The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-22 00:00:00

THE DEFUNCT ATLANTIC CABLE.

The Western Union Telegraph Company have
purchased ten miles of the Atlantic telegraph cable,
at 250 dole. per mile, to lay across rivers and bays.
The first laid was across the Mississippi, at St.
Louis, 2,700 feet. This worked well at first, but
was a total failure at the end of twenty days. It
was then underrun from shore to shore, so as to see
every inch of it ; but no defect was visible.
Another 2,700 feet piece was laid, which worked
two days only and failed also ; yet there is no de-
fect visible externally. Still another was laid,
which has now worked well for six days. About
thirty submarine cables have been lost there by
snags, anchors, &c. The company now propose to
make one large cable, composed of seven of the ocean
cable strands, with stout strands of common post
wire laid in interstices, and all well bound to-
gether. This, it is thought, will be proof aga:nst
snags and anchors ; but it will still be exposed to
the interruption which has destroyed the two un-
broken cables ; and what is this ? The wild light-
ning from the sky is not identical with that domes-
ticated and in use by telegraphers. The latter
never jumps from one conductor to another, how-
ever small the distance, while the former may be
made to leap considerable distances to inviting
points ; and when wires are overcharged in violent
storms, descends in visible fine balls from the wire
to the ground. An excessive charge will leave the
wire at a point nearest the earth. Of course a sub-
marine wire will conduct it within one-fourth of an
inch, or less, of the water, and an excessive quantity
from the sky will at once fly off through the isola-
ting guttapercha perforating it, and letting in the
water so as to destroy it. To counteract this, by
Mr. Wade's plan, a fine coil of copper wire forms
the connection at each end of the submerged cable,
and a greater quantity of electricity than the sub-
marine line will bear will melt the fine coil, break
the current, and thus save the submarine line.
Employes often repair these melted coils by a
" larger wire, so that it won't melt ;" this defeats
the object of the coil, and melts the submarine line,
or flies off, perforating the isolation, which is
equally fatal. There is another phenomenon mani-
fest in cutting the cable. However well the end of
the cable is secured by binding before it is cut, the
iron wire almost immediately protrudes 1-16th of
an inch beyond the conducting wire, and if a single
foot is cut off, each end will do the same, making
the conducting wire appear to draw in that amount.
This is no doubt caused by the imperceptible un-
twisting of the cable, which lengthens the outer
wire wound spirally round the conducting wire.
Now, if the whole cable in handling and laying
down should be suffered to untwist to this imper-
ceptible amount, the effect would be to lengthen
the already straight and small conducting wire
over one mile and a half in the 1,945 miles of At-
lantic cable, which it must stretch unevenly,
of course, or part. It would not therefore be
surprising to find the great cable parted in
10,000 places. or drawn so unevenly fine as to be
melted by the first current of electricity passing
through it. It is far more probable, however, that
the sky electricity has perforated the isolating
guttapercha, by flying off to the water when over-
charged in a storm. Is not this the trouble with
the Atlantic cable in the ocean as well as in the
river ; and, if so, is it not confined to a small sec-
tion of a mile or so of the ends of the cable ? The
cable at St. Louis, or rather four miles above, would
again work well if removed from the water.—
( leveland (United States) Plaindealer.

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death is the fearful penalty of neglect. To children and
young people these medicines are a boon indeed, for they
arrest disease without inflicting injury upon the most feeble
constitution. They purify the blood and give the delicate
better health.

Eight out of the 11 vessels forming that portion
of the Channel fleet at Spithead left that anchorage
under steam on Satu.iday. Early in the morning
iedicatious were given of their approaching depar-
ture ; Royal yards were crossed, funnels raised,
and tires lit. At noon Rear-Admiral Sir C. H.
Fremantle, K.C.8., embarked on board his barge
from the sallyport stairs, and proceeded on board
the Royal Albert, which, with the remainder of the
squadron, had steam up, and was hove short. It
was three p.m. beforethe fleet was fairly under way,
the Royal Albert leading as far as the Nab Light,
when the Flying Fish, 6, screw, Commander C. W.
Hope, was sent ahead .of the Royal Albert, and
took up her position as look-out vessel to the squa-
dron. Scarcely a ripple was on the water, and a
more magnificent sight could not be imagined than
the ships presented as they steamed round the east
end of the Wight in the oulernamed:—The Flying
Fish, screw, 6, Commander G. W. Hope f the Royal
Albert, 131, screw, Capt. E. B. Rice, bearing the flag
(red at the mizen) of Rear-Admiral Sir C. H. Fre-
mantle, K.C.B. ; the •Algiers, 91, screw, Capt. G.
W. D. O'Callaghan ; the James Watt, 91, screw,
Capt. E. Codd ; the Agamemnon, 91, screw, Capt.
T. Hope ; the Hero, 91, screw, Captain G. H. Sey-
mour; the Diadem, 32, screw, Capt. W. Moorsom,
C. 8.; and the Emerald, 51, screw, Captain A. Cum-
ming. The Mersey was detained at Spithead on
her experimental screw trials, her third attempt at
the measured, mile on Saturday again proving a
failure, owing to the continued priming of her
boilers. The ships at present at Spithead comprise
the Trafalgar, 91, screw, Captain E. G. Fanshawe ;
the Mersey, 40, screw, Capt. H. Cal lwell, C. 8.;
and the Scout, 21, screw,-Captaizt J. Corbett, the
above three vessels belonging to the Channel fleet ;
the Sidon, 22, paddle, Captain R. B. Crawford, and
the Pioneer, 6, screw, Commander H. Riley, both
ordered on foreign service, and the Gorgon, 6, pad-
dle, Commander B. C. Pim.

