The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1866-06-01
The Atlantic TELEGRAPH.
From The London News. April seth


From The London News. April seth.
The slender Birmingham wire, which
We recently traced from the arrival OF the
gulta percha works in the City road
through The various process of manufac
ture until it left Morden wharf, Greenwich,
complete submarine cable, is now being
cooled at the rae of two miles an hour in
the vast tanks Of the Great Eastern. The
Amethyst hulk, which We saw receiving
its precious freight the other day, is nov
moored alongside the great ship of Sheer
ness, while the Iris is being laden in her
turn al Greenwich, and will supply the
Amethyst's place directly the latter is
emptied. Thus manufa :ture and stowage
90 on concurrently, and at the moment
one part of The great wiIe is receiving its
elementary coating Of Chatterson's com
pound, or, plrhaps being span at Birming
ham, other portions are being laid down
in the great ship ready for the final and
momentous paying out
Standing on the deck of the Great
Eastern, few yards from its stern, you
see the cable slowly pass up the ships side
and over a series Of wheels and pulleys,
all ingeniously constructed and carefully
watched, and follow it under is covered
way until it disappears into the large
wooden hut erected for its reception.
This but is the size of a moderate barn
aud is the deck covering of the aft tank
Entering by its doorway, you look into
ya1ning, dimIy lighted circular guilt. the
bottom of which seems to be composed of
light oak, symmetrically turned. The
uniformity Of the slightly corrugated cir
cles within circles the mathematical
ezactitade with which each appears to fit
into, aud be part OF, lis neighbour The
seeming solidi,y and unity Of the great
whole-all speak OF the lathe and it is
only when the eye has become, as it we're
acclimatized to the pale gimmer of the
swinging lamps below, that the silent
white figures squa;ted at regular intervals,
and moving noiselessy around, are seen
to be cablemen, ard the apparent wood
carving to be the cable. The ex,e,nat
distinction between last years electric
rope and this is now seen to be very
marked; the absence of the tarry coating
and the clean, substantial look of the
MANILA strand giving an impression Of
mingled strength and ducti.ity, which is
auspicious in itself. # may be repeated
that this years galyanza'ion of the outer
wires affords all the security agains: cor,
rison given by the fra coat of tar tor-
merly applied, while in the event of an
unIucky tit Of wire defyiDg precaution
and finding its way into the tank, the
chances of its sticking in The rope ale
sensibly diminished, through The latter
berg repelIantIy yielding instead OF
glutinouly adhesive
Very gradually ana regularly are ,he
circles within circles increased. No word
Is spoken as the rope slowly passes the
officer on guard at what we may call the
top story Of the tank, and received by two
Of The white figures below These march
slowly around handing the gracefully de-
sending coil as tenderIy as though i, were
alive and under the constant inspection OF
the officer on guard below pass it to other
white tiguies, who, with equal tenderness,
fit it into end steady it in lis appointed
place Thus, ring after ring is formed
each layer beginning With the large outer
circle OF the tank itself, and ending with
the centre fame work of wood, which is
lis bulls eye, and serves to " shore up
and keep AL steady. Every man entering
the tank is searched before going in, puts
on the ralIess gnua percha shoes pro,
vided by the company, and goes through
his work of cable slowing under the con-
slant and watchfn! supervision Of tried
and experienced officers.
Besides taese precautions, tests both of
insulation and continuity are being cease
lessly put by the electricians. Nor are
these confined to this years venture. The
old cable Cd board is for this purpose con
nected with the new, and messages were
transmitted on Saturday through a total
distance of 1900 nautical miles. There
were then 4S2 Of these miles in the after
tank ; 157 in the main tank, and 2G7 in
the fore tank g.; and TO make tie test more
searching and complete, communication
las been established between all these and
the shore