Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-08-13
The Ocean Telegraph.

tending the entire length OF Newfoundland and
Labrador. The company next obtained a similar
charter from the government of Prince Edward
Island, and from the State of Maine, and also re-
ceived authority for certain subsidiary operations
/ in Canada, and confirmation of their right from
the British government,
This company, known as the "New York, New
foundland and London Telegraph Company" ap.
pointed Professor Morse their electrician, and pro-
seeded as iniatory measures to connect ST. Johns
y r., with the lines in operation in the British
PROVINCES and in the United States, by laying thir
teen miles OF wire the Straits Of Northum-
oeriand, and eishty-fve miles in the waters of tho
st. Lawrence.
In regard to the passage of the electrical current
through The wire when submerged in the ocean,
"hieh mas been controverted question this COM
Pahy instituted experiments before the manufac-
ture OF the cable, which said to have establish.
ed the following principles and facts
That gutta purcha covered submarine viro, do
not tranbmit simple insulated conductors but tina,
they have to be charged Leyden jars before thoy
can transmit ut all.
That consequently, such wires transmit with n
velocity that is in way accordant to tho move
mcnt OF the electrical GU rent 'r' uncbarrasscd
way along the simple conductors.
That maguct-eectrc currents travel more
quickly along such wires than simple voltaic
currents.
That magncto-clectric current. travel moro
quickly when in hi energy than in low although
more quickly than yetaic eufrca,s of small in-
tensity.
That the velocity Of tho transmissions Of Gig.
nails along insulated submerged wires can be
Enormously increased, from the rate indeed of ono
In two seconds to the ct eight in q single
second, by making each alternate signal with a
current Of different quality. positive following
negative, aud negative following positive.
Taa: tire diminu,ion of tse velocity Of the tram
snission Of magueto-elcctrie current in Undue
=. a
verse ratio of the squares Of the distance trayersed,
but much more nearly in the ratio Of simple arth-
netical progression.
That several distince waves of electricity may
TO travelling aioog different parts Of long wire
simultaneously, and within certain limits, without
interference.
Taat large coated wires used beneath tho water
OK earth are worse conductors. far velocity
Of transmission Is concerned, thaa all ones, aud
therefore, are not so we'll suited small for
the purpose of submarine transmission Of tl,-
graphic signals; and.
That by the use OF comparatively small coated
wires, aud Of electromagnetic induction coils for
the exciting agents, Geographic signals can bo
Transmitted through two thousand miles with u
speed amply sufficient for all commercial and
economical purposes
In the summer Of 1856 they icpu,cd their Vice
President, Mr.. C. ". Field. who had been from tho
commencement the handspring Of the en,erprirc
to proceed 10 England to aid the pvosre.. Of tho
work. The result ot Mr.. Fields mission 10 Eng
land was the formation of the Atlantic Telegraph
Company. Tor copy Of whose charter, occupytn.
pamphlet Il large pages, which Is new before
us we are indebted 10 Hon. A. A. Hicc. We havo
also Il pamphlet given the proceedings at tie first
meeting oil the company, from the gentle
mai. Tins charter received the Royal assent
the eta July, 1885,. BY this charter the stock &C
the company i. divided into $50 shares of one
thousand pnnads each. The charter of tho New
York, Newfoundland and L,- don Company, con-
icrring upon it the exclusive right to land telc-
graph cables or the shores OF Newfoundland aui
ether part= ot North America and for - year. IL
do the SAME thing the shores Of Nova Scotia was
made over Ia the new company, together with all
concessions bearing upon the undertaking which
may be hereafter obtained; and all the patent
Tshts of Messrs Nhaehouse ami Bright eicetrici-
ans, which IN any way concerned the working II
instruments IN marine circuits Of great length.
were prospeeiiYey secured 10 it.
