Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-10-13
me Latest be.

Since the first successful and per-
manent Atlantic cable was laid, in
1866, as recently related by the late
Cyrus w. Field in the Youths COM
paniOn, submarine cable-laying has
pressed until some of the remotest
regions of the earth have Geographic
communication with the rest of the
world One may now send a tele-
graphic message from any American
city not only to Europe. but to the
West Indies, Brazil, Chile, Argentina,
India, China, Japan. the Pacific coast
or Siberia, Australia, Java, Tasmania,
New Zealand, and the west coast of
Africa. The Atlantic Ocean is crossed
by several Geographic cables, but not
until the present year has a cable ex-
tended across it at its narrowest
point.
The distance from the mainland of
Africa, in the neighborhood of Liberia,
to Cape St Rogue in Brazil is only
about two-thirds of the distance from
Newfoundland to Ireland. In the early
days Of last May the British ship
SilVerton set out from SilVerton. on
the Thames near London, to lay a
cable between Senegal, on the west
coast of Africa. and the Brazilian
shore.
An ocean cable already connects
Europe with Brazil, but it extends
from Lisbon to Pernambuco, which
is as great a distance as from New
York to Liverpool.
Since mr. Field and associates ac-
complished their great achievement,
remarkable progress has been made in
the methods of cable-making and lay
ing. There is now comparatively
little risk in laying cables, though
very great precautions have to be
taken to avoid accidents. No doubt
it is because cable-layers know by ex-
perience exactly what precautions to
take that the risk has been so greatly
reduced.
The cable just laid from Senegal to
Brazil is little more than two thou
sand miles long. It weighed about
1--we thousand tons, and was carried
in three tanks
The pictures in The Companion IL
Illustrating the first cable-laying
showed the ship ''payIng out" the ca
bic from the stern. These pictures
were correct. But it has since been
ascertained that it is much more con-
Venient to pay out a cable from a
ships bow than from the stern, and
the SilVertoWn consequently ran her
great cable out forward. Cablelaying
was not the first great invention
which began 'tWrong end first"
In some respects the newest sub
marine cables are simpler than the
earliest. This new African Brazilian
cable is of varying thicknesses. For
the shore ends. where the most fric-
tion is expected, it is very thick, and
weighs about fifteen tons to the knot,
or nautical mile. In the deep sea
portion it occasionally runs as light
as two and a quarter tons to the
Knot.
The communicating part of the
new cable is in the center, and con-
sists of number of copper wires.
These are firmly embedded in gutta-
percha, which is a non-conductor. In
manufacturing this portion of the
cable special care has to be taken to
keep out air bubbles.
Around the gutta-percha. as pro-
lection from rocks and Sea-monsters,
is a band of steel wires, themselves
covered with a resinOus coating to
prevent cOrrosion. The steel wires
have a breaking strength of eleven
tons. Every section of three knots of
the cable was separately tested in the
manufacture.
The Silvertown carried two wooden
huts on her deck. One of these was
set up on the coast at Senegal, and
into it the shore end of the cable was
conducted. After the ship set out.
signals were passed every five minutes
between the ship and the shore dur
ing the whole operation Of laying the
cable, so that anything wrong might
be instantly detected.
When all was well, and the vessel
was in the deep sea, cable-laying pro-
crossed at the rate of ten knots an
hour. which is fairly quick ira yelling
in itself.
A large staff of engineers, assist
ants and laborers went with the ship.
The men worked in four-hour shifts,
and then had eight hours off. These
short working spells and long rests
for the men are found profitable, for
the strain when on duty is severe,
and the slightest neglect caused by
WEAKNESS or nervousness might cause
a weeks delay.
Teasing Children.
The other afternoon I got into a