The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-06 00:00:00

PROGRESS OF OCEAN TELEGRAPHS".

(From the Anglo-American Times.)

The desire of gain is the influence most univer-
sally felt, though not the strongest motive with
numerous individuals. The first Projectors and
layers of the Atlantic Cables will retain fame, how-
ever little in the end may be their gain, circum-
stances pointing to the conclusion that it may soon
be comparatively small. Although we cannot but
regret this, yet they are not the only victims of the
march of science, which is apt to trample over its
leaders whenever they halt or even slacken their
pace where the following is numerous. The cable
from France to Massachusetts already laid does not
merely work in opposition, but has materially re-
duced the tariff. We believe that the French line
is threatened with a rival, a body of American
gentlemen having already applied to the Emperor's
Government for permission to land in France
another wire from America. Although this was
refused, if the Americans persist it must be granted,
or Messrs. Reuter and Erlinger may carry back to
France the end of the line now at Duxbury ; nor
would the British Possessions avail them, for the
same reciprocity which the United States will re-
quire would be demanded also by Great Britain.
The French Company, therefore, had better, with
a good grace, urge on the French Government the
concession before Congress meets and exacts it, or
shuts up the Duxbury office. But it is not equal
competition the cables already down have to dread,
but unequal; .and the true danger of laying- an
ocean. line is. that it will surely be beaten in the
course of time by invention and the progress of
scientific knowledge. The Oceanic Telegraph Com-
pany, or rather the Great Oceanic Telegraph Com-
pany, for the former name approximated so closely
to a company registered a few weeks ago, that
the word " Great" bad to be inserted, proposes
to lay an Allan's cable from Ireland to Halifax
via Sable Island. That island is in lat. 44 N.,
long. 60 W. of Greenwich, distant something over
200 miles from Halifax, and from the south-west
coast of Ireland over 2,000 nautical miles. The ag-
gregate weight of that 2,000 miles of Allan's Cable
is but 850 tons, while the same length of the Cable
of 1866 weighs 3,100 tons. Not only, then, is
there an immense saving of material, -brit an ordi-
nary ocean steamer could be employed to lay the
line, which would obviate the necessity for that very
expensive and very unwieldy machine, the Great
Eastern. While so greatly reducing the bulk and
weight, it is claimed for Allan's invention that the
strength and durability are increased. The asser-
tion is, first, that the conductor is a solid copper
wire, weighing 2501 b. to the nautical mile, instead
of seven No. 18 copper wires, weighing 3001 b, to
the mile, as is the case with the Atlantic Cable of
1866. Around the conductor are twenty No. 24
best steel wires, No. 9 gauge. Then comes the
insulation, precisely as in the cable of 1866, which
completes the work, a coating of hemp being added,
merely as a convenience in handling. The size of
the 1866 cable is considerably swelled, its diameter
being doubled by the external strength and pro-
tection thereafter applied. There are ten No. 13
galvanized iron wires, surrounded with Manilla
yarn, laid spirally round the insulated conductor,
but the advocates of the other affirm that the
strength should be inside the gutta percha, not out-
side, where it becomes subject to immediate decay
and corrosion. The weight is enormously increased,
as is the bulk, while the breaking strain remains
the same in both cables, each bearing eleven miles
of itself in water. Of course, a cable which dispenses
with a considerable proportion of the materials used
in the construction of its rival must not only be
cheaper to lay, but cheaper to make. Hence it is
claimed for the Allan invention, that it gives a
superiority electrically, the solid wire being a better
conductor than the strand of seven.; greater dura-
bility, there being nothing outside the gutta percha
to corrode ; and so much cheaper as to amount in
the aggregate to little more than half the cost, while
the breaking strain is equal. These are the points
upon which stress is laid in bringing the enterprise
before the public, but to this the Tinzes answers,
that no sooner will they have laid their line than
another company will come forward with other
alleged improvements professing to enable them to
undersell its last predecessor, and so on ad infillititni.
No sooner was this cue given than two letters ap-
peared in the City Article c,introverting the state-
ments made iu the prospectus of the Great Oceanic
Telegraph Co., wherein it is claimed that the route is
free from the risks of icebergs and of an chorage, and
as a through route that it avoids the dangers of
tributary lines breaking down. " Inquirer" asks,
to what extent is it more direct ? and how icebergs,
anchorage, and the breaks-down of tributary lines
are to be avoided ? These advantages claimed for
the Great Oceanic the public should accept at
what each individual thinks they are worth. Of
one thing we feel assured, that at Sable Island the
line is not likely to be disturbed by anchors, nor,
as far as we understand, by icebergs. But the real
point of danger to the existing cables is, the cheap-
ness of construction, always provided that the line
can be constructed and laid as asserted. " In-
quirer" states that the Post-office will soon take
charge of the land lines in the United King-
dom, and is under an obligation for many years
to hand over to the Anglo-Atlantic companies
all telegrams addressed to America not specially
directed to be sent by another route ; and he hints
that competition must be met by competition. Now
this is the danger. The " Great Oceanic" fix a
tariff of is. 6d. per word, while the present charge
is three shillings. Of course, if these rates were
maintained, the fact that the Post-office was under
an obligation to hand all telegrams, not otherwise
directed, to the Anglo-Atlantic Companies, would
have little weight, for all the messages would be
specially directed by the one-and-sixpenny line; but
this has weight, that the other lines would imme-
diately reduce their tariff, and so long as it is not
in excess the masses would go a little distance out
of their way to send their messages by the Great
Pioneer Companies of ocean telegraphy. The main
point of interest for all is to what extent cheap
messages can stimulate transatlantic telegraphic
communication, and a nice point it is. On this
subject the Directors of the Great Oceanic say :
" The natural increase in telegrams is in a geometrical
ratio inversely to the reduction of tariff, and analogous
somewhat to our postal service, as has been fully demon-
strated telegraphically, not only in this country, but else-
where; consequently the directors of this company are
doubtful whether they should not have reduced the rate
still further, but have resolved that the public shall answer
the question."

Thai cheap rates will increase messages has been
fully proved, but it is probable that we have no
conception as yet to what extent. If cheap lines can
be laid, cheap work can be made profitable, the
more so as the -cable is available for the twenty-
four hours of the day without the slightest increase
of wear and tear. Four lines to America fully em-
ployed would lessen materially the mail-bags, and
we believe the competition ultimately will be the
Telegraph versus the Post. Language, more espe-
cially English, rapidly adapts itself to changed
circumstances, and a sentence of meaning will soon
be conveyed by a word. Brevity, conciseness, and
despatch will become the spirit of commercial in-
tercommunication ; and men who get into the
habit of doing their business instantaneously and
in a few syllables across the Atlantic will scorn the
humdrum " waiting game" of letter-writing. It is
a luxury ngw that few can afford, but if the pro-
jectors of the Great Oceanic are correct in their
calculations, this mode of intercourse may speedily
be brought within general reach. A submarine
cable is to be laid at once from Lisbon to the coast
of England, the concession having 1 een granted
and the tariff fixed at seven francs for a message of
twenty words. eparations have also been made
for a submarine cable from Odessa to Constan-
tinople. We note these facts as they indicate the
rogres3 of ocean telegraphy, which will slme day
line the bottom of the sea like a net, though we
grant that the meshes will be large.