Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-10-25
BREAKS IN OCEAN CABLES.
How They Are Locafed-HOW the
Cable is Nended, and How it is
Picked Up in Hid-Ocsan.

The work Of locating a break or flaw In the
cable-proeess seemingly so abstruse-is, with
the present improved instruments, compare
lively quick and easy. says correspondent OF
the Cincinnati Commercial Discarding techni-
caties. we may say briefly that the whole cleo
trio potency of the cable when fully charged is
known, and the same can be quickly aseertained
OF the two parts created by break. A delicate
machine adjusted to the incest fractions dis
Closes the electric units or ''ohms' in each part,
and as the number Of ohms to the mile
Is known, the miles and fractions of
miles in both parts can be found ont at each end
of the cable. In the case of clean break the
locating of IL takes about fifteen minutes. But
q very angular break, or flaw. makes pertur-
batiOns of the measurement which it now and
then takes some hours to rectify The usual
cause of breaks or flaws is attrition on rocks
or sand; and sometimes break in very deem
water indicates that sea currents Of consider
able force prevail there. contrary to the rem
orally accepted theory that deep sea waters are
always placid. Most of the fractures however
take place In the shadows and manv of them
are due to the dragging anchors of the fisher
craft In two or three instances the cables have
evidently been snapped by enraged or hungry
fish.
The machinery used for picking ND a cable in
Doth deep and shallow water is of the most sim
pie description. 1t consists of a rope about an
Inch and quarter in diameter made from
twisted strands of the strongest hemp with in
terw0ven wires of fine steel. The grapnel at
the end is merely solid shaft of iron some two
feet long. weighing about a hundred pounds
and prolonged into six blunt hooks which much
resemble the partly-cosed fingers of the human
hand In picking up the cable in deep water
the Minia after reaching the waters near the
break lets out her rope and grapnel, then takes
course at right angles to the cable and at some
distance from the fracture. so that the broken
end may not slip through the grapnel The
grapne rope is attached to a dynamometer
which exactly measures the strain on the rope
and shows unerringly when the cable has been
caught III the grapnel fouls a rock the strain
rises very suddenly and to high point; but the
exact weight of the cable being known. the
dynamOmeter signals by the steady rate of in
crease its hold on the cable far below. The ease
and certainty with which the cables are picked
up in these days is amazing. A while ago one
of the lines of the AnglO-American Company
was caught without trouble. at depth of two
and quarter miles, near the mddleOf the At
lantic. Capt. Trott, of the Mna who has won
great fame for his skill and ingenuity in cable
matters. but recently picked up the French
cable one hundred and eighty miles off ST.
Pierre. and I'm four hours from the time the Crap
mel was let go had the cable spliced and in work
Ing condition The splicing is a work of
great delcacy and skill, and when accomplished
by trained fingers the "spced" part can
scarcely be distinguished from the main cord.
SO rapid has been the Improvement in perfect
Ing the modern cable that the resistance to the
electric current has been reduced to one-quarter
what II was twenty years ago. while the duplex
system of sending and receiving messages dou-
bies the capacity OF every new cable laid The
working age of the modern cable is about thr-
teen years.