Evening star., 1896-09-12

roSlStduC0 WHICH the wire OnerS TO the cur
rent averages specified quantity to the
mile When a break or fault occurs the
resistance of the cable Is measured In the
cable station. This can be readily done,
because the circuit will generally complete
itself through the earth. When the resist
ance has been measured, 1t Is easy to find
out where the break is by dividing the
whole amount by the average resistance
per mile. 1t may then be found that the
break Is two. three. four or five hundred
miles on shore, as the case may happen to
be. A cable-repairing steamer, with a full
corps Of electricians on board. Immediately
posed to be- This Is an easy matter, for
when cables are laid the latitude and longi-
tude of the cable-laying ship Is taken as
each mile of the cable is paid out. If the
say, 500 miles of shore. the captain Of the
repair boat directs his vessel to the par
ticular junction OF latitude and longitude
which was encountered when the 5OO-anile
arrived at what he corceives to be the
proper vicinity. he steers his vessel into a
course at right angles to the course held by
the eaole: He then throws an iron over
board and proceeds to prapple for the ca
BILE.
Difference In the Pull.
He knows when he has caught the cable
by the difference in the pull from the pull
which Is felt when a rock is struck. A rock
when caught by the cable will finally let
go with Jerk. but the cable when caught
will exert long. steady and obstinate pull
as 1t is hauled to the surface. There is also
a patent graphing iron which cuts through
the cable covering and electrically rings a
bell Having picked up the cable, the chief
electrician on board the boat cuts through
the covering, If 1t has not already been cut
through by the graphing iron and attach
Ing a transmitter to the core sends q sig
nal through the cable. If he gets an an
course that the break must be beyond him,
or, vice versa, II the answer comes from
the European end. AS he now knows In
which direction from the vessel the break
must be. ne proceeds to measure the re-
sistance Of the broken end, in order to
see exactly what its distance is from the
vessel.
If 1t is not far. say, four or five miles,
the captain OF the vessel proceeds to un-
der run the cable until the delinquent spot
Is reached, when 1t is an easy matter to
repair the break or to put in a new section
OF cable. If the break is found to be
been picked up Is attached to buoy, and
the vessel steams away to what further
observation has determined to be the re-
quired spot The cable Is picked up again
and signal is sent through
If the answer Is from Europe instead OF
from this end of the line. 1t follows that
the break must be somewhere between the
two parts Of the cable which have been
easily determined and repairs can be made.
Sometimes the work Is very expeditions.
but in stormy seasons of the year it has
often been month before the break has
been found. 1t has also happened that in
graphing for cable the repair boat has
picked up by mistake the cable Of another
company. This has happened three or four
times. but the courtesy of the cable COM
panies to each other has always excused
1t.
Cable. of the World.
No Atlantic cable runs directly to New
York city at the present time. Most of the
transatlantic lines land in the neighbor-
hood Of Nova Scotia or Newfoundland The
messages are retransmitted by a coast line
cable to the metropolis The interval of
time require in the retrarsmission is not
one second for the operators read the mes
sages letter by letter as they arrive and
send them over the coast cables instantly
The new French ca BILE to be laid next year
Will. however, have its terminus directly in
New York city. 1t is expected that the
competition thus engerdered will greatly
enhance the general service. The coming
congressional agitation over the installa-
ton of Pacific. cable will also revive in
terest in a scheme which must quicken the
ese commercial awakening will certainly
receive further impetus when this cable
is laid. The whole east in fact will be
benefited. and incidentally our foreign COM
merce. There are already over 1900 cables
lying under the and the various water
courses Of the world. They aggregate over
one and one-quarter millions of miles of
cable line. A large fleet of steamers and an
army of men are kept busy laying and
pairing them. so that altogether the cable
industry is a large business IN itself. even
aside from the messages which are sent
over the wires.