The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-08-09
THE AeAWENNoy AT vALEycrA.

| neAmemaon arrived az Valencia Bay, ireland, on
the 4th, and landed her part Of the cable. The q.
| 5. ship Niagara, landed her end Of The cabIe A.
trinity Bay TO day (thc 5sh) The electric current
4 y perfect. and the signals pass freely.
THE COMMENCEMENT AND PROGRESS OF TILE
ATLANTIC SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH.
THIS gigantic enterprise was first conceived in
.ns country, and was commenced, about I've
years ago, by small company of American capi-
talists residing In New York In face OF all the OBJ
j.ctons that we're urged against IL they
WITH determination that was proof axaiust all
dis~ourasement- TWAS supposed BY some that
the laying OF . cable across the bed OF the Allan
! tic was an utter fmpo.sibility, and that any ct.
tempt must eisd 10 discontinue and disastrous De-
cnntary loss to those who should engage in the At
tempt. But the New York, newfoundland and
who were not to be deferred by such fears; and
being once convinced of the practicability OF the
undertaking, they entered upon it with will
and an earnestness that no obstacles could over
SINE. They contended that ffit we're possible to
tay submarine telegraph between England and
france, that, with proper means and facilities,
| the same could be done between America aud Eu.
rope and these means and facilities they asserted
| were at their disposal. The task which they had
| undertaken was, it must be confessed, stupen.
dous one. The company consists of the following
gentlemen, all of whom have been connected with
IL since its Incorporation.
| OFFICERS OF THE TELEGRAPH COMPANY.
President Peter Cooper; Vice President, Cyrus
| W. Field; Treasurer, Moses Taylor; Electrician.
| Samuel f. B. Morse; Directors, Peter Cooper: Mo-
sss Taylor Wilson q. Hunt; Cyrus W. Field, Mar
| shall o. Roberts =
| These gentlemen, abont four years ago, Obtained
chsrter from the colonial government of New
fouudiand, granting them the exclusive privilege
TOR htty years OF running telegraph. across that
| Island aud through any Of the adjacent waters
They a!so obtained an appropriation of twenty Eve
thousand dollars for tho construction of bTidle
path over the southern lortioa of the country.
wnich was considered Indispensable for the regula.
\ fnp opH Ar H..
this they were secured by the interest on two hun
dred and fifty thousand dollars for twenty years
| and present of fifty square miles of land which
tns company were allowed the liberty of selecting
IN any part or the island. These with other cub
stantiai marks of the favor with which the New.
| foundisnd government regarded the enterprise
| were willingly bestowed upon the company, with
the best wishes for their success A charter hay.
| ing been previously granted by the goverpmen Mt
Of Prince Ed ward Island and New Brunswick. the
| telegraph connection-or rather the route of the
| proposed telegraph connection-between the Uni
ted States and St Johns, on the extreme western
| point OF Newfoundland, was established. In the
latter part of 1885, complete communication was
established between those points, by the success
tui laying Of submarine cable across the GuTf of
st. Lawrence, from Cape Ray to Cape North; the
iand lines having been completed two or three
years previously.
Thus far the company have been successful; but
siii tue counectlon was completed between Europe
ana America, the work for which they had ergan.
zed could not be said to have been accom- slished
Through the agency Of Mr.. Cyrus w. Field. the
whole amount Of (f350 900, which is equal to Al ;.
100000, was u5str,bed-the shares amounting to
| So,ooo each. The proportions in which these
| snares were taken were one hundred and ona in
| London, eighty eight in America, eighty six in
Liverpool, thirty. seven in Glasgow, tweuty.eip6t
| in Manchester, aud the remainder in other parts
OF England. The capital, however, had to be sub.
seqnentiy Increased to s., ,50O, COO, to meet the
! failures that occurred iu the various attempts to
sub e-ee the cab!c.
During last Congress subsidy of $4,000 per
annum tor twenty five years was granted to the
| Atlantic Telegraph Company; and the Secretary
| IL the Navy was also directed to supply two ma.
tiooa vessels TO assist in laying the cable The
British Parliament showed itself equally liberal
In compliance with the Instructions of Congress-
| the Niagara and Susquehanna were deputed to
assist in the undertaking; but after the first fail
rre last year, the latter vessel was withdraw. and
| he Niagara has been, therefore, the only one of
our national vessels that has shared iu the glory
Oh laying the cable that unites the two continents
The distance between fafentia Bay in the sout H.
west oil ireland. and st. Johns, Observation-Disclosures
two points of connection-is sixteen hundred and
| ihty miles.
| The TERMINI OF THE LINE
| trinity bay in New wloundaud, and yaientja Raw
on the western coast of ireland have thus become
two IT the most important points on either conti-
neht description OF them cannot fail to be, at
| this moment, highly interesting.
