The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-05-31
GRAPHING FOR A CABLE.
sEABCHIN0 BOTTOM WHERE THE SEA
Is HALE A NILE DEEP.
The Professor Morse Going TO Pick Up the
wire Heiween Key West aud Havana
A Planting Machine for Telegraph Work.


A r,on,ins Machine for Telegraph Work.
Can't Thomas stead, commanding the
steomship Professor Morse sailed, yesterday
from Prenticcs docks. Brooklyn. on a mission
of which he lightly speaks rs going 20 pick
up the Cuba cable Tho casv. matter of-fact
way in which he seems to Wow his task hardly
prepares ono fora realization Of what hc is really
about to undertake. The cable IL broken ho
says, thir,y-two miles from Key West. in the
Gulf Stream whore thc water is from iJJ to 800
fathoms decp-say hall u mile We arc going
10 pick 1t up. mend II. aud lay 1t a<ain. There
arc two cables betwoon Havana and Key West.
one Of which stopped working a month or six
weeks ago and We havo to find out why it did.
II may have been Clearly divided or broken by
ohafng upon rocky bottom, or from some
other violence, and thoro may have been q
minute pcrioration no bigger than pin hole
through the gutta- porcha covering reaching tho
copper wires. and 80 permitting the water to
como in contact with them and destroy the
insulation just as perfectly rs II the
cable had boon choppod in two by
an axe. The galyuuomoter simply tells
us that tho cable has boon wounded so Us
10 impair or destroy 10 usefulness, at certain
point, and we must discover what iIe injury 10
and how II is 10 bo rrnrdicl. How do we
clutch II at that depth Easily enough. We
nave strong {rspn,ls I2ur ana tVe pronGei'
which W. send down nt the end ot this power
combined-and when. dragging on the bottom.
they catch the cable hostng Il on hoard IL
simple matter. Tho hoia tng rope passrs over
that drum. between thosc guides on the bow.
over those two drums and Is lOilul around this
enormous drum which is worked by donkey
engine. Ii our Irnpncs catch too near the end,
whore there is un actual break. the cable will
slip on Of course and thon we mus go
further along the limo and grapplc for 10 again.
The tension tolls us when we have l.; aud when
W. x,t il ON board No attach the Halvanumcter.
and know 1T once how iaI from US either way.
the break IL.
when We splice the broken ends or attach
length of new cable, we Nut one end wedge
ahapri and III tho other 90 receive 10 SO ns TO
bring in the closest actual COniat the ends Of
the ilne copper wires which wa then solder
firmly together. Then. ONNr that we put u
wrapping oi prepared Gutd percha. which
makes an absolutely imp ~ iOu- tDvering. tax
ing great care that IN doing SO no uln holes or
bubbles are left 80 make further trouble. Over
that comes the protecting iron wiz. md ~ lutte
servings, the sii..l that protects the gu,ta
percha. Ifanrw cnho has 10 hn laid Il j. paid
Circular fuuls caunhle IL continuing together
about 800 miles Of donn.sen cable. Our cable
YOU know VRrle. in si2s Tho deem. s.A
weighs about q, tons tho Intermediate
nhout = tons and the shore ends about ls
tons 10 the mile Tho ob.cli In making the
shore ends So much the heaviest il to protect
the cable IN far as possible sgaiusf injury from
ships anchors anil ipnks-whiehevcr We use ~
coilcd in those tunS- in such manner ae to
a..nft.. .n ttn. - tta