The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-08-10


of the three tanks, which have hitherto
been only temporarily joined, carefully
spliced together as they are to rest at the
bottom of the Atlantic. AS the cable Is
E to be paid out first from the after tank,
and next from the forward, the end OF
that in the tank astern has to be joined
with the first part of that ahead. For this
purpose it has to be taken along the
whole length of the Great Eastern's
deck under a wooden case, when Is
firmly screwed down, to protect IL aliKe
from accidental or malicious injury, tne
latter, strange to say, being, generaiIy
considered the most formidable OF the
two risks. When the cable is paid out
from the aftermost tank, the long
"lead,u as it is termed, to the forward
coil will make this part of the trans
mission comparatively easy and safe, but
passing from the forward to the mid
Ship section is only short distance, and
this will be the greatest danger of the
undertaking. With a stiff wire rope
passing out at six knots, or nearly seven
miles an hour, its liability to kink in
running from one coil to another is some
thing unpleasantly easy, while stopping
the speed of the vessel IL almost even
more dangerous, as it suddenly checks
some four or five miles of heavy iron
rope in its downward course to the bot
tom. Almost every accident that has
occurred in laying cables has arisen
either from passing from coil to coil at
speed, or slowing the vessel too much to
reduce this danger. The composite Or
der of the machinery of the Great Eas-
tern, which enables her with her pad
dle-wheel engines to turn at once astern,
reduces this danger, however, to as low
a risk as possible. During all the time
that the vessel has been at Beerhaven
the cable has been regularly tested
through at least twice day. and in eve-
ny instance the signals have beens sin
gularly clear and perfect. Beyond all
question the condition of the wire is GER
tain to improve, If successfully laid, I'M
der the great compression and uniform
temperature which the depths of the
Atlantic will afford it.
Thus, for instance, with the shore end,
which was laid on Saturday, the testing
on board the Caroline gave only 1000, 900
units, yet yesterday, when it had scarce
ly been down some thirty hours, this
rate had risen from 1000, 900 to Is, ZOO, 900
units. The average rate of perfection of
the Atlantic cable for the deep sea por-
ton has been II 900 900 units, so that on
being submerged IL, 0O0, 900 units may be
safely looked for, an Improvement which
ought to make a difference of at least
one and half words minute in the
rate of telegraphing, or, in other words,
a gain of ESQ, 900 year in the receipts
Of the company. The Great Eastern was
warned on Saturday to keep herself in
readiness for an early start at daybreak
yesterday to join the Caroline, which |
had the end of the shore line on board.
1t may be mentioned that the shore end
of the cable, though commenced under
the cliffs with what seems a ponderous
bar of iron, gradually tapers into small
er and lighter rope as the depth of water
and distance from the shore increases.
Under the rocks it is for five miles out
~ inches in diameter at ten miles
distance only two inches; at Is miles
1t is reduced to II inches, at 20 miles to |
about one inch, and at 25 miles of its |
extreme length it merges into the ordi- |
nary size of the deep sea wire, with /,
which it has to be Joined. The Caroline
laid this end, as we have already des-
cribed, on Saturday, carefully buoying
the last portions of it, leaving some half
mile or so on board of her decks to form
the splice. This operation was compile
ted yesterday. The Great Eastern was
off Bray Head at 8 A. NJ, but at such
distance from the dangerous shore that
only those provided with good glasses
could make out from the land where the
huge vessel lay, under the cloud of
smoke which she poured forth, and
which reached like fog bank across the
ocean. The party who started to witness
the making of the splice, and the final
starting, left Valentia in the Hawk, the
Great Eastern's rapid tender, soon after |
9 in the morning. Among those on
board, were Lord John Hay, Sir Robert |
Peel, M. p, the Knight of Kerry, with
his daughters, the Misses Fitzgerald,
Captain White, r. N, Captain Hamil-
ton, Mr.. w. H. Russell, Mr.. Edwards,
of Irelandwas reached in about an hour
and soon afterward the magnificent rock
that carries the Skelig light, wild stu
pendous mass of cliff which, amid deep
water, rises from the ocean to height of
eight hundred feet, and which the inces-
SAINT beat of the Atlantic seems to have
worn into seams and angry gaps that al
most undermine its base. About fifteen
miles beyond these rocks the Great
Eastern was at rest, not moving to the
dull easy swell, though her two
guards of honor, the Terrible and |
Sphinx, were rolling slightly while the |
Caroline, with the end of the shore-cable |
on board, and looking uglier than ever
now that she was light and out of water,
was especially lively. 1t is difficult to |
describe in any but the most matter-of-
fact terms the routine process which
markedthe commencemento of this enter
prise. 1t had already begun when the
Hawk arrived, and the paddle-box boats
of the men-of-war and the cutters of the
Great Eastern were filled with cable,
which, passing through the paving-out
machine astern, was being slowly lowed
from the great ship to the Caroline.
The operation of splicing was one of
time and difficulty, for smooth as the sea
had seemed from land, the regular heave
of the Atlantic was deep enough Sir
Robert Peel, Lord John Hay, and Mr.
Russell managed to get on board the
Great Eastern but with such difficultv
that few Others were induced to venture
on the risk of the undertaking, and still
fewer to accomplish it. Soon after / |
O'Clock the coils of the deep sea cable |
were safely wound on board the Caro-
line, and the work of splicing them at
once commenced. This was done by
stripping both ends of hemp, outside
wires and gutta percha for short dis
lance till the copper conductor of the
line was laid bare, and pared down
to fine wedge shaped point at either
onv, dr,o fnro M