The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1873-12-13

The recent Terrible disaster on the
ocean renders the following article
from the Inter-Ocean extremely in
teresting. We suspect that in tei'
years time the suggestion therein made
will be crystalized into reality, and
that q steamship sailing between New
York and Liverpool will always be IN
sight of lighthouse:
An slderly gentleman of scientific
attainments, who halls from Dubuque,
Iowa, has devised a plan for the pro-
motion of the safety of vessels at sea,
for increasing.the efficiency Of the Sig
nal Service, and Tor removing sunday
difficulties in ocean telegraphy, which
seems to us not only very ingenious, but
to be predicated upon such established
principles and practical ideas as should
insure its success.
. He proposes the construction of
floating stations, lighthouses, or mont
tors, to be placed fifty TO one hundred
miles apart in the general track of YES
sells crossing the Atlantic. These
affairs are to be built of iron, pear
shaped, and are to draw about forty
feet of water. About two-thirds of their
perpendicular height will he below the
water line. Settled thus far below tie
surface, they will not be affected by
the waves, but, like Longfellow's bark
"Hesperus," could
"Weather the toughest storm
Tint ever yet did hpw,"
They are to be provisioned, ballasted
and generally fitted up for comfortable
residences, anchored fast, provided with
Geographic and scientific instruments
in use by the Signal Services, and sur
mounted with the flag of that depart
ment. AT fifty miles apart, a steamer
in crossing the ocean would never be
out of sight of their lights. They
would thus indicate the straightest and
shortest route across the great deep,
and vessels could easily enough "keep
to the right"
Their sustaining or floating power
should be ample for the safety of 50O
to 1000 persons, and, in case steamer
should be wrecked, the lives of all on
board. could be easily saved. If the
monitor was in danger of being over
loaded, life-boats could be moored OH
the lee side until relief could I've had.
Well built they would last more than
acentury. With water-tighU compart-
ments, they could not be sunk. The
ocean cables could pass through them,
and thus constant communication
could be kept up with the land. Steam
eEs in pleasant weather could land by
the side of them for a brief mo-
ment and receive the latest news from
everywhere under the sun, and, warn
ed by the lights, could give them a
wide berth in storms.
Provided with type and presses, the
dispatches might be printed for the
benefit of those "who go down 10 the
sea i'm shipsn-and none are ever more
hungry for news. IfR. A. BaDbage,
for instance, the bank thief, had ship
ped for Liverpool, he could be appre
hended before he was half way across,
returned to New York in ir,ns, and
forwarded home to answer to the in
dictment which the juries are nov con-
Meeting for his special benefit,
The condition of the weather ON the
ocean, the approach of storms aud
icebergs, the locality of steam aud sail
ing vessels, could be reported as
promptly as the failure OF a savings
bank in Iowa, or a murder In New
York city. If ali ocean cable were In.
jured, the locality of the trouble could
be determined-at once, and the dill
Guilty easily feInedied. Oae ~ two, in
the track VI icebergs, could bc built at
ter the general style OF propeiicrs, ana
furnished with steam power, and Il a
square mile or two of glacier was bear
ing down upon theIn they could get
out of the way" aud let it pass, which