In the selection of the sites In Ireland and New
foundiand for telegraph stations at either end Of
the great oceanic line, those who were entrusted
with the work have been governed by one principal
consideration-tbe character of the beach on bict
the cable should be landed. The experience of the
| past six or seven years has proved conclusiyey
that sandy or muddy bottom is the best ada pted
| asa resting place for the line, while rocks or
stones are almost always fatal to its safety. Seve
raj cables that have been laid in water noted for
! he rocky nature Of the bottom have been cut and
destroyed by the abrasion to which they were sub
| ect from currents. 1t is, therefore, a matter of
rtn hsnhna INN
/ where the line will not be injured by such means
| and where, under all circumstances, it will be
| perfectly secure. The Bay of Balrs Arm a con
siderable tract of water at the head of Trinity
Bay. Newfoundland, has been chosen as the best
point for the landing of the cable and the erection
Jf a telegraph station. BY looking at the map of
| newfoundland it will be seen that Trinity and
| Placentia Bays are separated by narrow neck Of
| and, about four miles in breadth. Now this spot
has been selected not only on account of the s,ndv
,hsracter of the beach, but for another reason no
.ess forcible. 1t is intended hereafter to Law a
| submarine cable from Placentia Bay to the best
ooipt either III Nova Scotia near Portland Me-
md the brief distance, therefore, between the two
bays, will tend greatly to facilitate this design
| A subterranean line four miles long will he ali
| sufficient to connect the two cabes-the one ex.
tending to Ire and, and through Ireland to Eng
land, Europe and Asia: and the other to the United
States and the whole of North America
The { ier terminus OF the line u.s. as has area y
been stated. ia Valentia Bay, which is perhaps Ia.
l
,f Ireland, both account Of its being the mar
est to Newfoundland, and on account of its partic-
uinr adaptatility for telegraph station. The
county OF Kerry, which is indented by vaentia
Bay, aud in which the shore end of the Cable WAS
| landed on the evening of the 9th of August last
yssr, is very similar in its natural features to that
| pirt of Newfoundland which we have last de-
scribtd Huge mountains rise up o. Q irost eyety
side, AID great masses Of rock, in Thousand fan
tsstc shapes, stand out ia solitary isolation miles
| from the land. Two of tiese-of such gigantic dj
mensious that they almost approach the dignity of
mountains--guard the entrance of Dingle Bay
| like weather beaten sentinels; while further in
| from the ocean is long mountain range the face
Of which is wore with deep issures, while its base
is followed out at irregular intervals by caves
| some Of which extend, according to the state :
ment3 OF the peasaptry, several hundred feet int
1 the very heart of the mountains The bay has n
| depth in some places of over hundred fsthoms
bu. 1t Is 80 open to the sea, and the anchors 20
bad that 1t Is enc of the worst places which yes
sci could select in a storm. But valeatia Bay is
more protected, aud although not safe in y storm
affords much better anchorage. The land, for
miles into the interior, is very rocky aud barren
aud affords poor pasturage for the dimiDutire
| bat hardy race of cattle for which the county of
| Kerry is famous. The huts Of the peasantry
which dot the bill sides show too plainly the nov
erty of the lower classes of the people, and how
,nis srably their labor is rewarded. The ruips of
churches, which were built by pious Christians as
ioHg ago the fourth or fifth century are strik.
ingly in accordance with the impoverishe. appear.
ance Of the laad and Of the people. The island of
| yaientia suffered fearfuly during the famine in
ireland, and hundreds died of starvation on the
| road side in the miserable dwellings, some OF
| which still remain, and in which their bodies
were found many weeks after their death, ,unburied
| and In a horrible state of emaciation.
About three miles from the head of valentia Ray
10 the post town of CaLirciyeen, and at the same
| distance, but iu another direction, lies Knights
town, small village Of some Eve hundred inhabi-
| fants This village is called after the Knight Of
Kerry, gentleman tho has been Of the strong
est advocates of the Atlantic Telegraph. The
small land cove in which the bay terminates was
decided upon last year as the place for the landing
of the cable, and has not been changed since, IL
s in fact, the very best sIot that could be select
/ cd. About four hundred yards from the beach =
| telegraph building. somewhat similar to that at