Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-08-15
The AtIantlc TeIegraph.

One matter of greet interest, at present, in Eng
land, is connected with the approaching attempt to
y submarine cabl, across the Atlantic. Theca-
BILE has all been slowed on shipboard and the con-
cusion of that arduols labor celebrated with
high festivities and rJoicings. The London Tunes
says:
''The Acamemnon is still moored of the wharf
at Glasse and EIliott's yard though this afternoon
with the ebb of the spring tide, she commences Der
voyage to Sheerness. There her compasses VIII De
adjusted, as she is too deep in the water 10 De
swung at Greenhthe. At present she has anything
but signify aspect, the great dead weight OF the
bic and the rather ponderous appliances forp ying
it out having altered her trim appearance for She
worse. To approach her from the yard is neither
easy a clearly task, ana the visitor, however
cautions, will ascertain, beyond doubt, that the
old maxim that one cannot touch pitch and not be
defed, is strictly true with regard to tar
The wire, have already explained IN pre-
vious notices, has been wound over the floating
stages from the wharf into the hold of the vessel
The machine by which this was done registered
each tathGm, furloDg and mile as it passed, while
the usual apparatus employed to testt lnteg-
rity Of the conducting wire. This test however,
would only show where the conductor was severed,
and not until the time for its commttalt to the deep
arrives will it be whether it has been so at
tenuated in certain portions to part during the
process of paying out. From the small machine on
deck it wound at once into the hold, where 1t
ies in stupcndous solid coil, forty-hVe feet IN
diameter and nearly fourteen feet high. 1t sbeau-
dfuly arranged here, laid coil over coil with the
most perfect accuracy, and every precaution taken
to guard against "kink" fault occurring IN the
paying out It being ranged in one mass vii! much
taci!ltate the operation OF submerginS. On Doaru
the Niagara, believe, it Is slowed away III three
| coils, decidedly Objectionable arrangement, Out
! one which it was impossible to avoid"
! In the extract below, also from the Tunes, some
/ ara Fnada hch throw a shade
! of doubt upon the undertaking:
awhile looking at the pouderous mass on board
| the AgamemnOn, cannot fail to be struck by
the heat of the place in which it it slowed away,
eeat which might excite well founded fears as to its
influence on the gutta percha. If we are not mlsin
formed the heat Of the sun destroyed ntany miles Of
tile agTe bg melting out the QlsttG peTetG sCi5tte the
cable a0aS lying IN GLasse DE- EIijOttS gard. Proper
precautions euould be taken to avert risk from this
point.
| We have already explained to our readers how
the cable is coated with closely woven spiral wires,
to prevent damage to the 10 paying out; but in
| consequence of the two halves having been made
| at different places-One at Birkenhead, by Messrs
| NewaIl, and the other at Greenwich, by Glasse &
Elliott, most egregiOuE blunder has been commit
ted Ii will scarcely be credited. but il is neVerthe
less true that the twist of the spiral wires of the
Brkenhead half Is in exactly the opposite direction
to the twist Of the wires in the half made at Green
wch. Thus, when joined in the centre Of the At
lantic they will form right aud left hand screw,
and the tendency of each will be to assist the other
! to untwist, and expose the core BY attaching
solid weight the centre joining it is hoped this dit
| fcuty and danger may be overcome, but none at
tempt to conceal that the mistake is much to be
| GREETED. We are informed that Messrs. Glasse
Elliott had nearly 100 miles of their portion OF the
cable completed before Messrs. Newhall commence
ed theirs and that therefore the fault rests with the
| firm which began last.
The apparatus to be used in paying out the cable
is also locked upon by engineers very iladapted
| to its purpose. With a cable of such extreme light
ness and no great strength, aud attached TO Ves-
| sci like the Agamemnon, the slightest possible
check or hitch occurring would part it like thread
| The friction drums should therefore have been oil
| the slightest kind consistent with preventing a
rush. and in fact only suticienttO case it over gen.
ty. Yet it is no exaggeration to say that the ma
chnery to be used is the very reverse OF all this,
! and its massive aspect strikes dismay into every
well-wisher to the scheme. Some Of the first engi.
of the day considerit too heavy, and have ex
| pressed most unfavOrable opinions concerning II
! 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 ma
! chnery should be resOrted to.
| Should the squadron meet with very severe wea
ther and it be cOn-idered prudent to retain the
| cable end board at all, the wire rope will be at
tached as before and the end OF that secured again
| to an immense buoy. The whole can then be lei
| 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 Il
again Immediately, the uppermost end of the buoy
will be fitted with four powerful rehectors, placed
under fag to be plainly visible amidst the darA
expanse OF waters even at a considerable distance
7 The buoy picked up, the wire rope can bt
wound ill., and with it the electric cable at its end
The buoys are capable of supporting weight o
seven tons-Of course, much greater than they vii
ever be required to bear-and are so placed at thu
sizes of the Niagara and Agamemnon as to b
launched clear of the ship in instant"