The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-23
ABOUT ELECTRIC CABLES.
NoNE ron sUBMARINE USE MADE
IN TIE UNITED STATES.


O,,v I,r.t. --h..,se-. Cable. =, Pr...-t
N...f.eturea Hsre-Ths Co.t 81 Mate.
rails the R-es,s.-ssas 0niy 90 Order.
"a c.h,. .,ectr,cisn cana IN me the o,ber dsv
...Ltr .n rIovment ', saId /. manufactures ~
.,.c,,ic cable. ~ bpt. although he had been am
Moved AZ an expert nv the commander Of a
cablel.v,no .teamer. I told him I had no,binO
o. ~, % Az
Tbi. eIec,rician vainlv .o,vht emplovment
IL bts orn n.criiar linz b.cousa This ro,ntrv
Acc. M, map,f.ctpre suhm,rine Cable. All.
tLr,oh subnarIne telegrsphy got its frs, erea,
'imrri.. IN mi. conntrv mo onr ~ tic trsns-
.,la n,ic cahic. las been made here. All soy,s ~
per.on. inclusino electr,cions and otbors tech
~nIcallv Acquainted with t.levr,pby. often specu.
late vbv nolodv IN the United states under
,.k.s mi. ,ndustrv II IL n higbIv proat,hIe
bu.inea. and thar. aro Mt I.ast nttv concerna
IN Fprope that mako submnrine cables. The
man In mi. country who makes III. neares, nm
proach to a ,rue spbmarine cabl. snvs Tin, the
cos, NJ a few articles is the main obstacle ,o suc.
c..sfu, compe,ition with the subnar,nc cable
mak.r. NJ Eurone.
All tho great submarIne cables are made nm
s.s.n,iallv ~ n ,o,,,,-, core insulated with gu,,a
percba ana prot.ctcd from wet bv speciolly pre.
nared ,pt. and many galvanized iron uires mr.
.,r.nd. ss an ontcr covering IN Give tensile
strength. The lates, laid Atlantic cable has A
warming NJ nrcpared iute outside the galvan-
izcd iron wire. Tho chief item ~ exu.nse in
,h.se materials "a tho galvanized wire. II ia
prod1ced in Ger,nanv NJ about two cents a
Mound. II cost for n long time tbrec cent, n
nound N produce IL here. hut nov n companv
that is selling wire rope abroad In competition
with European manufacturer produces at
about three cents a pound a steel wire Of rather
petter qua'i'S IMAM .ne "elih"h 'rol "ire' eng
land is the great cable-making nation. and she
p,ocures ner wiz irom uermshy' LnRIand mas
. nke auvahIase owe, ; III the ucms OF gute
indies and her close trade relations wi,b ,hnt
- -. 80 -. 49,
a advantage. Then. finally. the labor employed
In cabls mailing ia not a n wall Maid abrool as
here and ia not much more eearien, here than
abroad. The men who handle crude gutta
percba here earn At least so per cent. more than
Europeans engaged IN the same work. In view
Of all these facts capitalists here cannot be in
ducod to invest 100000 or s5,ooo,ooo in a
caole-makinE plant and caole-laying ship. The
tendency, however, is toward cheapening raw
materials ana improving processes and perhaps
, me 'n ooru Uu"t II w Ue,o% a..a m oos.,ne cao ,h.
nno,sd c.hls.
neeueu ooe
nents are made in Europe, the large quantity OF
.nhaoneou, cable laid .nnu.,iv maj riv.r.
lakes. and armI OF the sea in this country is
nearly all made at home. Some hundreds of
miles of such cable is made annually. The
Western Union Telegraph Company and the
United States Government are the chief con-
sumers Of this subaaueous cable. though every
electric lighting company that las 10 cross con-
siderable bodies OF water uses some. The West
work a cable OF seven coppcr CONDUCTING wires
insulated In rubber, protected with jute. and
arnored with eighteen galvanized wires. II
weighs 2l,5oO pounds TO he mile. and is A close
equivalent to the shore-end parts OF the large
s sSs cables, save that they al
rubber. The several layers OF this cable
from without inward run thus: Iron wire, bed
ding Of jute, second bedding Of jute running in
opposite direction. third bedding of iut. runrinU
in nIternate direction, the seven coppsr wires
only recently that the Western iTnion Comnany
substituted rubber for cutta percba' and many
have The latter insulation. Gntta perchn resisffs
the action OF water better than rubber. The
earliest Atlantic cable successfully operated was
insulated with gutta percha, and il Is still in
use. Rubber. however. resi-ts better the heat
OF the sun when. as often happens with cables
left bare at low tide.
The United States Government still insists
lie subaqueous cables. There is remarkable
cable used in lighting buoys of sandy Hook, IL
consists Of three conductors OF copper wire in
individually insulated with gutta percha. a
bedding Of jute. an inside armOr Of heavy gai-
yanized wire, another bedding Of lutte, and an
outside armor Of galvanized wire. Other sub
aqueous currents for carrying heavy electric
currents for lighting are made of a core com
posed OF copper wires from nineteen TO twenty
seven in number, rubber insulation. tute cover
ing. and In many cases galvanized arnor wires
a. many ns eighteen in nGmSer. Undercround
cables substitute lead for the iron armor, aud
this protects the insulation from moisture.
The United States Government, under a spe-
cial construction OF the tariff laws, imports
cables duty free through importing houses that
store the material in bond, II used 10 be that
home manufacturers thought IL was not worth
while To attempt competition with the foreign
manufacturers in such cases. but one manu-
~facturer in this city did obtain some Of the work
and has long been doing more or less sub
aqueous cable making for the Government. A
somewhat lighter cable than that furnished
from abroad Was the successful competitor for
this purpose. but the foreign manufacturers
have since learned the trick and are seeking TO
compete.
There are no cable shops. Each of the great
submarine cables has been made upon new
specifications and in accordance with the teach
ings Of experience and the latest well establish
ed facts OF electrical sciance. The same is in
large degree true of subaqueous cables, Should