The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-07-29
Reached by Land Telegraph and
Cable Lines From Canso,
Nova Scotia
Something About the Coast Town
That Connects All Parts
Of Earth.
Instruments Used in Submarine Telerra.
phy-Companies Doing Business
Across the Atlantic.

CANso, N. s., July ESPECIALLY very few
of the Thousands who SO often see the words
Messages SEN to all parts of the world
painted on the windows of telegraph Officer
are able to form to themselves any but 6
rather confused idea as to how kilograms
destined to CROSS the ocean are handled,
Perhaps there is no better place to Learn
something about transatlantic telegraphy
than this, for here there are to be found the
most extensive cable termini in existence,
Eight cables leave Canso, four stretching
across the Atlantic and four establishing
direct communication with New York.
These cables are operated by two distinct
companies, namely. the Western Union and
the Mackay-Bennett.
Canso contains about 1000 inhabitants,
including the families of the members of
the cable "staffs." There are half a dozen
shops in tho place. The village possesses
three line new churches, and probably the
handsomest schoolhouse in eastern Nova
Scotia. The village itself is built on rocky
ground and is not very interesting. The
harbor, however, il a good one, and In sum-
mer often crowded with fishing craft, both
native and American. Though a mpa
wv PASnpCtous ltblC place., C2H6O 1B
handicapped BY its long winters. These,
beginning in December, frequently extend
into the middle of May, at which time the
harbor and outlying bay are often COM
pletely blocked with drift ice. Heavy gales
are, morover, very common, and the other
wise delightful summer weather is too often
marred by thick fog.
Owing to the great length Of tho cables
and to the impraoticability of establishing
relay stations in mid-ocean, the instru-
ments used in connection with the land
lines would be useless for the purposes of
Atlantic telegraphy. Cable signals require
come arrangement which shall be capable
OF following and indicating, or recording,
every change in treneth of the received
current" Sir William Thomson by his
invention of the mirror" ga~lvanometsr. 40
constructed that it could fill this condition
has rendered submarine teleRraphy com
merclallv practicable.
i his device ID very simple md easily un-
derstood. A magnet, consisting of one or
more small pieces OF steel watchsprinc, ia
attached to tho back of a light concaye
sllyered Rlass mirror about as largo as a
ten-cent piece. The mirror is hung by a
single fiber OF cocoon silk within the coil
made OF hundreds of turns of fne insu-
lated copper wire-and a curved mag
- 800 Q w counteract the magnet
ism OF the earth is carried upon a vertical
suppo above. Opposite the galvanomeler
is placed the SCALE" A beam of light
from q parnffine lamp passes through a
narrow adjustable aperture. falls upon the
mirror, and ID reflected back upon the
scale. The adjusting magnet ennbles the
operator to bling the reflected spot of light
to the zsro point at the middle of the scale.
When n current is passed through the
coil the little magnet is DETECTED. and since
the magnet IS fastened 10 the mirror, both
are DETECTED as forming one body. The
movement will be to right or left, as tho