The New York herald., 1873-10-17
An Important Discovery by the Pm.
cific Exploring Expedition-A "Tele-
graphic Plate'' for the Pacific Cable.

cihc Exploring Expedition-A ssTele-
graphic Plate" for the Pacific Cable.
The Bureau of Navigation has just received
an important and interesting despatch from
Commander Belknap, of the Pacific Explor-
ing Expedition. Commander Belknap, it will
be remembered, was sent out for the purpose
of conducting the great Pacific survey and
deep sea researches, with view to obtaining
information for the laying of the proposed
Pacific telegraph cable. The despatch in
question is sent to Commodore Ammen, Chief
of the Bureau of Navigation, and states that
the soundings were ''very favorable from the
Aleutian Islands to Victoria, increasing grad
ually in depth to 2, $50 fathoms in latitude 54
north and longitude 1853 west, distance Of
1,100 miles" This telegram was sent from
the Tuscarora, in which Commander Belknap
had just returned to Victoria for coal, after
carefully sounding through the deep and be-
fore unfathomed caverns of the North Pa
cifc. This intelligence is of the most impor-
tant nature, and settles the grand and long
agitated problem Of the feasibility of Pacific
telegraph. When the Atlantic telegraph was,
first conceived the question arose whether the
bed of the Atlantic would afford o suitable
place for it to rspose and the discovery Of
the celebrated submarine telegraphic plate
between Ireland and Newfoundland solved
the matter, showing that upon such o plate
cable might repose as safely as in closed and
uninterrupted cylinder The discovery Of
Commander Belknap, made under direction of
the Bureau of Navigation, will do as much for
the great Pacific cable intended to bring
Yokohama and Pekin within speaking distance
of New York. No railroad engineer could
desire gentler gradient for his track than
that sounded by Commander Belknap In the
deep-sea bed Of $3.50 fathoms, in /, 100 miles,
or about one mile in 400. The officers of the
Tuscarora, in working their deep-sea sound
ings, used Belknap's sounding cup, which
gives excellent specimens both Of the abyssal
water and the bottom mud. They have been
using on experimental wire 20 gauge, piano,
which in the despatch is said to be 'sune-
qualled," and will greatly facilitate other SUBJ
marine researches yet to be made by the
Tuscarora. These soundings have been con-
Quoted under directions carefully prepared by
Commodore Ammen, after consultation with
Sir William Thompson, Of England. But o
new and very valuable improvement on Sir
Williams plan has been introduced, viz. to
oil the wire both before and after it's submer-
gence, by which its corrosion is prevented and
its tenacity preserved. Instead Of hauling up
the sinking ball Of thirty pounds weight after
the apparatus had touched bottom, as in the
old process, the ball is now detached, and the
time and labor required for sounding orc
greatly diminished.
These admirable and highly beneficial in
vestigations in the North Pacific are among
the most useful eyLr undertaken by the gov.
ernment and, we ore glad to hear, are to bt
prosecuted still more extensively In this
long neglected field Of oceanic survey
Apart from the scientific interest that attaches
to this splendid investigation OF the grea
ocean whose vastness first enraptured vasct
Nunez and kindled his enthusiasm, we maj
regard the discovery Of its submarine topog
raphy as assuring the early undertaking Of (
Pacific cable. The demand has long existed
and is now proved as practicable as II Is i'm
| perative. The cable. once landed ON th