Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1882-10-27

uc cdDlt sbtdiutI V1iuld, WuiCu tAc
writer has lately had an opportunity
to inspect. lies constantly in the harbor
of Halifax, fully equipped and awaiting
her calls to service. She is a staunch
craft of some 5000 tons burthen. and
with unusual beam for vessel of her
length. Her work consists entirely of
repairing, the laying of full-length
cables being relegated 10 large seam
ers like The Great Eas ern, the Hooper.
or the Faraday. Occasionally, how
ever. the Minis is required to relay con-
siderable portions. and she carries regu-
larly in her tanks about six hundred
miles of fresh cable. The tanks. some
twenty y-fivc feet in diameter. reach far
down into her capacious hold. and the
cables are coiled in deep layer around
q central core. The larger the core the
less the capacity of the tank. and, OIL
the other hand. The smaller the core the
greater the danger that the paying out
cable win kink and foul when il
reaches the smaller central coils. To
partly avoid this difficulty, large force
Of men- sometimes as many as thirty
ARE placed in circle around the in
terror of the tank, and each man as
the cable lifts before him holds
down the adjacent coils and sees
that the cable is free. 1t not
uncommonly happens that one OF
these watchers grows careless and is
knocked by one Of the ascending coils
head over heels among his fellows, for
the modern cable steamers often pay
out the coils with velocity reaching
seven or eight miles an hour. After
running from the tanks the cable passes
over series of wheels, fitted with q
power system of brakes, which can be
applied instantly. Then it goes over .
wheel at the stern, and is dropped into
the ocean. In picking up the cable the
coils pass over = large wheel. thence to
the tanks. where they are carefully re-
laid. The modern first-class Atlantic
cable costs at the factory about sc. 000.-
600, and whole winter is needed for
its manufacture. 1t is made of (D seven
central strands of fine copper wire
twisted together; (2) tightly fitting
tube Of solid gutta-percha; (3) q wrap
ping Of jute; (4) covering OF thick
wires. and (0 q final wrapping of thick
tarred tape several inches wide. The
deep water cable OF these days, when
finished, is about an inch in diameter. the
shore cable often an inch and half
In paying out as well rs taking in cable
the utmost care must be used. and even
then at times an unexpected kink may
not only break The cable but rip to pieces
tho wheels. brakes, and other valuable
machinery.
The machinery used for picking up q
cable in both deep and shallow water 10
OF the most simple description. II con-
sists of a rope about an inch and a
quarter in diameter, made from twisted
strands of the strongest hemp with in
terworcn wires of fine steel. The
grapnel at the end Is merely a solid
shaft of iron some two feet long. weigh
ing about hundred pounds, and pro-
longed into six blunt hooks which very
much resemble the partly-closed fingers
Of the human hand. In picking up the
cable in deep water the Nina, after
teaching the waters near the break, let's
out her rope and grapnel, then takes 2
course mt right angles 10 the cable and
ut some distance from the fracture, 20
thA the broken end may not slip
through the grapnel. The grapnelrope
Is attached TO dynamolneter which ex-
actly measures the strain on the rope.
and shows unerringly when the cable
has been caught II the grapnel fouls
a rock the strain rises very suddenly
and to high point; but the exact
weight of the cable being known, the
signals by the steady
rate of increase Its hold on the cable
far below. The ease and certainty
with which the cables are picked up In
these days Is amazing. Awhile ago one
Of the lines OF tho Anglo American
Company was caught without trouble at
q depth Of two and quarter miles near
the middle of the Atlantic. Captain
Trott, Of the Nina, who has won great
lame for his skill and ingenuity in cable
but recently picked up the
French cable. 1S0 miles off st. Pierre.
and In four hours from the time the
srapnel was let 90 had the cable spliccd
and in working condition. The splicing
i work OF great delicacy and skill.
md when accomplished by trained
fingers the spliced' part can scarcely
be d stinguishcd from the main cord
So rapid has been the improvement in
pelfecfing the modern cable that the re-
,is'ance 10 the electric current has been
reduced to one-quarter what 1t was
twenty years ago. while the duplex sys-
cm OF sending and receiving messages |
doubles the capacity OF every new cable /
aid. The working age OF the modern |
able Is about thirteen years--Cor. N.
T. Ercning Post.