Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1895-05-23

bank, with a tripfe-strength
wire strung between them. Fin
ally. when all resources were
thought to have been exhausted,
CaptainSleeth, who died in March
of the present year, came for
ward with a very unique but sim
pie and practicable plan, and one
which overcame all anticipated
trouble. Sleeth's scheme was
nothing more nor less than one
which transformed a common
telegraph wire into a veritable
submarine cable. At his sug-
gestion the wire was wrapped in
strips of tarred tow sacks and
then firmly anchored in the
rivers bed. So we'll was this task
performed that the remains of
what has since become famous
as the worlds first submarine
cable may still be seen at time
of low water. The next sub
water roadway was laid under
the neck of the bay which sep
arates New York and Jersey
City; this in 1848. Two years
later, in 1850, the cable was first
laid between Dover, England,
and Calais, France. It was a
single strand of wire covered
with gutta percha, but otherwise
wholly unlike the perfected ocean
cables of to-day. The English
and French electricians were
wild with delight when the won
derful achievement" was pro
nounced completed, but their
enthusiasm was but short lived.
Within "a hours the great
Dover-Calais cable" was as dead
and useless as a Missouri angle
worm after being exposed for an
equal length of time to a hot sun
In the following year, 1851, the
first really successful ocean cable
was laid and put in working order
between the aboye-named points.
Then came the great Atlantic
cable telegraph scheme; but,
like the Dover-C alaias venture,
it at first proved a failure. Dur
ing the years 1888 three at
tempts were made to bind Amer
lea to Europe with the electric
veined' telegraph wire. but all
were abortive. Finally, in Au-
gust Of the last named year, com
munications between New York
and London we're established,
via Valentia, Ireland, andHeart's
Content, Newfoundland. This
wire was in working order ex-
actly 81 days, from August 10 to
September l, 1858. When this
pioneer Atlantic cable became
silent many doubted whether
Morse's fond dreams were ever
to be realized. It was eight years
before these doubts we're entirely
dissipated, 1866, when the first
permanent Atlantic cable was
LAID. Since that time cable
schemes have Matched like June
mosquitoes-they are here, there
and everywhere. Africa, Bor-
neo, the Malayan Peninsular and
many other places usually con
sidered as being "out-of- the
way" are connected with the
great centres of civilization.
Eleven working cables stretch
between America and the Old
World countries. In fact, the
whole earth, with the exception
of the Pacific lying between Asia
and our west coast, is literally
girdled with thousands of pull
sating submarine wires. China
is connected with Australia, Java
and New Zealand; South America
with Portugal, France and AT
RIGA, the last named country be-
the only one of the earth's
grand divisions Of land" which
is completely encircled with cable
wires.
Thirty-eight mammoth cable
ships are constantly en-
gagged in threading the oceans
and bays with wires, annually
adding thousands Of miles to the
worlds great system of submar-
inc telegraph apparatus.
On January 1, 1895, there were
over 1000 separate cables in
having an aggregate
of 1853, 900 miles of wire. and
costing not less than $21O, 900, 900.
Before the end of the present
year we will probably see a line
laid from San Francisco to Aus
tralia via Sandwich Islands.
When that task is completed the
earth will be strung about with
a network of wire like a monster
balloon, and the whole Of the
gigantic achievement can be
credited to the embryonic idea
which originated with Prof.
Morse only So years ago and
which was first put into prac: ical
operation by the almost unknown
Captain Jack at Paducah, KY,
in 1915.
The Confederate Reunion.
We have no doubt that the re-
union of ex-Confederates at
Texas, to-day will call
e--11