The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-30 00:00:00

THE SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH.

By means of substituting a coil of gutta percha for
a distance of about half a mile, in lieu of " cable," '
which was shortcoming to that extent, the communi-
cation between coast and coast has " now" been com-
pleted. The gutta percha coil is joined on to the
cable out at sea, where its extremity is secured to a
buoy, but it is very questionable whether this con-
trivance can be anything but temporary, in view of
the result of the experiment with gutta percha alone
last year, seeing that should the gutta percha, neces-
sarily fragile and perishable when subjected to sea
action, be affected, the entire communication must
thereby be suspended. Yesterday, the question of
manufacturing the short amount of additional cable
required was, it is understood, discussed by the pro-
moters, and there is very little doubt that, in order
to make the sea line of communication intact and in-
tegral, this will have to be done. There seems to have
been a want of foresight or calculation somewhere
in not having " in hand" enough cable to meet any
emergency. It was represented that the expedition
carried out four miles of surplus over the calcu-
lated track, and it is difficult to discover how this
could be, when the divergence from the given line of
way to be provided for did not exceed one mile and a
half. Though the cost of the cable is estimated at
50/. or 601. per ton, which, for the whole 200 tons,
would amount to 12,0001., a few miles more of it
might have been advantageously worked off; for even
if not required for the present experiment, it would
have been nvailable for the second or third cable in-
tended to be laid down. The gutta percha that now
connects the cable at the buoy with the French coast,
had fortunately been sent over in a coil of four miles
for inland use, before the expedition started, and so far
came in opportunely. The cable, in addition to the
buoy already mentioned, is secured to a second buoy
about a mile and a half off the coast. A general
opinion appears to prevail that, had the expedition
started an hour or two earlier, the difficulties it en-
countered would have been avoided. The principal
injury, if any, the cable is surmised to have sus-
tained, is at a "join," where the wire layers are
welded, about mid-channel, and when the Blazer was
10 or 12 miles out, and where the strain and stormy
time first commenced. The process of drawing the
cable up and redelivering it in a more direct line is
not likely to be attempted. The crew, as they were
towed up to Woolwich on hoard the Blazer, where
she is now in dock, encountered a tremendous pas-
sage. The Black Eagle, Captain Hutchins in com-
mand, left Calais with the Blazer at six on Friday
evening, and arrived through a driving sea in Mar-
gate Roads at 2 A.M.
The Blazer, having no ballast, and being nothing
but a mere shell upon the breakers, rolled to and fro
like a porpoise. The crew in the midst of the squall,
being incessantly sick, could neither stand on their
legs nor lie down, while the crockery and everything
in the hold of the old hulk came rattling about their
heads. At Margate the Monkey, Government
steamer, took them in tow to Woolwich, and they
are now recruiting themselves about the works at
Wapping.
The junction of the cable with the French tele-
graphs is understood to be proceeding, and also the
connexion between the South Foreland, some four
miles, and the telegraph-office of the South-Eastern
Railway Company at Dover, which will at once give
a thorough telegraphic communication with the Con-
tinent.

THE GREAT TELEGRAPHIC CABLE.
MAGNETIC UNION of BRITAIN and TRANCE.
There are still doubts of the sufficiency of the means,
and certainly a power of tenacity overcome by a furce
8 tons' weight is as nothing to forces which it may meet
with in the great deep. That it is a decided improve-
ment on the last, however, there can be no doubt. The
last was a mere wire coated with gutta percha to a
thickness like that of a small wax taper. We pointed
out both then and previously the imprudence of trusting
to gutta prelim under such circumstances, and we now
find elaborate precautions taken to protect that substance
from the destroying agencies of the ocean. These are
no more than necessary. We even find from the Berlin
correspondence of the Times that the gutta percha
which covers the Prussian telegraphs is constantly being
destroyed by vermin, such as rats, although placed under-
ground for comparative safety. Tar itself and flax are
still vegetable substances, and may be acted on under the
ocean—as timber is, for instance, by the ter ale navalis—
so as to be not very long a protection to the enclosed
gutta percha even yet, any more than the galvanized iron
wire, thought that in ordinary circumstances certainly
appears to be by no means so corruptible as iron naturally
is. May it not become degalvinzed in course of tele-
graphic use under the cceau? We, even yet, have not
heard of ad( quate experimental test or inquiry having
been gone into on these points. The present renewed
experiment is rather a costly one, and of course it is de-
sirable that the materials used should be as lasting and
effective as well as strong us possible.—Builder.

=Tr=
The powder-mills of Darrheus, situated close to the
road between Elsineur and Copenhagen; blew up oil the 20th;
cawing the death (422 workmen.