American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-08-23
The Atlantic Gable.

1tnleS alehta Correspondents bPes INC
following in reference to the accident to
the cable the 29th inst, 1t was. not
defective Insulation which was then dis
covered at Va!entia, but total loss of
Insulation. In other words, either the
copper conductor was stripped of all its
outside protection, and was communiea-
ting with the water, or the cable had
been cut or completely broken. The Ad-
mrality charts of the bottom of the At
lantic, charts constructed from soundings,
especially made to forward the great IN
dertaking, show by the distance FROM land
that the Great Eastern was then in one
thousand eight hundred fathenis water,
that is allowing for slack. A little more
than two miles of rope was stretching
from her stern to the bottom of the ocean.
The enormous pressure and friction of
the water ON the saturated outer hemp
covering of the line at this depth, would
render it difficult matter to wiad in this
two mile length, if it could be done at all,
in less than twelve hours. Ii is almost
certain that it could not be done at all.
Had the cable been 80 injured as to leave
its conductor bare, that injury would at
least take off wo-thirds of the ropes
strength. That such fault could not
have occurred is generally considered
sufficiently evidenced by the fact that the
fault, whatever it was, was repaired in
little more than one half the time it
would have taken to haul back the cable
supposing the accident to have occurred
to the portion submerged and even close
at hand. 1t is therefore conjectured,
with the utmost appearance OF proof,
that the fault was caused by kink,
which, having been seen to pass in pay
ing out the machine, and the vessel i'm
mediately stopped, the kink extricated, a
piece cut out and new splice made. This
theory is borne out by the fact that the
time consumed in repairing the accident
which is known by the cessation OF
the signal, is almost too minute for the
for the time that would be required to
make and test such splice on board the
Great Eastern. Those in charge there,
knowing that all was right behind them,
and that time was of vital Importance,
would not be likely to waste it by putting
the severed end of the wire in communi-
cation with the instrument at Naentia,
while the electricians at the latter station
could send no response through the cut
cable, but on the contrary, there was a
total loss of Insulation. The intelligence
that we publish from tie Great Eastern
to-day is more hopeful for the success of
the undertaking that appears on the
face of it. Nine hundred miles have
been paid out, which means not only that
after the tank, which kept her so heavily
down by the stern, and SC greatly impc-
ded Der speed, is empty but that the pas
sage of the cable from from the stern
tank to the forward, has been successfully
accomplished, and even is fact, light
ening also the aftermost tank, which, held
800 miles Of cable and 400 tons of water.
BY this time, therefore, it is vacant, and
good length will have been taken out
of forward tank, which only contain
ed 700 miles in round numbers. The
vessel has now expended nearly three
thousand tons of cable and water, and
1000 tons of coal. i9f F
The Heralds special from Hearts
Content, of the oath, says: The captain
of the Terrible informed the captain OF
the FIRST Fruit that the cable parted on
the I'd, and that buoy was the mark
when last seen. The captain of the
schooner is not certain of the location of
the buoy, having had no observation for
| several days. We don't give up the ex-
pedition as failure, as when last seen she
was endeavoring to discover the location
of the buoy, showing they had not aban-
doned all hope of eventually laying the
cable. Mr.. Mackey, superintendent of
the New Foundland line, is yet hopeful
that the Great Easten will arrive in a
few days with the cable all right.
i cannot describe the deep feeling Of
disappointment which prevails among
the people in general. The general feel
ing is that the Atlantic cable is thing
never to be successfully accomplished.
At the time of the cable breaking, it was
about six hundred miles distant from the
coast of New Foundland. Another yes.
sci, which arrived at Harbor Grace last
Friday, reported they saw, four days pre-
vious, large buoy, two miles distant
from the vessel. The captain of the
First Fruit reports that he asked the Ter
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