Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1865-07-27
What the Gable is made Of, and How and
When it Will be Laid;
From the London Times.

he present AtlautiC caUIc 10 JuSb
three hundred nautical miles. or in rough
numbers about twenty-six hundred miles long
The central conductor is composed of seven
fine copper wires. twisted into one comp lete
strand, which Is Insulated with Chattertori's
patent compound Outside this come four
distinct layers of gutta percha. each also insu-
lated with the same material that encloses the
conductor. Outside tie gutta percha again
are wound eleven stout iron wires, each OF
which before being twisted on, is itself care
fully wound round with strands of hemp soaked
with tar Thus, then, there are no less than
twenty-five thousand miles of copper wire in
tho conductor, about thirty-fve thousand miles
of iron wire in the outside covering, and up
wards of four hundred thousand miles of
strands of hemp-more than enough In all to
Cd twetty-fvur tfbes round the world. The
cable has been made on an average at the rate
II seventy miles per day complete. and in some
days it's outside covering of hemp and iron has
been overlaid at the rate of one hundred aud
seventy-tkree miles n day. though not faith
ON or foot has been manufactured without
every part being kept under constant test for
" conductivity" and insulation, and to this
hour it is as regularly tested rs it was d year
ago when the first mile was twisted. In
strength the cable is equal to bearing strain
of seven and three quarter tons. while its
specified gravity is so low that it can with
safety be depended on to support eleven miles
of its length in water. 1t has been made mile
by mile. Joined up in long lengths of seven
and eight hundred miles, and shipped on board
the Great Eastern into three enormous tanks.
The first will bold a coil ofsix hundred and
I'll; IF n, bla tho sacOy Il nun IF auht
hundred ard forty, and the third one of eight
hundred and thirty Five hundred miles have
still to be slowed away on board, and it will
take fortnight to complete this work though
the last mile of tile Gull will colhe through the
machines of The telegraph works, Mt three
o clock on Moadiy next. All three tanks are
kept filled with water. and when etct Is stor-
ed with cable as we'll. the ends Of the wire
will be joined up. and constant system OF
signals kept through every part FROM the mo-
pcnt the expedition starts till the cable is laid.
The mere cable however is tut an item IN the
mass Of heavy weights the Great Eastern Will
have to carry on thls occasion. Her draught
of watel will be rather over than under thirty
feet, and all told, her weights, when starting
from Valenta, will come near the strtendous
mass of eighteen thousand tons. They are
all, however. slowed high and so according to
present arran genients it is believed that the
Great Eastern will start in the very early part
of July and certainly, if possible, not later
than the 10th.
With her will also sill her Majesty's lstip
Terrible, aud another paddle wheel steam
frigate cf great power not yet chosen, but
Which, like the Terrible, will give towing aid
to the Great Eastern in case of mishaps to
Ii # machinery. either screw or paddle. Every
care has been taken to get these @hglTes lpto
the highes. state Of good working order but
it cannot he denied that the very possibility of
their breaking down is looked upon with
something like anxiety. They will certainly
not be overtasked, as it is intended, if posi-
bic not to lie. the vessel go beyond speed of
six knots, a minimum Of velocity which it will
be difficult to keep to if steerSge way is wanted
quickly, and which will, We think, be abso-
litely impossible to retain in a scaway. On
this occasion, however, the middle of July is
chosen as being thought even more favorable
in point of weather than the middle of June,
when the last Agamemnon cruise was COM
mcnced. Captain Anderson, we believe, Is
in favor Of starting towards the early part OF
July. and his long experience in command OF
the China, has very properly Induced the d'-
rectcrs to give every weight to his opinion -
In addition to Captain Anderson. all the OIL
GER. connected with the ship, with the escep-
ton of chief engineer, haye been chosen from
tic Cunard service. With ordinarily fair
weather. and steaming at the rate Of six knots
it is exr ected that the voyage from Fnicntla
to the Bag of Hearts Contert in Newtpund-
land will occupy from twelve to fourteen days
during every hour Of which regular ccommu-
nication will be kept up with England.