The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-05-23
BENNETT-MACKAY.
Arrival of the Faraday at Rock
port, Mass.
The Shore End Of the Cable Laid Amid
Great Enthusiasm.

RccKPoRr, Mass, May 22.-The CONNER
cial Gable Company made up of two stock
holders James Gordon Bennett Of tho New
York Herald and John W. Mackay, the Cali
fornia millionaire, commenced laying their
two ocean cables about three weeks ago. The
steamer Faraday began the work in Dover
bay, Nova Scotia.
The arrival of the Faraday at Roekport with
the shore end of the new Bennett-Macksy
cable was announced to the anxious villagers
by the booming of cannon and the ringing of
church and fire alarm bells in the town. The
entire population turned out on the instant
and crowded to the beach and soon the water
was alive with every conceivable description
of craft. The inhabitants of the adjacent
towns were notified by messenger of the
momentous event and, together with Rock
ports citizens, shortly crowded the beach,
Large excursion parties kept coming from all
the country around. The Faraday was soon
surrounded by hotilla of small boats crowded
with voyagers who gazed with open-mouthed
wonder upon the preparations for LAYING the
shore end of the cable.
The Faraday came to anchor half mile
from Long Beach on Cape Hedge and at once
began the work. The cable is the heaviest
ever laid. Il was stored in forward tank in
the ships hold. AS it was uncoiled it was
run over massive pulley wheels and through
immense iron sluices to the stern of the yes
sell, where it was paid out and coied upon
three large RATS made of inflated rubber bags,
covered with boards, and fourth ponto0n
made of boats dashed together and also covered
with boards. Six hundred and ninety-one
fathoms were cooled on the RATS, Three boats
crews were sent ashore through a heavy surf,
all the men being required to wear life per.
servers, carrying the heavy rope attached to
the foremost raft, all the other RATS being
lashed together and connected with the first
one. the rope was gotten ashore safely on
the first attempt. Then a large number of
men seized it and commenced hauling in
the RATS As they were slowly pulled toward
the shore the cable was slowly cncoi ed over
the stern of each raft successfully. When the
end of the cable was successfully landed it
was carefully hauled over the rocky beach to
the cable house, where it was made fast
A little after o'clock this morning the
committee Of citizens appointed for the occa-
sion boarded the Faraday and extended
formal invitation to the ships and cable COM
pany's officers to come ashore and
! take part in the ceremonies arranged
to take place. The people are some
what disappointed to learn that the
Faraday has still 250 miles OF cable to lay from
Rockport to her last buoy before the section
between Dover bay and Rockport will be COM
pleted. The officers found it impossible to &C.
cept the invitation of the committee until their
work was fully completed and this somewhat
dampened the enthusiasm of the villagers who
The people, however, made the most of tue
holiday. The brass band played, the artillerv-
| men fired cannon and seemed deter mined to
| make the day red letter one in the history OF
kockport. When the Faradsy steams away
this afternoon with the shore end of thu cable
| she will proceed to her last buoy, $50 miles
northeast, where she will splice the cable thus
making complete circuit from Dover Bay to
Rockport. Then she will steam 80 miles east
| OF Dover Bay and take up and splice the shove
nnUar Raw fntu do 81 TnsoL
| When this splice is made she will sail towards
| Ireland, paying out Thousand miles of the
deep sea section as she goes, which constitutes
| the entire amount of cable on board, she will
then buoy the end OF the deep sea section.
| After taking another supply on board she viii
| go back to her buoy and finish the deem sea
| section to the Irish coast.
The track of the cables is from Valencia. in
| Ireland, to Dover Bay, Nova Scotia, and from
thence to Rockport on Cape Ann, for one
cable, and to Fire Island, N. Y, for the other.
| The cable landed on Cape Ann will be more
| particularly for Boston and eastern business,
The other, which will run up to Fire Island as
described, and thence through the Great
South bay to Coney Island, will reach New
York city direct by an underground cable.
All accounts agree that the cables them
| selves have no equal in superiority. They
| were manufactured by the Messrs Siemens, at
their extensive works near London. Upward
of 25OO men are employed in the establishment,
and 100 were engaged at one time on the
Bennett Mackay cables. Their total length Is
| over 5000 miles.
| At present there are eight working cables
between America and Europe, and the two
additional ones of the Commercial Company
| will make a total of 10. The first submarine
| cable of any considerable length was laid in
1850 across the English channel. 1t is esti-
| mated that there are now about $4,000 miles of
| ocean cables in operation in all parts of the
world, which have been laid at an expense of
| $150,000000.
| The price of a cable message at present is 30
| cents per word, but there is little doubt but
lower rates will result from the competition so
| near at hand
| The Faraday sailed shortly afternoon paying
out cable and expects to cover the $50 miles
and splice the cable by the 25th inst, when
the circuit between Dover Bay and Rockport
will be complete. ~