The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-07-19
Wedns sday Morning, July 10. 1865.
A sCEPTICAL VIEW OF THE ATTAIN
TITO CABLE ENTERPRIeE. f


THO CABLE ENTERPRISE. bfs
Mr.. T. P. Schahner, a weighty authority in
all matters connected with telegraphing, has
written letter to the Washington Chronicle,
for the purpose of putting on record his entire
want of confidence in the success Of the pres
ent Atlantic cable enterprise. He says :-gog
"The cable viii be over 1000 miles in length.
to be operated as one circuit. The company,
on raising its capital, asserted that it would
transmit intelligence at the rate of sixteen
words per minute. 1t is now stated that it
viii transmit, commercially, eight words pen
minute. Such is the proposition which the
company propose to demonstrate in few
days. Iowhat extent the cable will operate
is problem, and the solution will be of great
er interest X 81 i0aa5s7lI sfaas '1as8T
In my opinion, there is not the least possibil-
ityzef the transmission of even five words
per minute. fthat number be hurried through
the cnple, the molecular destruction will be in
evitable. 1t may be possible to send two or
three wards per minute; but at that rate the
conductiVity of the metal will fail within nine
ty days, and, perhaps, ere that epoch the insu-
lation win cease to be effective
Lines ce tructed through air, suspended
on poles, may transmit commercially forty
words per minute. The length of a circuit
Ii
in no case, however, in any part of the world
has circuit been operated through air or 9TH
erwise q distance OF $500 miles, rx as
The Atlantic cable cannot be divided into
aseries OF circuits; it mustbe worked as one
unbroken line, and will give the nearest ex-
ample as to submarine length. The Malta
and Alexandria cable, submerged in the Medi-
terranean sea, is the nearest approximate. II
is in length about 1850 miles. divided into
fbrsaa ccafi or
$50 miles, The first section was laid between
Malta and Tripoli, on the African coast; then
the cable was taken to sea and again to shore
at Bengazzi, and then again taken to sea- and
landed at Alexandria, the latter section being
$50 miles in length. The object of the Brit
ish Government in dividing the line into sec
tions was to increase the speed of transmission.
When the line has been worked as one cir
cult, namely, 1850 miles, the highest speed OF
transmission attained has been three or four
words per minute; but when operated in sec
tons, with the longest circuit only $50 miles,
the speed was from fifteen to sixteen words
per minute. Here, then, is the proportion: If
a submarine cable can transmit over a circuit
of $50 miles fifteen or sixteen words per min
ute, and over circuit of $50 miles three to
four words per minute, how many words per
minute can be transmitted through the Attain
tic cable, stretched over 1000 miles?
1t is but fair to state that with the appara-
tus prepared by Professor Thompson, and by
the use Of authorizations, three or four words
per minute for few days may be attained.
There is not one step advance in the science
of electricity since 1858, to justify any other
hope than that which might have been enter
tanned at the iayingof the other cable.
Twill not say that an electric current can
never be sent from Newfoundland to Ireland,
but l do say, that with the present discoveries
in the sciences, do not believe line of that
length can be made practicable for commercial
telegraphy" 3t ts stallgsa