140,
Secondly—That the bright light now exhibited by and reports that the Atlaatic Telegraph Cable was
sailing vessels when under sail or being towed, should be broken at a quarter be ore four o'elook on Tuesday
abolished, and that, instead thereof, such vessels should morning, the lith. blatant, after having success-
exhibit between sunset a-id sunrise to any vessel.or Ily paid .
iciout 335. nauti cal miles of cable.
vessels, a red light on the port side, and a green light on
the starboard side, corresponding to the coloured, side Tne last 100 miles of it in water over two miles
light now shows by steamers, without any reference to in depth, and-the greater part of this at the rate of
tacks. rather more than. five knots an hour.
Thirdly—That these coloured lights should be fixed, At the time the accident oneured there was a
when prac,toable, and that when sucli lights are not heavy swell on. The Niagara going at the rate of
fixed, plaes should b previde in. hlch the ights
should bec kept on theire respective sides,w ready forte hie four knots per hour, and thcs Engineer found that
bitten. the cable weartinning out in too great a proportion
Fourthly—That all lights, whether fix td or exhibited by to the speed. of the ship •,, be considered it necessary
hand, should be so screened as to reader them invisible on to direct the breaks to be applied more firmly,
the opposite bow or side of the vessel, which the committee where,,un.; unfortunately the cable parted at some
consider quite practicable.'
distance from the stern of the ship.
Fifthly—That the lights proposed to b 3 exhibited by
sailing vessels, should in no case be of less siz3 or power The Agamemnon, Niagara, and Susquehanna,
than the lantern which the committee recommend, and are to remain a short time where the cable parted
which shows an uniform and unbroken light over 16 points to try soma experiments in the deep water of that
of the compass. part of 'ale Atlantic (2,000 fathoms), which it is
Sixthly—That all vessels at anchor, whether steamers
or sailing vessels, should exhibit, " where best seen," be- considered will be of great value to the Tele-
tween sunset and sunrise, a white light, of uniform size graphic Company, and then all go to. Plymouth
and power, in a globular lantern of six inches diameter, (Eagle nd).
at a height not exceeding 20 feet above the hull of the The; Cyclops was sent bank with despatches to
vessel. Videretia, and was then to join the Leopard, at
Seventhly—The committee consider it desirable further
to recommend that the pilot vessels of the United Kingdom Pne,smouth.
should be designated by particular lights. They would Altheugh this unfortunate accident will post-
therefore submit, that in addition to the red and green pone the completion of this great undertaking
lights now proposed for all classes of sailing vessels, pilot
vessels should be permitted to exhibit a white light on a 'for a short time the result of the experiment has
level with the red or green light. been to convince all that took part in it of the
entire
Eighthly—The committee having taken into considers-era. p racticability the enterprise, for, with
of .
tion the subject of signals during fogs, would recommend., some slight alterations
to in
bethe paying
difficul out mty achi.
in
for the ;reasons stated in the foregoing report, that eery, there appearsno at
steamers eliould use either the steam whistle or bell, and laying down the cable, and it has been clearly
that all other vessels should use a fog-horn. prove that signals can be successfully commu. .
Finally, the committee are of opinion that the above n ic' ted through 2,500 miles of cable and that the
regulations; if approved of by their lordships, should A ‘
aptly to all vessels of the United Kingdom in every part submersion at a great nepth had no perceptible la-
w' the world, unless specially excepted by the Admiralty, fluenca upon the electric current, and that, there
The committee cannot close their report without stati.cg is no practical obstacle in laying it down at the rate.
that the evidence adduced proves that the number or of five miles per hour in the greatest deptb of
collisions is chitifly attributable to the neglect of a good water.
~ iook-oat,'' and they submit that it should be, strongly
impressed bn the masters of all vessels that tees important The experience now obtained will be tif great
ditty be' eere rigidly attended to.: value to the company, and it is understir,d that the

THE: ClO4ll OF BREAKING OF TII4I Aasisrio
GABLE AND ITS RE 3 (MTS.'
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