Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1881-01-22
OCEAN CABLES, NEW AND OLD.

Estimates for Laying Two New Cables
--HOw the Old Ones Have Lasted.
From the New York Tribune.
Estimates for laying two new Atlantic
cables. to be operated when laid in con-
nectiOn with the land lines of the Ameri-
can Union Telegraph Company, have
been received from Siemens & Co., the
English cable contractors. They agree
to complete the two cables for something
less than e1,5O0,O00. Their offer has not
yet been accepted because the promoters
of the new company are waiting the re-
ceipt of estimates from Matthew Gray, of
The SilvertOn Works. The announce
ment that a contract has been made for
the new cables is premature. SiemenS
s. Co. laid the new French cable within
seven months from the date of the fOrma-
ton of the company, and it is expected
that they would be able to complete the
proposed cables in still shorter period.
All the ocean cables laid Dy the firm are
now working excepting the new French
cable, which was broken recently. This
will be repaired probably to-day, the
ends having been recovered.
The proposal to lay two new ocean
cables has attracted attention to the con-
ditiOn of the cables already laid and of
the companies which operate them. The
AnglO-American company has three
cables in operation, in addition to the
Erlanger or AnglO-French cable, which
it manages. The capital of the company
is 100000, divided into three classes of
stock; ordinary, e., 277, 46O; preferred, en-
titled to per cent dividends, e2,361 ,270,
and deferred, e2,361,2 According to
the latest report of the cOmpany's bust
ness, dividends were paidI on this stock
of per cent on ordinary and per cent
on preferred. Of the cables laid by the
company, that laid in 1865 was broken
March IL, 1873, and finally abandoned
Feb. l, 1878; that laid in 1866 was broken
Jan. IL, 1877, and abandoned July ~,
1876. The latter cable, except the shore
ends, was renewed last summer, at a
cost of of 1922, 300; it is now called the
cable of 1880. The cable laid in 1873 was
broken April 2, 1879, and was repaired in
the same month; it is now in operation.
laid in 1874. Of the three cables now
working, which were laid by the COM
pany, one has been down over six years
and another over seven years. The
Erlanger cable, which was laid in 1869
several times since the same accident
has occurred. 1t was last repaired in
August 1879, having been broken Feb.
%, in that year, but it was again broken
last month. 1t is said that the cable is
so rotten that no attempt to repair it
| will again be made.
The Direct United States Company has
an authorized capital of e1,30O,O00, of
i ioh hoc ho
| issued also debenture bonds to the
amount of EGG, 725, drawing, 6 per cent
interest. Its cable was laid in 1874, and
| has been broken twice; the first time
Jan. 4, 1879, on the ocean side, near Tor
bay, and in February 1879, in the Rye
Beach and TOrbay section. Both breaks
were repaired, and the cable is said to
be now in good condition.
| The capital of COmpagnie Franchise,
the new French company, is 100000
| francs. Its cable has been laid about a
year; it was broken May 2, 1880, near the
Island of st Pierre, and repaired the
same month; the section between Cape
Cod and st. Pierre was broken Nov. Fl,
| 1880, and is now repairing.
The length of different cables in nau-
tical miles is nearly as follows: Anglo
American, Ireland to Newfoundland, l.
$50 miles, and from Newfoundland to
Sydney over 800, total distance of about
| 2,150 for each of its three cables; the
AnglO-French cable from Brest to Dux-
bury, by way of st. Pierre, about 1899
miles; the Direct United States cable,
from Ireland to TOrbay and from TOrbay
! to Rye Beach, 1850 miles; and the new
French cable from Brest to LOulsburg,
2,430 miles; from st. Pierre to Cape Cod,
$50 miles, and from Brest to Penzance,
Isl miles, a total length of about 3,461
miles. The cables which it is now pro-
posed to lay will be each about 2,400
miles long. They will connect with the
land lines at Cape Breton.