The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-09-04
The French ocean Telegraph.

Perhaps n brief sketch u of the laying OF the new
cable, rs reported by the telegraph, with the
events of interest connected with IL. may not be
unintcrcsting. The steamship Great Eastern
sailed from Brcst, France, on the 2lst of June,
the shore end having been joined to the ocean
cable the same day. The expedition proceeded,
with little interruption, till its arrival of New
foundland, on the 18th Of July, having paid out
about 2iOO miles of cable. Here, owing to n
fog, and being unable to splice with the shore
end on the Island Of st. Pierre, and n gale coming
on, the cable was buoyed and thrown overheard.
On the 18th Of July, the steamer returned,
picked up the buoyed cable and joined it to the
shore end. Twice, during the laying of the
cable, flaws were discovered, and the signals with
the shore ceased, the steamer stopped, hauled in
the cable till the flaw was found, cut it out,
spliced on again, and proceeded on her voyage.
All this indicates that the art Of laying cables
has been brought to such perfection that during
u storm, or to remedy any imperiection, the
cable may be cut and thrown overheard, fastened
to n buoy, and picked up at convenience, and the
work Of laying it resumed, as if no such acct
dent had happened.
To illustrate how easily the ocean telegraph is
WOTkeu. VIC lilly dud Nv tbeht tC Sh1 W
given through the entire length of the French
cable with no greater battery power than that
afforded by n ladies' thimble filed with sulphuric
acid. The cost of operating an ocean telegraph
is, therefore, almost nothing. while the cost for
repairs is hardly any greater.
On the ODD, the fleet arrived in Plymouth Bay,
Massachusetts,, and on the Oath, the cable was
Joined to the shore end at Duxbury, the state
legislature having granted to the company the
right to land it there. On the 9th of July, the
people of Duxbury and Plymouth, to the number
of about six thousand, including invited guests,
met and celebrated rhe event. The telegraph
says it was a splendid affair, Governor Claiflin,
mayor Shurtliff Of Boston, Sir James Anderson,
Captain of the Great Eastern, and other officials
and notables being present. After dinner,
speeches were made. among them one from the
Captain of the Great Eastern, of which the tele-
graph gives this report:
cabIe, Sir James Anderson said he had been told certain oppo-
III same Kind Of enterprise, perhaps To Mr.. Field, his colleague
but he did not care for that lie was sure the American people
spend a million Of money % unite two great contents ,ose,hs,
without sn,S !, swing IN them :. a p asf q, sn ,Ss e q, lsass' 90 h ns o for undue |"
sympathy. II they could not work rs well with n rival com
not s.t il, whatever the public sympathy nights be- The cable
was therefore laid As n purely commercial enterprise, and
every right-thinking person trusted 10 would promote peace.
God forbid IL might ever be used As q weapon OF war.
The Great Eastern returned to England
after a short and most successful cruise, and will
Immediately take on board another ocean cable
to be laid between Bombay and Suez, for which
service she has been chartered. Her adaptability
to this work has now been thoroughly tested,
and it is probable that she is the only vessel in
existence which could be successfully employed
in it.
There can be no doubt that other ocean cables
will be laid, as soon as companies can be formed.
Indeed we sec it stated that n German company
propose to lay one between some German port
and America, and that a cable is to be laid from
Glasgow, Scotland, to British America for the
use of the British post-ofice, which is soon to
assume the whole internal telegraph service of
Great Britain, Scotland and Ireland. From
these facts, it is clear that ocean telegrapby is
only in its infancy, and that the next few years
will witness rapid strides in its development. In
n few years the work of laying cables will be as
easy and excite rs little comment as that of land
lines now does, while the charges for messages
will show an equally great reduction.