The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1858-12-08
From the Fifeshire (scotland) Journal.
Real State of the Atlantic Cable.

Real State Oh inc Atlantlc CaDle.
! AUBURN COTTAGE, RUTHERGLEN,
Saturday, Oct. 23, 1858. {
Professor Thomson, writing to the
Glasgow Herald, says: 2f Hsv p
81 have read with considerable interest
your remarks in yesterdays paper on the
recent :evival in the Atlantic cable. AL
though it is best to be horsfaI under the
circumstances, there are still certain occa-,
sions when we may delude ourselves and
be buoyed up with false expectations. :
In subjects Of great national interest,
and involving large amount Of private
capital, such false expectations must
Eventually bs productive Of harm, and
ought not, therefore. to be encouraged.
1t is only too probable, indeed almost cer-
tain that the expectations to which the
few words which struggled through the
cable from Newfoundland the other day
have given raise are delpsiye."
For some days befors Ming valentia
DR.. Thompson conducted . system of all
but constant testing, by which he has be-
come nearly as familiar with the fault, its
position, size and appearance, as if he had
made submarine visit. Indeed, he made
an artifeial fault which, when put at the
remote end of resistance, formed of fine
wire, and equal to 2S0 miles of cable, and
submerged in water, gave exactly the
same electrical effects as the actual fault
in the cable. The indications obtained
on the Professors reflection galvanome-
ter from q current sent into the cable and
one sent into this fanlt, through eqiv-
alent resistance, were to a fraction of a
degree, the same in amount. Now, this
fault was made by leaving above two in
ches of a copper strand to the action of a
trough-full of saltwater; so that the in-
.Strence is unavoidable that sat the dis
tance of some $50 miles Of cable, or about
| 250 in actual space, the Atlantic cable
conductor is for at least two inches dem
: uded of its guta- -percha insulation and ex-
posed to the water" It is evident that
t this flaw will not repair itself; and it is
quite as evident to those practically ac-
, quainted with the undertaking that i:
cannot be repaired by engineering or
electric skill. 1t is not accessible by
undermining, for the cable will not stand
t the strain to which it is subjected in being
: raised from such depth. Alter the fail
e ure of last year it broke in the attempt to
recover the submerged portion after only
q fifty miles had been lifted. This was in
r water which is shallow compared with the
depths at $50 miles from land. Nor car
a anything be done by the manipulation o
b the currents sent in from the shore. A
n current of positive (copper) electricity
!, mends the injury slightly; but it is by oxy
y dising the exposed surface of the conduc
|, tor and thus coating it with a non-con
z ductor. Unfortunately this non-conduc
# ting oxide is souable and washes off al
e quickly as formed Nor is this the only
adverse circumstance. A portion of th'
: copper is eaten away each time the posi-
p tive current is sent through going to from
e the oxide. This peculiar action wa
e quite apparent in our artificial fault. Fo
l., this reason from the time of the dispatcl
e Of the Company's courier with instruc
e ttions for Newfoundland until these in
: structions were being carried out, DR.
e Thompson did not admit any positiv
d electricity into the line except for testin,
:, purposes. Had he not done 80, the con
K tinuity would have been gone long ago
Ii The effect of negative (zinc) eurren
Il is almost wholly conservative. Its ten
J. dency is to make metallic deposit OF
e the exposed conductor, or, to use the Pro
= fessor's beautiful, though perhaps too po
,r etical phrase, "to take silver from tn
IS sea /" I E
Ie The dilemma therefore is this--to mem
/, the fault momentarily at the expense G
the wire, or to preserve the wire and in
Ie crease the fault. AT present, the usua
q alternating, positive and negative current
: are being sent in, so that the, conducto
r must give way soon, either entirely or i
d part. If only one of the wires shoul
e corrode through and fall upon the QUITE
l. sheathing, communications will be whol
e ly cut off. The passage Of this shoI
l. message is only continuance of the sam
d caprice and uncertainty which has give
d SO much annoyance since afew days afte
N we landed the cable. In terrestrial mag
netism the submarine electrician has a
" antagonist to contend with who is vel
le Proteus for variability. 1t establishe
IS counteracting or disturbing currents in th
& cable, to the task Of overcoming which tn
sr cnrrent sent in from the shore is not equa
n after having nine tenths of its strength tt
N ken off in passing the fault. But thes
ii opposing currents sometimes grtw yer
IT weak, or in a magnetic calm atogethc
t, die away. Then the cable would spea
m spendidIy butperhapsin a few minute
70 the indicating spot Of light. would dane
d up aud down the scale like an fgnis tatu,
: under the influence Of these "earth cul
l. rents" ] have no doubt the messag
e, viii ch made you so hopeful got across tn
d fault in lucid moment such as l hav
t, described, and very probably nothing ir
e telligble will come for hours or days a
? Ifar,yords s-T fE y -F-fss g.