The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1857-01-28
WU0DSFIELD MONROE COUNTY, OHIO JANUARY Is, 1857
The Oeelu1c Telegraph Description
of the Cable, and When 1t is to be

The Oeeln1c Telegraph l. Description
of the Gable, and When 1t is to be
| Laid. 5. ---f-sJle
Within the past few weeks 4 new i'm
petus has been given to the great project
of uniting the Old and New Worlds by
the submarine telegraph. The formation
in London of the Atlantic Telegraph
Company" bearing upon its books the
names Of gentlemen of the highest com
mercial position and scitutfic character,
both in England and the United States,
as we have already published, has revived
the faith OF. the dubious, and set many,
who still doubt, TO wondering whether,
after. all, they may not live to see the
great marvel fact. =. ...'..
A specimen Of the cable, which is to
be sunk, was brought over in the Baltic
by Cyrus w Field, and now lies before
/ us. 1t. is, hree-fourths Of an inch in di-
ameter. In the center are seven small
copper wires, twisted upon themselves
and the whole insulated by thick GOV
ering OF gutta percha. Eighteen strands
of slender wire, each strand composed Of
seven threads loosely twisted upon them
selves, constitute The outer covering The
weight of the whole is eighteen cwt. to
the mile, and its strength such that it will
bear in water: over six miles of its own
length suspended vertically.
Its specific gravity is sach that it is
thought there can be no question about its
sinking readily to the bottom, being much
heavier than the Shells brought up by
sounding. The objection that the strands
of wire forming the onter covering will
suffer corrosion or decomposition, is met
by the statement based, It's said, on sat
siactory experiments, that in corroding,
the material of which the outer covering
consists will enter into chemical union
with the soft mud in which the cable is
imbedded, and thus form concrete mass
of calcerous Or silicious substances, afford
ing it every possible protection. The
gutta percha and central copper wire are
thought to be intieStructable uuder water
The hexibility Of the cable is such as to
make it almost as manageable as small
hemp line. It's selection was the result of
months of experiment and trial-hun
dreds Of specimens having been made
.coinpTis ng every variety of form -anAl-size-
nand structure before this particular one
was agreed upon. -...........
The one which it was attempted to lay
some two years. ago, was an inch and a
quarter in diameter, having the same num-
ber of electric wires Inside, but having as
its external covering twelve qnarier-inch
wires. TWAS very cumbersome compared
with this, and much more expensive at
that.
Mcssrs Ruprcr Glass & Co; Of Lon
don, lave taken the contract for the man
ufacture of the great cable chosen to con-
meet the two continents. The distance
from st. Johns, Nesfoundland, to Valen-
ella on the western coast of Ireland, the
points between which the tclegraphic con
ncciion is to be made, is 1870 nautical,
Or $50 statute miles. But the manu-
facturers are to furnish 500 statute miles
of the cable. in o der to meet the demand
for extra cable that may arise from the
Inequality of The depth of the ocean along
the plateau over which the line is to be
laid. The cable is to be completed by
The 30th of next May. Two steamers,
each bearing half of the cable, will di-
rectly sail from London for the middle of
the Atlantic, and heading different ways
paying out as they co.
An application will be made to Con-
gress for two steamers, to sail from the
United States, to assist in putting this
Nincteenth-century wonder to bed. tits
anticipated that the whole work can be
done in from six to eight days. Shall we
see?-N. Y Tines, December so.