The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1856-11-05
TIE RECENT. SOUNDiNGS
FOR THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPG.
BY WILDEAN .WuITEHOUsE. aar ree,
Cork HAeBoR, Sept. i, 1856.

BY VILDEANs sMuITEHOUSE. aa-., ,,e.
Cork HARBoR, Sept. j, 1856.
On application being made to the Amer
lean Government they, with q most land
ible zeal for the promotion of this great
national work, expressed their readiness
to render to the projectors of the Attain
tic Telegraph every possible assistance;
and the Secretary Of the United States
Navy, Mr.. Dobbin, eourteously placed at
their disposal the Arctic, the vessel most
fitted for the purpose. and q selection OF
officers whose known talents and eXpe-
rience in, this particular department OF
nautical Science leaves nothing to be de-
sired. Lieut.. Bergman who had already
once taken soundiags across the Atlantic,
was appointed to command this expedi-
ton, withnhe object Of repeating and eE-
larging his former observations; Lieut.,
Strain, whose zeal and energy in com
mand of the perilous Darien Expedition
as well as his love for, and attachments in,
science, qualified him for this oiiice;and Nj
Mitchell, as acting master, who had &C.
eompaned, Lieut.. bergman Oh the former
occasion: these, with a full complement Of
other officers, aud MEN specially chusen for
the purpose, haye done their work nobly.
| All. from the highest to. the lowest have
thrown their hearts fully into. the work,
and it has indeed been well d0ue-evsn
those of the seamen who should have been
| below, have been seen creeping from their
hammockS at midnight, to. watch the re-
turn of the lead, and to learn the result in
some of the deepest sounding. The track
| thus subjected to repeated and criticalsur-
vey, extends from St. Johns, Newfound-
land, to Valencia Bay, at the south
extremity Of Ireland, Il distance Of $40
nautical or l,900 statute miles,
Within these. limits, on course cor
responding to the lihe Of the great-cirele
sailing, seundngs have bsen taken at in
tery2ls of about thirty miles, aud in each
Instance (by means Of quills affixed to the
bottom, Of the sounding apparatusla sam
IpIe or specimen of tbs ocean bed has been
Obtained.
These samples are now undergoing close
microscepicai examinations; but Seven the
| first carsnry glance disclosed an abundance
of the most fragile forms ofsheiii, either Of
recent or of fossil infusoria, so delicate,
and yet SO perfect, as to afford guaran-
tee of the entire absence Of any current or
movement of the water at these great
| depths; thus confirming in The most salts
| factory msuner the results Of the previous
soundings Not g single rock has been
met with, not particle of gravel or sand
has been brought up, but-it appears as if
nature had provided bed "soft as snow
bank" to use Maury's own words. for the
express purpose ofreceiving a telegraphic
cable
Lieut.. Bergman says that he is salts
| fed that the lead, with the sounding ap-
psra,us, has frequently buried itselften or
| fifteen feet in this soft material, and he
| doubts not that the cable will likewise
| sink, and imbed itself in similar manner
| The greatest depth attained has been two
Thousand and seventy falhom {about two
and one third miles,; but perhaps the most
remarkable, and at the same time she most
satisfactory result, is the perfect confrma-
ton which these soundings give of the
opinion expressed by Lieut., Maury, as to
the existence OF a great fiat, or level at
the bottom Of the ocean, unparalleled by
anything on the surface of the earth, and
which he proposed to name "The Tele-
graph Plateau "9o Formore than thirteen
hundred miles the bed of the Atlantic, in
the direct line of our track, is found by
these soundipgs to present. an almost un-
broken level plain. Nature has thus
placed no obstacle in the way of this un-
uertaking, which may not, by cautious per-
severance, be overcome; nay rather if we
except theenormous leugthof cable " hiel
will be required it would seem that the
line to be followed by the AtlaAtic cable
presents absolutely fewer engineering DIFF
icuIties than the shorter route (thonsh
more complex, from the nature OF the bot
tony on which the Mediterranean cable
must be laid. ....4., -. 80. stf-...,,.
AS many OF your readers may be inter.
ested in the nature of the process and
mechanism by WHICH these soundings are
obtained, | will briefly describe it, irclos.
ling you at the same time, an illustrative
Sketch. ~,
The vessel being ehoye to- and mad,
to remain as stationary as possible, the leao
: lis dropped into the water from pully o,
, the fore yard arm, and carries with it th'
line, which, in It's descent, at first yer,
: rapid, gradually dinliAishes in speed, il
| consequence OF tie gradually iRereas
e ing friction CT the line. This dimin
, ution of speed at diffarentdepths has beer
D accurately noted by Lieut. bergman, an,
r is remarkable uniform. The descent il
{. the deeper scnnsalncs usually occgpie.
: about three hours. The arrangement c
0 the mechanism is such, that the nomen
y the rods carrying the quilts touches tn
t bottom, The wires, which were previopsl
y supported by hooks become detached, an
o allow the escape of the lead; while til
+ oniIls and the register which are attache
II to tha rod, thus relieving of its load, ~
e more easily drawn up a sin.. StiP
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