Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1858-06-22
The Speedy 0Qnpletion OF the Laying of
the At All; Telegraph Cable.

days, on Monday the twenty eighth day
Of June, if no untoward circumstance
prevents the successful contamination Of
the plans Of the engineers in charge of
the work, VIC shall be in the receipt Of
daily and hourly dispatches from all
parts of Europe. The failure Of the
enterprise last year, just at the time
when the news of its successful
was expected-when the world
stood on tip toe and awaited
in breathless silence, expecting each
moment to hear that the fleet had
safely arrived at Newfoundland, that the
cable was laid and that the greatest en-
tcrprisc on record had been completed,
not only, was a severe disappointment
to the people, but also, convinced
many that the plan was visionary, i'm
practicable and would never be carried
ont. On that occasion the persons in
charge of the laying of the
cable were inexperienced, their
machines for payingout were imper-
feet and no proper trial trip bad first
been made. But the present trial has
been properly prepared for, the cleo
tricians and engineers have had large
experience, the paying out machine is
now all that can he desired, all contig-
cncics, have been provided for, abun-
dant safeguards have been thrown
around every department of the work
and long trial trip has been made
demonstrating in every particular the
completeness and perfection Of the
machinery andwork. With no unusually
bad weather, which at this season of
of the year is not likely, the probabili-
ties are strongly in favor of the success
full accomplishment of the work.
If it shall result in accordance with
our sanguinc anticipations, Americans
will have much reason to be proud of
the genius of their countrymcn, which
will have contributed most largely to
that end.
The paying out machinery, which
has been demonstrated by the trial trip
to be all that can be desired, was the
invention of an American engineer
And the electric machine to be used
in the transmission Of the dispatches, is
also the work of Mr.. Hughes, an Amer
lean.
The great difficulty in the way of
the working of the enterprise was the
fact that by the machines used by
Professor Whitehouse, the English
electrician. the current of electricity
was detained and occupied SO long a
time in its passage through the cable
that when completed the work would
have been almost useless for practical
purposes. After calling in the assist
ancc OF the greatest scientific talent of
England and the Continent. instead of
improving, they had less and less sue
cess until finally they were at times
entirely unable to transmit current
at all.
1t remained for Professor Hughes,
an American, to obviate the difficulty
and to succeed, where the combined
talent of Europe had failed, in sending
a sufficient number of words per min
ute, through the entire length Of the
cable, to demonstrate the practical utili-
ty of the work.
Whatever may be the result of the
present attempt to lay the cable, the
glory which had been earned for us by
the genius of Prof. Hughes cannot be
lost.
The consequences which would re-
suit from successful completion of this
great enterprise cannot as yet be CAL
culated upon, to any great degree Of
certainty. That it will produce an en-
tire revolution in the commerce be-
tween the old world and the new is
certain; but the precise manner in
which it will be effected must be left
to time to determine. Our wish, with
that Of the civilized world, is for the
safe arrival of the telegraph fleet on or
before Monday next.