The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-06-06
TIE CABLES AND ICEBERG.
SPECIAL Correspondence Of THE KfaALO.

Breakina Of sho Ice and Unusnaiiy large
,Ioebcrgs-A m snster Visitor I'm Trinity nay
How 10 Get Rid Of IL Danger 20 botn e""ies
and lnjsrs Co Csc. Sc.
TRINITY BAY, p juno =, 1897.
Iberew,tA scvvxrs vou report Of the situation Of
me Atlantic tsaesrau cables the iceberg by which
line was injured which yoa can form an Idea
hsv the aco,osut occurred 10 the cable OF 1856
Snoe tho breaking the big zee, several icebergs ma
uuense uass>a M 20 been careeng and down Trinity
Day push nc their cold into the numerous oat
Asreors-apd decidedly unpleasant old fellows they are,
for besides being Vcssels which giSo them
wide BERTH their presence sas kept tho thermometer
down several dof The mouth OF the herbor
ing INTO Trinity Bay and dicuk for
borg Tint 1t Supposed there would be no
chance Of the cables being injured at the spot
where the acesIent occarcd Indeed, all tho clippers
Hearts Ccrtent agree that iceberg has not been
seen tia mouth Of the harbor for twenty-five
years; the gentlemen OF tbs cable saH entertained
but little fem OF accseent by Ice.
AZ Ave 4. NJ on the mornsng OF Sunday, Mar 8, the
iceberg which occasoned the accident discovered
making direct for the entrance OF the harbor and six
miles distant; at haifpss, oight II had diminished the
distance three miles. and within half m',e OF the
cables and II held its smother hour would BE
the track OF the cables. With good glass tho
calculated to bo from fifteen to twenty feet
high and fye hundred feet "a length and rec oning by
the rule Of s-iO would mako the sabmerys a. least
twenty five athoms which would IL ground
Tho sbol of sixteen sath0ns and you may beisure IL
became matter Of much anxiety and, as tho sequel
proved Justly so.
AT half past nine IL struck the shoal beam on, and
swung round diagonay with the mouth Of tho harbor.
The cables have been worked in loop for the last
four monthsthat is continuous crcnt without earth,
or, practically speaking using the two cables as one
wre From the time the cable anchored until Wednes
day, May s, no change perccptfole both cables
seeming intact, which was tho cSse en- Thursday
mornings the iceberg had turned Ito sea side TO us,
accustomed probably by tho detaohing Of immense
OF Ice Of several tons weight the sea srewn
with the debris
II vas proposed at one time to drill and make blast
70 tighten 1t OF the shoal but a reconnoitenng boat
showed this disposition Of the be attended with
hazard and danger owing TO the continued breaking
On tho afternoon Of Thursday May o. tho iceberg was
evidently dragging slowly on the shoai and working
sroadsde TO the 1865 cable, and at six O'Clock
broke up and foatcd towards the head OF
Trinity Bay, breaking the 1896, and pass
ing over the cabs OF 1866, which is laid
bios disconnected and test applied, and heavy
ground connection found on the 1885, but communi-
cation with Vaenta. Messrs. Needon and Dickinson,
electricians having the testing in charge commenced
experiments with Wheatstones bridge, rhompson's gal
vanomoer, and using the Siemen unit brought tho
break down 10 two and lveeghhs miles from the New
foundIand shore end
The cable could have been repaired Temporarily imme-
diatey after the accident occurred the Admiralty hav
ing teegraphed ordering tho Gulnarc survey steamer
Of 81 Johns to be placed at command OF orders from
Hearts Content but helcabe OF 1865 being amply abo
70 do tho work IL WAS determined TO send steamer
from England 10 make tho repair thorough and
complete, and this reaches tho telegraph may
svse Of the complete restoration Of the defunct line