The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-09-16
THE NEW OCEAN GABLE.

The Company which has just succeed
| ed in laying a cable from the Irish
coast to Rye Beach, New Hampshire,
was organized three years ago, with a
capital, we believe, of $5,O00,OOO. It
has had many difficulties to contend with.
It was denied permissio n to land an end
of the wire on the Newfoundland coast,
because the existing companies monopo-
lie that privilege. 1t was refused an
opportunity to..charter the Great Eastern
| steamship, because that vessel is also
| controlled by the other cable companies.
It therefore had to build its own ship.
This took time and cost money. The
Great Eastern can take whole ocean
| cable on board and pay it out from shore
| to shore. The Faraday, which was built
| by the Direct Cable Company, is of T.
600 tons burden, but this makes her
only trife more than one-fourth the
| size of the Great Eastern. She cannot
be laden with whole cable, but must
take it in sections. She began work in
June, 1874. From that day to the 9th
of September, 1875, constant struggle
against wave and weather and other
difficulties has been carried on. At last
it is happily crowned with success. The
customary congratulations have been
| exchanged, and the new wire is ready
| for work.
The Faraday started from England
with one of the heavy shore ends
of the cable and paid it out
successfully. When the end was
reached, a buoy was attached and the
vessel returned to England. Thence
she sailed with the American shore end,
which was handled in the same way. A
third trip put in the intervening section,
but the cable promptly broke. By a
singular, very singular, coincidence, the
announcement of its irreparable damage
| was followed by the announcement on
the part of the old Company that its
rates, reduced soon after the new Com
pany began operations, did not pay and
would have to be raised. We have to
thank the repairers of the line for saving
us from this contemplated extortion.
The Faraday steamed into mid-ocean,
grappled for the broken ends of the ca
BILE, found them, and spliced the break.
Even this did not cure matters. There
was flaw some where. This had to be
patiently hunted down. The task was
performed, and the injured part replaced.
While all this was going on, the tender
of the Faraday had to make constant
trips in order to supply that vessel, tos-
sing on the stormy waves, with coal.
This was an unique expense.
It is said that the whole capital of the
Company has been sunk in the seas, and
is now represented only by the small
wire that forms the fifth electric link be-
tween the New World and the Old. The
competition of the new cable will prob
ably keep down rates for some time, but
it is not improbable that this, like the
French wire, will ultimately pass under
the control of the present grasping mon
opoly. If this happens, it will stimulate
the belief, already held by many
Englishmen, that the British Govern
ment ought to take control of the ocean
telegraphs as it has of those in the Uni
ted Kingdoms. One country owns both
shores of the ocean. If it should lay
twenty cables between Ireland and New
foundland, there would be plenty of bus
mess to occupy them all. We might
then have reasonable tariff,-say Is or
would then keep the wires busy. The
lightning would flash a food of light
upon the press of every country. Ma
tons would be drawn nearer together
The highest interests Of commerce and
civilization would be suDseryed.