The proportions in which the shares were taken
were one hundred and one in London eighty eight
IN America, eishty-siA in Liverpool, thifty-seNea
IA glasgow, heavyweight in Manchester, and the
remainder IN other part Of England.
l he s'te oi the cable though II has been Oft
stated aHd Ptcee oi 1t was fnr seine time
exhibition al the Merchants News Room may
have ben fog ten by many readers. II i. COM
passed. II seven five copper wires, twisted into a
e3fd 10 ei an inch thick. This and coated
with Euitst rereha. forming small rope IS Of an
men 'h'eSi ticn coated with lempcn twine twice
soaked IN pitch and tar lastly an external sheath
< pi Is non wires, each wire being a strand (
ssten baer wires, making in ali 1875 wires. Tho
mtlSut IL tue cable IS about che ton per mile aud
IL l. capable "i bearing direct strain Of i've
tons without fracture.
Tie attempt 70 lay the cable last year was malo
On tnc 'th ci August, by the same vessels which
hafc tAis summer been employed The next day
an acciiehi occurred, which was repaired and til,
work rec ntncuccd. " hen $50 statute miles had
"erh submerged, the engineer cndeavorci TO have
suiNe modification made ia the paying out
ehtbeTy, - ~ t" prevent much slack" and
IA attempting this the cable snapped and the work
VAS delayed I'LL the present season The steam
sHtlN icit plymouth on the 10Th June, but the
weather was 50 b isisIous that they did ~, meet
AZ the appointed rendezvous till the 25th. Tho
h,s' 'PIlcc was made by the two ships On the NOR
hins OF Saturday, June 2Gth, and after each shiI,
hai P'!e out about three miles, the cable broke
nh board the Nia;aTa. owing to its overriding
4ll getting ell the pulley icading to the ma
ehinc. fresh splice made, and again low
cred over AZ haif-last seven. The paying out
Pf"eeeied beautifully until er ly Saturday
morning, "Aen the signals suddenly ceased -
The cattle was cut, aud tho Niagara returned to
the rendezvous. No satisfactory explanation Of
the accident has been given.
The Niagara aud Agamemnop met n third time
on the 18th, aud a third time connected the cable.
They then started afresh, and the Niagara hay.
entertained the mos, sanguine an,icipatons of
success, ~hen the fatal announcement was made
ga the 18th, at r. Nj, that the current had ccas
cd to Cow
The fleet sailed second time from Queenstown
on the 10Th OF July, aud the ,irst news from them
was trought by fbe telegraph from Newfoundland
ON thursday, the 9TH of August. about noon,
nouheias tbs safe arrival of the Niagara, at that
place. and that the connection of the wire with tho
Asamemn0n, In Valencia Bay, Ireland, was per-
feet.
Ireland was connected with England in lS53,by
telegraph. The distance between the points Of
eonneetion--noly head and Howth-is sixty five
niies,and the greatest depth five hundred and four
feet There was only wire in this cabin, with
the indispensable coating of gutta percha which
was protected and strengthen by the iron wire
covering the outside. II was laid at the rate Of
Tour miles per hour and fell so evenly that only
three miles more than the actual distance trayersed
were inquired.
Scotland and Ireland were connected by a cable
OF six wires in May, lsij. The distance is about
thtrty miles, and was tIaversed by the steamer in
not moro than ten hours. The following June a
cable was lad from oxforiness in England, to tho
Hague, IN Holland, distance Of one hundred and
fifteen miles. This task was accomplished in thir-
ty -four hours, and only four and a half miles Of
cable were required in the paying out over tho
actual length from point to point. making hardly
one hundred and twenty miles altogether. Anoth-
er cable connects Dover with Ostend, making the
third between England and the Continent.
In the summer of ls5i, a .clegraphic Union vac
eheeted between Corsica and Sardinia in Italy tho
Satainian Government having granted three ves-
seis oi-war to assist in the undertaking. This work
was attended with much difficulty in consequences
oil the breaking Of n part of the wire, The sub.
merging OF cable between Corsica and the Island.
oil Sardlula was successfully accomplished shortly
alter bat the attempt which was subse quentiy