The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-10-09
BALTIMORE.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1853.

1t was but few weeks ago that the people of
the UNITED STATES were exulting over the success
full laying of the Submarine Gable. The intelli-
gence of this great event was flashed all over the
Union. Preachers and orators, and journalists
and statesmen, all joined in pronouncing it the
most wonderful achievement that had been .ac-
complished by human skill and perseverance,
either in ancient or modern times. In New York
the wedding of the two hemisphe-es was cele-
brated at a cost to the municipality of twenty
thousand dollars. The people held general
holiday. The ships in port were decorated with
gala flags. There military and CIVIC pro-
ceSson, with martial music, and banners, ana
transparencies. Speeches were made at the Crys-
tai Palace and cannons doomed, and bells were
rung, and the rejoicings of the day were appro-
priately concluded by the usual Aldermanlc
feast, and by display of fireworks at the City
Hail. to which-although it was not in the origi-
nal programme-the burning of that edihce lent an
additional lustre. Day by day, since then, the
popular faith in the possibility of establishing
instantaneous verbal communication with Europe,
by means of the wire so successfully submerged,
has been gradually weakening, until, at length,
the conclusion has been brought home to us, by
evidence of a kind that does not admit
of dispute, that all that has been accomplished
is the laying of two thousand miles of
cable in the depths of the ocean:
but that, SC far as the present Submarine
Cable is concerned we may as well abandon, at
once all hope of its ever being rendered useful.
We published Yesterday among our Foreign news
all the material points of the official report of Mr..
C. F. VARLEY to the English Board of Directors of
the Atlantic Telegraph, on the present condition OF
the Submarine cable. Mr.. VALLEY S investigations
confirmed as they have been by special tests and
perments, lead only to one confusion, the gravest
that could possibly be reached, and that is, that
there are radical defects in the cable which must
forever render it worthless for all practical purpo
ses The first fault of great magnitude, he assumes
to exist 'at distance of between two hundred
"and forty-fve and three hundred statute miles
'from Valencia" IF his calculations approximate
to correctness this defect in the cable is at point
where the depth of water does not exceed four
hundred and ten fathoms, and is therefore suscep-
tible of being remeded. There appears, however,
to be much more serious defect at a distance of
five hundred miles from Vaentia, and which Mr..
MARLEY thinks 'may have been the one which
"caused such alarm on board the Agamemnon
"when the signals ceased for time altogether and
"were never certainly recovered" By the tests
he has applied he has reached the following results.
The first fault of Importance in the cable is at
distance of from two hundred and forty-fve to
three hundred miles from Valencia, and the actual
existence Of the fault appears to be at least equal to
ten miles Of the cable, but is most probably greater
The insulation of the wire between Valentia and
the fault is perfect or nearly So The copper wire is
continuous, and consequently the cable has not
parted. The second fault is somewhere about five
hundred miles from Valentia, and the resistance ii
offers is equal to one thousand or tuelue hundred
miles of cajle. In his comments upon these de-
fecs the differences he draws are, 'that the power
'ful currents from the large induction coils have
impaired the insulation; that the power used will
shortly eat away the exposed copper wire in the
faulty place, by electroytic decomposition, and
THAT the size of the present conducting strand is
too small to have worked satisfactorily even had
1.-THE insulation been sound" We learn more
over, for the first time through this Report, that
tine currents through the cable, even Immediately
latter 1t was submerged, were so weak that not
lone perfect message was recorded by them.
every thing that was received being read
from the reflection of galvanometer. -
we can now understand why it was that the
eiec'flclahs at Trinity Bay maintained so profound
silence, with respect to the working of the ca
ole, untlI Mr. FIELD requested them to report pro-
from Valentia" -'Nothing Ineligible to-day
and similar short and pithy sentences. prepared
the public mind for the reception of the Report
which the Directors have recently ordered to be
made public. There is nothing that could more
convincingly show the utter uselessness of anv
further attempt to put the present cable in
even tolerable working order, than the faint
shadow of hope which Mr. VARLEY ven
lures to give the Directors, in the three lines
with which he concludes his gloomy and dis
heartening, yet necessary communication. 1t
Is couched in the following words: sit is not.
however altogether impossible that some intelli-
'giole signals may yet be received through the
Gable" If Mr.. VARLEY, can offer the Directors
no greater consolation than the shadow of u DOS
slolllty that 'some Ineligible signals may vet be
received, they may well abandon, forthwith
all further effort to make use of the present wire
and go sturdily to work to prepare another. The
truth ls-and there is no advantage to Re de-
rived from concealing the fact-the cable, COM
merclaly speaking, is a failure. Even if there
were no defects of insulation, Mr.. VARLEY states
that 1.-THE conducting strand is too small to have
worked satisfactorily" and for this there is. of
course, no remedy whatever. One fact, however.
"hich Is OF great value, has been established-a
cable can be laid; and, although this knowledge
mas been acquired at an enormous EXPENSE If is
nevertheless, of unusual Importance with view
70 future operations. Nor is it at all probable
'nat the Atlantic Telegraph Company will be
content TO submit to the loss already sustained,
anu abandon the project altogether. 1t was known
At the outset to involve serious risk: but if was
also known that if it could be successf,IIv
carried out the adventure would prove EXCEEDING.
y lucrative. The inducements are the same now
'n"' 'ley were originally; while the risk has been
.onSiueraoiy lessened 1t was doubtful whether
LUG cable could be laid at all; but that doubt
~ longer exists The only question now ra-
naming to be settled, is, whether a cable after
u is laid, can be SO operated as to transmit
through all its length, Ineligible sionals9 Tho
most experienced electricians tell nc tho+ -
1' has always been regarded as
minor difficulty, however much we NAV
'epiore the utter uselessness of the present
,aoie' we see no reason why a perfect success
nould not be achieved by new one with
conducting strand of larger dimensions, and re-
lulrlng less intense currents to transmit the so-
lais with speed and certainty. Let US, at least
lope that the experiment will be made.
a lew nights ago the office ola livery stable was
obbed in New York, and suspicion fell on two
nen named Ryer and Anderson who were locked
p in different cells in the statior 49, -IINe