The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-06-06
THE CABLES AND ICEBERGS.

BREAKING OF THE ICE AND UNUSUALLY LARGE ICE
BERGs-A MONSTER VISITOR IN TRINITY Bay
HOW TO GET RID OF TT-DANGER TO BOTH
CABLES, AND INJURY TO ONE, ETC.
TRINITY BAY, N. F., June al herewith for
ward you q report of the situation of the At
lantic telegraph cables and the iceberg by which
one line was injured, from which you can form
an idea how the accident occurred to the cable
of 1866.
bergs, immense masses. have been careering
up and down Trinity Bay, pushing their cold
cidedly unpleas ant fellows they are-for besides
their terror to vessels, which give them wide
birth, their presence has kept the thermometer
down several degrees. The m Outh of the harOor
opening into Trinity Bay is so narrow and diff
cult for a vessel to enter, that 1t was supposed
there would be no chance of the cables being
injured at the spot where the accident occurred.
Indeed, all the shippers of Hearts Content
agree that an iceberg has not been seen near
so the gentlemen of the cable staff entertained
but little fear of an accident by ice.
Ats A. M. on the morning of Sunday, May 8,
the iceberg which occasioned the accident was
discovered making direct for the entrance of
the harbor, and six miles distant; at half-past
1t had diminished the distance three miles,
and within half mile of the cables, and If IL
held It's course ah4tner nGnr would a De @ across %
monster was calculated to be from fifteen to
twenty feet high and five hundred feet in
length, and reckoning by the rule of 8.lO, would
make the submerge at least twenty five
fathoms, which would cause it to ground on
the shoal of sixteen fathoms, and you may be
sure 1t became matter OF much anxiety, and,
as the sequel proved Justly so.
At halEpast nine it struck the shoal, beam on,
and swung round diagonally with the mouth
of the harDor
last four months, that is, continuous circuit
without earth or. practically speaking, using
the two cables as one wire. From the time the
cable banchored until Wednesday, May 8, no
change was perceptible, both cables seeming
intact which was the case On Thursday morn
ing the iceberg had turned its sea side to us,
occasiOned probably by the detaching of i'm
mense masses of ice of several tons weight, the
sea stTewn with the debris.
IL was proposed at one time to drill and make
a blast to tighten it of the shoal. but recon-
noitering boat showed tins disposition of the
case to be attended with hazard and danger,
owing to the continued breaking up.
On the afternoon OF Thursday, May 8, the Ice
berg was evidently dragging slowly on the
shoal and working broadside on to the 1866
cable and at six o'clock broke up and 1oated
towards the head of Trinity Bay. breaking the
1866, and passing over the cable of 1865, which
is laid in the deep water outside and above the
shoal The cables were disconnected and test
on the 1866, but no communication with Valen.
tia. Messrs. Needon and Dickinson, electrl
clans having the testing in charge, commenced
experiments with Wheatstones bridge, Thomp-
sons galvanometer, and using the Siemen unit,
brought the break down to two and fiVe-eig hths
The cable could have been repaired tempo
rarily Immediately after the accident occurred,
the Admiralty having telegraphed ordering
the Guinare, survey steamer, at st. Johns, to be
placed at command of orders from Hearts Con
tent; but the cable of 1865 being amply able to
do the work. it was determined TO send q
steamer from England to make the repair at
once thorough aud complete, and ere this
reaches you the telegraph may advise OF the
complete restoration of the defunot line.