The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-03 00:00:00

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Sun.

LONDON, MONDAY, SEPT. 3, 1866.

The recovery of the Atlantic Cable, after a twelve-
month's loss, is a matter of general congratulation.
The year 1866 seems to be especially favourable to
the gigantic enterprise of uniting the two hemi-
spheres, for scarcely is the new line in full working
order, and almost before the senders of messages
have begun to complain of the expense and the tar-
diness necessitated by their number, than the doubt-
ful and difficult task of grappling the missing line is
crowned with success. Many who were sanguine of
the result of laying down a new cable were inclined
to despair about the old one. And well they might ;
for a whole winter's storms had passed over the
broad Atlantic since the broken cable sunk in a
depth of 2,400 fathoms ! Who could tell what
changes had been worked since then, or who could
guarantee that the slender line would be caught at
such a depth. Every thing that skill, science, and
enterprise could do would, all felt certain,
be done ; but, nevertheless, the odds were
heavy, and the four ships were engaged in
something very like a forlorn hope. The
event, however, has disappointed the sceptics, and
astonished the public. All who wish the submarine
communication between England and America to
remain unbroken (and who does not ?) must rejoice
over the prospect of the speey completion of another
line. The advantages will be very considerable.
There will, of course, be a much less risk of acci-
dent and the consequent suspension of communica-
tion. There will also be a much greater rapidity in
the transmission of messages, since, when every one
was forced to telegraph by the same line, it was
evident that some would have to wait until a great
part of the value of their news was lost. Thanks
to the just and prudent condition included in their
charter, anything like partiality or unfairness is
impossible, it being the rule to send the messages in
exact rotation as they come. Nevertheless, a very
little reflection will show that with the immense and
ever-increasing amount of news, political, commer-
cial, social, and domestic, waiting on both sides of the
Atlantic, the inevitable delay with one cable, worked
as indefatigably as possible, must be most exasperat-
ing. Then the expense would naturally be very much
greater with a single line. Should the enterprise
continue to prosper, as we may reasonably hope it
will, other lines will be laid down, and the company
will find it to their interest to reduce their prices
considerably. At present they may reasonably
make a high charge since they have had to bear
heavy expenses, and the successful completion of
the undertaking is due entirely to the undaunted
resolution with which they faced the disappointment
of last year. The shareholders are rewarded for
their courage and fortitude on that trying occasion,
when the costly and anxiously watched cable was
seemingly lost for ever. 'Well might they be dis-
heartened at such a catastrophe, for under the most
favourable circumstances the delay of many months
was inevitable, and a further outlay was demanded ;
still, with true English determination and perse-
verance under difficulties, they renewed the effort.
Like the spider plunging his thin spun line time after
time in spite of repeated failure, the slight cable
was once more lowered into the depths of that great
ocean, in Nome mysterious depths might dwell
agencies of which the wisest were unconscious.
Everything this year has been most fortunate.
Something no doubt is due to improved science
and greater skill in the management, skill bought
by the experience of former disasters. The weather
has been on the whole favourable, though of course
the task of picking up the cable was not accomplished
without considerable difficulty. Ou August 10 the
Albany and the Terrible reached the position of the
end of the cable and grappled and buoyed it, but
the chain breaking they lost both the rope and the
cable. At midnight on the 15th the Great
Eastern succeeded in securing the coveted
prize, and in raising it five hundred fathoms,
but in buoying it she, too, lost rope and cable. Two
days later she grappled it once more, and raised the
bight to the bow sheave, when just in attempting
to bring it on board it parted, owing to the rough-
ness of the sea. Two days more and the Great
Eastern grappled the cable again and buoyed the
bight, the cable being raised eighty-six fathoms
Loin the bottom. The same day the Albany
grappled it, but cleared it again. On the 26th the