River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-12-04
THE NEW CABLE.
The Final Scene on Board the Faraaay.


Boston Herald.
AT the outset the cables were each
wrapped with binding wire at point
fifty feet from their ends, and it was
back to this binding wire the armor
wires were afterwards uugound Now,
on each end, each alternate wire was
nlpped of at the seizing. The armor
wires were then re-twisted, those from
one passing their alternates from the
other, much the same As the fingers of
one hand may be laid between the
others with. the tips pointing in opposite
directions. This process was continued
till the entire surface was rearmored so
well and closely that ii would have
been impossible to have insinuated the
point of thin knife between the coils.
The loose ends were next seized with
yarn and secured with binding wire,
after which the external coating of
specially prepared spun yarn was sery-
ed from one end, to the other of the ex.
posed armor. What had formerly
been lying on the deck as the ends Of
two separate cables were now Joined in
one complete length, extended from the
French coast at Brest 10 that of the
United States at Nauset beach. Elec.
trically it was known on the ship that
the joint was perfect, for, as soon as the
guttapercha covering had hardened,
Mr.. Jacobs covered it with wet cloth,
and around this bound wire which he
led TO an exceedingly sensitive galvano-
meter, the needle of which would have
been instantly DETECTED had there been
the slightest fault in the insulation.
There now lay on the Faraday's deck
great loop of cable, with one OF its ends
In France and the other in America. 1t
was kept on board by a single cable.
and was now ready for launching. The
two parts of the telegraph cable were
lashed at frequent intervals to the rope,
and the blight of the latter was around
the drum of the winding-engine. Af-
fairs having reached this stage, the cap
tin and Mr.. Loeffier, accompanied by
numerous officers and guests, took their
station ON the poop, to direct or watch
the final operations of laying the cable.
Near the captain stood powerfully
built, big-whiskered fellow, with an ak,
such as giant might swing, poised in
the air. AT the extreme stern, and
standing on the rail, stood an anxious
looking officer of the Geographic staff,
who, with whistle between his teeth,
scrutinized both cables and all their at
tachments and surroundings. Presently
came three sharp blasts of his whistle,
which were repeated at different points
along the deck. The engine began to
move and the cable slowly moved along
the deck. Anxiously it was watched
till the blight had passed clear of the
stern shive down to, and, finally into
the water. SILL the line attached to the
cable continued to run out, easing the
latter's descent to the Atlantic's bed.
Suddenly the man with the whistle yell
ed, "Cut," and the AK fell on the rope,
which was severed, liberating the cable
from further connection with the ship
In this manner the now Franco Ameri-
can cable was, at 1926 O'Clock in the
afternoon, completed enterprise. TIE
Faraday Immediately steamed in shore,
landing those who belonged there and
learned that, at the moment the joint
was made, communication had been es-
tablished and that the cable was in all
resnectS Derfect