Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1858-10-22
Condition of the CnbIe-A DiscOura&ins Re-
port from MFR. Varley.


At last we have something off cial and in
teiligible in regard to the condition of the
Atlantic Cable. Mr.. Varley, "the Electri-
clan of the Electric and International Tele-
graph Company"-so he is styled by the
company-has made report on the state of
the cable as observed by him on the 9th, 7th,
9Th, 9th and 10th of September, and the
result is by no means encouraging. He
finds "a fault of great magnitude at dis
tance of between 345. and 800 statute miles
from Valen,ia," and possibly in water 4Io
fathonns in depth. He finds the cable un-
broken, but thinks the power used will
shortly eat away the exposed copper wire
in the faulty place by clectrolytic decompo-
sliun. He is satisfied also that there is
another "fault'' more distant than this, the
approximate locality ol which he could not
estimate without communication with New
foundland. From authentic data shown
him at Valentia, he is lso oe the opinion
| that there was fault in the cable on board
the AgancmnJn before it was submerged
offering u resistance equal to 900 or 200
/ miles uf cable situated at distance of bout
| 500 miles from end of the ] 200 mile
| coil, and supposed 10 be the fault which
caused SO much alarm. when the ships were
500 mites from ireland. He is satisfied
that the cable has been seriously, il not IA
| tally, impaired by the ol too powerful
! currents from The large induction coils, es
pecially from this side, and that the present
conducting strand is too small 10 have an
swtred lie purpose, even hud the Insulation
been found. We here quote what he says:
Ia - I
ed to the cable pGece o' gutta perch cover
ed wire, having first made slight incision
! in the gstta ,rcha to let the water reach
the wire; the wire was then bent SO Us To
close up the defect. Tue defective wire
was then placed in jug OF sea water, and
the latter connected with the ~edAth. ~
Alter few signals had been sent from the
! induction coils into the cable, and conse-
! guenty into the test wire, the electricity
burnt through the Incision, rapidly burning
u hole nearly one tenth of an inch III di
ameter When the full force OF the coils
was brought 10 bear ON the test Mire BY re-
moving them from the ca Bile, and allowing
/ the electricity only Que chaRnel, viG= that
of the test wire, the discharges, as might
be expected, burnt hole in the gu,ta per-
cha under The water naA an lnch III lehSthi
and The burnt gutta perc hA came foating up
to the surface"
Me. Varley closes his, discouraging Gotta
logue with what, thosgh intended to convey
! some consolalion to the directors, is perhaps
the most discouraging part of this report
He says: "lt IL not however, altogether
! impossible that some Ineligible signals
may yet be received through the cable, as
stated in my Peevious communication" Tie
does not say shat such result is even
probable, much less that the present cable
can ever be urned to any practical use, but
implies a contrary opinion. The publica-
ton OF such a report by the company is a
i practical admission that they cannot escape
is conclusions, and that they had no bet
ter tuee TO put upon the matter