The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-03-02
The transatlantic TeIegraph-- Iceland
Route.

Shall we ever have Trans tlantic tele
graph The world, which was SO ready to
| answer this question in the affirma tive Il few
| years ago, seems doubtful, at this time, wha
| response to make. 1t has become discouraged
| by the failure of the direct route as well AS
| by the failure of the Red sea route 10 India.
1here seems TO be, however, CLEAN of hope
in the proposal of Col. SHAFFNgR to carry a
Geographic line by Iceland, Greenland. the
faroe Isles, &c, to which, after exertions
| that appear almost superhuman, he has sue
! ceeded in calling the attention of the British
| Danish, French, and Russian Governments
In the February number of Bldckpood, we
lind brief narrative of this mans struggles
to obtain attention to his peculiar views
They rival those of CoLUMBUs when he en-
deavored TO convince the world that there
was land beyond the Canary islands. Reason
he certainly has Oh his side but that take
to be rather against him. The whole civil
lied world will go crazy, at any time, over
humbug. But reasonable proposition has to
beg it's way from door to door, for half life
time, before 1t can be enter tanned. Tulips and
Morus Multicaulis have driven nations 10
frenzy before now. A simple proposition to
light city with gas has had to work its way
by the mere force of gravity for years.
1t is subject of congratulation that the
plan of Col SHArFSBR stands at least fair
chance of being tried. The causes of the fail
ure to lay telegraph which should act. in
one line, between this country and Europe,
begins TO be better understood The deep sea
soundings crea ted the impression that the
bed OF the ocean was almost level plain
Capt MArRr, we believe as well as other
men of science, entertained this opinion
That it is entirely erroneous, has since been
suspec ted, and we believe proved The bot
tom of the ocean is as irregular as the surface
OF the earth. Ii has its hills, it's mountains
its yalles, its gullies, its ravines and its inc
qualities of every description. The Atlantic
cable was laid on the theory that it WAS
dead level Being anything else, of course
the enterprise was bound to fail, from causes
entirely mechanical. Intervals between hills
and mountains were spanned over. instead of
being overcome by allowing the cable to lie ON
the ground, and follow the configura ton of
the earth under the water. This gave rise tn
great tension, which caused the India rubber
to give way, in small assures The current
of electricity escaping by these assures. not
only enlarged them, but left not enough be-
hind to answer the purpose of telegraphing
The writer Of the article in Blachtoo cd il.
luet rates the character of the Trans Atlantic
cable experiment somewhat as follows Sup
pose a set OF beings TO be living at the top of
that vast arial ocean which we call the at
mosphere. Suppose they have no more know
ledge OF the surface of the earth than we have
OF the bottom of the sea. Suppose they wish
to lay telegraph on the surface of the earth
from point above the city Of Richmond to a
point above the city of San Francisco. They
take the surface of the earth to be dead level
They know nothing of the Blue Ridge, Of the
Valley, of the Allegheny. of the Valley of the
Mississippi, of the prairies, Of the Rocky
Mountains They lay down the line as though
they were laying 1t on plank floor They
make no allowances for chasms, mountains,
hills, or vallies. They stretch their cable to
the greatest tension to bridge these over or
course the gutta percha and India rubber
must give way somewhere. This was pre-
eisely the way in which the Atlantic telegraph
was laid, and this was the cause Of its failure.
That was a great enterprise, and confers credit
ON all concerned in it. Never theless, it Is
proper to profit by its failure.
II is proposed to overcome these difficulties
by making the soundings at shorter intervals,
and by laying down lighter and longer cable
--ens Of sufficient length to embrace all the