The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1857-09-03

tai steam. engine of about go horse power.
will be at once set to work. gathering up
the slack-rope as the vessel moves astern
the electrician n all the while testing the
insulating continuity of the cable yard by
yard, until the defective portion has been
been discovered. This will then be cut
and the gap supplied by joining up the
ends of the injured parts. when the pay.
ing out and testing will be resumed as at
the first
Special provision. too. has been made
for storms. In ordinary weather, or even
with brisk, strong winds. either ahead or
astern, the work can go on without inter-
ruption, as the motion will not be so great
as to prevent the machinery from retain
ing complete control of cable. But,
if the wind should blow astern so heavily
as to make it necessary for the vessel to
come up head to the wind. an apparatus
has been prepared for paying out over
the bow, similar to that already described.
And in case a regular gale should arise,
strong enough to render it impossible for
the vessel safely to retain hold to the ca
bic at all, preparations have been made
for abandoning it temporarily. Upon the
deck stand two large reels, each wound
round with very strong auxiliary cable.
composed of iron wire only. and capable
of resisting strain of ten or twelve tons.
OF this there are about two miles and a
half on each reel In case of a heavy
storm, rendering necessary the abandon
ment ofthe cable, it would be cut, and the
sea and attached to the end of one OF
these strong iron cords wound upon the
reel. This would then be rapidly let out,
and the Telegraph cable lowered to the
quiet bottom of the sea, leaving the
entire strain Of the tenn pest to be borne bv
the the iron cord. As soon as possible,
moreover, the end of this cord would be
attached to immense buoys, shaped like a
quill float Of the anglers line, and provi-
ded with ref1ectors,s so as to be easily seen
which would be tossed overheard, and
left to sustain the cable until the storm
should subside, when they would again
be picked up. the cable recovered and re
joined to the part remaining upon the ship
and the work proceed as before.
It will be seen from this statement,
that nothing which prudence and ntelli
gent forethouglt could suggest. has been
left undone to provide against oontingen-
cies, and insure the successful accomplish
ment of this great work. So far as the
mechanical part of it is commemorative
laying down of the cable-I see no room
to doubt its success. 1t seems to me pro-
bable. to say the least, that within
month from the present time, the tele-
graphic cable will be safely deposited up
on the bed of the Atlantic its two ends
firmly secured to the Irish and American
Coasts respectively. Nor is there any
apparent difficulty in its remaining there
undisturbed by any of the ordinary agen-
cies that vex the ocean. Storms cannot
reach it. The bed upon which it will lie
is, as you know from the published sur
veys, almost level,-lying from 5000 to
$4,000 feet below the surface, entirely
free from those sudden elevations and de.
pressions which mark other portions of
the bed Of the ocean, and composed of
what seems to be fine sand, but which
proves, upon microscopic examination, to
be the hells and outside skeletons of myr-
lads ofcreatures which live lin the tropical
waters. and have been swept up into these
northern latitudes by the gulf stream.
The presence of these shells here proves
the calm and undisturbed character of the
water in which they are found. The ca
bic once deposited upon this bed. is almost
certain to be covered by the accumulation
OF these shells, which, moreover have a
tendency toagglutinate themselves around
masses of metal and preserve them from
rust. There are many men ofscience who
express the opinion that, If telegraph
cable were once deposited in this subma-
riue burial ground of the Diatoms. it
would not only be in tranquil and undis-
turbed retreat, but that after few years,
it would actually be built in there by
finty pavement, which no trifing exer-
ton could manage to penetrate, that it
would not only be at the bottom of the
ocean, but would become an integal and
permanent part of the ocean bed. Nor
is the cable in this latitude exposed toin-
reference from the anchors of ships
for it is not region where ships ever an
chor. The only danger which, SO far as
I see, the cable is exposed to, is that OF
ioebergs drifting southwark and getting
aground,--or grinding along upon the
bottom of the sea, as they are known
sometimes to do, for scores and even hun
dreds of miles.
r. L,s hooy, oorod and with y,ouch anna.