, 1865-08-10

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Observation-Disclosures. rs rs 1lsoI cK
Total.................--.--... 's's5H'
There are also in the New World n'nety-
fous submarine cables Of various lsnsth., the
lorgest Of which Is from Fortress Monroe to
Cheuytt7ne, twenty-.h:ee miles, and III:
Others from few hundred feet to five miles
In length. But It will be seen BY the above
t:bie that but two Of the successful cables
already laid art On Eclle sufficient to con-
stitnte even approximate data for Judging Of
the feasibility Of the Atlantic cable. Oac Of
these, from Malta to Alexandra, In The
Mediterranean, Is 1 ,5S5 miles in length, ba.
the greatest depth Mt which 1t lies is only
| 420 feet. The o.hcr, between Fnnce
and Algicrs, is $50 miles in length
and descends to a depth Of 1855
feet The 60 form but very imper-
feet data for judging Of the success of cable
2,Goo miles in length, to be latd through The
| waters Of the Atlantic Ocean at depth
ranging from ]. 500 TO 400 fathoms. Ga the
other hand, to offset all these lesser EN-
cesees, there still remain the failures Of all
but these two Of the really great submarine
cables.
The line laid from Malta to Corfu in the
Medlterrnneau in 1857, at total cost Of
e1e5 O00, failed aGer paying ont 400 miles Of
cable similar to that used 70: the first At
lantlc experiment.
The submarine cable, laid by the Dutch In
1861, between Batavia and SIngspore, dis
tance Of GEO miles, failed after conveying
few messages. The fixture was atIlbuted 10
the cable being broken by anchors or coral
reefs, and the enterprise WAS abandoned. The
cablc laid by the English Government
through tha Red 6es, to connect the te1e-
graphs IN India with those Of the Medt.erra-:
conveying even single message throughout,
and the project was abandoned, although the
Govt11ment Ind given guaranty Of 419 per
cent on 81 0o0, 900 for half 4 century. 4 p:o-
ject to connect Falmouth, In ENGLAND, with
Gibraltar, WAS abandoned after the cable had
bfen made for this purpose, at q c,s: Of
N,Oo0..
In view Of these repeated failures In Other
fields - well as In thelr OWL, the persistence
with which its proieetors have pushed the
Atlantic cable forms the crowuing wonder Of
modern enterprise. The first attcmp:, it
will be remembered, was mace in 1857, by
the Niagara and Agamenuon, each convoTtd
By three steamers. The Niagara was detailed
to lay the half OF the cable from Ireland, snd
the Asamcmnon to lay the han on the Amer
| lean 6ils. The operation began on August
| 5th, By the landing Of the cable at VA1entiA.
| But On the 11:h ths cable on the Niagara
parted In two hundred fathons water. The
accident occurred IN consequence Of the
t,akee being put on during heavy swell,
! when the vessels stern Was down In the
trough Of the swell. The moment
| the b:akes were used the wheels
stopped. and when the stern ros!
| again they remained immovablc, 10 that, be-
| tween the strain brought upon the cable by
the vessel and that caused by the application
Of the brakes, It had TO bear mora than !:
WAS able to sustain. The Indication showed
a strain Of 1000 pounds, bnt the strain wat
probably far greater. Having paid ont 33l
miles OF cable, there remained but 80 miles
on board Of the Niagara, and ! 1.847 miles or
the Agamcmnon, or = surplus Of 1Rrely 901
over 1,G34 miles, the distance between the
terminl at New Foundland and ireland, and
this being insufficient, the attempt was for
the time abandoned.
Tie second series OF attempts was made In
1858; but this time the Niagara and Aga
memnoa met in mid ocean, designing there
to splice the cable and ssIl each way, Or
June o6, ntter paying out forty niles Of ca
bls, the line parted. The vessels again met,
and On June 2s again began paying out the
cable. After paying out q little over 1is
mics tho signals pass}ng between the twa
shipB ceased. The Singa1a came to 8 halt
but the Weight of the cable was too great fol
It's strength, and on Juuo % 1t again parted
As the vessels lad started with $40 mil e
OF cable on board, there Jet remained 2 Sc
miles, with which ,stter returning and coal.
ing Rt Queenstown, the vessels again re.
I paired TO their destination and renewed the
experiment. This time the effort WAS en-,
ti1ely successful to the extent OF laying and
landing the cable at both term.ni without
dlscopnectlop. On August s, ttium pbant
dispatch from Cyrus ". Field, announcing
ttat "the electric signals cent and received
through the whole cable are perfect" cleo
tYihed the whole country. The rejoiclngs
were only surpassed by tbose ttat1ately ac
compan3ed the sA1l Of Richmond aud the re-
That connection " y. 1.~-fAotly e.t.1lished
and that electric communication with Europs
through wire cable twosnIlea helew th,
surface, was demonstrated to be possible, i
beyord doubt From Aug. S to Sept. ], 12.
messages were sent from Valenua to New
fouualand, and Fl from Aug. 10 In the othc,
1 nfnw ~ fr1 %t,> Fxs