Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-08-16
1ailp Jir9iniau.
From The l,a.ton journal. Aug Il.
History of tho Atlantic Telegraph Enter

prise.
We compile from different sources mt hand
the following sketch Of this grand undertaking.
oyer whose success thu civilized world is now re-
iorinc
In the year lsh6. Cyrus ". Field visited Ing
land. Tho result ol his visit VAS the formation of
the Atlantic Telegraph Company, with acapital
If f35o o00, for the purpose Of ofonnnert,ng Eurore
with America by suhmailc cnhle. In August
1897 an attempt was made tn luy down tie AT
lantic Submarine Cable, resulting in II disastrous
failure. The cable was $500 miles i'll length,
weighing nearly ton per mile. capable ot henr-
inv direct strain Of over five tons without irac-
ture. The center Of tho cable WAS formed hy
seven fine copper wires. twisted into II cord l6t
mn in, h. hirk This strand was coated with gatr
pcrcha, forming n small rope If Of mn inch thiek
then couied with hempcn twine twice soaked in
pitch and tar, lastly, nm external sheathngof Is
iron wires, each wire being strand Of seven finer
wires. making In NIL l2I wires.
Tho submersion was commenced on the 9th
August 1857. There were present the six steam
ers, Niagara. Agamemnon. Leopold, ,Susquehanna
Willing aud Mind. intended to assist in various
pnrs d tho operation. Tho cable came MP from
the hold of the ship, around centrnl block. M to
the open space ab,,o decks. it WAS thete wound
round grooyed sheaths, geared together by oogs,
and firmly planted on girlers. Thence il passed
ever filth sheath, out over tho stern into the sen.
sinking hy its own weight. trfng accident
the | lth $40 miles (stntutc) had been submerged.
The engineer here concluded That there too
much "slnck" in tie cables course and some mod.
ifcntion in the machinery was consequently mndr
This appears 10 have been badly attended To by
subordinate. The cable snapped, and thus ended
the attemIt 81 ls3,.
1t having been concluded from Lieut.. Maury's
cnculatiers that the average state Of the weather
was much better thc Atlantic in the early part
of Summer, it VIVA decided this year 10 attempt
laying the cal q IN June. Ii WAS ais" thought hest
10 hegin the suhn,crsion in mi,-oecnn and pay out
towards either shore Accordingly the telegraph
fleet, consisting Of thu United States steam trigato
Niagara and hor Ma esty steamer 'Agamomnon.
'alorous and Gorgon, left plymouth on Thurs
iaS, June 10. 1853. Tho Ningarn bad $50 tons,
nn,l the Agamcmnon $50 tons conl, md ench about
|, $3.50 nautical or little lesA than 500 statue
miles of cable ON board. The weather. ut first
ia, orahle, became unusually bosterleus. n that
the ilcc were not ready 10 commence operations
until late on the 10Th uf June.
The first splice wns made between the Niagara
and Agameninou on tho morning Of Saturday, the
2Gth Of June. and nftcr cnch ship had ont about
three miles. the cable broke on The Niagara, owing
to its overriding and getingon the pulley Leading
Oh to thu machine Both vessels put about and
returned fresh splice was made, aud again low
cred over Mt "a. The paying Out proceeded benu-
ilully until enrly on Sunday morning, wh"a the
signals suddenly ceased. The cable cut, and
The Niagara proceeded to tho rendezvous. Tho
cause Of the rupture was e'nnly mysterious To
those on board the Agamemnon, aud no satisincto-
ry conjecture has sinee been made
The cable again spliced on tho 2Sth, and
the steamers parted Everything worked beauti-
fully during tha, night, and tho next day. But
at !. o'eouk y. H. on the Goth, the announcement
Of No signals wns made on board the Niagara.
At the the time AZ miles Of cable had been pave
out. II was subsequently aseertaIned that the
cable parted. for some reason unknown, about ak
fathoms from the stern at the Agnmehmon. About
4OU miles Of cal,ie were pi during these trials,
the effect ri which upnn the pnbha confidence IN
the .innl success of the undertaking was most dc
pressing.
Bur the managers continued ndel,tigahle--
The fleet sailed n se,'on1 time from Queenstown
tie Eth Of July, joined lhe cable on the 10Th.
and on the 9TH Of August the world had news of
success,
The cost Of Tie telegraph cable has Lcen put
DOWN NJ follows.
Price deep wrep per NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. $500
Price spun yam md iron wire per milc..,.... 26t
Price outside tnr per rme.........-.............. 20
Total per mile mile....".-................. SAsb
For 25oV nllef..... ......,..Sl tllz,oOo
For o miles deep cable atS ,45per milo $4,000
Tor - miles shore ends at 200 per mile 81 400
Total ........ ...........$ ,25s,250