Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-10-09

The Atlantic telegraph.
Correspondence of the London Daily News.
VALENIIA, Sunday. Sept. II, 18i


either side of the ocean which Las been SO
wonderfully intersected by the wire, and the
OvatlOns aud festivities III honor of those no
were instrumental in achieving tue great
work were still at their hight ON this side OF
the Irish ChaLnel. when gloom was cast up
on all by the sudden and unexpected an
nOuncement that Ineligible signals had ceaS-
ed to come through the cable. The public
and those interested in the slccess If the III
dertaking have doubtless been much surprise
ed that SO many days should have been allow
ed TO eiapse since the announcement of the
failure of signals without their being mad
acquainted, either through the Company OF
'wspaper correspondence, with the progress
of affairs at this terminus Of the Atlantic
wire. But the fact is, that hey I'D the bare
fact that signals were not received there was
thing to communicate until the results If
the investigation of Prof Thomson, Mr. Ed
ward Bright, Mr.. Marley, md oihcr scientific
gentlemen who have been experimenting up
on the cable for the>past lew days, transpIred
Those experiments have not yet been COM
pleted but sufficient has been done towaru
printing out the exact position and probable
nature Of the fault to justify the public being
made acquainted with the facts.
From the time of landing the end, on the
9th of August to Monday the 9th, the cabl'
continued in fair condition, thougha Sigh
defect Of no consequence in working Was Oh
served in the insulation. Up TO that evenin:
nothing but ultimate, positive and ncgatlv'
currents had been received from Newtound
land, though words and atiju>tmcn, message
had, from soon after the la..d'ng. been con
tinualy sent from Valenia. That evenin
however, coil currents came with the words
'send slower" and repeat" from Newfound
land. being Sent by Mr.. Whiehouse's nstru
lnents and received upon his beautifully con
strncted recording relay. 1t was soon foam
however, that Mr.. Whit houses rccordin.
rel y, though admirably adapted 70 receiv
messages through the cable, had been adju>l-
ell an constructed under the very na,ira
belief that the cable, if landed at all, w.ulu
have suffered l,tle in its el .ctric4l CONDITION
aud was found not t. work with certaimt,
with the comparatively feeble signals W Dic.'
arrived from the American Continent
Prof. Tbomson'S dehcitc re.iectin! ga
vanum, ter were Transmitted from DO h erd
AS usual by Mr.. W lite ouses p,tent. Du
ring the whole Of the week, from Monday
'he 9th to Saturday the l4th, various adjust
.ilent messages were received and sent thrOug
the line, though, i'll consequence" of their CO.
SANITY requiring messages from Nalentia 10
he repeat, d several times. it was ev dent thai
in New iounland the signals were not rcac
with the same facility a> tn 'se IN the contra
~ direction IL Nalt,tla. This circumstance
tends to prove that The fault hat was ose-
,abIe was somewhere near the lrist coast.
for any defect more than 300 mile, from eth
er coast would affect the transmission an
reception of signals equally at botIl ends
Accordingly, the cable was undtrrun for
the distance of about three miles from Va
itntia Island by Mr.. Cumming cut and test
ed thoroughly by Mr.. Bartholomew the e.
ectrical Superintendent, who stated that
whatever lanl' existed was far ont at sea-
The ends were accordingly Joined up again
without new piece of cable being laid be
tween DowlaS Head and the shore. Fro,.,
that time to Saturday the Dist Of ADJUST,
the FAULT was very variable both in its nature
and Us apparent distance from the lrl-h
coast, at first appearing something like 500
miles distant, AMI gra iually dim niehng IN
til it became stationary at Il point calcu aten
with great accuracy To be neatly go statute
m les from the Valcnlia end of the crbe-
All this period the electrical condition becam,
daily worse and worse, and il was only witt
The greatest care, and by constant repetitiOnS,
that the various official and cUngratuIaior,
messages between the English and Amelic
authorities were transmitted TO NewtIund
land the messages back to Valcntia be Ing
m almost every case, clear and distinct
The condition of the wire became dali,
more faulty until the 31st of August, when II
Government MESSAGE was dispatched througi
the cable tor the North American colonies :;
and ON the morning of the LIST Of September
= second Government message was safely
transmitted but after i. had been duly &C
~nOwledged, the insulation OF the wire he
came suddenly worse, and it was found i'm
possible to make them understand at New
toundIand. Words and messages were con
tnually transmitted but 1T was soon evident
tiiat on the American shore they could |,
just distinguish that signals were beng sent
.or the only answer received at Valeptia was
'Repeat," and "Don't understand" and some
Of those small phrases were only distingu sh-
able at intervals, and since u o'clock on thu,
morning Of Friday the 4th OF Sept. no intel
iig'Dle signal whatever has been receive -
Occasionally, however, very distinct reversals
las regularly alternating positive and mega
tive currents are tcrmed) have be- r. crvec
sometimes SO strong and god that, had tn y
b en- sending words from Newfoundland lh,>
could have been distinct read on the re-
porting aalvanomelcr oi Prof Thomson
" hen the line is not m use, for tie pur
pose of testing, words and short messages ar.
continually despa, ched through the wre toi
IN hour at a time and then tor the next lOui
The galvanomcter is watched for the answers,
which, except Nc the reveroalS already ALA
cd TO, never cOuie. From The time Of the
first cessation Of the signals upiO the pr sent
nc, Professor Thomson, Mr.. Variey, an
Mr.. Edward Bright have been engaged ia>
and night in testing, and all have come t. tie
conclusion that the defc't is a loss # inSu
a'ion about 27O miles (alpny TIC cabl, from
V.leuIia. This, calculating the amount OF
slack cable paid ou' du' nv the later da, s Of
tie submerging operations would place th'
fault about submct ging operations, would
place the fault about 220 statue miles from
The shore, or somewhere upon the mo ntalh
range which divides The depths OF the Allan
tic from tn" conn aratiyely shallO water i, al
ing f. ON the Irish coast
Reference to lpgs AMI diaries, ke,t bv those
on board the a aIneninpn during he >ubmerg
no opcrati rs, chow that thi, bank was Gro,
sed betwt en- four and five o'clO k on the IF
tcrnoon of a ugust 3,more than al hour before
ne expected time. 1t had been intended
by SIR Charles Bright to allow great quau.
iy OF slack cable 10 remain wh.le crossing
tuls point.ln order that il might reach tie It
om Of all the inequalities which might exist
Il ere undiscovered by the sounding line
But, from some unexplained cause, the Aga
memnon Throughout the whole cruise steam
ed at a greater speed than Was registered by
the log line. Owing to this circumstance, the
bank was reached at least an hour before The
expected time, the first intima ion received
by those on b ard being a sudden decrease,
in the registered strain upon the dvnamone-
ter, and an equally sudden falling off in speed
of the cable, the ship MAINTAINING the same
rate as registered by the log line.