Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-08-09

another most important subject of investigation
aud experiment. No less than sixty-two differ
ent kinds Of rope were tested, before the
cable was finally adopted. The conducting
wire is strand made up of seven wires of the
Purest copper, of the gauge known to the trade
as No. %. The strand itself is about the six
Zenith of an inch in diameter, and is formed Of
one straightly drawn wire, with siI others
twisted round It. The strand when subjected
to strain will stretch twenty per cent. of its
length without giving away, and it is coated
with gutta Percha and tarred to insulate and
preserve it
The first attempt to lay the Ocean Cable was
made in August, 1857 Twelve hundred and
fifty miles were coiled in the Agamemnon, and
the other half in the Niagara, the weight being
about 1900 tons on each vessel August 5th,
the end of the cable was landed at Valencia,
and made fast with pOmp and ceremony. The
telegraphie feet bore away for the Western
World, but on the 18th, after the Niagara had
successfully paid out 335 nautical miles. the
cable broke It gave way under the pressure
applied, some distance from the ships stern,
and sunk to the bottom at a depth of 1000
fathoms. The disappointment was univer sal,
but faith in final success was not much shs-
ken
The Directors of the Atlantic Telegraph
Company at once commenced operations for
Second Expedition Plans were discussed,
and it was decided to splice the cable in mid
ocesn, to provide greater length, to improve
the paying out machinery, and to commence
laying it earlier in the season. Seven hun
cred miles of new cable were provided, and on
the 18th of May, 1883, the length of cable on the
Agamemnon was I,494 miles, aud on the Nj
agara l,5l0-making a total of 1904 miles,
Toe 10th of June the Squadron sailed from
Plymouth for the rendezvous in mid-ocean.-
Storms and bad weather delayed operations SO
much that the first splice was not made till the |
26th of June. Only two miles and forty faith
oms had been run out, when the cable was /
thrown off the wheel in the attempt to shift the /
Niagara's portion from one groove to another,
and coming in contact with the tar-seraper it
was severed. The same day new splice was
made When forty-two miles and three hun
dred fathoms had been paid out from the Mag
ara, and about the same from the Agamemnon,
the electricians reported that the continuity had
ceased. A third splice was made the evening
of June 2sth, and at o'clock the night of the
29th, communication again ceased, and at IL
P. II. the Niagara ceased paying out The ag-
gregate of cable lost in the expedition was
about 300 miles. Both ships returned to
Queenstown, the Niagara arriving July 5th,
the Agamemnon a week later.
The Directors of the Company in England l
held a special meeting and resolved to make
another attempt. The Expedition again sailed ]
gnst 5tll, the country was startled with the un-
expected intelligence that the Submarine Cable 7
had been successfully laid. Such is suceinct :
history Of the Land and Atlantic Telegraphs, i
from long and minute account in I
the New York Times of Saturday. The des- {
patch at the head of this article shows that the
Old and New Worlds are now within the reach n
oi instant communication, and we append from Y
.he Tinses an interesting and instructive state
nent of how the Ocean Telegraph will be :
worked. c.
THE BATTERY TO BE Used IN TELEGRIPHISG.
The primary source of the influence which
will be charged with the service Of Atlantic "
viii be giant yotaic battery, of OF
en- capacious cells. which may be appropriately m
ermed, the "Whitehouse Laminated or Per 10
'etual Maintenance Battery" on account of Al
he rEaTr rn~rliarTtr-
t for the employment it Is designed for. TLis th
,attery IS made upon the Since principle so far OF
g the adoption of platinized silver and zinc for ne
Is plates is concerned but it differs from every d1
orm Of combination that has hitherto been in en-
se, in having the plates Of each cell so subd- NJ
ided into subordinate portions, that any one m
f these may be taken away from the rest for 80
be purpose of renewal or repair, without the wi
ction OF the rest or the excited surface of the Gu
ell being suspended for single moment The
artery, IN fact may be entirely renewed a ba
undred times without its operation having been SD
-Oubed with even passing intermissiOn So or
ing as 4 fair amount of attention is given to to
be renewal Of its zinc element piecemeal, II Iih
indeed literally eIhaustless and permanent. ne
his very desirable quality is secured by sin do
ulariy simple and ingenious cOntrivGnce. The co
ell itself is formed OF quadrangular trough of Ior
utta percha, woOd-strengthe outside, in col
hich dilute acid is contained, the proportion IN,
acid to water being one part in Is or l6.- tw
here are grooves in the gutta pe:eha into alt
hich several metal plates slide in vertical
osition. These plates are silver and zinc al do
matey, but they aIe not pairs of plates in an sic
ectrical sense. Each zine plate rests firmly ace
the bottom on a long bar OF zinc, which runs the
ON end to end Of the trough, and thus virtu- acr
ly unites the whole into one continuous ex- mi
nj Of ZInc presenting not less than 1000 square for
ehes OF excitabe surface to the exciting Il pre
nd. Each silver plate hangs in a similar way wi
ON a metallic bar, which runs from end To end Ger
the trough above, the whole of the silver being VIII
us virtually united into one continuous sur the
ce of equal extent 10 the face of the zinc. The wa
nc does not reach so high as the upper longi- tar
dinaI bar, and the silver does not hang down TO
low as the inferior longitudinal bar. The in
ttery is thus composed Of single pair of lami the
tied plates although to the eye it to be cel
ale up Of several pairs of plates. Nature has bee
{ the example of arranging extended surface tha
to redupcatng folds, when it Is required that rec
eh surface shall be packed away in narrow lior
ace at the same time that large acting area an
preserved, In the laminated antennR Of the der
ckchafer. The antennR, indeed, are the aud
pes of the WhitehOuse battery. If any one on
these reduplicated segments of either kind of nro
etsl is removed the remaining portion con-
lues It's action steadily, the effect merely being
same that would be produced if fragment
an ordinary pair OF plates were temporarily RID
away. The silver laminR are Of considera- =.
thickness and securely ''platinated" all over GEc
that Is, platinum is thrown down upon their In
Races in compact metallic form, and not VA
rely in the black pulveru!enf state; conse- -
emily they are almost exempt from wear :.