The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-08-01


j the fourth attempt which has been made,
and il is to be hoped that II VIII prove
successful.
THE ORIGINAL PROJECT.
The project OF an Atlantic cablc was
ORIGINALLY conceived in 1913, when the mag
nrt;c telegraph had been in existence but
Zen wears. The original projectors were
American capitalists, and the directory ot
! the cnrnpanv embraced such New Workers
as Peter Cooper, Cyrus W. Field, Moses
Tavlor, Marshall o. Roberts, and others,
/ i0cluling Professor Morse. This company
succeeded in building the line from 81.
Ioln,s across Newfoundland, and under
The Gult of ST. Lawrence to the main land.
/ They also obtained subsidies from the Eng
I Ii>h and American Governments, but these
/ have since expired.
THE CABLE OF 1897.
The first attempt to lay the cable across
the Atlantic was made in 1857. On Au-
gu>t the 9Th the shore end was laid with
impo>ng ceremonies in Ealentia bay, Ire
land. On the llth Of August, about 4
o'clock in the morning, the cable parted in
over two thousand fathoms water. The
cause Of the calamity was the application
of the brakes at "a time when 1t was al
most fatal I" use them.
There was pretty heavy swell on, and,
rs usual under such circumstances, the
stern Of the vessel was elevated or de-
pressed aS she rose on each wave. 1T was
while her stern was down that the brakes
were put on, so that, in addition to the
strain produced by its rising again, the
cable had 10 bear an additional strain of
three Thousand pounds, as marked upon
the Indicator. This was more than ii
could bear, and the consequence was that
il parted, as has been stated. The mo-
mcut the brakes were used the wheels
stopped, and when the stern rose
again they remained immoyablc, 50 that
between the strain brought upon the cable
hv the vessel and that caused hy the APP
plicatiou Of the brakes, ii had to bear
more than il was ever calculated to sustain.
The Indicator Showed a strain of three
Thousand pounds but it is impossible to
calculate the strain by which ii was bro
ken. Had the brake not been applied,
there is no doubt whatever that the cable
would have remained perfect to the end
unless very great stress Of weather had
rendered ii necessary to cut il. The cir
cumStancc, to say the least of it, was most
unfortunate but if the enterprise failed,
the expedition proved one thing beyond all
possibility of doubt-thc practicabiluy OF
LAYING submarine telegraph cable across
the Atlantic between ireland and New
toundlaud.
TIE CABLE OF lS5S.
The success attained on the first effort,
although not complete, was considered en-
cuuraginG, and in the following year the
cable fleet rcndcZyouScd at Plymouth,
England, and began work in June. Two
unsuccessful efforts We're made OH June
- and 2G, the line parting. On June
= the work was again resumed one
hundred aud forty five miles were paid out,
when il again broke. \ fourth attempt
was then made, and succeeded. The cable
was laid from shore to shore, the signals
were pronounced perfect, and news was
actually transmitted over the wires.
Trlcgrams from London OF August -,
and Alexandria OF August 29, were re-
ccivcd OH the following day, but these
were the last. They were received with
the widest demonstrations OF joy. New
York went into ccStacicS over the " fixed
fact Of the century," and on September
the citizens engaged in a celebration which
had had no parallel, and which was almost
equal 10 some Of the displays made during
the war. The officers OF the British YES
sci, Gorgou and Indus, Cyrus W. Field,
and the officers Of the Niagara, were the
heroes of the occasion, and were toasted
and fttcd in Gotham's grandcSt style.
Imposing ceremonies were held Al TRINITY
Church, in which nearly two hundred clcr-
gvmcn participated and an immense choir
engaged. Broadway was decorated as
Broadway never had been belorc-with
hundreds of banncrSanl thousands OF mot
toes. The military, the trades, the protcs-
>iolls OF the city; soldiers aud sailors OF
tie nation, and all creation generally, took
part in tie procession. David Dudley, and
Cyrus W. Field, and Mayor Ticman made
grand addresses in Crystal Palace but all
this time the telegraph, under the manipu-
lation OF Dc SAuty, said never word. The
people began To smell a mice early III Sep
tcmhcr, and the press began TO demand its
European news. 1t then began to leak
out that the cable would not work, and
the press said as much. At last De Sauty
was forced to opcni his mouth, and since
llt ldllIt NoulA HoA ~ i'i iN'>''1 ~
induced to say on September a that
"nothing inteligiblc had been received
from Talentia since September '" Every
effort at restoring the Insulation failed,
and at last the cable came to be con-
sidcrcd failure. Before the attempt
could he renewed the American people
became engaged in Il war which absorbed
all their energy and interest, and the efforts
at Il renewal of the attempt to lay thrd
cable have not been watched with that
intense interest which they would other
wise have commanded.
THE CABLE OF 1868.
This failure served only to dampcn the
enthusiasm of the projectors of the cable ;
they did not abandon the enterprise, but
shared their interest in the war with their
interest in the scheme of submarine
cable. The United States public could
not be expected 10 fully share Their feel
iugs. and the directors have cndeavOrcd to
obtain more particularly the aid and co'ln-
tcnancc of our trans Atlantic cousins, and
in this last project England has the lions
and the controlling share.
During the wear or two following the
failure of 1873 gre improvements were
made in the conStructlo ION, laying, and work
inc of submarine tclcgraphs, and it was
tinallv concluded by board which was
appointed to inquire into all such work
and improvements that there was no rea-
son why cable should not be success;
Early in 1859 committee was appointed
by the London Board of Trade to investi-
gate the subject.
mi L.s h4