The Washington times., 1894-05-14
Two More Gables
To Europe

| Two more cables are being lald across the
Atlantic. There are at present ten cables con-
Meeting the Old with the New World, but SO
rapidly has the cable business grown that
they are inadequate to handle it all. 1t was
on August 16, 1858. that the first message was
sent under the Atlantic, but the cable broke
down twenty-three days aiterward and COM
| munication was not resumed until July,
| 1866, since which time it has been uninter-
rupted.
The original charge for message, SAYS
the New York World, while there was only
one cable in existence, was S5 per word.
but the laying of new cables, with
consequent competition, has brought the price
down to % cents per word, and. as result,
the business has enormously increased. Now
one OF the cable companies is adding to its
equipment by putting down two new cables.
the shore ends of which are now being laid.
No cables had been laid during the previous
ten years. but experiment in the meanwhile
has shown many improvements, and these
have been Incorporated in the new lines.
The cables have been made by Siemens
Bros. & Co., whose factory at Woolwich,
England, has been working night and day to
complete the order. SO that the cable may be
laid during the early Spring. Altogether 2, POI
nautical miles OF cable have been made, and
these consumed 495 tons OF copper wire, 3i5
tons of gutta-percha 575 tons Of jute yarn,
5000 tons Of steel wire, and LOIS tons of
compound and tar. making a total weight of
5,46O tons. The order for the cable was given
November 81 of last year, and rapid work was
begun at once.
The cable is largely made by machinery
ana the twisting Of the wire and covering
with tar and gutta-percha are done by auto
matte apparatus. The deep sea portion OF
the cable, which is the smallest part of it in
hy,y ha Ion iv, 9th
tured at the rate of five nautical miles per
day by one machine, and there being ten ma
chimes OF this kind ut work there were fifty
five miles OF deep-sea cable turned out every
twenty-four hours. The shore ends OF the
cable. however. required much more time to
manufacture. 1t is necessary that these
should be very large and strong. As long as
the cable lies along the bed of the ocean 1t is
out Of harms way. No storms. however vio-
lent, can reach it. 1t is not affected by any
change OF the temperature. and it is too deep
to be molested by Rsh or any kind of marine
creature.
II is, therefore, only necessary in the deep
sea portion OF the cable that the little copper
wires in the ''core." which convey the mes
sage, be thoroughly insulated and kept dry.
This is accomplished by their being covered
with a coating OF jute and gutta-percha over
which is sheathing of small steel wires
This sheathing increases in strength and pro-
tective power as the shallow water is ap-
preached, and there are seven different sizes
in the new cables. The score containing
the copper wires along which the messages
are sent is carried through all sizes un-
changed. The heaviest part of the cable is
that which is near the shore, where the mo-
ton Of the waves may wash it to and fro
among the rocks and stones. that would
otherwise soon cut it. Along the banks o;
Newfoundland fishing schooners anchor and
oil r,ia he. 10 hot
tingency has to be provided for in weight and
strength.
From the time the cable is finished until it
is paid out over the stern of the cable-laying
steamer Faraday it is never allowed to get dry
1t is kept in large tanks Of water and trans
ferred to such tanks aboard the Faraday,
where it is coiled up. The Faraday started
some three weeks ago from England with the
shore ends, and will return for the deep-sea
portion of the cable, 1.500 miles long, about
the middle Of June. When the shore end is
all paid out it will be buoyed, and tine Fara-
day, coming back some weeks or a month
later, will look around for the buoy in order
to pick up the cable again.
Thus passengers across the Atlantic this
Summer may see a buoy away out in tn
ocean, but mariners will be warned to let it
alone, as it marks the end OF one of the Sec
tions of the new cable. The Farajay can lay
the deep-sea portion OF the cable at the rate
OF seven nautical miles per hour, proceeding
unuer almost full head of steam. The cable
is simple paid out from the stern like rope
Occasionally. however. the steamer will stop
and pay out lot of cable before proceeding
This is done where she comes to IT cliff or sud-
den fall in the bottom of the ocean, which is
not level. as some people imagine. but has
all the Typographical features of dry land
The Faraday is provided with maps Of the
bottom of the ocean as accurate rs if made by
rI,t,o rtn oil y,N;n 20 ;e
sought to have the cables actually resting on
the bottom and not stretching from hill to
hill. While the Faraday is laying the cable
electricians on board are constantly keeping
up communication with the shore, so as to
see that it is in good running order. and
while in the middle of the Atlantic the officers
of the ship may learn the latest news When
a buoy is picked up the submerged end of the |
cable is slowly hauled aboard and carefully
spliced to the other section. 1t is estimated
that the Faraday will lay the deep sea section
of the cable in about ten days.