Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-01-03

iron, an inch in diameter, and many hundred
miles in length, and 10 lay il down amid the
constant heaving Of The sea, increased perhaps
by casual gales, and even iempests. is we'll
nigh practical mpossibiliiy. Bot this is nol
henceforlh 10, employed--nothing more than
The copper wire with its putia percha and hem
pen covering, which will constitute but small
fraction Of The weight Of the prescn, unwieldy
and ponderous cable.
Thus the practical difficulty Of the enterprise
is already overcome, and the great work may
be considered as virtually accomplished.
While il ful6ls lis destined mission in promot.
ing all the moral and material Interests Of the
whole human family, this wonderful achiev-
ment will shed new lustre upon our country,
and place the name Of Lieutenant Maury, al
ready so conspicuous in the rolls Of science,
high upon the list Of The substantial beneiact-
ors Of our race We do not mean that his
great discoveries in the world Of waters, which
is so peculiarly his realm, will bear but this
single fruit they will doubtless hear other and
richer fruits, and be more widely aud signally
developed in the future.
From the New York Daily Times 10Th. -
DEscRIPrIoS OF THE CABLE, AND WHEN 1T
is TO De LAID Within the past few weeks a
new impetus has been given to the qrea, pro-
eel of uniting The Old and New Worlds BY the
submarine telegraph. The formation in LON
don of the "Atlasic Telegraph Compans,'
bearing upon It's books the names Of gentlemen
of the highest commercial position and scieDti-
fc character, both in England and The United
States, as we have already published, has re-
vived the faith Of the dubious, and set many
who still doubt to wondering whether after all
they may not live 10 see the great marvel o
fact A specimen Of the cable which is TO be
sunk was brought over in the Baltic by Cyrus
w. FlELD, aud now lies before US. 1t is three
luur,hs Of an inch in diameter. In the centre
are seven small copper wires, twisted upon
themselves, and the Whole insulated BY thick
covering of gutla percha. Eighteen strands Of
slender iron wire, each strand composed Of sew
en- threads loosely twisted upon themselves, con-
stilute The outer covering. The weight Of ibe
whole is eighteen owt., TO the mile, and its
strength such that is will bear in water over
six miles its own length is suspended vertically
Its specific gravity is such that il is ,houghl
there can be no question about its sinking read
lily to the bottom, being much heavier than the
shells brought up by sounding. The objection
that the strands of wire forming the onier COW
ering will suffer corroson or decomposition, is
met by the statement based. it is said, on salts
factory experiments, that in corroding, The ma
teral of which the outer covering consists will
enter into chemical union with The soft mud in
which tho cable is embedded and will thus form
concrete mass of calcareous or siliceous sub.
stance, aiTording its very best possible prolec'
ton. The gutta percha and central copper
wire are thought TO be understandable under wa
ter. The dexibiily Of the cable is such as lC
make it almost as manageable as a small hemp
line. Its selection was the result Of months o
experiment aud trial--hundreds of specimens
having been made comprising every variety o.
form and size and structure before this parlcu
lar one was agreed upon.
The one which it was attempted to lay some
two years ago was an inch aud quarter in d.
ameier, having the same number of electric
wires inside, but having as its external cover
ing twelve quarter inch wires. Il was very
cumbersome compared with this, and much
more expensive at that. f t
Messrs. Kuprn. Glass a. Co., Of London
have taken the contract for the manufacture Of
the great cable chosen TO connec, the two con.
tinents. The distance from St. Johns, New
foundland, TO Valencia on the western coast oil
Ireland, the points between which the telegraph
ic connection is TO be made, is l $40 nautical
or 1000 statute miles. But the manufacturers
are TO furnish $500 statute miles of the cable
in order 10 meet the demand for extra cable
that may arise from tho inequality of tho depth
of the ocean along the plateau over which the
line is 10 be laid. The cable is to be compile
ted by the Goth Of next May. Two steamers
each h. rug half of the cable, sill directly sail
from London for the middle of the Au5mc
aud heading .'.i "ats. paving H-ta. ....
poo.