Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-06-26
From the London Times, juno g.
Progress of the Atlantic Submarine
THE Niagara O be employed

From
,,ouoss of the Atlantic Submarine Telegraph
The Niagara to be employed
v,a,orao, of,o,noon the Lord Mayor, accompanied
bv numerous partv of the corporation and civic
officers. Maid visit to the works OF Messrs Glasse
e. Elliot where the monster submarine caOle Is no"
ranidly advancing towards its final completion. The
marty were conducted over the works by Mr. Glasse'
and the various processes which the cable undegoes
in the course of its manufacture were fully pointed
ont and explained. Two small iron cohorns were
also fired by spark sent through short piece Of
the cable. 80,
Since our last notice of the progress OF this great
undertaking, with the exception OF short interval
If FORTY hours last Monday and Tuesday, the work
has advanced necessarily day and night Inc
strand -" closing and serving machines winch
revolve with such astounding rapidly and whose
noise can be heard to The centre OF the river
have done their WORK well, ana spun az auuI'lonal
500 miles of cable Nearly 900 miles are now com
Melted and at least 1900 would have been ready
eouId the wire-drawers have supplied wire as last as
tho machines consume it But that, unfortunately,
has not betn the case, for the daily consumption OF
fine wire has been greater than all The "lreoTaWets
of England could furnish, and the consequence 10
that less is ready for shipment than was wished or
anticipated. The making of the two shore ends Of
the cable is we'll advanced. Tbe5c porto Shame
", for ten miles from the Newfoundland and fifteen
miles from the Irish shores, being manufactured
of immense strength, &c order to resist the action of
Chors, &c. They are made of IL No. Wires, form
ing cable one and half inches in diameter, and
weighing about six tons TO the mile he size OF
the wire used in these ends gradually dlmlnlshes as
deep water is reached, so tina II tapers down where
It Joins to the diameter of the main pUrlOn of the
cable These No. l wires are welded on to No. 2,
which, in turn, jointed to No. 3, and on, as
shallow water and liability to accident decreas-
ed. At these ends the guta percha and "seWing' of
creased and tarred hemp also made proportional
~ thicker, to lessen the chance of accident from
compression of the outside spiral iron caseng
The manufacture OF the centre portion of the cable
has also been begun. in order to avoid risk from
the first strai. starting about five six miles OF
the centre will be made of the strongest steel wire
In place of twisted st ands the cable will here be
bound with Is No. 13 solid wires of steel, that
this part of the telegraph will it is asserted bear
a strain of IL tons with safety or nearly twice the
amount of dead strain that IS likely to upon it
at the first outset.
The preparations for shipping the cable nearly
finished and the operation Of transferring the por
derous coils from the factory to the mold of the Aga
memnOn will commence on Tuesday or " Wednesday
next. WOrkmen from The dockyards now
gagged in laying down moorings for the Agamemnon,
which will arrive off Glasse and Elliots tomorrow
Saturday morning. No less than ten anchors have
been fixed TO secure her from motion while this i'm.
portant work is going forward. From the factory to
the side q the ship ten barges will be noOred stem
and stern, and along these cable will be slowly
wound by twelve horse power engine. 1t will be
slowed away in the hold in ore tremendous coil
forty five feet in diameter and nearly twelve feet
high. No vessel better suited than the Agamemnon
for this purpose uld be found in tie Navy.
There is not the least ground for the reports that
the United STATES fIigate Niagara is not to take the
other half Of the cable, manufactured by Newal at
Brkenhead. At first there was some doubts 10
whether it was worth while to make AIN alera-
tons in the vessel, which necessary in order to
avoid risk in paying out the coil. But this question
has been definitely settled, and either last night or
this morning the Niagara quilted the Thames for
Portsmouth docky yard, where some of her stanchons
will be taken out, and her fine ward room not little
disfgured 10 accom- odate her long passenger. This
vessel in undoubtedly not so we'll suited for the work
as the Agamemnon, and on board of her the cable
will have to be piled in two three COILS fore and
aft, arrangement which would have been better
avoided, if it possible. Both at Birkeniea and
at East Greenwich the manufacture of the cable at
end will be continued while the end is being
shipped In fact, both firms will work up to the last
ment in order that in paying out across the Atlantic
liberal allowance may be made for slack without fear
Of running short. The Susquehanna will accompany
the Niagara, and we believe the Leopard goes with
the Agamemnon. All the vessels will rendezvous at
Cork harbor when the final arrangements will be
made as to starting. The Cyclops IS cut IN the
Atlantic taking soundings along The proposed deep
sea route.