The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-01-04

hesh from the other parts of his body
and the limbs look like threads support-
ing enormous weights, and so great Is
the weight of his hands that they haus
helpless at his sides, he being unable to
hit them of his own accord. This fatty
matter continues to increase, and his
hands and feet get larger every year.
Ten Atlantic cables in all have been
successfully laid, and the first two are
dead or lost. A brief reference to these,
and to the conditions under which the
| Others came into xistence, can scarcely
fail to prove Of interest at this time
DR.. Franklin, toward the close of the
last century, directed attention to the
subject OF deep sea soundiuga, and limited
that science might be- great gamer
from an examination of the Atlantic
bottom, UP to thirty years ago, how
ever, the ocean was regarded as being in
many parts too deep for soundings. In
the year 1868 series of careful exami-
nations revealed the fact that between
Newfoundland and the Irish coast there
stretches a vast plain, 1000 miles long
and 400 miles wide. At either side of
this plain, or roadway, the land rises
from 1000 to 1000 feet, forming de-
clivity steep as Mont Blanc. The Azores
and Bahamas were shown to be moun-
tains higher than the Himalayas, and
which rise precipitiousy from unknown
depths. The discovery of the compare
lively level ocean floor encouraged those
who had been dreaming of connecting
the continents by the electric wires, A
company was organized, called the Lon
don, Newfoundland and New York Tel.
egraph Company, with Messrs. G w.
Field, Moses Taylor, Marshall o. Rob
erts, Wilson G. Hunt and Peter Cooper
as its promoters. They established
cable between Newfoundland and Nova
Scotia. and Mr.. Field obtaind the exclu.
sive right to land cables in Newfound-
land. He then went to England, and
succeeded in convincing the capitalists
| there.
The cable lines have an aggregate shore
capital of $64,' 100000. How much of
this has real value back of it and how
much is fictitious may be estimated up
on the basis os the cost of the new and
improved cable about to be laid. This IL
said to be $2,2O",0t0. Supposing the
~ oil Of la oil
09o,oOO on the average, they represent
some 5000 0,0OO of property, and the
| remaining $l4,000,0 900 of share capital is
water. Dividends cannot be earned by
Il twenty-fve-cent tariff. OF the eight
cables only three are in really good or
der, the other five being old and having
little chance Of continued life. The
average life Of cable is only ten years.
One of the eight was laid in 1879, anoth.
er in 1878, a. third in 1874, fourth is
the old cable of 1866, repaired in 1880,
while fifth was laid in 1876. The more
recent three are the French (Pouyer
Quertier) cable of 1879, and the two new
Gouln cables. The oldest company, the
Anglo-American, is the owner of the
four oldest cables, including the patched
one of 1880. Three of these it laid,
while the cable of 1869 was laid by the
old French Company, and came to the
Anglo American when it absorbed that
company. These four old cables are
represented by a capital of $12,582,5 $50,
preferred six per cent. shares a like
amount Of deferred shares, and $9,884,-
800 of ordinary shares-in all $35, ,OOO,-
900. Their total length is 12,9l9 miles
and the capital is therefore $2,765 per
mile.