Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1858-07-23
The Telegraph Cable Failure.

The following interesting account of the operations
of the Atlantic Telegraph feet in its last unsuccessful
efforts to lay the cable forwarded especially for the
Baltimore Sun ::
New York, July 20, m
From the Cork Reporter, of July 9Th.
The Niagara and the Gorgon attached to the squad
ron for laying the transatlantic CABLE arrived at Queens
town at early hour this morning. We regret to an
that the object of the expedition has for the pre-
sent failed and we shall now give readers such par
tcuars of the events which occurred in the of the
undertaking as we have been able to collect
The AgemelnnOn and her tender and the Niagara and
her tender sailed from Plymouth the 10th June, each
OF the great vessels carrying about one thousand i've
hundred miles of cable, with and improved appara-
us for paying it out which it was calculated would have
allowed for any strain unequal motion of the ships
the very speed of the vessels regulated by automatic ar
engagements, the rate at which the coil was to be dis
charged After having been three days at sea, the eX
petition Overtaken by fearful gale, which continued
without ntermsson for nine days On the seventh day
of this heavy weather. the Ships which had continued to
keep together had to part company, and the Agamem
obliged to scud before the wind thirtys hours
Her Goals got adrt and coil Of the cable shifted, so
that her captain for time entertained serious ap
prehensions of her safety and from the immense STRAIN
her waterways forced open, and Of her ports
! broken. Two sailors were severely injured and one
marine lost his from fright. Yet such was the
cnnsumate skill and good seamanshp and ntrepidity of
her commander, Captain Pridde, that he was enabled
to bring her to the appointed rendezvous The Niagara
rode out the storm CALAMITY having only carried away
her jbboom and wing of her fgurehead, the great
American eagle
All the vessels having at length arrived at their CEN
trail point of junction. the first splice of the cable
made on the 26th. After having paid out two and
half miles, owing to accident board the Niagara,
the cable parted; but the ships having again met
the splice was made good and they commenced to give
out the cable second time; but after they had each
paid out about 40 miles it reported that the current
had broken and 70 communication could be made be-
tween the ships. Unfortunately in this instance, the
breakage must have occurred at the BOTTOM the cleo
tracsms from the fine calculations which their nstru-
ments allow them to make were able to declare such to
have been the fact before the vessels together
again. Having cast off this loss they met for the third
time, and restored the connection OF the cable on the
28th They then started aresh the Niagara, having
paid out over hundred and fifty miles of CABLE all
board entertained the most sanguine antcipaons of
| success, when the fatal announcement was made on
Tuesday, the 29h, at P NJ, that the electric current
had ceased to flow AS soon the necessity of aban-
doning the project for the present now only too
manifest, it considered that opportunity might
as we'll be awaited OF to test the strength OF the cable
Accordingly this immense vessel with all her stores NC,
were allowed to swing to the cable and in addition
strain of four tons placed on the breaks yet al
though it blowing fresh at the time the cable held
her as fast as if she had been at anchor for over an
hour when heavy pitch Of the sea snapped The rope,
and the Niagara bore away fer this port Before start
ing arrangement made that should any accident
in giving out the cable before the ships should
have gone hundred miles, they should return to their
starting place in md-ocean and in case that distance
should have been exceeded before any casualty should
happen, they should make for Queenstown. In accord
ance with this understanding the Niagara having made
hundred and nine miles before the mishap, returned
to this port. Upon her homeward way she must have
passed the Agamemnon, but owing to heavy fogs which
prevailed for the greater portion of that time she missed
seeing or gaining any tdings of her. AS the Agamen-
has not yet arrived although her destination was
directed towards this Shore is conectured that she
might not have delivered the arranged quantity of coil
at the time OF its failure and may have consequently
returned to their place of meeting, which will unavod
ably protract the suspense which must necessarily be
felt until she be spoken WITH nothing definite can be
learned as to the occasion of the disaster.
The two principal electricians, DIR. Sanity and Mr.
Laweson are on board the Niagara and are inclined to
believe that the accident occurred board the Agame
non, which, would only impicate faulty arrangements
in of the apparatus, still leaves hope of ultimate
in the undertaking. Whereas if the separation
has occurred at the BOTTOM its effects will be greatly to
damp if not to deter the enteprisng spirit of the drec
tors from perservering in the gigantic project.
Should nothing be heard of her consort the Niagara
will after cOang proceed to her central station having
still board about thousand three hundred mile Of
cable which, supposng that the other vessel has reurnend
with similar amount, would still permit of junction
being completed and allow thirty per cent for casualties
In this last trial some five hundred miles of rope was lost
and when it is calculated that it is roughly estimated
that the value of the cable is about one hundred pounds
mile it will be that the sacrifice up to the pres
ent has not been so expensive might at first sight
have been supposed.
u LOOK OUT FOR CONFERENCE.-THE will be recoected
that by an accident On the Seaboard Roanoke Rail
road, months ago. of the freight cars were
broken to pieces of them the express car in which
was bundle of bank notes, in sheets, of the Bank
Wilmington, n c., sent from the North and on tbei1
way to the Bank This bundle was supposed to have
been among the articles destroyed by the accdentbut
it seems that it was not, if may judge from the fact
that two Wilmington notes of genuine plates but coun
tereited signatures have recently been detected in this
signatures which cumsiy executed but the plates
being perfect and genuine may deceive many who are
not SO careful.-NoJolk Herald.