The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-07-26
Cnrioslties Of Ocean Gables.


or the total 81, 200 miles of cable in
the world, some SO, 420 are owned and
worked by the Eastern Telegraph COM
pany and its affiliated companies, the
Eastern Extension Telegraph company
and the South African Telegraph COM
pany. The Eastern Telegraph COM
pany is perhaps the most enterprising
Of cable corporations, and makes q very
fine display at the Crystal Palace, Lon
don. Gable operations have been, says
Natsre, of great assistance to the
geographer, and the soundings taken in
order to ascertain the nature of the sea
bottom where cableroute is projected,
have enriched our charts quite as much
as special voyages. There is, how
ever, another way in which these ope-
rations could be made subservient to
the cause of natural science but it is q
way which has not been sufficiently Ia
ken advantage of. Besides the speci-
mems of stones, mud and sand, which
the sounding lead brings up from the
deep, the cable itself, when hauled up
for repairs, after period OF submer-
gence, is frequently swarming with the
live inhabitants Of the sea floor
crabs, corals, snakes, mollusks and
fifty other specimens, as we'll as over
grown with the weeds and MOSES of
the bottom.
Many an unknown species has passed
over the drums unnoted to rot and fes-
ter in the general mess within the cable
tanks. We venture to predict a rare
harvest to the first naturalist who will
accompany repairing ship, and pro-
vide himself with means to bottle up
the specimens which cling to the cable
as it is pulled up from the sea.
Some idea of these trophies may be
gathered from the stall of the Eastern
Telegraph company, where few of them
are preserved. Two of these are very
fine gray sea snake, caught on the Sal
gon cable in depth of thirty fathoms,
and black and white brindled snake,
taken from the Batavian cable in twen-
ty-fve fathoms. Twisting round ropes
seems to be habit of this creature, for
the writer remembers seeing one scale
up ships side out in the River ANA
zon, by the painter" hanging in the
water.
A good example of feather star is
also shown these animals being fire.
quently found grasping the cable by
their tentacles. A handsome specimen
of the blanket sponge, picked mp in the
Bay of Biscay, is also exhibited. But
the most interesting object of all is a
short piece of cable SO beautifully in
crustei with shells, serpul@ and corals,
as to be quite invisible. 1t was picked
up and cut out in this condition from
one of the Singapore cables, The rapid
growth ofthese corals is surprising, and
head some valuable information on this
might be gained if the electricians of re-
pairing. ships in these eastern waters
would make some simple observations.
Curiously enough, so long as the outer.
most layer of oakum and tar keeps en-
tire, very few shells collect upon the
cable, but when the iron wires are laid
bare, the incrustation speedily begins,
perhaps because better foothold is
afforded.
A deadly enemy to the cable, in the
shape of large boring worm, exists in
these Indian seas and several of them
are shown by the company. The worm
is flesh colored and slender, of length
from IL inches to p inches. The head
is provided with two cutting tools of a
curving shape, and it speedily eats its
way through the hemp of the sheath
ing to the gutta percha of the core,
into which it bores an oblong hole.