Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-07-28
VOLUME XXXIII.
THE ATLANTIC CABLE.


A telegram from Queenstown July 18TH
says:
The Great Easta-a is paying out the cable.
The reports from Saturday afternoon from
her are that I35 miles have been laid, and
the signals are perfect.
RELIGIOUS SERVICE.
On the 18th instant, at Nalentla, the d.
rac,ors Of the Anglo American Telegraph
! a. entertained a distinguished company at
! luncheon. After which religious service
! was held in acknowledgement Of dependence
! for success on Almighty God, and praying
! that sbouId communication be established
between the old world and the new 1t may
be instrumental to the continued peace and
prosperity Of nations and the true welfare Of
mankind.
THE sHoRE-END OF THE CABLE.
The correspondent of the London Nora
ing Star says:
There is not much to say about the shore
end Of the cable; but what there IS Will al
ford general satisfaction. After the cable
had been paid out between the William Cory
and the shore. and the line connected with
the instruments, Mr.. WmLOUGHBY SMITH,
the chief electrician Of the company, con-
Quoted the experiments at this end. The
tests were applied every alternate i've nun
utes for insulation, and every other hye
minutes for speaking. The first speaking
message from the vessel announced she was
rolling good deal.
The reply from the shore was aninqulry at
ter the health Of Mr.. DUDLEY, the artist, who
had been engaged in making a sketch OF the
scene connected with the laying Of the shore
end. The question "HOw is DUDLEY vas
promptly sent with the answer DUDLEY
sleeps" When the cable had been paved
out its Insulation increased four told-or, IN
more specific language, the time occupied in
moving from charge to half charge was
minutes and 80 seconds, which represents
the highest degree Of insulation.
The buoying of the cable does not, as some
superficial persons might think, involve It's
suspension in the water. 1t lies snugly ana
safety in the bottom of the Atlantic on a
sloping bed Of mud and rock; and even IN
the shallowest parts near Follhammerum
Bay, it is not likely to be disturbed by an
ch0rs, which in other seas have fractured so
many cables.
EXPERIMENTS on THE OLD CABLE.
The Times correspondent who accompa-
MES the Atlantic Telegraph expedition says
that not q day has passed since the fracture
Of last years cable that its insulation has
not Been almost hourly tested at the Irish
end These tests show its condition up TO
the brole1 end, l,2G0 miles from shore, TO
be absolutely perfect. There is always
certain amount of resistance to an electric
current entering a cable, which is called re-
tardation, and is measured by millions of
units.
A submarine wire Of a certain length can
therefore always be measured of, as it were,
and its insulating and conductive powers
ascertained TO within a mile of a fault by
the time the current takes in entering the
wire These tests, as we have said, have
been carried ON hourly with last years ca
bic, and the results as TO millions Of units
has corresponded day by day in the most
remarkable manner.
Of course both its conductivity" and
resistance have varied as earth currents
arose or magnetic storms prevailed; but
nine times out of ten the resistance test has
been the same, even to a millionth unit day
after day. and these tests are identical with
those which would be obtained from per-
feet submarine rope 200 miles long.
The readings Of the barometer at the sta
ton also afford the most curious data, which
until now have been almost, entirely over
looked in electrical science as connected with
the submarine cables 1t is found that ex-
actly in proportion "a the barometer rose
the resistance of the current increased, and
rice rersa. In plain terms, a low barometer
meant a good cable, and a high barometer
n bad one.
Another curious circumstance which has
sometimes been noticed, but never carefully
recorded till now, is that between twelve
and two in the day, and only at those hours,
the cable is always at its worst