The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-07-07

tho latitude and longitude of the great
ny ie emd tba sfate of the weather, ahe
the number of miles paid out. In Inc s or-
t S1e iii m be t,rst taken out from the ior-
, u,o tanI next from that amiosissip p1i
and lastly from that as. .,id arrive with
goes we'll the vessel shoui IN her still un-
nearly 500 miles Of cable ~ n wisely al
,ised.an excess which ~ lt'' We may
lowed in case, OF accluen., It,. annaratris
add that since the paying Az; H"s has been
has been in work its ac.lo r,;fford and
faultless. Messrs. Canning, 81 ali the
Temple have absolute charsSS ~
details connected with the sau .ho aIectri-
Mr.. De Sanity is in charge Oh tno walkers.
cal condition of the cable LOT VII ~ tlon,
Mr.. Varley goes to r. presen. Thom nsop
tic Company, an d Professor dnoi These
as scientific advi ser and releree.. ho chef
gentlemen, howe yer, are only .h1 which
of the large departmental s'aii' "
The Malta and Alexandria wire was
an enormous Improvement on tnat ~
means of which it was hoped to conmect
england with the United States. Ihat
laid along the Persian Cuffs again
GREAT Improvement on the Malta ana
| alexandria, while this which Is to cross
the Atlantic is still more marked I'M
,3royement on them all. So exqlisltely
delicate are the tests that minute nav
even in one of the four coatings OF gut
ta-percha has been detected, it's place
defined almost to yard or so, anu lhe
length in which IT occurred at once Cut
out. It is singular, but significant
| fact, that almost all the accidents and
stoppages which have occurred to SUBJ
marine cables have arisen from these
which have been laid in shallow Water.
A deep sea-line, once well laid, seldom
or never gives future trouble, except, of
course, in those few rare Cases where
the lire has to be taken over ocean
oepths known 70 be liable to volcanic
| disturbances. Thus the deep sea por-
tons Of the Malta and Alexandria line
from Malta to Tripoli, have, it is stated,
never given one hours uneasiness, while
the shallow sections from Bengazi, &C.,
to Alexandria are constantly gettingout
OF repair. AS set off to to this, how
ever, it is only fair to state that shallow
cables may be repaired with as much TO.
cility as they seem to break down; while
on!the other hand, the first fault of O
deep sea. line, is, as rule, its last.
At the bottom of the Atlantic it is
needless to say that no volcanic disturb
ances are apprehended. Along the
route on which the cable is to be laid the
depths vary from 1900 to about $500 faith
oms. The dangerous part of this course
has been hitherto supposed to he the
sudden dip or bank which occurs abou,
a hundred miles off the West coast O.
ireland, and where the water was sup
posed to deepen in the course of few
miles from about 300 fathOms to nearly
1000. Such rapid descent has natu
rally been regarded with alarm by tele
graphic engineers, and this alarm ia!
led to a most careful sounding survey o
the whole of the supposed bank by CAP
tain Dayman, acting under the instruc
tons of the Admiralty. The result O
this shows that the supposed precipitou.
bank, or submarine cliff, is gradua
slope of nearly go miles. Over this lopt
slope the difference between its creates
height and the greatest depth is onl,
$3.50 feet, SO that the average incline il
in round numbers, about las feet ne,
mile. A good gradient on railway j,
now generally considered to he in 10,
feet, or about So in mile, SO that tn,
incline on this supposed bank is only
about three times that of an ordinary
railway. In fact, as far as sounding!
can demonstrate anything, there are few
slopes IN the bed OF the Atlantic as steer
as that OF Holborn Hill. In no part il
the bottom rocky, and with the EXCEPT.
ion OF afew miles, which are shingiy
only ooze, mud, or sand is to be found.