The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-08-09
SUBMARINE CABLES.

Who Suggested Them, and where they
Were First Used-The Gutta Rercha
Covering, and Who Invented It--An.
other Instance Of American Invcnfive
Genfus-Account or Gutta Percha Cow
cred Tclegrnphic Wire I'm Use In
America as Early 1SAs. N. eGs
In crossing the naviga5le streams by air telegraph
lines the greatest difficulty which presented itself TO
tccgaphcrs has resulted from slee tha accumu-
atons OF each often be- ming great TO break dow
The wires In placing the beneath the til
difficulty has resulted from the impossiby Of obtin1
a peri ct insulation. 10 find substitute which woul
remedy these defects remove these difficulties vast
study FOR years with tecgrphcrs and the discovery ai
application Of protective covering for submerged tee-
graphic cables has enriched thousands. almost every
body who engaged in its manufacture save and
except the discoverer inventor, Dr. j. j. Craven, AZ
thi time Of great submerged cables brief Of
the FIRST attempt TO lay guta pcrcha covered telegraph
wire will be found Of interest sLa
A.coATGNe OF LEAD. GLASS AND AsPmALTuM.
Among thr jirst coverings ever used made Of
glass beads snng copper wire and then enciocedn
lcadeu pipe The glass being conducting preventsd
metallic connection between the conducto and the
tabng The pipe then coilcd In a warm bath. the
ends elevated and the entire coil flied with HIT aspba
tum. II was expected that this would M al, the
interstces and prevent only the metallic connections
between the conductor aud the tubing but tho Of
the wire with the water. Another method Of pr pairing
submarine wire by coating of ssphatum and
hemp These, however, failed. I
h FIRST USE or GUTTA PERcHA.
Late in is37 gutta pc,cha was introduced into ths
country, and j. j. Craven who then engaged In tho
superintendcnce of .ceraphs throughout the COUNTRY
obtained sampe OF the first invoice America
Among properties he imagined, and subsequently,
satisfied himself, that Of conducticity OF
Ha fnuu hy tllafi in
way well adapted for the covering OF the Telegraph
wires Al that period he made the following expert
ment:--
| He covered rudely piece OF wire of about nifty
feet In engtl which hc carried Bonds creek small
stream between Newark n J., aud Elizabeth, n. j., and
there, cutting of the two wires which connected
Washington, d. C., with New York placed h,s hastily
prepared cable IN the circuit and plunged into the
Of the creek. BY the aid OF relay magnet he
enabled the communication between the
two cities uninterrupted After leaving II down for
two hours, and testing the perfection OF the insulation
TO his satisfaction, he reported immediately the Pre-
sdent of the telegraph company that he prepared
wire that would work unnterruptedly aross the
Hudson river
Al that time the wires the crossing OF the Passac
connected at the draw by thumb screws and
during the passage Of vessels the business Of Inc
interrupted. Communication had been held pre-
viousy by means OF ono OF the before meniiopod
methods-that OF the covering of asllatum and lead
pipe. Craven obtained the OF the company
place beneath the draw piece OF wire that be had
c,yercd experiment. This done and the line
worked successfully for time. This the nrst
cable put In practical
cRAvEsis FIgsT CABLE ACROSS THE BuDs0S RIVER.
A gentleman named Reynolds OF the nrn OF Reynolds
Company, Of Duane street In this city, had put Up
expensive machine for the purpose Of covering wires
and the effects Of atmospheric electricity, which, in tho
early history OF teiegraphing. subject Of great
poysnce. II was found that this machinery wSs Gle
gantly adapted tor covering with the sovy dis.
| covered material and the New York aud Washington
Tel graph Company directed Reynolds TO prepare tbsm
under the supervision Of Craven cable or sufficient
length 10 cross the Hudson river The cabe Was pre-
pared with two distinct coaiings OF gnt,a persha and
Craven with his huge coil placed upon the deck Of Tho
little sesmer Gpsy, landing his shore end the Cunard
dock jersey City distributed his 10 the bottom or
The Hld-on landing the other end Albany dock,
of Cortandt street The operators the ONCE Han
street watched apxousy when the connection
should be made and had the satisfaction testing
Craven. cable and fading Washington and New York
"oR"
This cable however was used but few days ABre-
men bark dropped her anchor the cable, and get
ting under way, produced etat terrible solution OF con-
tnuiiyN A. Craven found that his experiments
at the creek were successful he prepared short
piece Of substantial cable and together with spechca-
ton and application for patent forwarded to the
Commissioner Of Patents at Washington, d. c., repre-
spnting IN application that the insulation was com
plee aud pcr.c claiming himself the dscoverer OF ths
application OF glia pcrcha Insulation Tor supna
rine ,cegraphc purposes and declaring That he was
then working successfully a piece OF similarly
prcpared wire beneath The bed OF schooner.
! NJ. furthermorc declared Il 10 be- his opinion that
hay. sea. and oceans would yet be crossed by
the telegra,b and hat Tho continents would he ioued
Hsappl,caion Tor patent refused, on the ground
Tint a ba1 been stated Ia Of the English journals in
givns dcs,ription or this found material thai u
WAS NO., conducting material This all true, but
no ON had ever yc thoeght Of using for tlsgmpbic
! y rJoses
Mr. craven however, lost hls patent, and shared the
! f,te co,nmoo Of inventive genius lie labo'ed
ON while other adapting his invention grew mrro
,ch by 10 practical application Nations were ornchl'd
by his discovery, while he raned neither wee''h no'
fame II was by American hands thai tho hrsi 'e'e-
arnrhlc win. wa covered and the nst submarine cable
was laid Some mc after his failure to obtain h's p"'s"
Nj Craven bcgan the study and prsc'i"e of naa'rnc
and on the breaking out OF the was appointed sur.
econ in The yirS Now lork Volunteers While In tho
service he held al the different grades oi his rrofes-
sion I'M 10 the areslorsl,p of an sriny and when
sc,,v, scr,icc IN the sa ed be was appointed hed
49,, u.u.., q, disiy,ct and stationed Fortress Manroc