Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-09-09
(From the London Morning post1
The Working Of the Atlantic Telcaror

The slowncss If the signals through the Allan
tic telegraph cable does not depcnd on the rctgr
dalon of electricity in passing through the length
OF the wire. II tho wire We're suspended in the
air there would he no difficulty in transmitting Ms
rapidly as the instruments could lie worked; hut
when the wire ~ covered with gutta perchu, and
immersed in water it retains tho electricity. and
the charge once communicated t. the wire requires
time for its discharge. The first signal made il
transmitted almost instantaneously through the
conducting wire 10 the instrument at the other end
but the wire does not really par, with the charge
and the electricity IT retains prevent the effect of
second signal from being perceived ON the dis
tant instrument. lhis peculiar effect begins Ia
be perceived in an immersed wire at distance of
fifty miles. and increases in force rs the distance
increases, 80 that. at two hundred miles comma
nication by Morse's telegraph would be mprae,-
cable. unless means were adopted to cuunterac.
the OBTAINING influence Of the external conductor
When the telegraph to the Hague was laid down.
the difficulty of transmission through n submerg-
cd wire became for the first time observed and the
Morse instrument then employed would not act in
consequence. But the difficulty was shortly over
come, by discharging the wire after each signal
which was done by sending an electrical current
in the reverse direction, With the needle te,e-
graph, the effect had been scarcely perceived, for
in the ordinary working of that instrument the
electrical currents are continually reversed; but
WIN the recurring III Wlllcn tne clec-
tricity operates always in the same direction, n
special arrangement for reversing the current
becomes essentially necessary. How far that
arrangement only will suffice TO clear the wire
has not vet been determined, but il seems ey-
ident that it is insufficient for the Atlantic Ca
bic,
IL the difficulty that has arisen were owing to
the retardaton of the electric current there
would be little hope Of its being overcome, for
the natural velocity of electricity could not be
| increased; but when it is known that the slow
ness with which one signal follows another IL
attributable to peculiar condition of the wire
which has been eiiectually neutralized by spe-
cal arrangements for distance of two or three
hundred miles it may be reasonably expected
that other contrivanoes may he adopted that
will overcome the difficulty even across the Allan
tic.
The detention of electricity in the submerged
wire is said to he owing to" induction. and by
thus giving the effect a name, the cause NAV be
supposed to have been discovered The induction
OF electricity is, however,, subject imperfecty
known that there ia no advance made towards ut.
Outstanding the difficulty that now impedcs instan
taneous intercourse with America by giving it that
| name. 1t Is much better to state the effect and
to admit that the cause is unknown. The question
will then be untrammeled by any foregone con
clusinns, and those who set themselves to soy,
the problem will do 30 with greater Probability O
success. The facts are these: \ wire suspende,
in the air will transmit several hundred telegrap l
signals in second. but When the same wire is Goa
ted with gutta, ,ercha and immersed in water, on
signal will not follow another across the Atlanti
more rapidly than twenty in minute. 1t remain
for scientific men to discover the reason why tn
wire acts 80 differently under these circumstances
and to ind the means of overcoming the difficult
it occasions. When that has been done, the sly
nal wire that now serves as line of communicatio
between Europe and America will transmit a