The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-06-06
FHE ATLANTIC SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH.
The Old and New Worlds to be Con-
nected by Electric Wires.
Wonderful Progress of Tslegraphic Communi-
cation Around the Globe.
SCIENCE oIRDLINo THE EARTH
THE NEWFOUNDLAND SUBMARINE SECTION,
&C., De-, 60

the "Ne~ York NswfouIdIan aod Londos rslsgrspaic
Company with the "Trans A.laoe,c relsgraphic Compa-
N.Y. the great submarine TELEGRAPH which to connect
the Old and New Worlds wiz rot only be competed on
the 22d OF January 1885, but in successfa operation
When this great project Wa, sposen o, few years
ago. it condemned at utterly pra sticabs,
and those who advo ated 1t sneered little bet
ter tbi ~sionsrss. hondred objections urged
against t and it supposed for time that it hal
been totally abandoned But those who had con-
ceved the idea thoroughly practical they had
money means their disposal; they had examine
all the objections, and arrived at ths conclusion after
. calm and impartial consideration Of the whos
subject tnat it could be carried into effect. They
conteadsd that il it possible to lay . sub.
marine telegraph between Eog'aud and France that,
with proper means and facilities the same could be
done between Amer and Europe aud those and
facilities tney asserted at their disposal The work.
we urcasand has not been commenced yet bat the con-
been made and thing prepared to insure it's
completoa by the specified time. The task, 1t must be
admitted. stupendoas one out SO many things have
consped to favor those who have uedertsksn It, that
there Stle to doubt Of iss ultimste
cess. And here, before catering into description of
the details of this work, will cigress little for
the purpose Of showing the progres that has already
been made in eegraphng from tue time OF its discovery
the presen and the remarkable aud almost incredible
results waich have been acc nplished through its
agency.
The 's electric telegraph established in the United
States between Washington add Baltimore in 1874.
The patent was secured by ths inventor Professor
Morse) in 1887, by whom the electro agency
was fully developed about five years previous Before
this, many attempts had been made In Europe to
ploy electricity in the trans mission Of intelligence from
distant points, bat with only partial success. The
credit of discovery ID claimed by q number of
Others, among whom Mr.. Alexander Balm,
Professors Charles T. jackson and Stnhie Ill Of whose
titles to appear to be equally valid tn that Of Pro-
fessor Morse The frst telegraph as we have stated,
was constructed between Washington and Baltimore,
distance o. about forty miles By Professor Morse and
his having made grant Of thirty
Thousand dollars enable them to put in operation
which attended this led to the establishment
of another line the following year, between New York.
Philadelphia and Wilmington, from which it was
tended, 1S46, to Baltimore This, at the ttms Was
considered astonishing progress and it prcphesied
before ten years the principal cities Of the Union
would be brought into instant unication but tn
most ardent enthusiast never dreamed that tho day
would when the same intimate connection would
be established between the Old World and the New Dur
ling the ytar 184e, line was opened from Albany
buffalo, and smother from New York 70 Boston. rh
CONSTRUCTION of other lines followed in such rapid sue
cerssop that in the Of eleven years-tnat is
from 1s44 to the preAent tmetheir aggregate length
p9xteu0eN Crty-tWo LnOu s0nd mloo. Tn0 lB nOt al,
however cr telegraph line 20 the Paciac has not only
been proposed, but company has been already or
ganzsd nnd charter obtained for the purpose By the
time this and number of others At present In contsm
pation completed, should not be surprised IL
had one hundred thousand miles of telegraph in the
United States alone.
In Europe the progress of the work has not been 80
RAPID and the total length Of the lines completed In
Of completion, does not exceed thirty thousand
pL. - So A. n
ian government in its dominons, both before and
since the commence ment Of the war Here then, We
have aggregate of seventy-two thousand miles of
telegraph both continents, which it Ia proposed to
connect by separate and distinct line stretched across
the bed of the Atlantic.
THE SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH.
In 1850 it proposed to lay telegraph between
Dover snd Calais but many difficulties were present
ed in the way of such undertaking that 1t was con-
sidered smost impossible. The wirs ii proved by
requsns attempts could not be wholly insulated aud
the electric fluid, ~ 1t passed along it, diused
BY contact with the water 10 lose it's efficiency
Hemp, saturated with tar. employed; but In
time II was found that the water penetrated through
hat and the project was about being abandoned
hopelese, when material was discovered which
fousd to the purpose whom everything else
bad failed. Fortunately just at this very time, It
VAS most needed, the valuable properties Of gutta
oxcna entife eQepta0llty 70 thtg
made kncwn 1t tested with the most signal success
found not only to resist the action Of the water but
that it would not interfere with the progress
f the electric fluid passed along the we. This
important fact established, the attempt to con-
truct sab marine telegraph bstwssn France and Eng.
land made, and with the most gratifying re-
suit. factory for the manufacture Of the "sub ma
ine telegraph cable" it called erected In
England in 1851 and by September Of that year twenty
our miles of IL made and ready to be laid down
rom Calais to Dover. The cable used composed Of
che gua percha which enclosed the wires hemp steep.
d in solution Of tar and taow, and iron wirs Of the
hickeft kind. The process Of manufacturing this
e exceedingly simple The copper wire, which not
much thicker than the wire Of which pins made is
|Fonpletey covered BY gutta percha Four Of these,
ach OF which Ia about thick ordinary sized
pipe STEM are bound round with hemp prepared We
described, and over this again Ia wound the iron
The winding Of this wire requires great to
prevent ts breaking as would bs next to Impossible
10 repair any damage after II was laid Nine miles OF
his cable can be manufactured every day
The cable Of four wires which oonnects 10
,sr with Calais, is about an insh and a half
n dismster, and Is galvanized. to keep It from
usting. We saw . specimen Of this cable which
had been taken up after lying In the water for four
ears and IL was perfe,t whom arst put down. In
ddition to this, there two other cables one con-
ecting Calais with Ostsnd, and the other connecting
ondon with the Hague. An each Of these have four
rss there twelve altogether for the Transmission
news between Great Britain and the Continent
hese however, not the only submarine tslegraphs
which have been constructed in the Old World for We
Ind that the French and sardnian governments at
engaged in the completion of extending from
iarseilies to Algsrs by way Of Spezzis Corsica and
srdnia OF this line about $50 miles win be under
rater, and win be composed Of cables containing four
has All. .1sa ~ ctfouh Euro
nd Africa win b complete, and ~ It ID proposed
~ the English govsrmsnt TO run telegraph
IA connection with this across the northern
Eoest OF Africa, BY way Of tbs Isthmus Of
kE 70 their possessions In the East three continents
IL sbe brought into a. direct communication with each