The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1895-03-12
SUBMARINE CABLES.
HOW OCEAN TELEGRAPHY Is
MADE POSSIBLE.
The Care Exercised I'm Manufactur-
ing "Core"-Stanch Ships Sus-
pend II Between Continents
Ncnding Broken Cables.
THE 100. 600 miles in the snb.


Ocean is crossed by eleven cables, and
Africa is fenced in with them.
\ submarine cable is strand of
copper wire armored in steel or iron.
IT must be Acknowledgements, " water
proof and strong enough to span the
chasms in the bed of the ocean, climb
the submarine mountains and bridge
the valleys far below the paths of the
ocean greyhounds. The greatest care
Is exercised in its manufacture, and at
every stage of the making it is tested
by electricians. The cables nerve is
he seven fine copper wires which lies
in the very centre of the "core." The
strand of wire is first drawn through
m adhesive black miXture and then
through machine which coats it with
gutta percha. In laying on this first
coating of the insulating material care
Is taken that IL, air bubbles are caught
between the wire and the gutta
percha, for if any air Is imprisoned it
may work out through the covering
when the strain is put upon the cable
in laying it. The wound made by the
little air bubble in breaking out is
small-too small to be seen-but it
will start break which will result in
broken cable. Four coats of gutta
porcha are put on the copper centre,
and the ''core" is then cooled in iron
tanks, covered with water and tested
to findwhether it is electrically sound.
II the instruments OF the electrician
fail to discover n leak the core is taken
out and wrapped with tar jute. This
Is done In n machine which lays the
Jute around the core. Another ma
chine covers the jute with steel or
iron wires, twisting them around the
jute-enveloped core just as a steel
cable for grip cars is made.
Over the steel rope canvas, which
has 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 the electrician announces
that the cable is fit to transmit mes
snges under the Atlantic Ocean the
cable is taken aboard the cable
steamer.
In the hold of this ship are great
steel tanks which look like monster
cake-pans, for in the center of each is
choppedof hollow cone, around
which the great sea serpent is coiled.
The cable is dragged into the ship over
the drum of large hosting machine.
From this drums it glides snakelike
over steel roller in the bottom of a
trough which lies on the deck and
dives down into the gloomy hold of
the vessel.
The cable ship is one of the stanch-
est of vessels, of large carrying ca
pacity. Over its bow hangs deeply
grooyed iron pulley called the chow
sheaye. This oyerhangs the cut
water of the vessel and carries the
cable in when the ship Is engaged in
picking up broken cable. Back
OF the bow-sheave is the dynamometer,
which tells by its pointer the strain
upon the cable. The dynnmometer is
large grooyed wheel or sheave set in
frame which slides up and down.
The sheave is balanced by weight. and
the rope of tho graphing outfit passes
under the sheave. A strain on the
rope has n tendency to straighten it
out, and il raises the iron sheaves. In
doing this it moves the pointer which
indicates the amount OF the strain.
One of those pulleys or elders" which
takes up the slack Of the rope used for
the transmission OF power could be
easily. made in n dynamometer, for
both work on the same principle.
Farther back is the picking-up-gear
which is n powerful hosting machine
with six foot drum. In the stern Of
The vessel is the pnying-out gear.
This IS duplication OF the picking-up
gear with the addition OF powerful
brakes to hold the cable when neces-
sary
When the place selected for the
shore end of the cable has been
reached the cable ship approaches the
land as near Is safety will permit.
The paying-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 tho
cable ashore. As the cable siips over
the stern sailors fasten air balloons TO
1T ut intervals of fifty or sixty feet
The balloons serve to keep the cable
from being dragged on the bottom or
chuffed by rocks. The men on shore
signal to those aboard by means of %
hand flag, using Che system adopted by
the signal corps OF the army, and
when enough cablohas been landed to
reach the station the proper signal IS
given and the rambling drums cease
their complaints. Then the cable is
buried in the beach, the hemp rope is
hauled in, the balloons aro gathered
mp, and when all nre aboard the cable
steamer turns her nose away fl o land
and stcams into the ocean, leaving
wake of submarine cable as she moves
along.
Before the shore ond Of the cable
hnd left the ship its end had been
sealed nnd an electrical test has been
made. The hosting drum of the pay
ing-out gear Fits the cable from the
tanks below, and rs the steamer goes
ahead the cable slips over the stern
into the ocean, and all the time the
electrician sits in his testing room with
nis eyes fastened TO the little ray OF
light which TOLLS him vvbotbor tb,,.