Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-11-29
Daily girginiau.
Real state Of tho Atlantic Cable.
From the Ftcsafre t,Stotie,s,d) Journal
ArprRN CorrAGE. RurnERoLEN, !
Satnr,lav nrt % lxhx


ArpuRN CorrAoE. RurnERoLEN.
Saturday, Oct 23, 1858.
Professor Thomson. writing to the Glasgow
Herdid, says:
Il have read with considerable interest your re-
marks in yesterdays paper on the recent revival
~ the Atlantic cable Although it is hest To I've
hopeful under all circumstances. there are still
certain occasions when We may delude ourselves
and be buoycd up with false expectations. In
subjects of great national interest, and involving
IA large amount Of private capital. such false ex-
pectntions must eventually be productive ot harm,
and ought not. therefore, to lie encouraged. 1t 10
only too probable indeed aln,nst certain that the
expectations to which the few words which strug.
gled through tho cable from Newfoundland the
other day hnyc given rise are delusiye."
For sumc days before leaving Valentia. DR..
Thomson conducted II system Of all but constant
testing. hy which hc has become nearly A. fhmi-
liar tn the fault, its position, size aud appear
nace. ~ If he had nude il n submarine visit. In
deed, he made un artificial fault, which, when put
~ the rcnote end of resistance. formed Of hno
WIRE. aud equal to 2SO miles ot cable. and sub
merged in water. gave exactly tho snmo electrical
effects as tho actual fault in tho cubc. Tho indi
cations obtained Tn the Proicssors reflection gal
,anomctcr from u current sent into tho cable and
one sent into ,hi. fault. through equivalent rcss.
tancc. were, TO fraction of u degree tho same IN
amount. Now. this iault wass made by leaving
nh,c two inches of tho copper strand to tho
nciun Of trouyhrnll of salt water: that tho in
ference is unavoidable. that "at the distance Of
some $50 miles Of cable, or about $50 in actual
space, the Atlantic cable conductor is for Mt least
two inches denudcd of its gutia percha Insulation
and exposed 10 the water" Il il evident that this
flaw will not repair tsclf; and it is quite as evil
dent to those practically nnacVuaintcd with the un-
ucrtaking. that !, cannot be repaired hy engineer
ing or electric skill. 1t IL not accessible by un-
der-runnng TOR the cable will not stand the strain
10 which it IL subjected In being raised from such
n depth Alter the failure of last ycar it broke in
thu attempt to recover tho submerged portion alter
only fifty miles had been lifted This WAS in wa
Ter which was shallow compared with tho depths
at $50 miles from nnd. Nor can anything bc
done 10y the manipulation OF tho currents sent IN
from the shore. A current of positive (coppcr)
Gle, ,,rci,y mcrls tho injury slightly; but 1t Is by
oxvdising the exposed surface Of the conductor,
mud thus coating IL with u noii-conductor I'm
fortunately this non-nonducing oxide IL soluble,
and washes of as quickly M formed. Nor is this
the ONLY adverse circumstance. a portion of tho
copper is eaten away each time the positive cur
tent is sent through going to form the oxide. This
peculiar action quite apparent IN our artificial
FAULT For this reason from tho time of the dis
patch of the Company's courier with instructions
for newfoundland until these instructions wero
beng carried ont. DR.. Thomson did not admit any
positive electricity into the line except for testing
pnrpose.. Had he not done 49, the continuity
would have been gone long ago. The effect Of q
negative lzinc) current again IN almost wholly
conservative. Its tendency is to make metallic
deposit tho exposed conductor, or, to use tho
Professors beautiful, though perhaps too poetical
phrase, Ito take silver from the sea"
The dilemma therefore is ths--to mend tho
fault moinentarily ut the expense of the wire or
10 preserve the wire and Increase the tnult. At
present. the usuul alternating, positive and mega
a. lni, ant in tItnt m
durtor must give way soon cither entirely or IN
part, | only of the wires should corrodc
through and fall upon the outer shcathing, COM
nnnicution will be wholly cut Oft. The passage
OF this short message is only a continuance oi the
same caprice and uncertainty which has given
50 much annoyance since II lew days ntter we
landed tho cable. In terrestrial magnetism the
submarine electrician has an antagonist u con-
trnd with who is n very Proteus for variability.
It establishes counteructng or disturbing currents
in the cable, IT, tho task of overcoming which tho
current sent in from the shore is not equal, afier
having nno-tenihs of its strength taken oil IN
! f.. ,,ns tue fnult Bnt thcso opposing currents
sometimes grow very weak, or IN magnetic
enln altogethcr die AWAY. Then the cable would
speak splendidly. but perhaps in few minutes
the indicating spot Of light would dance up and
down the scale like an iynis fafanS under tho in
huence of these "earth-currents.' l have no
doubt tho message which made you so hopeful
got across the point in IL lucid movement such
ns have described. and very probably moth
ing intcllgble will come for hours or days after
wards.
Your remarks on the services Of Professor
Wm Thomson are we'll merited. The public Of
the two nations are not half aware OF the OBJ
legations under which thev lie to this gentleman
for even the partinl success Of the enterprises
! question much it ever the cable would have
been laid had it not been for his marine galvan-
IT,, tIa
when continuity was lost, as on the Doth OF
July or signals fniled as on the I'd OF August.
its indications were so positive. determined aud
reliable, that rash extreme steps. which
might otherwise have been taken, were put Oh
in dependence on it alone Then, after the
landing of the cable, all the important messages
received were recorded from tho land reflection
got over by DR.. Thomsons unique modification
Of the DaniolPs battery. 1t is this battery to
which the message of the twentieth refers: and
it is this which the Superintendent at Valentis
station is now using, Indeed. had it not been
for these, it is questionable whether any mos
sages would ever have got correctly through,
and absolutely certain that communication wo uld
not have been maintained for hall the time it has.
Before closing allow me to remark, in justice
to Mr.. Whitehouse, that these circumstances
cannot fairly be adduced against his profession
al abilities lie made provision to work a per-
feet cable, and had tho cable been perfect that
provision would have proved ample and COM
plete -..f. .r.t,rr remain,
Yours truly. .B.R.
MARINE DIsAsrERs.-Lo Of The Schooner Cas-
tilo and 7iro Unknorn Vessc,s.--Capt. Anderson.
rs passenger in the brig Alma to-day from Nassau,
n. p. He reports that on the l7th October, on
his passage from Jeremie for Boston with a car
70 of logwood and coffee, and duringa heavy gale,