The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1856-11-29
Laying the Submarine Cable.

| The enterprise now IN progress OF con
meeting Europe TO this country, 10y elec.
'rcIty, suggests the query, how is the
submarine cable laid2
| An inquiring mind has obtained the
necessary facts, aud like true citizen
desires them promulgated. Soundings
are to be made every thirty miles, and
each time cannon ball weighing IS
pounds,or large pointed p!umme, weigh.
ing l2O to $50 pounds, will be left al the
bottom. The soundngs are made with
line of course and permanently attach.
ed to the line is plain straight piece OF
gas pipe about five-eigh,s of an inch in-
side diameter, and a small nest Of gear
wheels with large, thin screw, like a
boys windmill, which latter, by twisting
around as the lead descenls, enables the
gear wheels to register the depth. When
ready to sound, the tube is ,hrus, loosely
through hole In the heavy snkcr, so
that its extremity will project some inch.
es below, and the sinker is then attached
to the line by catches, in such way that
slight push upward on the lower end Of
the tube will release the weight forever.
The interior OF the tube is rough, and is
creased little to insure the bringing up
OF portion of the bottom into which il
Plunges. Ii the bottom is soi, mud it is
tolerable indication that no violent cur
r,nt exists to disturb the cable which will
sink into its substance. IF, however, the
dellca,ely loaded affair should chance to
strike roughly on the hack OF any scaly
monstsr IN its rapid descent, the load
would be detaceed, and the depth he re-
corded some two miles less perhaps than
to which the mysterious conveyor of mar
ket reports. love messengers and declar-
atlons OF war will subsequently sink.
From the we'll established fact, however.
that life in no form exists beyond GER
tam comparatively moderate depth in the
sea, there may be apprehended lutte dan
ger OF serious mistakes from this cause.
The projec. for telegraphing directly
across the Atlantic, in one single circle,
is magnificent, one, and one the sue.
cess OF which cannot be too earnestly de-
sired. The present expedition will pro-
baby remove some Of the obscurilies with
which the subject is now surrounded an1
is one OF the noble enterprises in which
our naval vessels are most leg.,ima,ey
employed in time Of peace. The distance
is about 1000 miles. allowing for the
probable inequalities of the bottom; and
when we reflect on the difficulties expe-
rlenced in communicating through long
circuits above the surface, and the i'm
mense amount Of property which will be
rendered valueless I'D the depths of the
ocean by complete fracture at any single
point, the greatness Of the undertaking
becomes plainly apparent. We are as.
sured, however, that the company having
the enterprise in hand will weigh well
all considerations affecting the peculiar
circumstances of the case, and in the ra-
pid progress making in all the arts,
among which submarine telegraphing is
by no means the slowest, it is not at all
impossible that very few years may
find US in familiar chat with our cousins
IN Great Britain through the medium of
a cluster OF wires buried thousands of
Feet below the deepest dive of the finny
tribe, or the lowest home of any living
shellfish.