Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-10-02
For the Register.
TIE AtIanfic telegraph.

no rHr Eprron OF THE CLARKsBuRa
Rro.srsR:- MY attention has just been
drawn to the perusaI of Mfr. Morse's Dia-
nv. with reference TO the breaking OF the
Atlantic Telegraph Gable, to the follow
inc paragraph: 1--WE got an electric our
rent through till the moment of parting
SO that electric connection was perfect;
and yet tie farther sss paid o.t, ths feeder
,osre tie Currents. indicating dlfnculty
which, however, do not consider seri-
GUS, while ,itsisaof nature to require at
2s'a
Some time previous. to, the commence
ment of the enterprise, indicated IN the
course of q private conversation, my apr
prehensions that this would prove to be
the case. and the grounds upon which
they were based, and as the result has
been to confirm, to my own mind at least,
the justice of those approximations. now
venture. though with some difidence. to
make them public through your columns,
in the hope that the attention Of compe'
tent electricians may be called to the
matter, and ayremedy devised, should my
theory be correct. i'
The fact that the strength OF the cur.
rent was not affected to any considerable
extent, when passed through the entire
coil, of $500 miles in length, while on
shore, and in the holds Of the Steamers,
coupled with the fact that the current be-
came gradually more and more feeble as
the cable paid out, from East to West.
think indicates at once, the true source
of the difficulty. rs r,
The researches of Roget and others
make it pretty conclusive that the polar
ity of the earth, magnetically, is caused
j, by series of electric currents, induced
by its diurnal rotation, from East t
West, or in other words, that, in conse
quence of such currents. the earth is /
vast heliacal magnet, possessed of polar
ity. upon precisely the same principle tina
the soft iron bars, in one Of Professo
Morse's Telegraphing Machines. are con
verted into temporary magnets by III,
current thrown around them by the toucl
of the operator.
: But such electric current, passin!
through conductor, 1oW al,0ays induc
corresponding currents in another INSULATED
conductor. held parallel Nth the first. It j
this induced current upon the wire, afte
it had been laid for a long distance Eos
! and West, which interfered with the nor
NAL current. as stated by Professor Morse
sending il feebler and feebler. as a grea
ter length of conductor East and West. o
parallel, 20 the electric currents of th
earth.
, If my ideas be correct, this electri
, current. induced upon the conductor, vii
be found to exist after the cable is lai,
entirely across the Atlantic, and a con
slant fow of induced electricity, of Low
5 tension. will exist upon the wire. eve,
when the batteries are taken OFF.
This difficulty, fit exist, is not insupe
rable but apprehend that j, will stiIl b
found. and increasing in its effects, witt
] the increased length of conductor from
: East to West.
AS I have before stated. it is will
some difidence that obtrude my re
marks upon the public. Should, howev
er. they be thought worthy Of considera
ton. and especially should they. even
t erroneous, lead to more careful investi
COTTON into the true source Of this diff
Guilty. my aim will have been attained.
T.
Clarksburg. Va. Sept. e5. 1857.