The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-10-24
Tho Atlantic Cable.-English Perseverance
and Irish-American Roasting.
[From the London Times, Oct.

/ from the London Times, Oct. s.
| We are not demonstratvc We take sue
cesses and failures with equal gravity Our cousins
across the Atlantic have picked up of the quick
pressive southern clement, and they beat us in tho dis
play OF public feeling. In the first apparent success Of
the Atlantic cable they went mad with delight and self
applause Though had contributed equal science and
most OF the capital they forgot altogether No sooner
does the wire give signs than they discover
have had the management Of it, and that all will be right
Trinity Bay. If any faith however, is to be put in tho
startling despatch received at Halifax from New York
instruments more efcacous than theirs At this end
OF the cable have neither given way to extravagant
| joy, fallen out Of temper with partners
IN the scheme, because 10, Tor the present things
yet Or at eas, hsi
deferred hope which makes the heart sick this sad
hitch For the present, and regards this particular
cable, We feel people do about languish from
some nscrutablc disease, child that pine way il
cannot tell why What is the matter with p Where
the painS What part is hurS Answer there is In
small the Irish coast bit of copper wire is
fixed on the table or the wall and knowing
ing to tell them what has happened thousand miles OF
the mid abyss of the ocean It's vitality expires, its
pulsaton grows weaker 1t responds moro and
fceby TO the fortunes OF science and the very
used to rouse Il from its supor draw its constitution
In their urgency the operators of their hopes
and is suspected that they have done themselves
no small part OF tho mischief that they dcporc What IL
this but the old story of the genius, naciously true
keeping the very letter of his bond, doing superhuman
service, but gone forever II word movement be
omttedy There too much reason 70 fear that the affair
Is reduced TO post norton examination Unless the
above be true, the Aslac cable dead There
n ~,
indeed almost the greatest wonder Of the and iary
considered, beats tie Atlantic telegraph itself,
should that ever be an existent fact that our mon Of
science stand NJ one end Of fine copper wire and
ask it how long II ~ Answer WIRE, are YOU 10 niles
long, 30, or SEQ, or goo, 2oo0Y Wha,
the nature OF your fracture injury WtGhcra itself
cannot beat such diyinaon II Is comfort
though for the present science doas US no good
yet gains BY failures and, though we not SCI,
obtain what We want, we know
There Is the best reason 10 hope that we have to deal
with purely mechanical difficulties Of ordinary and
lNa cha Na~a
conclusion that there at least two serious faults in the
cable of them dating from before the submcrgence,
and between 500 and 600 miles from vaenta the other
about 80 miles Distant and at the place where owing to
the sudden change the depth Of the danger had
always been apprehended; that one or both of these
faults have been aggravated if not made fatal by the
tense currents used to the difficulty, and that
electrical tests indicated what otherwise too probable
that at least the Agamemnons portion Of the cable was in
very damaged state before was submerged. The
ratves Of the three successive attempts to lay the cable
suggested great msgvngs to the soundness of
dton. In twelve hundred miles OF delicate and
elaborate structure, joined in hundreds of places,
twice shipped twice payed out once 80 hopeessy entan
ged that than hundred miles had to be extricated
from Of confusion exposed to many days of tenn
pestuous weather, and of such weight as TO strain and
nure the sides beams and decks of finest
and strongest of war 1t would indeed be miracle IL
in the whole length there should not be single fault We
told Of the people in charge Of looking for faults
LESSONS and for bubbles in the gutta peicha finding
them visible to the eyes, cutting them out, and pecing
the cablein instance Just IN time TO send the hasy
reparaton to its final resting place at the bottom OF the
We also told Of the immense pressure the thou
sand tons upon the lower part Of the great coil assisted BY
the working of the ship and the extreme heat Of the hold
making the gutia pcrcha ooze out between the iron
OF the outer coat and threatening 10 bring the cop
per and iron wires into fatal contact 1t said
that the strain the cable paved out, had the
effect the gua percha and visiby 6attened the
cable Exposed Il was to all these vcssitudes single
fault in the gua percha, Il only hairs breadth
ike Mercuios wound "a scratch, Scratch, would be
fatal If not Immediately, yet as Mr Varey shows,
the electrical currents had passed long enough To
away the portion exposed 10 the salt water. II only
amazing that the cable so knocked about should have
been actually laid down in something like working state,
and should have worked so long a. Il did.
