Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-07-23
Failure to lay the Atlantic Cable
INTERESTING PARTICULARS.

.Hs New York, July 20.
The steamship North Star arrived at ten
clock this A. NJ, from Southampton, July
7th The Asia arrived out on the 4th. The
most important item by this arrival is the fail
ure of the Atlantic Company in attempting to
lay the Atlantic Cable. The Niagara and
Gordon arrived at Queenstown on the 9Th.
The Agamemnon and ValoriOus had not
arrived on the 18th.
The Niagara and Agamemnon met the third
time on the 2Sth, and third time connected
the cable. They then started afresh, when
the Niagara having paid out over $50 miles of
the cable, all on board entertained the most
sanguine anticipations of success, when the
announcement was made, on the Doth, at 9 P.
NJ, that the electric current had ceased to flow.
As the necessity of abandoning the project for
the present was now manifest, it was consid-
cred that the opportunity might as we'll be
availed of to test the strength of the cable.
Accordingly, this immense vessel, with all her
stores, &c, was allowed to swing to the cable.
An additional strain Of four tons was placed
upon the breaks; yet, although it was blow
ing freely at the time, the cable held her as if
she had been at anchor, for over an hour, when
heavy pitch of the sea snapped the rope, and
the Niagara bore away for Queenstown. She
must have passed the Agamemnon, but owing
to the heavy fog, missed seeing or hearing
aught of her. 1t was conjectured that the
latter had not delivered her specified quantity
of cable at the time of the failure, and may
have consequently returned to the place Of
meeting. Should nothing be heard of her, the
Niagara would proceed to the Ocean station,
having still on board 400 miles of the cable,
which, supposing the other has retained a
similar amount, will permit of the junction
being completed, and allowing 80 per cent for
casualties.
A SoUTHERNER ON STEAM ENGINES AND
NIGGERs.-Messrs. Phillips, Sampson & Co.,
says The Bottom Journal, have received the
following letter from one ofthe subscribers to
Tile atlantic Monthly, in Louisiana. The
monkey experiment is decidedly rich:
g., June "a, 1868.
"MEssRs. PnILIPs, THOMSON & Co.-Gen-
Nemen: In an article heded what we are
going to make, in the last No. of your Maya
zine, the writer thinks that the Millennium for
niggers is to be brought about by steam, on
the ground that "a bushil of coal fed to steam
engin will produce more power than a bushil
of lnjin corn fed to niger, and that the great
improvement that is to take place in these
engins in 80 or 100 years will enable us to
navigate our corn fields, and pillow as much
cotton, with one critter of this sort, in the
same length Of time, and at less expense,
than with 10 niggers; consequently, we will
free the niggers as a nusence, and take the
engin instead. Now jest grant what he says
about plowin by steem should turn out true
and cotton could be grow d in this wav-T pest
want to ask him one question When it comes
to pickin out, whar is his steem engin then?
1t takes fingers to du this sort of work, and no
steem engn will ever be maid to strike a lick
like them. If we ever du pillow by steem,
which | won't deny mought be done, we'll
turn our niggers into pickers make more
cotton and sell at less price. He is what might
be called speculative genius, like Teller who
lives not far from here he thought he d make
an improvement in picking, and then monkeys
would be the very article. One monkey would
pick as much as niger, and one niger could
oversee 10 monkeys. The monkeys was got
and the trial maid the only mistake about it
was, instead of one niger managing 10 mon
keys, it took 10 niggers to manage one monkey;
so he has Civ up experimental and sticks to
the old way of gatherin his crop. Some one
says that every man is Grassy on some subject.
Your man is Grassy on steem, but its not exactly
the right sort to elevate the idees. Tell him to
fire up and try agin. You will excuse me for
saying that | think some of your articles is
rather tou hifalutin on abolishen subjects.
Respectfully, A SUBSCRIBER.
P. S.--Tell your breakfast-table man to 90
dhedd-hes one of EN-.