The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-08-17
The Accident to the Cable.

(From the London Times, Augusta
The announcement of accident to the cable which
was telcgaphed from vaentia at midday on Wcdncs
day coupled with the long silence since then and other
cOilatora circumstances, II possible still more grave all
justify the fears which entertained as TO the
present success of this great undertaking
THE GREAT EAsTERNs POSITION WHEN INsuLA-
A. TON CEASED.
Up 10 mid day on Wednesday the signals received
were sinsulary distinct, and the insulation nearly
perfect electrical insulation over can be- At that time
Tho Great Eastern in fftyon degrees north latitude
and THIRTY nne degrees west ongtude-a position which
reference to the map will show was very nearly two
the deepest water Of tho whole ronsewo thousand four
hundred fsthonns little over two and half miles,
with . soft oosy bottom Of mud on which to lay the
rope ut this time the signals to Valenta became
uninte!iigble and gradually ceased, leaving commu
.nication between Ireland and the ship.
INDICATIONS AT vALENTIA.
Since that time signals have been sent out and
have been received home, hut in their stead the cable
has given warnings Of the most ominous kind-edher
S ss.ch an injured state al. the bottom of nc A,aic
b virtually destroyed for Geographic purposes unless it
hauled in again from its depth on board the
sreat Eastern the fault found, the piece cut out and
splice made How the accident has arisen, wht
m W. e,,d has been buoysd whether it has been broken,
/ and tho cable star arc trying IT,
know. All surnises on these points are matters OF vague
conjecture
REAsONABLE PR0BADILITIEs-BAp WEATHER OUT
OF THE QUESTION.
A. far o. reasonable probabilities lead TO the for
snstion of opinions IL is generally considered by eicc'ri
clans toeraby certain rst that the fault was not
caused by stress Of weather and secondly that 1t
red after the rope had left the ship Bad weather seems
out Of the question: for the reason that the
slack paid out has been 50 small and so uniform through
out the whole voyage II Is true that during tho last
hundred miles run u seems to have slightly Increased
increasing depth of water Tho instruments used al the
Nsentia end Of euch exquisite dcicacy, also, that
they even show by detection Of the needle when the
Great Eastern rolls and this distinctly that special
alterations had to be made 10 the code Of signals TO ova'e
This possible Of confusion. Yet up to the cesa
lion of signals, the needles always ndicat that the
great ship had been very steady indeed That the dis
from the fac, that IL was unknown to those on board
who sending their messages as usual when Their
signals became uninellgblc at vaientis and al last
ceased entirely
L THE CABLE CERTAINLY SEVERED.
Ysstedaya stated that ts tests applied 70 The In
fun vaeao gave .dfad earth, or in other oo'ds %,
kOU of continuity and insulJiioro eevcred ccbe fact
We give this statement however merely as rurnor
though fear II must be regarded as having grea'
robortcd the very best authority, by the announce
mont that during part OF Yesterday 'earth currcnts
were through the cable to the instruments o. "a
Iontia Tho presence Of these earth currents in the wire
either that the cable has parted or that there Is
considerac piece Of Us coppe conductor expossd an.
OF course, this IL a fatal fault
CHANCES OF RECOVERY.
With REGARD TO the chances of recovering the injured
part and repairing It, IL ~ almost impossible u speculate
Az the depth Of In which the Great Eastern now is
hauling up hroe miles Of rope would under the mos
undertaking. Carried on with all the which such
operation would require, could hardly be recovered
inc h ~ ,rd "a % o ,vond A. once mt an en-
a. n and A. ,ons ,nod 6ar a. b, b,1oy and c adriJ
20 cro;d ne oerfnfv Of ;fs brsekuo n continued fat
a. eat hin For ,ucb eveptuaitics the Great Easter
A. .yrnIv nrc,vidcd
''".'r'
SOME SCRAP OF CONSOLATION.
The Great Eastern eil TN about two Thousand ,hre
nundrec ana MY kno.s q caoc on ooau, 2, wien;
miles or about one. half had been laid II Is knowr
.o .o rvn i"sn ., Ian, ,,so hnndred and M,
miles stiIl in the forward tank when the fault
The break was evidently therefore, not caused by pa
ing me onlns esb h"ndyod and SEVENTY mss Of Wiz
supposng then that the worst has happened, and u
cable T. broken, at least four hundred y not ne hr
c,c1 ME- ny a. ss.s ..J ~ ynysr,;. Ths ysc"
leave q deficit Of hundred or eight hundred mill
NECESSARY to be supplied before again ng u
work-not a very great amount certainly, consIderir
what IL at stake but quite enough TO put end to