The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-01-23
rae ATLANTIC SUBMARINE rELEeRApH

THE ATLANTIC SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH.
The deliberations of the Senate upon the application of
tina projectors of the Atlantic submarine telegraph for an
appropriation by Congress in aid of their enterprise
duces us to repubsh the following extract from letter
written by Dudley Mann 10 the late Thomas Richie and
which appeared in the Union ten years ago. 1t contained
about the first If not the very first intelligence of the
perimen made with the telegraph under water which
published in Washington and which occasioned much
everywhere than the discovery of the lightning
conductor ITSELF The idea that 1t operate
fully under water either the British channel
Behring's straits generally ridcued absurd TO
be entertained by rational minds But the prediction
tanned in the letter with reference to the British channel
verified nearly five years ago. From the day that the
cable commenced working between the French and English
shores understand that it has been of order
solitary hour From present Indications in much less
than the twenty years predicted the wire will have made the
circuit Of the gobe
instrumentation Dec 90 1886.
Such is the progress which science and mechanism are
making, that from day to day of
ment developed to the world Nothing that does
in direct opposition to the immutabe laws of
impossible There is stopping place. Increduli-
y is dsarmed Of its weapons the end of old by the
spell of the Sir Humphrey Davy the great phi
osopher of his day. when it was proposed to illuminate
impracticabe to cut slice from the
and use it an illuminating power. Now you behold
ourthrae cities in the United States from coal
fields brilliantly lighted up with this uncoaguating spirit;
while it is in in every respectable town in Europe 1t
is estimated that average eight hundred tons of coal
used by the London gas companies daily 1t is
years since the learned Doctor Lardner asserted in
the positive manner that vessels propelled by
would succeed in navigating the Atlantcan opin-
ion in which most Of the English merchants conceded.
Now you behed steamships running weekly between Eng
land and America making their passages with the
arity of stage and trumphanty encounering the most
fghtfu hurricanes and storms Francis Fortune, who
predicted that from London to Bristol would be
made upon rail in four hours Stunned maniac
Now you behold the distance travelled in little
than two hours, and from London to Exeter via Bristol
22O mies in four hours and half including soppages
1t but yesterday that first heard of the magnetic tel
egraph Now you behold in the United States lines in
rious directions according to the statement of Mr. Ken
DALI to the length of thousand three hundred miles
10 not improbable but that this lightning conveyor piH
yet make the circuit Of the globe An experiment with the sub
marine telegraph Portsmouth, England few days since
encourages belief of the kind The given of it
states "The fact OF the water acting ready return
conductor established beyond question: for to test this
most thoroughly repeated experiments made in the
presence of some of the principal dockyard authorities in
Guiding the heads of the engineering departments There
can be no doubt without reference to distance the water
will act return conductor in completing the circuit
Independent of the simplicity of this submarine telegraph
had advantage which the eegraphs land do
in ten minutes The of the trial here has,
dersand determined the inventors lay down their
tempated line the channel from England France
under the sanction of the respective governments.
Should the enterprise succeed in connecting the capitals
of Great Britain and France with continued magnetic
line of communication the obstacles will be removed
Washington and Pekin If the British channel can be
crossed Behring's straits be crossed In oil that
ate to the humiliation of space are nation pecu
ary interested in the facilities afforded by the telegraph
for intelligent intercourse Where will be San Francisco
and the mouth of the Columbia and Santa Fe and Mon
erey and Tampco twenty years hence2 Nearer to WASH
:rLk
1871 80 : - = N's1'' - :
will conclude this with an extract from Sir Francis
Heads new work, the Emgrant which especially recon-
mend to the perusal of such of elowctizens
dissatisfied with their country opposed extension
OF its limits 1t will be recoeced that the author for
some time governor of Canada but with all his proposes
sons for his atherand he bears pleasing testimony to the
beauties Of America: However deeply prejudiced he
marks Fan Engshman may be in favor of his
try yet think it is impossible fof him to the Allan
tic without admitting that in both the northern and south
hemispheres of the New World has only
outlined larger SCALE but has painted the whole pic
ue with brighter and costly coors than she used in
deneating and in identifying the Old World. The
heavens of America appear infinitely higher the sky is
buer the clouds whittier the air is esher the cold is
the wind is stronger the rain is heavier the mountains
higher the rivers larger the forest bigger, the
plains broadern short the gigantic and beautiful fea-
lures of the New World to correspond very wonder
fully with the increased locomotive powers and other brill
liant discoveries which have lately been developed to man
kind
In publishing the opinions and views Of Mr.. Mann, al
though good deal bewdered by his predictions the then
Nestor of the American Press took occasion remark
What wonderful improvements have burst upon within
the last thirty The virtues of steam applied to such
variety of purposes the steamboat under the ausp
of the American Fuon) and to the flying and the
thousand forms in which employed upon manufactures
sufficient alone to prepare our for the other
prodiges of the age The invention of the magnetic ele
graph from the inventive genius of another American
Morse) which seems almost annihiate time and space
themselves, STRIPS INCREDULITY ITSELF OF AL
MOST EVERY EXCUSE TO DISPUTE ANY INNovA-
TION.n