The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-30
OCEAN CABLE BREAKERS.
THE ILLE0ED NEW METHoD n.
SPECULATIN0 ~ STOCKS
Possibility Of Suspension Of Commup,cs.
tion on all the Gable Iines-A Cab,, M
ken Four Times within six Mon,b..

to'TfHIoNhcHtf Of we HoFid
ST. JoHNs, N r., April 19.-The reror, =,
Sir W. Thomson and MIR. Bramwell ON tho -
pcatcd bfeakages OF the Direct Company J. ',iI.
suggests some very startling s4ihilltip. I'm -
ncction vii the new n'lustry Of cnhlc hrciking
which has been 40 rapidly developed. That re
port shows that the process of seyering an ocean
cable In eighty or one hundred fathOms " waite,
IA very easy. A schooner Of eighty or ono nm
dred tons Inns only to drop overheard an ancbo,
or Rripnel o. which IS attached a stout MANILA
r9pe ana WI, WIZ a W,n n that VIII enable her to
six knots, the force thus applied is sufficient "
sever the strongest cable without raising Ia
the surface IL IL evident that this could Ina
done In such way that only the skinner and
ono or two besides would be In the secret IL n,
also clear that a small steamer well handled
would do the work far more ercctuay than a
sailing vessel In this way tho cable " tho g
rect Company has been broken four times IN si1
months, and a. yet tho ddstardly scOundrcl,
who have done the mischief have not been 10.
tected.
IL is believed that a rlng" Of speculators nm
the Stock Exchange In New York, having con.
fcdcratcs In London, are ut the bottom NJ il
Their plan Is 20 purchase Anglo stock when low
aud on the breaNing OF tho Direct Gable an i'm
mediate rise follows and handsome sum IL
pOcketed. Lot Us now suppose that enboid.
cned by success, these Spectators should re.
solve To operate on all the cables which connect
America and Europe, what gigantic fortunes
might be made by skllful mnnipulators who
knew that at a certain date tolcgraphic cOmmu.
nioatiOn between tho two hcmspheres would 10
cut OF How disastrous the confusion that
would follow such n contingency In the com
mercial world In many depart ments business
would be entirely suspended. That such an
achievement Is quite possible, recent events
hunici0ntly prove. There are i've cables OF the
Anglo Company within "A very limited area-one
between st. Pierre and Duxbury, aud four be
noy, IN Cape Breton. a smart little steamer,
armed only with grapnel aud Manila rope,
whole OF these cables, a. the track Of each IL
mapped out. The organized cOnsplratOrs who
have been operating on the Direct Cable NAV
extend the range of their industry, provided
they see their way to make II profitable; aud IL
Is not difficult to see how 1t might prove enor.
mously lucrative. Fancy America and Europe
for "A week without teegraphic communicative
A repairing ship might occupy moro time than
week In restoring communication even with
one cable.
This grave consideration renders II very de.
sirablo that the depredators who have been at
punished. and that this new enterprise SHOULD,
like the dynamite plot, be nippod In the bud.
Though the Anglo Company proht 10y these ne.
farious doings, no one will for moment sup.
pose that the honorable men who guide Its Opef.
atoms have any connection with such villainY,
still, In addition to stock speculatiOns, IL Is not
impossible that desire To crush the Direct Com.
pany and restore the monopoly may be one oi
the objects in view. II so, the project cannot
succeed. The company which has brayed aud
overcome so many difficulties Is too pluCky to he
put down in that fashion, and the great com.
mercial communities on both sides the Atlantic
would not stand tamely by and see it done The
deed will inevitably recoil on the perpetrators.
All doubt has been set at rest ~ Ia The causes
OF these broakagcs. 10y the report of Sir W. Thorn.
son and Mr.. Bramwel. After most careful eI.
ANIMATION OF tuo lfa'tuFtu euus. Wnltn Netd
taken up, these gentlemen declare:
These breakages we're not due 20 any decayed or In.
perfect condition OF the cable. and also mat they
not due 90 the chanR Of The cable ns focK, ~ %
influence OF an Abradng or OF crashing chnrac
ter hui that the 6reakages lave orcnrred IL prfc,
cable, aud through thoroughly sound metal nud nsyd
caused by the wi ole having been torn AsuBIei
under violent tensile strain.
They pronounce the cable to he In as good
condition as when first Immersed In the Sc and
To be OF very strong description. Furt ler. theT
dccl Re that no hshiDg schooner, dragging her
anchor. could have sum ,ient Tor to break the
cattle, and that even n raised by an anchor II
would not be broken. But, in reply to the ques.
tion whether the cable could have been broken
on purpose by Il sailing vessel, they say:
The fishing vessels cables certainly strong enough
to brelk tue rcctric cable H. rs are Informed er
from to Manila rope, The bre~kns STRAIN OF
Manila rope l. as much as fourteen tons thus tlelf
Is itself sufferer. -trOng, and II seems to 10
that with wind enough to render speed OF Eve %
knots uttainable by sail, sal ing vessel OF eighty
tons could. II handed Tor the purpose OF dong
break cable without ltlng II to the surface, and
TINT with steam vessel ~ handled the operation would
uc stu more easy.
1t Is quite time that this dangerous pastlms
were ended ana this cable breaking ring"
brought to Justice.