Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1858-08-20

was another most mPorta Mt subject of in
Festigation and experiment. No less thar
sixty-two different kinds of ropes were test
ed before the cable was finally adopted.
The conducting wire is strand made up q
seven wires of the purest copper, of the
gauge known 20 the trade as NJ. g. The
strand itself is about the sixteenth, OF an
inch in diameter, and is formed of one straic h,-
ly drawn wire, with six others twisted round
it. The strand when subjected TO strain
will stretch twenty per cent. OF lis length
without giving away. and is coated with
gutta percha and tarred 70 preserve il.
j The frst attempt - lay the Oeean Cable
was made n August, 1857 Twelve hun
dred and fifty miles were coiled IN the Aga
| meInnon, and the other halt in the Niaeara.
the weight being about twelve hundred tons
| TO each vessel. August 5fh the end Of the
cable was Landed at Valencia, aud made fast
with pomp and ceremony. The telegraph.
| feet bore away for the Western World, but
on the llih after the Niagara had successful.
~ Paid out 335 nautieiai miles, the cable
broker. 1t gave way under the pressure ap-
piled. some distance from the ships stern,
and sunk TO the bottom Ut q depth ei 2,oeO
fathons. The disappointment was universal
but faith in inal success was not much sha
ken.
The bIreGsors of the Atlantic Telegraph,
Company at once commenced operations tor
a Se,:oad Expedition. Plans were discussed
and it eaas decided 70 splice the eatie IN mid
ocean, to provide geater length, Improve
the paying out machinery, and t. eoiiinsefce
laying ii earlier in the season.. Seven hun.
dred miles of new cable were provided, aIid
on the lsih of May, 1858. tbs length OF the
cable en- the Agamemnoh was !, ,494 miles,
and on the Niagara l,5IO-niaking a total
of 3.oe4 miles. The 10th oil JrEs ri;s
schadron sailed from Plymouth for the renaez-
yous in lnid-ocean. Storms and bad Wealth
er delayed operations SO much that the first
splice was not made until the 25th OF June
Only two rsiiies and ferty fatholns had been
run out, when the cable was thrown off the
wheel ia the attempt 10 shit the Niagara's
portion from one groove to another, ,sand CON-
ng IN contact with the sar scraper il was
severed. The saane day a new splice was
made. When forty-two miles and three
hundred fatiioms had been paid oui from the
Niagafa. and about the same from the Aga
memnon. the electricians reported that the
conlisdity bad; ceased. A third spi.ce was /
uiade tie evening of Jane 2sth. and at u
clock the night OF the 29it. communication
sgain ceased, and at II p. M. the Niagara
ceased paying out. The aggregate Of cable
lest in the expedition was about 300 mites.
Both ships returned to Queenstown nj the Nj
agara arriving July 9Th, the Aga melpnoa
week later. e
The Directors Of the Company in England
held aspecial meesing and resolved se4tnake
another attempt The expedition again sail
ed from QueeHstoan1 July 18th, and AZ loon,
August 5sh; the country was startled with.
the unexpected Intelligence that the Sub
marine Cable had been successfully laid. -
Such IS a suceinct history of the Land and
Atlantic Peiegraphs condensed from long
and inmate account in the New York TIMES
of Saturday. Fhe despatch at the head of
this article shows that the Old and New
Worlds are now within the reach of instant
communication, add we append from the
Times an interesting and itistruictiye state
ment Of how the Ocean Telegraph will be
worked:
THE BAT Terry TO B1 USED IN TELEGRAPHrNa. 4
The primary source OF the influence which |
viii be charged with The service OF Atlantic
Telegraphing; will be great voltanic bat |
terry, o. ten capacions cells, which may be
appropriately termed, the tsWhitehouse La
minated or Perpetual Maintenance Battery"
on account Of the one marked pse1iiarily |
which especially fits it for the employment |
it il, designed for. This batttery is made up
on the SiEee principle, so far as the adoption
of plaeirsized silver and zinc Ter lis plates, is |
concerned, but IT differs from every form of
combination that has hitherto been iii uae,
ih having The plates of essh cell SO sr5d9td: (
ed tito sa6bsdi.sate peftsSSins, that any one oil
these may be taken away from the rest for |
the purpose of renewal or repair, without the |
ACTION of the resi- OF The excited suffice Of
tie cell being suspended iof a singlt molient /
The battery, in fact. may be entirely re-
Eewed hundred times without it's cseralioii'
having been troubled with even passinsss in.
tersnissiun. So long al fair amount of at
tention Is given TO the renewal OF its zinc
element, piecemeal, it is indeed literally ex.
haustless and permanent. This very dessra-
BILE quantity is secured by a singularly sim
pie contriyance. The cell itself is formed |
of quadrangular trough Of gutta percha.
wood-strengthenei outside, in which dilute
acid is contained, the proportion OF acid TO
water being one part in Is or 10. There
are grooves in the gutta percha into which
several metal plates slide in a vertical posi-.
ton. These plates are silver and ziuc alter.
na,ely. but they are not pairs of plates in
an electric sense. Each zinc plate rests
firmly at the bottom Of long bar OF zinc, |
which runs from end to end OF the trough. |
aad thus virtually uuites the whole in one |
continuous extent of zinc, presenting not
less than 1000 sqnare inches of exctable |
surface to the exciting liquid. Each silver
plate hangs in similar way from metallic
bar which runs from end to end OF the trough I
above, aud she whole Of the SILVER being thus
virtually united into one continuous surface
Of equal extent to- the. face of the zinc
The zinc does notreach so high as The upper
Longitudinal bar, and the silver does not hang I
so low as the inferior longtudiHal bar. Fne
battery 10 thus composed ot a single psir Of
ialninateG plates, although to the eye il seet,s
10 be made up Of several pairs OF yaares.-
Nature has set the example of arranging ex.
tended surface tnfore@splicasiug folds, whew
il Is required ttat such surface shall be pack
ed away in q narrow sparse as she same time
that a large acting area 10 prcssrye5s Ia the
Illuminated antenna Ut the cocisclrafers Fne
anteHuD, indeed, are the types " the w hite. |
house battery. Il any one ot THESE sedapis
eating segmen,s Of eNher kind OF metal is |
renossJ, the remaining portion contlHuss it's
aetis.t, steadily, the effect merely being the
same that would be produced ii q tFaEsn~ns
of an ordinary pair Of plates we're tempors-
rily cut away. The silver laminu are Of ecs-