The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-07-13
The Atlantic Telegraph.
From the London Times Hume gl

The Atlantic Telegraph.
From the London Times June o.
At length all the preparations con-
nected with the final departure of
this great telegraphic expedition are
completed. On Wednesday, the Ame'
tbyst left the telegraph works with
the last length of two hundred and
forty five miles OF cable on board, and, +,
on Saturday, the operation of coiling
this in was begun. This work will
probably last till tho 22d inst, when
the Great Eastern will have in her, as
nearly as possible, 1900 tuns Of cable,
or, including the iron tanks, which
contain it, and tho water in which it
is sunk, about 5000 tuns in all. In adj
dition to this, she has already 1000
tuns of coal on board and 1900 tuns
moro still to take in. This addition
al weight, however, will not be added,
till she leaves the Medway, which she
will do on the morning of the oath, for
the More, when the rest Of the coal and
special stores will be put aboard, and
these will bring her mean drapght
down to thirty.two and onc-half feet.
Her total weight, including engines,
will then be rather over 81 900 tuns, a
stupcndous mass for any ship to carry,
but well within the capacity of the
Great Eastern, of which the measure
ment tunuago is $4,000. Her way out
from the More will be by Bullock s
Channel, which the Admiralty are
having carefully buoycd, to avoid all
risks in these rather shallow waters.
Before the following spring tides set in,
about the 9th or 7th Of July, the Great
Eastern willstart for Valontia. There
she is expected to arrive abolt the 9th
or 10th, and thero she will be met by
two ships of war appointed to convoy
her-thc Terrible and tho Sphinx
Both these vessels are being fitted
with the best apparatus for deep-sea
soundings; with buoys and means for
buoying the end of the cable, if ever it
should become necessary; and with
Bollen's n;ght.light naval signals, with
which the Great Eastern is likewise to
besupplicd,
To avoid all chance Of accident, the
big ship will not approach the Irish
roast nearer than twenty or twenty
five miles, and her stay off Valentia
will be limited to the time occupied in
making a splice with the massive shore
end, which, for length Of twenty five
miles from the coast, will be laid pre-
vious to her arrival. This monstrous
shore end, which is the heaviest and
strongest piece of cable ever made, will
be dispatched in o few days, and be
laid from tho heai of y sheltered inlet
hear Cahircivcen out to the distance
we have stated, where tho end will be
buoyed and watched by the ships Of
war till the Great Eastern herself
comes up. Some idea ofthe strength &
solidity of this great end may be guess
ed by the fact that its weight per mile
is very little short Of half The weight
ofan ordinary railway metal. For the
shore ehd at Newfoundland, only three
miles are required, and this length
will be sent in the Great Eastern
When once tho splice is made from
the great table to the English shore
cnd-an operation which will consume
about five hours-tho work of laying
the cablo will Instantly commence
BY that time, every mile of tho cable
in the thrco tanks will have been
Joined lip, and at q stated hour, morn.
ing and evening, q series Of signals
will be sent through the cablc to the
land at Valehtia, and thence to Lon
don, giving tho latitude and longitude
of the great ship, tho state Of the
weather, and the number of fmiles paiC
out. Tho cable win first be taken ou
from the forward tank, tio&t from tha
amidships, and lastly from that astera
and if all goes well, the vessel should
arrive with FIVE hundred and sixty
miles of cable in her still hnussd, az
excess which is most wisely allowed
in case of accident. We way add tina
since the paying.ott apparatus ha
been in work, it's action has beer
fautless. Messrs. Canning, Clifforc
and Temple have absolute charge o
all the details connected with the sub
morgence. Mr. De Sauty is in chatg
of tho electrical condition Of the cabl
for the makers; Mr. Varley goes to re
present tho Atlantic Company, an
Professor Thompson as scientific advi
ser and referee These gentlemen
however, are only the chiefs of the va
. rious large departmental STATS whic
will be on board. s ..-
. With regard to the process Of lay
ing, it is hoped the Great Eastern ma
be kept throughout the whole voyag
at uniform speed Of six knots pc
hour, faster than which it would nc
Q DO safe, as O rule to run out the ca bl,
At less speed than this, however, th
!, big ship would fail Of steerage .way
T and with beam wind would certainl
I 60 toleeward without some counter