The Trafalgar, 91, screw, Capt. E. G. Fanshawe,
arrived at Spithearl on Saturday morning from the
Nore, and exchanged the customary salutes with
the Commander-in-Chief.

The Arrogant, 47, screw, Capt. L. G. Heath,
C. 8., steamed into harbour from Spithead on Sa-
turday.
The Victoria and Albert, Royal yacht, Capt. the
Hon. J. Denman, arrived in Portsmouth harbour
from her moorings off Cowes on Saturday.
The Russian screw corvette, Baian, 16 guns, Capt.
Istomin, arrived at the Motherbank early on Satur-
day morning from Cherbourg, bound to the Baltic.
At 8 a.m. she exchanged the usual salutes with the
military and naval authorities at Portsmouth.
It is expected that the Mersey, 40, screw frigate,
at Spithead, will shortly receive several of Sir W.
Armstrong's guns, in addition to her present ar-
mament.

A Russian steam frigate was steaming towards
Spithead by the Western Channel at 6 p.m. yes-
terday.
The new screw steam frigate Orlando, 50, was
docked at Keyham on Friday, and undocked on Sa-
turday, preparatory to her making an experimental
trip outside Plymouth to try her engines and speed.
The iron steam tender Lizard, Lieut. E. E. Mann-
sell commanding, left Plymouth on Saturday with
supernumeraries for Portsmouth and Sheerness.
. His Netherland Majesty's steam screw frigate-
Admiral Van Wassenaar 44, Capt. de Vaynee van
Brake!; arrived in Plymouth Sound on Saturday, and
exchanged the customary s tlutes with the Citadel
and the Port Admiral. She left the Texel on Tues-
day, and after coaling will proceed to Lisbon with
175 troops for conveyance to Batavia, in a Dutch
transport. which put into the Tagus wanting repair.
The Victor, 6, screw gun vessel, has been towed
from Chatham by the Adder and African steamers,
for the purpose of being attached to the second
division of the steam reserve, at Sheerness. s

A large number of shipwrights have within the
last few days been placed on the Bulwark, 91, and
the Undaunted, 51, screw steamers, building at
Chatham, in order to hasten the completion of those
vessels.

The Benbow, 74, which has been some time in
hand at Chatham Dockyard, fitting for a coal de-
pot at Sheerness, is now completed.
The advices of our Malta correspondent, reaching
down to the 16th of August, contain nothing be-
yond the arrival under canvas, on the evening of
the 15th, of the long looked-for frigate Liffey, Capt.
Preedie, after a long passage of 15 days from Gib-
raltar.
Commodore the Hon. J. H. Drummond and the
officers of her Majesty's Dockyard, Woolwich, were
on Saturday night engaged in testing a newly-dis-
covered light, denominated "the photophore," in-
tended for lighthouses and all the purposes of lights
at sea. The paddlewheel steam-vessel Bustler, in
charge of Mr. Thomas, master-commanding the
Fisgard, having on board Mr. lerdinand Silas, a
native of Holland (the inventor of the photophore),
left the dockyard jetty at half-past 8 o'clock, and,
having hoisted one of the new lights at the mast•
head, proceeded slowly down the river for a short
distance, while a number of the instruments placed
along the banks were lighted up, the pale red glare
of which was easily distinguished from that of all
other lights, and was also pronoineed to be more
brilliant. Commodore Drummond remaining sta-
tioned on the jetty directed a course of signals
by the constant lighting and extinguishing of
the photophore, which was similarly replied to by
the inventor on board the Bustler. One of the in-
struments
ing to the inventor
swtharutiecnihr,e,naltsTecitohrod attachedbeintgo aprleivnieouwslays thrown into the
water, lighted, and on
rising to the surface it shot forth a phosphoric blaze
'l3 statement, would
keep alive for 10 or 12 hours. It was repeatedly,
trailed under water, when the light of course dis-
appeared, but on regaining the surface, it seemed to
struggle as it were into life, and in an instant shone
out with renewed brilliancy. The light, although
of a peculiarly strong description for the purpose of
attracting observation, possesses, nevertheless, no
destructive or incendiary character. One of the
most important uses for which it is suggested to be
employed is the life buoy, as on being attached to
one of these it cannot fail of pointing out the suc-
cour at hand.

Capt. G. A. Halsted,
R.N., secretary
attended on Saturday at the Underwri at Lloyd's,
ters'-offices,
in the Royal Exchange, and witnessed a trial of
Mr. Ward's ocean marine telegraph, recently tested
at Woolwich dockyard, and ordered to be adopted
in the royal navy. The experiments, which were
highly satisfactor', were terminated by the inven-
tor announcing to the meeting his having received
the satisfactory information from America, since his
arrival in this country, that the ocean signal tele-
graph, as then exhibited, had been approved by the
New York Chamber of Commerce, and, consequently,
adopted by the American navy exclusively.
The following appointments were made on Satur-
day at the Admiralty :—R. H. Byron, naval cadet,
to the Neptune ; D. Bayne, clerk, to the Brisk ; 0
L. Wynne, assistant-clerk, to the Cossack ; R. F.
W. Loady, assistant-clerk, to the Sidon ; A. A. Lyne,
assistant clerk, to the Fisgard ; G. S. Goddard and
R. Oliver, assistant-clerks, to the Amphion ; C. L.
J. Underwood, assistant-clerk, to the Neptune; W.
Clay, assistant-clerk, to the Imperieuse ; T. E. Lem-
mans, assistant-clerk, to the Caesar; Langworthy,
assistant-clerk, to the Impregnable; E. G. Ellis, as-
sistant-clerk, to the Eagle ; W. B. Jenins, assistant
clerk, to the Dauntless ; and Thos. Mitchell, assist-
ant clerk, to the Cornwallis.