Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-09-09
SUBMARINE CABLES.

We think it nothing strange Z
have a boat race in the Thames tc
day, and report of it in the mornin
papers of tomorrow. Indeed We cal
hear at noon in Boston, of what transpi,
ed in London afternoon, OF in other word
news flies over the wires faster than th
earth's surface runs in it's diurnal motion
This fact convinces rs that the eartl
moves in another direction-in the line o
progress, for Submarine tslegraphs are
modern invention. Twenty-six years sg,
a man in Vermont, Professor Alonzo Jack
man, then of Norwich, now of Mortified
originated in bis mind the idea of ,
Submarine Telegraph. He understood
that galvanism would pass along
metallic wire even if covered with indi.
rubber, a non-co onduoting substance
From this he concluded that submerged
wire, coated with india rubber would a.
so convey electricity or gnlvanism.
In lecture on the subject of magnet
ism. delivered in ls4s, in the New Eng
lsad Seminary at Windsor, VT, be ex.
pressed the belief that the day would
come when . telegraph communication
would extend from America to Europe.
Telegraphing was then in its infancy
The companies that had lines running on,
of Washington City, were much troubled
in crossing wide bodies Of water with their
suspended wirss.
Frok Jackman wrote letter to Hon.
Amos Kendall, the President of . tele-
graphic company at Washington, and re-
commended him to have his telegraphic
wire insulated BY coating of India rub,
Der, and then sinking it in water instead
Of suspending the naked wire upon poles
over it. But the project was new and
therefore was rejected.
None to whom the proposition was
made believed the thing possible. They
would as soon think Of establishing tel
sRpaphio line TO the moon, OF to The land
Of spiBits, rs IT, think il possible TO send
sleotricity through water. 1t seemed con.
~ary to all philosophy.
Dlt. Prof Jackman's in estigations and
experiments enabled him to speak with
certainty upon tho subject, for he kassS
thst eieOtrioity could he cent along .. 4.
sulsted yirc under water.
In defence Of the position which he had
taken, he wrote an article for the
Press, and sought to have it published in
the newspapers of Washington. Philadel-
phia, New York, and Boston, but in none
of these could his article appear. It was
rejected upon the ground that it was "too
foolish and visionary" After being re-
fused by these, he sent the article to Ma
hum Haskell, Of Woodstock, then the edi.
tor Of the Vermont Mercury. Doubtless
the respect which Mr.. Haskell bore for
the author induce him to accept Of the
article, which appeared in the Mercury,
bearing date Aug. IA, 1s46, but without
the endorsement Of the editor.
Eleven years after this, visionary
man, as he was called, named Cyrus w.
Field. made An attempt to lay submarine
cable between this country and Europe,
and what is little remarkable he adopt
ed nearly the same plan proposed by Prof
Jackman.
l. The wires were not coated as propos-
ed by Prof. Jackman with india rubber,
but with a similar substance, which was
not known in the arts as early as 1843,
gutta percha.
IL. There were not two wires as the
Professor suggested would be necessary
to make a complete magnetic circuit, for
one wire answered the purpose.
III. Instead Of having the insulated
wire encased in lead pipe, Mr.. Field had
bis surrounded in a coiled WIRE
Thus it will be seen that the essential
features of the submarine cable of to-day
were suggested to the mind Of Professor
Jackman and promulgated by him a.
early as l843, the year in which magnet.
Ic telegraphing was first pacticed in this
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