The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-09-17
FROM a, Washington States.
RUrTURE BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND
THE UNITED STATES.

II we understand uright thu accounts nl lhusr
employed 10 lay tn, Atlantic cuhl'. they deep
cnci their water In tho twenty four hour. pre-.
ceding the brenking OF the cnble from about 100
to 2UGO rnthon,s nnd yet thcy attribute to II
'.sidu current the extraordinary demand for
cable over unl above the tp.cd of the ship in
stead Of ntiributns il 10 the vast inequalities cr
ground. surface over which they were nl"kin.,
their way. Now, WAS the paying out of the
cable at tho time Of the rupture 1T any greater
rate than WAS actually required 10 adapt itself To
the very uneven ground d-s,lriacc which must have
occurred between the depths of 400 and 2UOO
fatlloms! We think not; and the engineers
should have antc pated with the increusc Of
depth. corresponding increase OF spcc,l in pnv-
ing out, and should thus have suffered the cable
to obey the simple law of gravitution, in finding
itself n bed Oh the bottom Of the ocean; but To
check this extraordinary demand, under the cir
cuns,anccs. was to keep suspended between the
ship and the bottom IL weight Of cable too great
ior IT'S strength, und hence the unfortunate result
1t the engineer had suffered the cubIe To run
with no greater or additional application of the
| brakes than the simple increase of d. nth re-
l"ireu' there would have been no trouble and
Tie paying out would have been faster or slower
as the speed Of the ship and ncuuulitics of the
bottom required. In other words. had he at
tributcd to yruriiaton (and governed himself uc
cor'!ingly) what he attributed to II side cuyreut
there would have hcen rupture of the cable
10 regard as the immediate CAUSE of the rub
lure the application of the brakes when III. stern
OF the ship was in the trough of the sea, is p.
! rIlc and absurd, und what 10 man Of common
sense Will do oil u sober second thought, !" and
should another expedition be fitted out under
the management OF gentlemen who attribute TO
such cause and To 'si1c current" their recent
failure there will be another rupt,,re. and wbrn
perhaps, the stern of the ship is Oh The crest of
| the wave.
From one statement Il appears that, in s,ilinr
2So miles :!iey had deposited $50 miles Of cable:
which difference, Instead Of being attributed to
" side currren,,' should be regarded us the
'liifcrcnce between tho plane surface on which
The ship moves, and the uneven ono on which
the cable rests. and which is no greater than
would be found to exist between any poln, $50
| miles to the top Of Mount Washington. or the
Ailcghanes, as the bird flies, and as VIC should
| find 1t in chnning over rough and uneven sur
lace nor Is their uny more propricty in ui ,riIu
| ting the difference to IL "si,lc current" in the
ioriner case than there would be in the latter
Having arrived ut the greatest depth (aboul .
| zoo flthon,s between Nulcnlia and Newfouni-
land,) had 10 accident happened through tie uu
lucky application of the brakes the inequalities
| OF the bottom would afterwards hnv. been found
| comparatively trling and the extraordinary de-
mand FOR cable beyond the progress or speed Of
| the ship would have, i'll great measure ceased
and the $500 miles Of cable found .mply suli
cient as will duly appear Whenever the expert
ncnl shall succeed