Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-12-03

From the London Times.
The Atlantic telegraph.

A short time since, and for brief period, all
the civilized world WAS ringing with the news Of
tho suecesstul termination of this great enterprise
and. IN the presence of the general rejoicing, men
III science, II not agreed about the cable. wero ut
leas. silent. Now, however, that the excitement
und tho Gallo have both died ont, every thing seen's
10 have lapsed back into the rame region ot theo-
ry and speculation from which the plan only
emerged Tor n shut time to give u color of plAus-
Utility to the opinions VI all We know not wheth-
L, account it favorable to the cable or other
wise, but tho TACT re,nxins that at the present
ment most electricians Of nole ayres differ both
as to the nature aud extent Of Injury TO the wire
and the chances Of its over being again testurcd
to working order. One thing. however, seems to
admit Of no doubt, aud that H. that, contrary to
Nil eArcoia,ion,it shows no sign Of becoming worse
In the presence Of this encouraging TACT. thore are
mnuy eminent In science who belicye, first, that
tho injuries to the insulation exists much nearer
the Irish shore thnn was at first supposed; and,
secondly, that by using different instruments tho
Whole ne may DO, To Il cernin extent uscd for
tho transmission Of messag :. IF not from this
cou!'ry to America, at least from America to Eng
hoI. The means ascd Tor testing cables II aacer-
tain The spot ~ which an injury has occurred, are
Always 81 ihr unsatisfactory that under tho best
,r um'tanees tho result only affords n negative
r. ot. Thus. when il IL stated that tho defect Ia
supp scd to exiat at about 800 miles from tho Irish
cuast. it means nothing moro than that the dam
ago docs not extend beyond that distance, though
it by no means proves that the injury may not 10
within half tho lcngh We have stated or even 81
near ~ 20 or 80 miles from shnro The test, In
i,ct means that after eacapng the iniurel portion
of tho cable only sufficient electricity Is left pass
along the conductor for ulnut ihr,e hundred miles
aud that ut that distance the ,csistnnce ,f tho
curront is equal to n to,nl rupture ofthe we, or
dead eauh.' Mit is trchairnlly called All
practical electricians, however, namit thni the IN.
Ijurics may and vcrv likely do exist within dis
tuncc of lfty mles from land. and that these con-
sst not of one but many slight oases If insu aion
with very likely partial separation Of the conduo-
tor ut parts whore tho two-mile length were origi
nnlly joined. That tho damage cannot exist M
fur ont az three hundred miles is almost cvidcnc-
cd by tho fnct Of the receipt Of the American
sngo- long after mono could DO sent from this side
of the Atlantic. II may appear strange to some
&c our readers that tho wire which conveys the
signnls To this country is not sufficiently intact to
allow Of the transmission of answers through tho
snms medium. A moncnt's reflection. however,
will show That the injuries to tho cable, being
the lund, allow much of tho electric cur
rcnt to escape that what remains s not sufficient
to overcome the resistance OF tho wire for moro
than short portion Of its entire length. With
currents from the New World. on tho contrary.
the electric wave, it is called, Of signal comes
nlong the wire intact till near our shores. Here,
though much of it escapes sufficient is left. never
'uficTN W ihhTA eotHc ~
ly and varably, it il true, but still occasionally
enough to form lettcrs, though, from causes
which we shall presently endeavor TO show. it 10
impossible now to render them into Ineligible
words.
Up to- within the last few dnys tho shore end at
Nalentin has been the ordinary deep sea portion
Of the cable, made, readers are aware, Of
the very lghest form consistent with tho strength
necessary for it's being safely submerged, That
such wire within the wash ofthe Atlantic waves
and living in some parts over worry rocky bottom
must have sustained injury seems ut first sight
inevitable This portion ia now being replaced
by tho proper shorc-ends, which are of strength
and thickness sufficient to withstand any tide.--
Up to the preseut the length which has been un-
derrun, in order to substitute the sh0re-end has
strange to say been found uninjureI, though it is
nrt expected that this will prove the case when
the whle IL miles shall have been recovered and
replaced with the stout cable. 1t Is, of course,
lookcI upon ~ certain that laying down the shore
ends must improve the condition Of tho whole ca
bic else OF course, the expense and labor OF sub
merging it would never be attempted. Even in
its present stnc the signals received Mt Valentia
are occasionally distinct as those Of some over
land wires, aud should any improvement take
, lace whom tho shore end il added on, there are
many who profess themselves confident OF work
in through tho whole wire for some timo to come
at least.
Foremost among those who express this opinion
is Professor Hughes, whose printing telegraph is
extensively used in the United States, and which
will also, in the course of n few weeks more, be
introduced into Australia 10 work through the first
submarine telegraph of that colony between Tas-
mana and Melbourne. Mr. Hughes states him
! self confident Of being nble even to signal
through the Atlantic cable, and is anxious to CON-
duet nl his experiments upon the wire at his own
EXPENSE. The Atlantic Telegraph Company, on
the other hani say they have no Discrimination to
,ho. &,,t .uti yots IN
say. though both parties are willing nothing 10
done nevertheless. Now. however, that the mat
ter il made public. Mr. Hughes may feel bound TO
press his offer and the Atlantic Company, in fair
messy and in duty to its shareholders. will perhaps
see The necessity Of At one" accepting liberal
proposal which, whichever way i results can Do
them or their cable no manner OF injury, hut, on
the other hand. may possibly be Of immense bene-
fit,
1t will very likely be interesting to many Of our
readers. if We explain at once TN what grounds
Mr.. Hughes rests his hope Of making the deuncl
wire speak aga'n-especinlly as, by no doug, we
NAV be able to point out the general na'ure Of the
difficulties which have gradually made the signal.
from tho other side of the Atlantic unintelli
pble. When the first unsuccessful attempt was
made to lay the wire it will be recoected thnt il
parted from under the Niagara's stern, at some
$50 miles distance from the Irish coast. The piece
thus submerged. remained Of course. attached to
the shore end for considerable period, and then
for the first time, tho phenomenon of magnetic
storms. or--as they are now called-"earth cur
rents" was observed. OF the causes ofthese earth
currents, or the laws by which they are governed
nothing is yet known. They may be briefly de-
scribed as irregular currents of electricity
passing through the outer wire covering of the
cable. and which, according to the laws ofinduced
currents, create another current in the conductor
of the cable ITSELF running in contrary direction
to that in which the earth current travels along
| the outside The effect of these on the conductor
was, of COURSE to defect rapidly the needle Of the
rol va noueter tn which IL Was attached precisely