New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-06-24

the cable and the pa,,ey cut the c.bs s,,,s.,.
thu VISA the csuse Of tie lDtsraptioa Of oos.sos,
TIL tsi nomert, ,r the sxperiuects hal ~.
made With 9 CONDEMNED portion Of Old c.bA II.
rev cable wn COW 10 be tried. The vesss,s vs,>
conrs cted anew BY hswser, AID spice va rM.
snd passed overheard, aud at 6 O'Clock aSos. To-,
miles hid been pad out Of each vessel the oSj.ct
Til, time being to try electrical expsrneats, Ia
brakes we're etdown 90 as TO let as little supefsss,
cable run out as possible TIE vessels 20, Isis,
urder head SsJ bad turned brosdsde 10 the sxsl sd
pitched moIe heavily go thatthe dynamomster ss,si
sometimes in single second from 2 900 p,un!sk
COCO pounds, nenly the break Dg rsio. Aisae sas,
o'clock tie cable broke near the Asame maoa, b.,
there are two versions Of the cause. On board n
Agamennon, it is alleged that week portioa Of i,
cable passed overheard, and tia, By eKsuis,u
the fracture, il is obvious that eight out OF IN
eighteen strands Of wires which cover tie csSls
were defective on length Of six inches. In pnx
Of this it is stated that the strain indicated at n,
moment the cable parted was only 9, 400 possds
TIE version on board the Nisgna is, that q kewy
castiron wheel which the engineers Of the Agsnsu.
ron had insisted upon hsEirg instead Of hSts
wrought iron one, was the cause Of the mischief
Fhe strain on board the Niagara was 4, 500 poaals
A portion of the night was devoted on this vessd
to wnd;pg-in the cable, bat the splice csuH not h
got On besrd, ard in the pulling broke and weat I,
the bottom, with the two miles Of cable from tAs
Asau.euaoa. On the % Of June, at 1880 O. m.,s
Few splice was made With portions Of the old cabs;
each vessel let 20 ore mile aid half aud kspsR
susper dea. In the mean time the breeze had fresh
ened asd there WAS . sea on. TowMi O'Clock
the Asamemnon gave a heavy lurch aud seappA
the cable. This was the last experiment made u
common by the two frgates.
Each ship had been provided with buoy 30 fsst
lorg and feet in diameter. Each proceeded 70
psy out few miles of cable; fastened 1t to tN
buoy, ard then paid out more. In both cases, tie
cable remained suspended for short tins, bat
broke away from the buoys before they could b
reached again after letting them 20. In the course
Ct these experiments, the cable broke sevcrd
times, in places which had become weak BY tho
rustirg of the outer covering The last OF.
pertinent made on board the Niagara was that u
payirg out at the great speed OF eight miles u
hour. This was perfectly successful No undue
strain or tendency to coil Was the consequence, si
it may be that the American portion Of the cable
will be paid out at this rate. The last eIperlasns
on board the Agsmeunon was to ascertain If It w
possible, in case Of fault going overheard, to hold
on by the cable, cut away the injured portion, al
make splice. This experiment was highly uu"s
cessful the cable broke twice 10 succession ct IL
place of fastening to the auxiliary wire rope b.
fore it could be wound up.
From the facts Of this experimental cruise, IL
conclusion is forced upon us that the operations o.
the Company have been conducted without method
that much that could have been reduced to or
tainty has been left to chance, and that 10 cOasA
quence the odds against success, which arc always
great in an enterprise of such magnitude. and ia
which so mary contingencies may happen. are
enormous.