This, then is really only a question Of strength.
Everything. seems to indicate tina, for such a
| purpose the bottom Of the ocean Is the best
| place in the world the safes, from Interference
| and the most unchanged The only thing TO be
done 10 10 find cable that shall stand the trials to which
is exposed In the OF laying and devise tho
machinery perhaps also the best vessel for the work
AZ the vessel and the machinery will be In constant r.
question: will answer the purpose, II not Of private
company, at least OF the community at large, to spare
cost in bringing them TO perfection The machinery en-
poyed this year TO have been manifest improve
tina, Of last year but the ship the same, and
TO the ship probably owe at least some Of the faulty
places suspected N must be laid 10 the credit Of the ship
that the cable became enangied could get Of place
all that portions OF the cable disposed in separate
coils IN different parts q the vessel aud indeed, on
with so tremendous weight on us lower
| portion The whole cable could be cooled on
the deck OF the Great Eastern less than foot deep and
oG course with pressure 20 speak Of With ship OF
half that length having deck made for the purpose
could escape all the dangers arising from pressure from
rolling from The change flom one coil 10 another ana
from coils OF small diameter, which have an inevitable
tendency unvst the cable aud dcrange the strands
slight reflection the enterprise or the sagacity Of
government that the British vessel has evidently not
been wen adapted for the work as the American, and
that the labor Of tho latter has TO ell appearance been
thrown away through the iradequacy Of the former.
But the cable itself The chief cons.ccE alton No doubt
this matter Of great difficulty for the object s TO com
bnc sodity, enacy, tongncss, certain degree Of elias
ITCHY moderate degree Of plancy, and conducting wires
Of sucent thickness TO carry ordinary currents all with
In reasonable weight Various improvements have been
suggested and Il not likely that thus early in the art
have attained perfection. The cable has not been
strong enough for the work. that IT, ~ FAR a. We can
Judge of the faults arising apparently from the
rough usage suffered by the cable ON board the Agamcm
non the other from some submarine r., strain, most
probably from being suspended At too wide span between
two heights, and having, perhaps 70 SIDE AZ hgh ten
sion rocky point II scarcely be thought with
place where the Atlantic passes from 400 thoms 10 four
times that depth this were possible, 20 bring
up from the greater depth the strained or wounded
ton. Even then, however the ecer cin.s suspect AZ
| equally serious injury AT twice the distance from
valentia Al oTredrdnoe' indicate ndt ~. present
Ss o msa o g ,1s,cs ana a., ,.. ,,' aa,n ma
| b. iaed in the construction ~ rs sycoesror. Their,
can be no doubt Of nnal success. The day viii com'
when all the dfcutes of the undertaking will be matter
of ordinary Information. and surmounted BY ordinary
methods in universal daily use The submarine geogrs
ply will then be rs familiar the terrestrial and il vii
be known few fahoms where t. lay cable slack anc
where Il may be simply LAID as straight as ship pas
| come n this We know what did not month.
| ago-,hat the thing can be done, and this iusthc,
every cxertcn that may contribute the union Of the New
| and Old World
| with an instinct which seems 10 be borrowed from thu
sister island the Americans all this time disputnl
| about the honor Of the thing We're pugnacious
| they should now be deep IN controversy Ito
garths doctors AT the bedside Of their dying patient We
only remember that Fnglishmen anu hishmen too havt
| laid many submarine cables with great success
| and work them well 20 this day We IRE also
| aware that several Englshmcn have been employed
| in this line, and that " they cannot make The wirt
speak neither they make the dead rise ~ far from
being ready % get up quarrel With the Amereans tht
British public have looked with remarkable indifference
| on little dispute that has sprung up between owr
electricians. There plenty Of clever among
but they have not charged the managers II the enterprise
with stupidity. has not yet occurred to the most
Of democrats that worthless and sclhst
arsocracy as the NEw YoRK HERALD intmatcs has had
any considerable share the fracture Of the telegraph
The public here al the question of the failure
itself How has II come TO pass9 Where is III How cat
be avoided another timer These may be the quos
tons TO rouse the passions OF popuace TO carry cleo
ton or 10 augment the glory o country but they
10 the point, which is the cable itself We have only /,