Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-08-06

or,,cts os +r.o ,ro,,.r MN
LAYING THE TELEGRAPH CABLE.-lhe cgrres-
pOndcnt of the London T5pss who was ON
board the British steamer Agammemnon,
gives detailed and lengthy account Of the
several attempts on board that ship to lay
the telegraph cable. The leading facts are
well known from the Niagara, but few cx-
tracts may not be without interest, and will
throw some little light on the causes Of the
repeated failures, and the prospects OF the
undertaking.
After noticing the arrival Of the four ships
at the rendezvous. whore, on the evening Of
Friday, the 25th of June, they lay together,
side by sidd the writer says
~ have said how, during the awful rolls which
tae Asamemno,n made On the 20th and 2ist, the
upper pat' o. inc lll9 con- 'nlitGa ana became
t soi n o, m I''y IT 4'gy"
ever, neither Mr.. Brirht nor Mr.. Canniny nor Mr.,
Clifford was to be dauntcd by the aspec. Of
didlcalty however formidable. Absurd as the
statement seemed at first they were all positive
ol%' ie 'ansae old h'1 extend lar Gown inc coli
hi. hearty as...t',c mon ,yrr, NJ Vol; d,v ani
night drawing it ont Of the hold and coiInrit aft
on the main deck, For the first twenty loTr hours
the labor seemed homeless far 50 de,'sa was tbn
tanplc that an bour's hard work ,ypulI sornt,,rs
scarcely clear half n mile. Ev and Lv however
it BEGAN to mend the efforts were rodIublcd and
late on Friday NIGHT one hundred aud C,rtv miles
had been got out and the remainder YVES found tobo
clear enoIrh to commence work with -
w ,c
We cannot llcl thinking that tile smiling
OF the ca lie OF the Agamemnon and the ne
cessarV Overhaullng to which it was subject
cd had something to do with the final irac-
tlre. as il will he seen in the soouol
tbo+ tbo brn,1 o,o,,,ral ;,s4 at.o, ~; ,,I,';s
III Wv: l'oV 49, ''i' nam
E0'N ooii H"u p,ch l"ii oH anu tAe ,ca9el was
60 oni WI ii.'1s Al 'e iloiu -
H., " c,, 'l."' ''io s "."Noi'o"
- ''i'i'0' VI III 'i'' ''''0'l"enV o''
The first splice was made between the
\ioro,, and ( ron,nr,noo on tbo ,,or,,ir,, Of
St5nl H. 81 - ~ i f.
I'."1""Y 'ic ,-''h vi o"ile, anu u'tgr etCh
snip nad payeu ouI ABOUT three miles the
caDle broke on BOARD the Niagara, owing to
its overriding and getting off the pully lead
ing on to the machine Both vessels put
ohou+ and returned a rrosh snlicn was ,nndn
,1 o,; I,,oua1 ~ Llr ,,,st ,o,.,,, ,rho
nv 'o"i'' i'"0io0 ~ '',''4 ~. .r ;,
paying OUT proceedcu Dcau'hully uitil carry
on sunday morning. Inc writer says
"At ha1f-past three 40 miles had gone and
nothing could be more perfect md regular than the
WORKING of everything when suddenly at $40 A.
NJ. on sunday the 9th Professor Thompson came
on deck ard rcported n total break of continuity;
that the cable in fact had parted and as was be-
licvpd Mt the time from the Ninrara The 4 rn-
,ncmnon was instantly stonpe6 and the brakes an
plied to the machinery, in order that the cable
| noyed ont mirht be severed from the mass in the
hold and so enable Professor Thompson to discover
by electrical test, at about what distance from the
shin the fracture bad taken'place, Unfortunately
however there was n strong bl ccze on at the time
with rather heavy swell which told severely ur-
on the cable and before any means could be taken
to ease entirely the motion on the ship it parted
few iathoms below the stern wheel, the dyuamone-
ter inulca''hg STRAIN OF nearly 'ooo'
The Agamemnon head was put about,
ana she beat pdck ID tle lehuezVouS' uhoer
sui
f." 1t was hard work beating W against the wind;
50 hard indeed, that it was not till noon Of Mon
day, the 10th, that we rejoined the Niagara; and,
while all were waiting with patience for her ex-
PLANTATION of how she broke the cable, she clccrif-
ed every one by running up the interrogatory:
How did the cable part! This was astounding
As the boats could be lowered, Mr.. Cyrus
Field with the electricians from the Niagara, came
on board, and a comparison Of logs showed the
painful aud mysterious fact that at tho same Sec
Cnu OIL tihe eaGh vessel hao ulseoseleu 'nal ,o'a
I'a S, ooob rn ~
conld he indeed at the bottom of the ocean. The
logs on both sides were So clear as to the minute of
time, and us to the electrical tests showing not
merely leakage or defective insulation Of the wire
out ios"t raeturG, Una, sneIe was no room
Of this most dsheartening fact. That of all the ma
ny mishaps connected with the Atlantic Telegraph,
this is the worst and most disheartenng is certain
since it proves that after all that human skill and
science can effect to lay the wire down with safety
has been accomplished, there may be some fatal
Obstacles to success at the bottom Of the ocean,
which can never be guarded against, for even the
nature Of the peril must always remain secret and
unknown as the depths In which 1T Is encountered
For rho third ti,nn tbe cable was ;oioed and
- .,,.,,, o,olooL an N,ndo,, oronip,, Inn,
~ 90'cH Oi"0N va -4O"} w
20, was lowered mo 1Wo 'housalu l"tIo'u
OF water
..RoC,rc stoamin, AWAY os the traucnlnon wa
,o,v getting short az cool and the two vessels ha,
e,neTIod s7,re ono hundred tniIe. If cab beweei
them IL was agreed that if tho wire parted aqai-
lire tho sbins had conc each one hundred mile
fn, Tho rendszvous tbev we're IN return and ma k
~ enlioe . and "a tbe Aconomnon was +
sal bacL tho Niogaro il was deeided was To wal
: eight DAYS for her reannearance If. ON the othe
E hand The one hundred miles had been exceeded
tha sbins were not 10 return INT each make tn
, ha : of their wnv Ia Oueenstown"
- m II
Inns lnutual agreement was IuIy ca[Iie
y out by the Niagara, Dut was ueNlateu lroi
= by the AgamcmnOn, which explains her della
>, in returning at Queenstown.
" The uaying out proceeded beautifully a
J. NonJogT 4ig5St and tbrourh the dav On 'Tnr
1oy 49, Wv 20 '
u uay 'he -o'h
Il Gan soened N nrou,ise lnost houeG,Ilv and ii
, orIv cause that warranted anxiety was that il W,
u evident tho MINER deck coil would be finished /
IN about eleven O'clock at NIGHT WI, n the mon won
II have ~ mass in darkness. along the great loo
~ which formed the communication between that ar