The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-08-19

icans visited the Agamemnon to mako further arrange
msns in regard 70 ths work before us After hs nsoss
ssJy time thcse made, and Ia concluded shsi the
cable should be broken after 1850 miles shall have been
paysd out from ch chip both vessels shall Of once pro
coed to Queenstown there await orders from !hs com
pany regarding the final disposal and stowsgs OF she
cable The captains have returned 10 their ships, the
spice made and the work Of paying out proceeds while
the two ships move 80 slowly through the eaer that their
molten hardly perceptibc The ratio Of the cable Is
certainly much faster than that either vessels for
/ The simple reason that Il has 10 descend " q
depth Of about two miles, and II will take considerable
time To do that The from elec-
uicisns oss after the splice has lowered that
the continuity perfect, and with this assurance the en-
gineers 60 boldly with the work. In fact, the
engineers msy be said 10 be under the control Of the
electricians for they report any thing wrong with the
cable they brought 10 stand until they allowed
60 with their operations by tho that
the insulation ia perfect and the continuity al right
The Sailors who what 10 the dark the scion
tfc definition Of the term, generally supposed to have
particular aninosiy to H. under the belief that il is T.
which all he difficulty. "Darn the continuity
SAID old sailor at the end OF scientific bu. rather
foggy dscussion which number Of his messmases had
on the subjec."Dsrn the continuity; wish they would
get rid of altogether has cost darnd sight more
trouble than the hull thing worth they ought TO 10
without IL, and let 90. believe they get the cable
down they didn't pay any attention TO It, You see,
he went on, "I the last exhibition" expedition,
he meant but all the ssueh his messmates did not
miaapprshend his meaning), and thought ra
hear the end o. IT, They always talking about II,
and pght, when out last year, IL gone
for two hours, and thought that the end Of the
affair." snd would hear OF it again. But il
back, and after the cable busted Now, toll you
what, men, III forget that night, tell ye; We all
felt had Ioat best friend and heard the
word continuity con<guity mentioned but always
afraid something going to happen. And that's fact"
This conclusive the mind of the majority Of his
hearers but number OF the opinion that II eli
right and, at the risk Of being considered humbugs,
serted their belief that whatsoever might be said against
the continuity they couldn't do without II, and that be-
cause il was gone all the trouble had occurred.
The work Of paying out the cable commenced at
O'Clock The speed Of the vessel gradually in
creased after sufficient had been lowered the stern 10
reach the bottom and by two o'clock five miles had
left the ship, and she had gone two miles from the start
ing point The observation taken by the Agamemnon and
Niagara showed the position Of both ships, follows
Lat. 90 90, Ion. 50 20. To accomplish tho work, the
former eleven hundred nautical miles and three
dred Of COAL while the latter bad the amount o
cable and five hundred tons of coal This will give
ship from ten 10 fifteen days steamns while the Aga
has sufficient for ton days, should she burn at
the rate OF thirty per day But should lind that
We have not enough 10 reach the land with, WILL II
necessary, burn the spare spsrs; and should be s
further pressed Will take down the bulkheads
| for fuel. Is not very probable, however, that
we shall be reduced 10 such straits. Mr.. Fol
ansbee, chief engineer, assures Us that we
win have sufficient Let IA ouco get sight Of Newfound
land however, and though every Of coal Ia bunk
ers were expended, will oonrve to get into Trinity
Bay and land the cable. We have already paid GU. q
little over thirty miles Of cable, although Is not yet
seven o'clock, and the ships speed varies from four 10
Gve miles per hour There is long distance yet, ia
true between this and Newfoundland, and thirty miles Ia
but very ANAL fraction OF So mileshc distance from
Inc point at which made the spl,e 70 the telegraph
tho head OF Trinity Bay. In this respect tho
Agamcmnon has certainly had the advantage Of she
will have but Si3 miles 70 soor Sky less than the Ma
CARA The depth Of water here, according 10 the chart OF
The soundipss $50 faihoms; but the depth far
our experience testhes presents little obstacle 10
the laying Of the cable The sea Is smooth, the bsrome
ter well up and only do for the next days
| - well have done since O'Clock win be
Newfoundland by the 9Th OF August and n New York
time between tho 18th and ooh of the month But
have been somewhat hAsty calculations for
ship has just slowed down and tho propeller has ceed
working for the last minutes There DO
thing wrong this interruption. Let us take look
a the machine. The cablo still goes out which certainly
would no. be the IL had parted All the c,ntinu-
| ny that's t-there's where the dthcuty les And
the electricians the only parties who inform
thai point at once 90 In search OF them. visit to
their office explains tho whole matter Tho continuity Ia
not gone altogether, but doteove-so defective that
impossible 70 get signal through the cable still there
not "desd earth" upon IL, and oil hope, therefore,
not lost When dead earth, Is termed the
ductor them indeed, the difficulty beyond remedy for
shows the conductor must broken and thrown
under the influence OF terrestrial magnetism But the
continuity gone, and although With darsenng pros
| poets, we are still safe while Il remains, i'm
perfect lis. The old sdage, that "bad travels
FAST" more ully realized than in this instance
The sad Intelligence known 10 every boardth
ship about fifteen minutes after announced 10 Mr..
Field and those who predicted the failure or the ex2ed
| ion fell back upon their prophecy, AMI hinted In
modest way their perception II would be absurd
10 say hat tho occurrence no, dscourasIns;
PAINFULLY for Tie hopes Of Of had really began
70 revive, and gaining conndepce every hour.
Nov nothing could be done. We must walt until tie
,nuity should take IFS Gpal departure Aud u
did rcinrp and with greater strength than Al ten
minutes past tho electrician duty observed lie
failing and at II 30 no hal the gratifying intelligence
| Us that n call right again" Tho machinery
| was once set In motion, the cable
/ going out 1t the rate OF six miles an hour.
and the electrical signals passing between the
ships regularly nothing bad occurred 70 inter
fere with interrupt the continuity No explanation
could be given The Of The accident, that 70
be relied upon II supposed, however, that had
broken On board the Agamcmnon and that tho end
secured and spced before could get out Of the ship
This favored by Tho fact thai would iaxe al hour or
20 70 make The spice, which sboai the tmc ihai
elapsed from The nom,n, the continuity became imper
feet u was restored Another reason. though probably
not % good gventhst The cable vas subject 10 30
severe The parting q the copper wire Or
conductor although nsusiIcn remained perfect and
AZ soon AZ the strain was released the broken came
together again thus restoring the continuity However
| II may have been, or By whatever scisnuac IL
might be explained the fact was evident The ooO;na