New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-09-14
AN OCEAN TELEGRAPH SCHEME.

There is fair prospect that the honor of project
ing and carrying through successful scheme of tee.
graphic communication between Europe and America
will belong to Southerner, Col Tai. p Shafner, of
Louisville KY who far ia prosecuting the enter
prise on his own responsibility. He has chartered
vessel, the bark Wyman, which left Boston on the
2sth ultimo, to survey the route along which he pro-
poses to lay his CABLE his views to which certainly
assure possibility if not probability that be will be
successful. Col. Shafner has always believed it i'm
possible for the electric current to be made prac-
tically useful in sending messages through con.
tinuous circuit of so great length Of line as one
Thousand miles, in or out Of water, and SO had no
faith in the Field telegraph scheme from the first,
and of course, does not believe that any line by that
route will prove a success. Being convinced then,
that the aid Of intermediate batteries must be called
in in order to speed messages on their way, he has
cast about to pitch on route which will afford these
desirable way stations, and has naturally enough
decided upon that which he goes, in the good bark
Wyman to survey. This route is from continent to
continent via Greenland and the longest section Of
cable required is between Labrador and Greenland,
distance of not more than five hundred miles from
Greenland the cable will continue to Iceland three
hundred and sixty miles, from Iceland to the Farce
islands two hundred and seventy miles, and from the
Farce islands to Scotland two hundred miles, whence
line will be run to Norway four hundred miles.
As far back as 1854 according to an account which
we find in the Worcester (Mass) Spy, Col. Shatner
visited Denmark and obtained royal concession for
the exclusive rights of passage through Greenland,
Iceland and the Farce Islands, of telegraph to con-
meet Europe and America. In 1855 he obtained CO.
operative concessions from Norway and Sweden,
both of which Governments have constructed their
coast lines with view to connection with the ocean
cable. This is the outline Of the plan, and we hope
that COL Shaffner will return from his surveying ex.
pedtion, which we think he has undertaken rather
late in the season. with evidence of the practcabilty
of the plan and we'll established reasons for giving
assurance that difficulties which doubtless occur to
many though they have not as yet been discussed by
the press, may be obviated. These, need scarcely
say, arc those which may be dreaded as the con
sequence of the frigd climate of the high latudes
through which the line is projected; its continual
tion via Iceland will bring it to the verge OF the
Arctic circle if the cable could be secured against
the danger which would be incident from the brit
tleness caused by excessive cold, it would still
seem difficult to guard against the occurrence Of ac
cdent from the ice formations, while icebergs
sounding the sea and dragging its bottom with theil
submarine peaks, would also threaten destruction
But this latter difficulty would be one of minor I'M
mnence for the sea in those regions is of exceeding
depth and its shoaing to the coast abrupt, SO tina
the line might be deposited in such favorable loca
tons as to be little exposed to contact with the bot
toms of icebergs.
The whole line by this route would be but eightee
hundred miles long, and cannot but consider tha
it has stronger features to commend its feasibit
than that from Newfoundland to ireland, with il
unmanageable length of CABLE If any one Of th
comparatively short sections of the Arctic route gel
out of order, it be readily replaced, and at
one of the intermediate stations the messages will
forwarded with the fresh vigor of these auxiliary ba
teries. Col Shafner thinks that this CABLE contain
ing three lines Of communication, can be laid, vii
every appliance furnished for putting it in workin
order, for million and half of dollars But wher
will be found the hardy and phlegmatic DeSautys
dispatch to their Arctic stations amid eternal SHOWS
there to sit in solitude, looking forth on the COL
blue Northern Ocean from their eyries on the blea
!, hsadlands Of Greenland and Iceland! Never mine
money will produce electrical phenomena" VII
will be ready to consign themselves to weary impr
u onment in those boreal regions
| at,olo,,ct;nn stores are Dlaces where the buyer