Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1858-08-04
From the London Times, July 6.
The Levi athan and tha Atlantic Cable

FROM the London Times, o.
The Leviathan and the Atlantic Cable.
The cause of the failure thus far We cannot
even conjecture. The American ship brings
the news home, and if its people had simply
stated that the breakage was not on their side,
and that all they knew about it was the ces-
sation of the signals fron the Agamemnon,
we should naturally have concluded that it
was at the latter ship When, however,
they add to this that the electricians on board
had experimental on the broken cable, and
had thereby arrived at the conclusion that the
breakage must have been at or Lear the Ag-
memnon, they take the mater altogether out
of the depth of the rulearned public, and
leave us to imagine or suspect anything we
lease. If 1t is possible to measure eyer SO
approximately the length of wire by elec
trical experiments at one end, then we have
nothing to do but wonder at the progress Of
science and ars But we wait for further IN
formation, particularly from the people on
board the Agmemnen.
The electrical conditions of the problem be-
ing known, this is only a mechanical question,
with no osher chances of uncertainty than
those of an ordinary maratiMe character,
winds, waves, currents, and what may be
called the deep-sea anchorage Cd which the
cable had to rest. With regard, then, to the
made against them, it cannot be said that this
trial was very hopeful one. Two ships
gave double chance of failure. Each was
evidently unequal to its moety of the work,
having neither proper stowage room for the
| cable nor for the proper quantity of coils
The Niagara left our shores SO deep in the
water as to excite misgiyings in all who saw
her; and then we were told, though the Ag-
memnon looked better, she was, in fact, a
| ship of less tonnage,
The paying out the tackle and the brake
had been proved with success which the
scientific alone could appreciate. The spec
! ulation was, that just now we should proba-
| bly, have the Atlantic at its calmest, which,
as it turns out, has not been the case. To
judge from the picture Of the expedition as it
sailed from our shores, Agamemnon and Nj
agara so filled with their huge freight that
the gigantic coils spread from the hold into
! every gunroom, gangway, and cabin. We
were relying too much on the favor of the ell
ements, and laying ourselves at the mercy of
their caprice. 1t is premature. indeed,
to say that we have been beaten by the ele-
mcnts; but the next attempt oughtto combine
every precaution suggested by the past.
A suggestion has been made several times
to these columns, and seems to US worth con-
sidering The Leviathen is as yet only a
shell. Except that it has not even her en-
gines on board, it is exactly in that state, to
which, at great difficulty and cost, the Aga
memnon and Niagara have been reduced for
this service In the Leviathan, any length
of cable that could possibly be required could
be held and slowed in the manner most con-
venieut for paying out. The pitch Of that
huge vessel will be quite inconsiderable in the
roughcst seas, and the strains on the cable
will be therefore uniform. Sufficient length
may be taken on board for the most lavish
use of the cable, to even twice tho distance
from one shore to the other.
1t is plain we must not be stingy of mate
rial if we are to succeed. The ingenious
writer's who enlightened the public on the
wonders of the deep, tell US that currents car
ry the cable miles out Of the ships course be-
fore 1t touches the bottom; that ever SO freely
paid out. the cable probably hangs in festoons
from one submarine mountain top to another
and that, even if the cable is SO fortunate as
to escape the sharp edge of precipice, mere
suspension between two distant points may
stretch it beyond its strength. If this be so
the more cable We have, within reason, tht
better.
No ship afoat but the Levathan could car
ry ample supply for the whole distance. L
alone could carry Goals sufficient for paying
out the whole cable at the rate of five, four
and three miles an hour. If necessary, ant
could afford even in the midst of the process
to make any delay that might be thought ad
visable. " hatever mao be thought of thu
suggestion, we feel assured that nobody reall
, expects much from a feet Of four ships sailing
cut to rendezvous in the middle of the Allan
tic to lay down one cable-all the ships con
fesscdly overtasked, and all of them RECKONING
upon good weather and other favorable cir
cumstances. There is a unity and simplicit
, about the undertaking that i'll accord with
! complex and hazardous process.