The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1866-07-19
ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH EXPEDITION.
Final Arrangements TIE Scientific Tests
Preparations for Recovering The Lost
Cable.

All the final arrangements for the
sailing Of this great mechanical and
scientific expedition we're settled on
Tuesday. The great ship is now re-
ceiving her last length Of cable from
the Iris, and the coiling Of this and
the final closing Of the tank, to secure
liz from accidental injury, will be com
Iplctod by to-day. The directors and
few invited guests then pay fare
we'll visit, and after that none will be
allowed on board any Of the vessels Of
the wire squadron, save the represen-
tatives of the press and those actually
connected with the work Of testing
and laying the cable. Every part Of
the Great Eastern has now been got
into the most perfect order. The
machinery by which, in less than four
minutes, her paddles can be discon
ncctcd and made to work independent
ly of each other, has been tried and
found to answer admirably, and this
improvement is Of the last importance
iu keeping the ship on the same spot
while engaged in hauling up the cable
laid last summer.
Some old lengths of last years ca.
bic have been slowed away on boord
,he Albany aud Medwny. The Irish
shore end is coiled on board the
William Cory, which ship will leave
with tho Great Eastern. We much
underratcd the strength of this latter
Iponderous coil in q previous notice.
rhe limit of its breaking strain has
never been asccrtaincd, but it is enor-
nous. The outer covering il formed
If wires, or rather iron bars, about as
thick as ordinary pokcrs, aud it weighs
upward of 20 tuns to the mile-near
y double the size aud strength of the
largest submarine cable ever made.
| For the first 100 miles from shore
the new cable will be used, but down
the gentle incline, into deep water
known in deep sea nomenclature as
the Irish bank, 300 miles of the cable
Of last year will be used, aud for the
rest Of the route 10 Newfoundland the
new cable only will be Employed
Tho entire voyage out. if no accident
occur, is expected to occupy not more
than ten days,
Last year the tests for determining
the condition Of faults, aud also the
strength of earth currents, were per
formed on board ship. This year uc.
curate tests will be made at both ends
Of the cable, aud continuous ex.
change of results will be tclcgraphcd
from one to the oihcr--the inlorma-
ton which the shore can give to the
ship being of the highest Importance,
to enable these on board ship to ilnd
out the position of a fault accurately
md rapidly, should any unfortunate.
y occur. The principal batteries used
for testing will be on board ship, and
he shore will have 10 read off and
dcciphcr thcse indications without
any other access tn the battery than
what is afforded through the cable
Mr.. r. A. Glass, who will be alsC
, at Valencia during the submcrgencc
| will this time be assisted by the pres
once Of highly competent authority il
electrical matters, aud such informa
ton will be exchanged almost hourl,
through the cable So will enable thost
ON the shore to know not only the
position of the Great Eastern and the
amount OF cable paid out, but also tho
clcctric condition of the cable, and
the approximate distance of faults.
should any unfortunately be discover.
cd. 1t is worthy of remark that dur
ing the manufacture of the 1868 ca.
Bile, and its being coilcd on board the
Great Eastern, several faults occur.
rcd. This year there has not been Il
single one, which is n, good omen OF
success for this great enterprise. In
case that fault be indicated by the
electric test at any time during the
paying out, the course to follow will
be instantly, on an order being given
by an officer in the electric room, tc
stop and reverse the ships engines
and to put on the greatest safe weigh
ON the paying out break. Thus, il
the course of u very short time, tn,
egress of the cable may be stopped
aud if the weather be propitious, tn,
, vessel may be kept by judicious us'
4 of paddles, screw aud ruddcr in III,
required position for hours. to allow
, tha cable TO hang almost vertically
with little more strain than the weigh
of the length of that portion of it be
tween the ship and the bottom Of III,
ocean. The hest system of clectri
testing that has been brought int
actual use, or even planned, canno
\ show within less than mllc the posi-
:. ton of fault consisting of YER
4 slight loss of insulation, unless bot
= ends of the cahle be at hand. What
ever tho character of the flaw may be
. unless the electric tests demonstrat
! ITS position to be remote from the out
lgoiug part, the only thing that ca
!. Oo done to End whether it be just o.
, board or just overheard, is TO cut th
/, cable as near the outgoing part as th
i. mechanlcal circumstances Will perml
The electric test, immediately trans
, .erled TO the fresh cut scaward en-,
a will indicate instantly if the insulo
!, lion be perfect between it aud tn
4 shore. 4 few minutes more, and tn
n tests applied to the two ends of III
. rosnaindor on board, will show yer
IcloSNlv tho Dnsition ni the fault whni
over its character may be, The Ell
- ,iuecrs will than be able to make pre-
;, por arrangements immediately for re
'plicing aud paying out good cabl,
aud for cutting out tho fault from th
imperfect part itself How is the ca
= bio of last year to be brought to III
! surface when hooked2 The opor,
!. lions of last August tailed simpl
from tho fact that tha available ron