Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1857-09-02
THE SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH CABLE.

The accident which caused the breaking of
the cable three hundred and thirty miles from
Ealentia was rot the first and only break which
occurred. The annexed statement shows that
the cable first parted at distance of only four
miles from the shore:
By British and Irish Magnetic Telegraph.
VALESTIi, Aug. S.-On Thursday, soon after
the ships sailed for Newfoundland, and when at
the distance of four miles from thelanding place,
all accident happened to the thickest shore end
of the cable, which became entangled with the
machinery and broke at that point. The ships
boats were engaged until the afternoon of yes
terday friday in undermining the cable from
the shore to the place where it was broken, and
there Joining the two ends again. This opera.
tun has been most successfully perEormed-the
joint is us perfect rs any part of the cable, and
the continuity and insulation Of the whole length
having Lecn asccrtaincd BY the severest test the
squadron instantly set sail at about sunset Oh
the evening Of yesterday. and have kept up con.
tiuned intercourse through the wire to the shore
of Yalcntia since that time up to this hour, half.
past nine on Saturday. The ships are now
twenty-five miles off; the weather beautiful and
the sea calm.
Another account Of the accident says:
At four o'clock everything was made read for
a fair start; the anchors were weighed, the men
stationed at their places Oh the coil and at the
paving out machinery, and in half an hour after
the vessel was moving slowly and steadily out or
the bay, at the rate of about two miles an hour
The machinery appeared to work better or as
well us when it WAS tried before, and the cable
passed out over the stern without interruption ct
any kind for about three.quarters of an hour,
when suddenly it surged off the sheaves of one
of the wheels and was jammed i'll the machine.
An attempt was made to cXtricate it, but before
it could be accomplished, the great strain that
was brought upon it by the onward motion OF
the vessel, and which could moi be arrested,
parted the cable. 1t was impossible, under tie
circumstances, to prevent such catastrophe,
Tor once it got off the wheel no means that
could have been adopted at the time would have
saved it from breaking Had it parted on board
the difficulty might have been remedied, but I'M
fortunately the point Of separation was in the
water.
This at once brought matters to stand still,
but as the only thing that now remained to be
done was to fish for the cable, or underrun it, the
services of the Willing Mind, the little steam
boat which played such an important part in tho
landing OF it, were once more called into requi.
siton. There WAS no difficulty in finding the
spot where the end lay, as buoy attached to an
snchor had been dropped right over it, but as
the process of fishing for it vas rather tedious,
it was decided TO undcrrun it from the shorc-a
distance OF about four miles One Of the boats
from the Susquchanna and another from the
Leopard were detached, in connection with Tho
Willing Mind. ior this work, and after considera-
bic trouble they succeeded in undermining it
out rs fur us the buoy when the little steamer
took the end on boar, lor the purpose Of plicing.
This, however, was ounlto be utterly imrosai-
BILE, Gu account OF the roughness of the sea, and
having made several unsuccessful attempts, they
were obliged to drop the end. The Niagara,
under these circumstances, anchored once more
in Ealcntia Bay and this morning the process
of undermining from the shore was once more
accomplished. The end Of the cable which
was to he spliccl was put on board one Of the
Susauchanna S boats, and the end from the
Niagara taken to it by the Willing Mind. The
ioincrs, rs the operatives from the gutta percha
works are Called and the wire splicers then went
to work, and in about two hours accomplished
the task. The cable was then dropped into the
bay, and the continuity having found to be per.
feet. the Niagara once more weighed anchor and
stood out TO sea.