Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-07-22
PUBLISHED DAILY AND TRI-wEgELY BIZ
EDGAR SNOWDEN.
ALEXANDRIA,:
THURSDAY MORNING, JULY %, 1855.
The Atlantic Telegraph Experiment.

The Atlantic Telegraph Experiment.
The news which we published yesterday,
gave an account of the failure, for the pre-
sent, to "lay the Atlantic Telegraph Cable"
The details since received, merely reiterate
the statements already made.
This great enterprise was one which had
the best wishes, doubtless, Of the whole civil
z,d world, and the disappointment which
its failure must occasion, will be felt in both
hemispheres. Still there is no reason TO be-
lieve but that it will one day be an fat ac'
compli. 1t is settled that the electric current
can be sent--nay, has been sent-througt the
three thousand miles of wire on board the
squadron and though i. is an open ques
tiOn with some scientific men, whether the
current is transmissible from 30 great dis
lance as the bottom Of the ocean. it would be
to settle down in that conviction,
and abandon tho work, until fair expert
m snt has really been made. The real difh-
Guilty, thus far, has been d6ore Vaier, and not
under.
According to the N. York Post, Prof. Morse
has never expected that the expedition which
has just failed. would be successful, though
he is quite sanguine that cable can be laid
and worked between the tsrmini which the
Company has selected. lie docs not disguise
his conviction that the cable on board the
Company's steamers is much too heavy, and
that one of half it's weight, or less, might be
laid, and worked efectuslly. .'' -r
The Philadelphia Ledger argues that the
present failure to lay the cable must not be
considered an entire abandonment of the
effort to unite America with Europe by means
OF the telegraph. The Ledger proposes other
modes of "girdling the world" with the tele-
graphic wire. 1t says:
"At a recent meeting Of stockholders of
various Telegraphio Companies, including
the Magnetic Telegraph Company, extending
from New York to Washington; the Union
Companies of Boston, and eastward; and the
Great Southern Seaboard Line from Wash
ington to New Orleans, resolution was adop-
ted to ASSET in the project of uniting the
United States and Europe by o telegraph
line, via Greenland, Iceland, and the Farce
Islands, the required grant having been
made to T. p. Shaffner, of Kentucky, for
landing the cable, and its necessary connec-
ton over the Territories Of Denmark. Nor
way, Sweden, aDd Russia, with promise Of
all the materials and necessary aid for the
sure and certain communication to and from
all nations. The route by land presents, it
is said, no greater difficulties than the pre-
sent Newfoundland route, and the greatest
81 nt
exceed six hundred miles. which is as long
as any experiment has yet proved that cir
cult Of electricity can be transmitted through
q conducting wire with Intensity sufficient
for practical telegraphic purposes. A line
like this would have the advantage, that 1t
any single section should fail, it would not
destroy the remainder of the line.
Another route is across our own Territories
to the Pacific, thence through the Eoghsh
and Russian possessions to Behring's Straits,
and across to Asstio Russia. As extended
as this route may appear, events are now IN
progress which would seem to make 1t the
most feasible and surest OF fist accomplish
ment. Telegraphic lines have already been
extended along some of our possessions on
the Pacific coast. The new gold fields dis
covered all along the mountain ranges, ex-
tending through Washington and Oregon
Territories, the British possessions, and pre-
badly far up into Russian America, will turn
emigration and business into those regions,
and where these are once located, Geographic
communication With the rest OF the world
becomes an indispensable necessity to peo-
ple 80 eDterprising in character, and engaged
in the pursuit of the all attractive metal.
The Emperor Of Russia is extending tcie-
graphic communication to the eastern boun-
diaries of bis immense territories, and the
United States government will soon be re.
ouired to build the Continental Telegraph"
uniting the Atlantic and Pacific sections OF
our country"
In the mean time, intimations are given
out, that those engaged in the enterprise
which has just failed, are even yet not dis
posed to give up. A dispatch, dated Queens
town, July 5, says:
"The accident is plainly attributable to
bad weather, which prevailed about the tlmc
fixed for making the splice. Indeed, during
the latter part Of last week, the opinion was
yery geuerally expressed, that such result
might be anticipated. Though there has
been another failure, hopes are still nigh
that success must be ultimately obtained"
"There is at present, even with the large
loss, such q surplusage of cable as will war
rant the renewal of the expedition without
any further delay than that involved IN get
ting sufficient supply Of coal. Indeed it's
believed that false calculation made in res
pect to this supply at the beginning Is due
10 great measure to the return OF the M
agara and Gorgon, as the original arrange
ments were that even should break occur
when FIVE hundred miles were laid, the YES
eels should come together again for ne"
splice. The Niagara will start again az soon
as she has finished coaliog."
Mr.. Cyrus Field has requested the Direc
tors to meet him at Queenstown as early as
possible.
The London Times in the course OF an ar
ticls on the failure ssys:-
"Tbe cause of the failure thus far We can
no. even conjecture. The American ship
brings the news home, and il its people had
simply stated that the breakage was not on
their eide, and that all they knew about II
was the cessation Of the signals from the
Agamsmnon, we should naturally have COD
cluded that it was q, the latter ship. When,
however, they add to this, that the electri-
clans on board had experimental on the
broken cable, and had thereby arrived at the