The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-09-06

miles. The Atlantic Ocean alone is at pres
ent spanned by ten cables In more or less
continuous use. The Commercial Cable
Company's system is composed OF two main
cables from Cape Canso in Northeastern Nova
Scotia to Waterville on the southwest coast
OF Ireland. From the latter port the cable is
laid to Bristol. with aerial lines to the chief
cities OF England. Wales and Scotland, and
another to Havre with an underground line
to Paris. At the American end double
cove cable runs from Cape Canso to Rock
port, Mass, with aerial lines to Boston and
New York, and second cable running direct
from Canso to New York. The efficacy OF
the last line was we'll demonstrated during
the blizzard OF 1888, when 1t was the only
one open from New York to the outer world,
and messages to Boston and other places
were transmitted by way OF London. The
total length Of cables operated BY this COM
pany is $685. nautical miles. In the exhibit
here the whole process OF transmitting
messages between Europe and America is
shown. An artificial cable with all the prop
critics OF the real Atlantic cable is employed
signals sent through it and received by the
recording instruments are OF the same shape
and occupy the same time in sending from
one side Of the pavilion to the other as from
one side Of the Atlantic to the other.
Visitors are permitted to send souvenir de-
spatches through this artificial cable, and by
watching their course through transmission
and reception, obtain correct idea OF the
whole operation. Many people suppose that
cablegrams are received by means Of flashes
Of light, but it seems that that system is prac-
tically abandoned. The messages arereoorded
on paper ribbon with fine glass siphon no
thicker than hair the ribbon moves at the
rate OF about forty inches per minute and the
siphon leaves an inky trail clear and legible
to the operator, but to the ordinary specta-
tor II resembles the outline OF mountain
chain in which there are no two peaks alike.
With these recorders speed OF 250 to 300
letters per minute may be maintained.
Automatic senders are also used. The mes
means OF indentations, then the ribbon Is run
through the automatic sender by this means
light, speed and uniformity ars attained.
Some OF the instruments for detecting breaks
and injuries to the cable are extremely in
teresting. FOR example. a machine has been
devised for registering the amount Of resis-
tance the current meets with in passing
through the cable. This resistance is divided
into units called ohms, and the number OF
ohms per nautical mile for any given cable
Is readily deduced from the total re-
sistance and total mileage. II the lnsula-
tion OF the cable is torn Of by dragging
anchors, contact with the bottom, or thelike,
the current at that place ceases to have re-
sistance, and by dividing the resistance which
remains by the number OF ohms per mile the
exact place OF injury is known. Some In
stances of extraordinary speed in cabling are
recorded. One case Is mentioned in which
instructions were sent to London brokers,
the business done, and answer received, all
within six minutes. . In another case mes
sage was sent to London and an answer OBJ
tanned in forty-fve seconds. This, as may be
conjectured. is the fastest time on record.
In all quarters OF the Electricity Building
are new and astonishing uses to which the
suble fluid is put, sometimes when only the
slightest force Is desired, at others when a
mighty and irresistible power is applied.