The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1895-01-31
SUBMARINE CABLES.
now OCEAN TELEGRAPIIY Is
MADE POSSIBLE.
rhc Care Exercised I'm Manufactur-
ing "Core"-Stanch Ships Sus-
pend II Between Continents
Iending Broken Gables.
uIHE 100, 900 miles in the sub.

NOIlu cost HUOul sAVVsNVVs-
{. 900 and eat up fortune
every year for repairs and mainte-
nance. The bed of the North Atlantic
Ocean is crossed by eleven cables, and
Africa is fenced in with them.
a submarine cable is n strand of
copper wire nrmored in steel or iron.
II must be "elcctricity-ticht, water
proof and strong enough 60 span the
chasms in tho bed Of the ocean, climb
the submarine mountains and bridge
tho valleys fur below the paths of the
ocean greyhounds. The greatest care
IL exercised IN its manufacture, and at
every stage OF the making il is tested
by electricians. The cables nerve is
hg seven fine copper wires which lies
in the very centre OF tho "corc" The
strand of wire Is first drawn through
au adhesive black miylure and then
through q machine which coats il with
ggt,a pgrchi. In laying on this first
tJatng of the insulating material care
is taken that 40 air bubbles nyc caught
between the wire aul tho gutta
1crcha, for il any air is imprisoned il
may work out through the covering
when the strain is put upon the cable
IN laying it. The wound made by the
iittlo air blbblc ia breaking out is
umull-too small TO be scen-but il
viii start q break which will result in
. broken cable. -Four coats OF gutta
parchi are put on tho copper centre,
md the "core" is then coilod in iron
tanks, covered with water and tested
20 find whether it Is electrically sound.
II the instruments OF the electrician
fail 10 discover a leak the core is taken
out and wrapped with tar iute. This
ls done in machine which lays the
lu,e around the core. Another ma.
chino covers the iutc with steel or
iron wires, twisting them around the
Iu.e.eHyelopoi cJro just rs u steel
cable for grip cars is made.
Over the steel rope canvas, which
Ias been soaked IN asphaltum or some
other pitchy substance, is wrapped,
and the submarine cable is ready for
another test. 1t is coiled in tanks
and covered with water. There it re.
mains for some time, while the most
delicate electrical tests are made.
When tho electrician announces
that the cable is tit to transmit mes
.ages under the Atlantic Ocean the
cable is taken aboard the cable
steamer.
IN the hold of this ship are great
steei tanks which look like monster
cake-pans, for in tho center of each is
& chopped.off hol.ow cone, around
which the great sea serpent is coiled.
the cable is dragged into the ship over
the drum OF a large hosting machine
tro,l this drums il glides sulkelike
Dye- steel roller in the bottom of
trough which lies on the deck and
iiyes down into TIE gloomy hold OF
tlc vessel.
Tho cable ship is one of the stanch-
est ot " -els, OF large carrying ca
p.c.ty. Over its bow hangs deeply
gooyei iron pulley called the show
eueayc. This oyerhaugs the cut
water O.! tie vessel and carries the
cable IN when the ship Is engaged in
"pias.us up a broken cable. Back
o. tha bO".sheaye is the Gynumometer,
which tells by its pointer the strain
up0a tie cable. The dynamOmctor ls
q large ,rooyed wheel or shcavc set in
o frame which slides up and down.
The sheayc IS balanced by weight, and
the rope Of the graphing outfit passes
audcr the sheGye. 4 strain on the
rope has n tendency 10 straightea it
ont, and II raises the iron sheave5. In
doing TIM, it moves the pointer which
indicates the amount of the strain.
one of those pulleys or ''idlers" which
takes mp the slack of the rope used for
the transmission of power could be
easily made in dynGmometer, for
both work on the same principle.
Farther back Is the picking-up-gear,
which Is a powerful hosting machine
with a six toot drum. In the stern of
The vessel Is the paying.out gear.
This is duplication of the picking-up
gear with the addition OF powerful
brakes ~ hold the cable when neces-
Iary.
When the place selected for the
shore end OF the cable has been
cached the cable ship approaches the
lani as near as safety will permit
The pgyinS.out gear hauls tue subma-
| rinc cable from the storage tanks and
the picking up gear draws in the hemp
cable over the bow and thus pulls the
cable ashore. As the cable sips over
the stern sailors fGsten air balloons to
/ 1t at intervals OF fifty or sixty feet.
Tho balloons serve 10 keep the cable
from being dragged on the bottom or
ehatfed by rocks. The men on shore
signal TO those aboard by means OF q
hand flag, using tho system adopted by
the signal corps OF the army, and
when enough cable has been mnded to
reach the sthtlon the proper signal Is
| given and the rumhling drums cease
their complaints. Then the cable is
buried in the beach, the hemp rope is
hauled in, the balloons are gathered
| up, and when all are aboard the cable
steamer turns her nose away 4 o II land
lnd steams into the ocean, leaving q