Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-09-27
Light onthe Cable Question.

graph Company, and the view OF the matter
thus obtained was not very pleasant to those
in, or believing In, IT. imm' date
success. The most disagreeah!e and dis
coursgiog phase OF the matter then was the
evidence of serious disagreement and dlvid-
ed counsels among the various gentlemen
ofiei .lly connected with tie enterprize.--
Aud very unpalatable was that reseI,tlon,
for i. made it apparent that while this whole
community was giving ut;eraOce t tX'rava-
CANT iry over the great step toward universal
or at least international au'ty aud brother
ho d, the very orig!n.tor- ct and actors 10
that approach to Common 5rctherho'd were
themselves illustrating another AMI very d'i-
ferent principle; which was 10y 10 means
gratifying Information.
This, however, might have been overcome,
aud did not neces-ita,e failure Of the enter
prise, though unfavoralla TO its speedy sue
cess By the Niagara, supp)sirg the tee
graphic dispatch from HAIi'ax, to be per
fectly correct, We uavc the bre. announce
ment of q fact much mrTe dlh'ult ~
deal With, viz: that the detect IN the work
log Of the cable arise !r,m leakage as
distance Of two buudrrd and forty miles
from land" j. E., from ,len!ia, or the Il 's;-
ern terminus 1t is scarcely too much 70 as
.ume that "eaksge," 10 this case, is miid
term for fracture or brcskagc. AT all events
it is practically equivalent :, that, the c'm-
munity having be q aipriz d some tine ago
on very high authority iii Mt indeed the
bigbest) that any leakage, even though the
aperture were no larger than the puno'ure
# pin, would be fatal to al! commr 'ca-
ton through the cable Ii is certain, NOR
over, that not only will the ieeklGe not re-
pair or close itself, bur will widen and
increase from the operation Of the same
causes that originally produced it.
Nor is this all that is implied IN the brel
announcement we have quoted; and as the
fact ie there, it is practical wisdom 10 look
at it fairly aud take toto Wow the worst To-
ferences that may he drawn from It, How
is this first leakage" to be repaired? 1t Is
believed to be 240 miles from land, and there
fore is not, We presume, portion OF what is
tech nically called the shore end OF the Ca
BILE, (othe wise it might very easily be re-
paired IN which il was feet alleged that
the difficulty existed aud which it Is admit
ted is not Of sufficient strength to resls. tho
tumultuous action Of the waves. This view
is confirmed by the fact, that the directors
had Suspended or abAndoned the project OF
substituting a heavier cabl. near the shore.
The mischief then is not there, but in deeper
water, the theory Of the perfect Stiffness
OF the oceans depths Notwithstanding; and
the directors have wisely concluded not TO he
at the expense OF strengthening the shore
cod, until they have ascertaiGed practically
whether leakage VI fracture IN deeper Wa
ter and in the 10 Ain line 0t the cattle can he
easily and remuneraliVely repaired. 1t II
canuot, then the shore ends would be useless,
and an entirely new enterprlz: must be cOm-
menced.
We suppose no one feels arv great degree
Of confidence that Leak ge 24O miles from
land can be repaired at any cost which woaid
be iustihabe under all the circumstances OF
the case. Ii Is scarcely u DC expected that
either Of the governments that literally bore
30 large a portion of the expense OF success
fully laying the cable, will C rtnue to supply
vessel aud crews for kecripg II il repair
That must be dune al the Cumpany'r expense
for very obvious reasons, unies, the govern
ments take up The shares and work tue line
only for their own advantage. But II IN q
months time the abrasion 0! the cable has
produced leakage, Wbat may lie expected in
three months timer a second leakage may
have already occurred five hundred or thou
sand miles from shore. That other fractures
Of the cable will take lace il iairiy to be
inferred from the TACT that one has already
been made. In such case We suppose there
is no way Of getting al them for repairs, but
by taking uI--it that be pCssible--thc cable
from the shore to the point OF leakage. And
after that comes the question, /! this leakage
be repaired can repetition OF II be prercntedI
Will not the cause of the leakage remain q
mystery, and in its secret laoora Dry, where
man cannot penetrate, forever work the same
etfect2
We wish we could draw the encouragement
for the future " bich some IT our cOntempo-
raries seem to d. from the fact that compu-
DicatiCns. clear and intciligbic, did pass
through the cattle at the earlier days subse-
auent TO its beirg laid down, or from the idea
that a change OF instruments VIII remove the
difficulty. A little friction, we fear, Will
teach a different conclusion, Tie only Intel
ligible dispatches OF any length transmitted
through the cable were sent during the few
DAYS immediately following It's submersion,
VIZ, the nessdSes lIIm SISN', Wv ~
ident, to the Associated Press, &c. Those
messages demonstrated the capacity OF the
instruments in use at both ends, to transmit
INTEL gence through the cable IN Its thcn new
aud pr rfect condition. From that time tue
messages were gradually reduced IN lerSth
and in correctness, until t"ey amounted to
notbir g, or became barely s'sn-l5 or feeble
vibrations Tue legitimate Inicreuce Seems
t. be, not that the instruments were or are
inadequate or detective, but that toe cable II
sel'-lue medium for the transmission OF 'he
uessages--has deteriorated amd become i'm
perfect.
Thus far had We written when an amour
cement reached Us, from the agent uf the As
socis;ed Press, that communication between
Valentia and Trinity Bay h.d been Resumed
and is las perfect MS ever" Th'- iniorma-
ton. II confirmed by the receipt Ct a despatch
equal 10 those eQri,er transmitted. Will he
most grstlisIrg Had II reached Us dcfore
the Nlagara's announcement OF 'leaHage
two hundred and forty miles from land" It
would have saved W. time and labor; coming
so closely after that announcement, 1t has led
US to read over carefully wGat We have writ.
ter-abd written very reiuctantiy-and we
have only to add that II the statement I'D the
Halifax despatch is true, the iLterences we
have drawn theretrom are tectiy sound
sod Just; aud as III the prosecution 0t the ar
gume t we have presented phase of this