The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-08-23

Indications Of ntw and perhaps bloody revoiu-
tiope. venezuels gives no token of being in a
setsled condition.
Tire Eiecszscai Dep~s smscs ~ tho Atlantic
asifgs~ph.
We bsve bad OCCASION heretofore, during the
termination of which has been hailed With
joy GUS exclamation by the Old World and
the New. to speak of the electrical de-
partnent of the Atlantic telegraph and now
that the mechanical difficulties which beset
the undertaking have been overcome by
the skill and ingenuity of Mr. William Y. Eve
rett the subject comes up again with more than
i's former importance. 1t is a remarkable fact
that after more than two years experience of
submarine telegraphing. the present electrician
of the Atlantic Telegraph Company. DR.. Wild
man WbiHhouse, is unable to transmit one
word minute through the cable now submerged
between Ireland and Newfoundland This is
still more remarkable from TIE circu instance
chat, as recent as the 4th Of January last, this
gentleman informed the Board of Directors, 10
bis official report, that he had succeeded in at
taining speed Of four words minute, and that
he hoped by the aid of improvements he was
then making to arrive at a still more gratifying
result. To what are we to attribute this, If
not to the defective system nov employed
upon the great ocean line-a system which is
entirely inadequate to produce the two essen
tisl requirements, speed aud accuracy. The
highest rate which the electrician of the COM
papy has yet reached in the transmission of
messages does not exceed nineteen words in
eighteen minutes, while at times be has fonnd it
impossible with his system to get more than
three letters and two-ffths of letter per
minute. This statement explains the difficulty
which WAS encountered In telegraphing the
Queens message from Valeutia to Trinity Bay
a few days ago.
Our readers are already aware of the suc,e
which attended the trial of Professor Hughes
printing telegraph during the very short time
which the inventor was allowed the use of the
cable and how, with his unadjusted instrument,
he sent two words and half a minute through
the conductor, and actually reached as high as
four and half words In that SPACE of time.
In fact so evident has the superiority of this
instrument appeared en- the trials which have
taken place, that IL must eventually super.
sede all others in the working of submarine
cables. There are many points Of differ
cnce between the two systeme but the most
important is to be found In the use which
each makes of the currents as they are received.
and their consequent working value in pecu-
MARY point of view to the shareholders Of the
line. Tho rate at which these currents passed
through the whole length of the cable before
it was submerged varied from seventeen to
thirty-six per minute, according to the strength
and quality Of the battery employed, but we be-
lieve II was known to exceed the Last figure
Now, as by the system OF Whitchouse, it re
quires an average Of five of these currents to
form letter, and as it takes an average OF five
letters to make word, it follows that twenty
Of one word. With thirty-six currents in
minute, this, under favorable circumstances,
would not give more than nineteen words
in eighteen minutes, and yet higher
rate has not been reached. Tue superiority
Of the Hughes instrument will be at once per-
ceived, when IL is known that each current
prints letter, and that with thirty-six currents
q result Of ak words is obtained in the same
space of time. As brief lapse must take
place to allow of the necessary spaces between
the words, 1t IL found impossible to take adj
vantage Of the whole time required for the
trnnsmission of the currents. This accouats,
therefore, for the fact that ak words instead Of
seven, are sent through the conductor in
minute.
The two electricians arc presented, therefore,
in this position towards the company: White
house offers them nineteen words in eighteen
minutes, while Hughes offers six words In one
minute. 1t is we'll known that the instrument.
Of the latter was tried under the most unfa-
vorable circumstances. In the first place, IL
had never been tried on 30 long a conductor
and In the second, he had. adjusted his instru.
mcnt TO the rate OF speed which Whitehouso in
formed the directors in the report alluded TO,
he had obtained. When Hughes arrived in
England he found, however, that the four
words had been reduced and that the
hundred currents had dwindled down to
thirty-ix and less II was under these circum-
stances that his instrument was applied to the
Inc, and before the Professor had time to make
the necessary alterations which the true condition
Of the case required Had he, as he expected,
found q hundred currents passing through the
cable in minute, he could have transmitted from
fifteen 10 twenty words in the same time. De
spite the disadvantage under which he laborcd,
he succeeded, however, in proving 10 the satisfac
ton Of every impartial observer that bis in
strumeHt was vastly superior to that Of