Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-08-14
THE FREE PRESS
BURLINGTON
The Atlantic Telegraph.
FRIDAY MORNING. AUGUST IA, Is

The Atlantic telegraph
The success cr failure of the present
grand experiment of stretching Telegraph
wire across the Atlantic will be soon decd-
ed According to the latest accounts the
wire has been safely coiled on board the
steamships Agamcmnon and Niagara, and
| the delicate and hazardous operation Of
stretching out the mighty coils IN an un-
broken line at the bot ON of the ocean must
he already in progress. A lively interest
is felt in the enterprise. lit succeeds, it
will be an occasion of much rejoicing. If
it fails this time, the failure will only lead
to another trial-one made with better pre-
cautions. The rapidity with which the
work has been carried on, since the con
struction of the wire began, shows remark
able manufacturing energy and resources.
Unquestionabl it has brought with 1t some
risks of failure which could have been
avoided by taking more time. The follow
ing extract from the London Times men
tons some of them. 1t seems strange
enough that one or two of the oversights
mentioned would have been allowed to hap
pen.
W hile looking at the ponderous mass
on board the Agamemuon, one cannot fail
to be struck by the heat Of the place in
which it is slowed away, a heat which
might excite well founded fears as to it's
influence on the gutla percha. If we are
not misinformed, Mc heat of The sun de-
strOvcd many males Of the w're By mcit'ng
out the guttd pcrcha whiie the cable ,raS H.
ing an Glass q Eijous yard. Proper
precautions should be taken to avert risk
from this point.
We have already explained to our read
ers how the cable is coated with closely
woven spiral wires, to prevent damage to
the core in paying out but, in consequence
of the two halves having been made at diff
ferent places-one at Birkenhead, by Messrs.
Newal, and the other at Greenwich, by
Glass and Elliott, most egregous blunder
has been committed. 1t will scarcely be
credited, but it is nevertheless true, that
the twist of the spiral wires Of the Birken-
head half is in exactly the opposite direc-
tion to the twist OF the wires in the halt made
at Greenwich. Thus, when joined in the
centre of the Atlantic they will form
right and left hand screw. and the tend
ency of each will be to assist the other to
untwist and expose the cOre.-By attach
ing a solid weight to the centre joining, it
is hoped this difficulty and danger may be
overcome, but none attempt to conceal that
the mistake is much to be regretted We
are informed that Messrs. Glass and Elliott
had nearly 100 miles Of their portion Of
the cable completed before Messrs Newal
] nnt aal fI.tr at,I hat I,,r. >
fault rests with the firm which began last
The apparatus to he used IN paying out
the cable is also looked upon by engineers
as very i'll adapted to its purpose. With
cable of such extreme lightness and no great
strength and attached to vessel like the
| Agamemnon, the slightest possible check
or hitch occurring would part il like
| thread. The friction drums should there
fore be Of the slightest kind consistent with
preventing IA rush, and in fact only sulfi-
cient TO ease it over gently. Yet 1t is no
exaggeratiOn to say that the machinery to
be used is the very reverse of all this, and
its massive aspect strikes disnay into every
well wisher to the scheme. Some OF the first
engineers of the day consider it too heavy,
and have expressed most uniayorable OpIn-
ions concerning it and its probable effects
upon the cable and even those intimately
connected with the plan and its details do
not disguise their regret that such inachi-
merry should be resorted to.
Should the squadron meet very severe wca-
ther, and it not be considered prudent to re-
tain the cable end on board at all, the wire
rope will be detached as before, and the
| end of that secured again to an imcnse buoy
The whole can then be let adrift to bob
about as the winds and waves may choose,
the vessels remaining as near to the buoy
as possible. In order to assist them in
finding it Immediately, the uppermost end
of the buoy will be fitted with four power
full redectors, placed under flag, S, as to
be plainly visible amidst the dark expanse
! of waters, even at a considerable distance
The buoy once picked up, the wire rope
can be wound in, and with it the electric
cable at its end. The buoys are capable of
supporting the weight of seyen tons;-Ot
course much greater than they will be re-
quired to bear and are so placed at the
sides of the Niagara and Agamemnon as to
be launched clear of the ship in an instant,