New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-07-21
rur ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH.

We may expect news now almost any day ron ,he
fifth expedition which has attempted to unite, Dy
thread 900 miles in length the Old World with the
New. The shore end Of the Atlantic Gable was landed
at Valentia Bay ON the 7th and if the Great Eastern
sails at the same rate of speed on this voyage as she
did Oh the last, she ought to arrive at Irniy
Bay, suppOsing all to have gone well, about next
Tuesday. There are many reasons Tor confluence
in the success of the present efforts but repeated 'a
ures have predisposed the public to gloomy antcips
tions, and we shall probably never again Witness
either the dark disappointment which followed the
first failure or the frantic exulaton which succeeoed
the usory success Of 1853. Our oldtiine excitement
has given way to settled faith in the possible union
Of Europe and America by an electric cable, and de-
termination to effect that union even il we try ana
fail till seventy times seven. IN
The first attempt to stretch Geographic wire across
the bed Of the Atlantic was made in the Summer OIL
1851 The cable was coiled half On board the United
States steamship Niagara, and half on the British
steamer Agamemnon. They began to lay it in MD
ocean on the 26th of June, the Niagara proceeding
toward the American coast, the Agamemnon to-
ward Ireland. After the wire had three times
broken, the attempt was given up. The following
IL
shore end was made fast at valents Bay, and the Nj
agara began paying out on the 7th the purpose oeing
that the Agamemnou should begin operations when
the Niagara had exhausted her half OF the cable On
the 18th, after 1886 miles had been laid, the Wire
broke again. The third attempt was made with tne
same vessels in 1853. The ends of the cable were
Joined in mid ocean on tho goth Of July, and
on the 9th of August the two ships arrived smultane
ously at their respective destinations. For lew
days it was possible to talk across the ocean. Mr.
Buchanan and Queen Victoria exchanged friendly
greetings; the people went wild with rejoicngS; the
mysterious De Sauty issued his brief bulletins then
the electric current grew weak aud uncertain; Anew
faint quyerings were felt, and all was STILL some
unknown cause at the bottom Of the sea had destroyed
the insulation, and the wire was useless.
But Mr.. Cyrus W Field, who had fathercd oil these
enterprises was not q man easily daunted. lie bad
proved that a cable could be laid between Great
Britain and America and be believed that If vas pos
sble TO make one which would work when it was
laid. Certain defects in the paying out machinery
and the moro serious faults in the construction of the
cable itself were avoided tho next time and on the 2lst
of July 1861 he sailed again from Valentia Bay,paying
out the costly rope the stern Of the Great EASTERN
We all remember how an accident to the machinery
cansed the loss of the cable when the voyage was
more than half over; how they grappled 1t three
times, in "a miles of water, but had no rope strong
enough to liz il on board, and how the enterprise
was then abandoned for the year. Whatever may DE
is fate this Summer cannot doubt that the perse'
verance which has not been dauntcd by four costly
IA. n1res will ultimately command success. Every re-
peated attempt has been preceded by great improve
ments in the manufacture Of the cable, the appliances
for laying it, and the instruments for signaling The
first undertaking but crude affair IN comparison
with that of 1866 The cable in 1853, had breaking
strain Of little over three tuns, or was capable OF
bearing five miles of its own length in water.
The present one will bear strain Of eight
tuns, or twelve miles of its own length
in water Then, slight defect Of insulation
was fatal now, so wonderfully have telegraphic in
struments been improved that it is easy to work
through submarine cable with foot Of its copper
conductors stripped bare to the water Moreover, the
great ship and her tenders carry with them on this
voyage an abundance of graphing instruments and
ropes of tremendous strength, with which it is de-
signed not only to recover the new cable should 1t
unfortunately break, bat il possible to pick up and
complete the lin, which was abandoned last year.
There good reason TO hope therefore, that Win all
these mechanical Improvements and the enlarged ex-
perence of the persons employed on the ship, it will
not DO long before We hear once more from Trinity
Bay the welcome message, "All Right-De Sauty.'
But our means for flashing intelligence between the
two hemspheres will not be limited to this Atlantic
cable There is no doubt that the magnetic wire
which now unites the opposite coasts of our own con-
tnen will soon stretch through the wilderness OF tue
remote northwest, cross Behring Strait, and
place us In communication with Eastern Europe
through the Russian territories of Asia. line per-
haps from Behring Strait through China, will con.
meet us at Calcutta with the great Indo-European line;
and so the unconscious prophecy of SHAKESPEARE will be
fulfilled and girdle be put around the earth i'll less
than 10 minutes. Many already old will live
10 see the day when those who questioned the FEAST
bty of an Atlantic telegraph will be classed with the
ignorant people who abused John Watt for wasting
his time over teaketle and the eomplaeent savant
who proved not a generation ago. that no steamship
could ever cross the ocean.
WORTH LOOKING INTO.