The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-07-14
OCEAN CABLES.
FOURTEEN OF THEM CROSS
THE ATLANTIC.
How the Continents Were First Con-
neeted BY Telegraph Materials
Comprising Submarine Cables
Cost Of Cabling.

tic Ocean, connecting the UnitsS
States with Europe, the oldest now
in use, according to the New York
News. is that laid in 1873. 1t is 81
years ago to-day since that elephan-
tine monster, the cumbersome side
wheeler Great Eastern, completed
the laying of the first 30 miles OF the
cable westward from Valentia, on the
southwest coast OF England.
There are now over ], 800 telegraph
cables under water in the different
parts of the world, l,277 of which
connect with London, and thus indi-
rectly with this country. These
measure in length lis, 600 miles, and
as several Of the longest contain two
or. three conductors, they make in all
over half million miles in length OF
copper wire, sufficient to go around
the earth 20 times. Only a small
fraction is owned by the different
European Governments, the bulk be-
ing in the hands of private concerns,
capitalized for nearly 5000, 600, 900.
The British Government naturally
has more cables under water than
any other nation. They are lis in
number, and bring the most remote
portions of Hindostan or other OBJ
scure points in British India in as
quick touch with the Government at
London, as is Cork, Ireland.
The Pacific Ocean wildly pictur-
esque with its thousands OF fathoms
of water which cover up an uneven
and mountainous bottom, abounding
in huge precipices and yawning
genuity. The sea is copper-bound
from New York and Halifax eastward
to Gibraltar, the Mediterranean, the
Black, the Red, the Arabian seas and
the Indian Ocean, but the great Paci-
fic remains still free unless short
line from Sydney, Australia, to New
Zealand, is considered as in this
ocean.
AS almost everybody knows, the
first Atlantic cable was laid with
money raised by Cyrus w. Field. He
went abroad from here in 1856, and
company was formed in London, the
cable made. and on August Z, 1851,
the ship Agamemnon belonging
TO the British Government, and the
United States steam frigate Niagara
left Valentia, Ireland with the cable,
which was paid out over Il wooden
drum. On the fourth day out the cable
parted and the end was lost in water
two miles deep. That which had been
sunk was 335 miles long. After two
more unsuccessful attempts in the
early summer of 1858 thirty-six years
ago, the great work was accomplished,
communication being opened on the
9TH Of August Of that year How
ever, only 1872 messages were sent
over this line, as the cable was inn
perfect and was never opened for toll
business. The fifth dispatch sent
was from New York to Mr.. Cunard,
at London, telling him OF collision
between the steamships Europe and
Arabia.
The breaking out Of the civil war
stopped negotiations in the cable
business between this country and
England, and during the great strife
we had no telegraphic communica-
tions with the other side. After peace
was restored, however, Mr.. Field was
again in London organizing another
company. The new cable was made
much stronger, and the Great Eastern
was chartered for the laying, the sup
position being that the vessels pro-
digious size would relieve the cable Of
any sudden jerks or strains. 1t was
on lovely evening, July "a, 1860,
that the Great Eastern, with the cable
stored comfortably away in her hold,
steamed westward from Valentia.
All went well until she was within
600 miles Of Hearts Content, New
foundland. Mr.. Field was on board,
and every now and then, with bat
teries aboard, trials were made to see
if it was all right. Suddenly it broke
in the very deepest part of the ocean
and was lost. Having lost all the
graphing gear the Great Eastern
steered homeward.
The next year the Great Eastern
tackled the job again, and on July
%, 1866, landed the shore end OF n
cable at Heart Content. Then the
expedition returned to the spot where
lnt CuDit was IOsl lilc year btlOlt'
succeeded in graphing it, and in Il
short time America and Europe were
connected by two lines of telegraphic
communication.
Submarine cables are now con-
structed differently than formerly;
that is, the different sections vary in
size. The shore ends are two inches
in diameter and heavily armored,
while the deep sea section remains
about as of old, viz: three-quarters
OF an inch in diameter. In the new
Commercial cable there are LOO. 600
pounds of copper, 800, 900 of steel
wire, 1,300, 600 Of jute yarn, 1,SOO,-
600 OF compound and SO0, 900 pounds
OF pure gutta percha. This costs
about 81 800 mile, and laid, nearly
S3. coo. so il is safe TO estimate that
the actual cost of laying all the
St,hrporiua "a hla IN nsa to-day IL