New-York daily tribune., 1858-09-30

pyofes.or Thomson. When the Ene i no. IN nae, for
The purpose of testing, words and short messages are
eontnua Nv despatched through the wire for an hour al
time and then for the next hour the salyanomster
is watched for the answers which excepting the re-
versals already alluded 70, never come. From the
time Of the first cessation o the signals up 70 he pre-
-ent time. Professor Thomson. Mr. Narey. and M.
Edward Bright have been engaged day and night in
testing and all have 70 the conclusion that the
defect is oss Of insulation about 2'O nile. along me
cable from Valeniia. 1hs. calculating the amount
of saci cable paid ont during the later day. OF the
submereing operations would place the faul. JOut
20 statute miles from The shore, somewhere upon
the mountain range which divides The depths Of the
Atlantic from The comparatively shallow water leading
from the Irish coast Reference 20 logs and dlarle-
kent by those on board the Agamcmnon during the
sri,rne-gire operations. show that this bank
crossed between four and five O'Clock Oh the after
noon Of August 3 more than an hour before the
.ypecfad time II had been intended by Sir Charles
Bright 20 allow great quantity q slack cable
70 remain while crossing ths point, IN order that t
mipb. reach the bottom Of oil the inequalities which
might exist there undiscovered by the sounding ine.
But from some unexplained cause, tae AIanemnOD
throughout tie whole cruise steamed greater speed
than wa registered by the log line. Owing 20 this
circumstance the bank reached at least an hour
before the expected time, the r-t inmailOn received
by those on board being sudden decrease in the
Tegis.erc strain upon the dynamoIneter, and al m
equally sudden falling off in speed Of the cable, tie
ship maintaining the rate a. registered by the
log line Sir Chsres Brglts attention was callefto
the circumstance and he seeing ct once that the shall
low water was approaching. or had actually been
reached. ordered tho weights 70 be taken of the
brakes which allowed large quantity Of slack 60
overheard / u.t always remain n matter of doubt
however. whether the falling of In the strain and
speed OF the cable observable at al until the top
II the bank had been reached and had this been the
case, s quite possible that the cable may have re-
ilaiDcd suspended upon some projecting points
on The steep. and IL insulation soon became
gradually injured by IL own weight. This u
Of course bat probable conjecture. based upon the
facts above stated But at the time i Il mpos
sbe - account a any other way for The cable having
become damaged since H. submersinn Should the
fault have originated in this way. not the least blame
Is attributable either 10 >r Charie- Bright, Ms assist
ants oT the officers Of the Agamemnon, the occurrence
being solely referable 20 the defective and uncertain
method of ascertai1ng the speed of ship at present
in vogue in the Royal Navy. The steep range above
alluded 10 4 often mentioned a hollow though upon
what ground il is difficult 10 say for soundngs were
taken upon il one at TIE bottom and another at tine
top: aud these two sOundings though only eight miles
apart show q difference in elevation Of 900 feet. OF
TIE nature of the intervening space can of
cous form any conf .cture whether the sides of this
submarine mOuDiaiL-fOr il can be- called nothing ese
ire bro ken by rayines precpitous cliffs, IN the
same way the sides Of the mountains ON land are,
nothing hut close and careful series o sOundngs can
ever determine. That such series of soundings
moi made by Commander Daynan al the point IN ques-
ton when le sounded across the AtHnilc from the
Cycops was We believe, due 10 the prevalence OF
bad weather al the time. ii j. perfectly conclusive,
according TO the experiments of Professor Thomson
and Mr. Narey, that the water has reached the con-
ducling wire in AZ least place not less than 30
miles frem the shore, and as the currents received
from Newfoundland vary from tw0-hundredth, 10
only one nne -hundredth part Of the strength they
should be- il would be deceiViug the pubic 10 state
that the fault is other than Oi the most serious nature.
But still il is believed possible by sone with more
delicate instruments and with proper concert at both
END of he a. %
each day, provided the condition If the wire be-
comes no worse. Negative currents oi eiec-
tricity are now used "a much as possible IN the
OF signals, for were positive currents
used the exposed portions Of the wire, by decompos-
ING the salt water in contact witt. il, would he
Oxidated through in n very short time. NJ. Henley,
who has been for some days experimenting upon the
cable sanguine OF making the line again servicea-
BILE Oy the Of his powerful magnctO-cleircal ma
chimes, which now their way from London. 1t
j. well that every expedent for working the line m It's
present defective condition be tried the chances Of
successfully undermining the cable far the point
of injury are unfortunately very small indeed The
extraordinary phenomena Of the natural currents of
electricity which continually traversng the sur
face of the earth IN vaOus directions act by teir n
dnctive effects upon the great length ot cable sub
merged and disturb the needles and galyanomcters at
both ends of the line to considerable degree. Their
nature and action, properly observed and studied by
means of the Atlantic cable, would no doubt throw
considerable light upon the phenomena of diurnal
magnetic variations 10 account for which no sasiac-
tory law has been proposed. On the night Of Monday
the 9Th of September one of those extraordinary phe
nomena called magnetic storms must have passed over
the track OF the cable, for from TO III o'clock the
Tehr cling galv anomeeT in connection with the line
was most violently disturbed. The reflection was
rapid and violent that il only occasionally that
the reflected ray of light could he distinguished upon
the reading scale. These magnetic storms are by no
means If occurrence, and well as the earth cur
rtnts already mentioned, sometimes great delay
and annoyance long lines of telegraphc commune
cation. There is still very generally prevalent idea
that OF the princ pal faults m the cable IL compara
lively shore and though this suppositon Is op-
posed TO the very conclusive experiments OF Prof.
Thompson and Mr.. Narey Yeti is question whether,
fer the full satisfaction Of the shareholders II would
he worth while taking up the cable for few miles
rom either Shore and then testing through the middle
portion. These operations would undoubtedly be at
tended with considerable expense, and It ls Therefore,
probably not thought advisable TO engage in them
until il las been ascertained how matters stand al the
American termini of the cable. Mr.. Lundy Que of
the electrical assistants, proceeds to Newfoundland
tuesday via the Prince Albert, from Galway for the
purpose of ascertaning the condition Of the wire al
the other terminus, and also for the purpose of ar
ranging day which certain known order OF sig-
mails be sent at concerted times, from both ends,
aud 10 endeavor thus 10 reestabish ineligible
munication.