Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1868-11-12
Tie New Atlantic Carte Pforres. a,
~ fha. Work =. 80 "

Il
prom tssIopdon nimea. Oct 49, t.i,
Tho manufacture Of the new Atlantic tel.
egraph, which is TO besnbmereed between
Brest aud q suitable terminus % the shores
Of the state Of New York, Is progressing
satisfactorily. The new cable is almost
identical In construction with those which
We're completed in 1866, the only difference
being that the diameter Of the conducting
copper wire is slightly greater, and the
outside wires are Of Homogeneous Bessu1er
Steel, galvanized, having breaking strain
OF about 1000 pounds while the wires out
side the existing Atlantic lines have
breaking strain Of only about 800 pounds.
The new cable will be laid in two fenQths.
lone from Brest to st. Pierre, in deep sea,
OF z S25 miles, not including slack, and the
other from st. Pierre to the terminus, Of
722 miles in length, not including slack. !
The latter section will be similar to the
Persian Gulf cable, as 1t win have to be
laid in comparatively shallow water, and lis
exterior wires will bs protected with Bright
and Clark's patent siliceous compound,
which consists principally ofpowdered flint
and pitch. The construction of the shore
ends will be similar TO that of The existing
Atlantic lines, and will gradVally become
thinner until they assume the deep sea di-
mensions. During the summer, her mai.
estys ship Gannet took soundings along
the proposed route, and from the result Of
the operations it is understood that the
bottom Of the ocean is nearly the same in
character as the bed in which the existing
cables are laid, and of about the same
depth Little but mud and ooze were found
along the route, In order to avoid the dan
gers Of injury from rocks and icebergs, the
new will be laid to the south Of the pres
ent cables, below the southern edge Of the
Great Bank, so that it may be laid in deep
water, Sir James Anderson, who will com
nland the Great Eastern during the expe-
dition organized for the submergence of
the line, has made the following observa-
tons regarding the Newfoundland banks:
'By keeping in the 500 fathom line upon
the Milne bank, and around the southern
edge Of the Grand bank, there is no posi-
bility of ice or any other agency that can
be suggested iniuring the cable The
northern edge Of the Grand bank was
avoided because it is uncertain at what
depth the icebergs ground. They are said,
on good authority to ground at times at
80 fathoms. 1t is not certain at what
depth the vessels employed in the seal
trade maysometimes choose to drop an an
chor for the purpose of keeping in the
track Of ice foes. These dangers are
avoided by the track chosen for the pro-
posed cables, and / am justified by my
own experience in saying that the track
from the southern edge of the Grand
bank to St. Pierre, and thence to the
place Of landing in America, is entirely free
from any danger from ice, and does not
cross any anchorage resorted to by the
fleet of fishing vessels" The breaking
strain of the new steel cable will be "a
tons, and the strain required for submer-
sion need not be more than II cwt. Even
if at any time it be necessary to haul up
any portion Of 1t already laid, the strain
need not exceed ton and half in the
deepest water The weight of copper
forming the, conductor of the existing At
lantic cable is 800 pounds per knott in the
new cable it will be about 400 pounds.
The Great Eastern has arrived at Sheer
ness, whence she will proceed with the
cable probably in the end of next June. \