The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-20


come uninteiligible indeed. In such a
case the operator is compelled to study
the form of the line made by the earth
current and then to note the difference
between it and the true message. In
short, he makes his earth current line
his zero mark and determines his mes
sage accordingly.
WHY IMPOSSIBLE TO TELEPHONE
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.
It is in this connection that we must
look for .he true reason why we are
unable to telephone across the Allan
tic. II is this electrifcation of the
gutta percha that prevents il. There
is no real insulating substance. Some
substances insulate more than others
but all are subject to identification.
When an electric impulse is sent across
the ocean the whole of the cable cover
ing and all, must be electrified before
the current flows through and operates
the receiving device. Tt is what is
known as the tail end of the charge
that really carries the message. This
interferes with the sound wave. In
telegraphing there are only ten or
twelve sound waves a second. In tele-
phcning there are two or three thous-
and in the same time. 1t is obviously
impossible then to telephone across the
seas under existing circumstances.
A PHENOMENON OF CABLING.
One of the peculiar phenomenons of
cabling is the ability of one operator
to recognize the handwriting of the
operator at the other end of the lire,
far away in England or France 1t is
2 tlA1a 6ot r &c, nd
many strange friendships are formed
between men who have never seen
each other and who may never have
been ten miles away from their respect
i've homes thousands of miles apart
There is an old story of a man who re-
fused to believe in a telegram sent to
a friend because it was not in his
handwriting" This could not apply to
cable operators. AS soon as the siphon
begins to make its waving lines on the
tape, the operator, or rather the re-
corder of the same, knows who is at
the other end of the wire. The writ
ing of different operators is as rec
ogndzable ait a distance of 5000 miles
as it would be if they were nearer
at fand. The peculiarities of the man
are detected on the tape and without
any attempt at slang a man is known
by his curves. Some operators write
plain hand" others send a message
that is equivalent to what in ordinary
life would be called very bad manu-
script. If an operator gets into rage
and violently bangs his keys. the fact
IS known to the men at the other end
OF the line, and he is prudently laughed
at In another hemisphere In the old
days. long distance fights used often
10 occur, but talk on any private mat
tiers between operators is now strictly
prohibited by the various cable com
panieS
HOW A BREAK IN THE CABLE is
LOCATED.
Sometimes a cable will break at the
bottom of the sea, or some other faul.
Will prevent messages being sent
through. Although the line extends
through miles of drift and over leagues
OF ocean bed the system has been re-
duced to such nicely that the location
OF the fault is only a matter of a little
calculation. 1t is generally located as
follows: 1t is known that the resist
ance which the wire offers to the cur
rent averages a specified quantity TO
the mile. When a break or a fault oc-
ours the resistance of the cable is meas
ured in the cable station. This can be
readily done because the circuit will
through
earth. When the resistance has been
measured, it is easy to find out where
the break is by dividing the whole
amount by the average resistance Der
mile. 1T may then be found that the
break is two, three, four or five hun
dred miles off shore, as the case NAV
happen to be. a cable-repairing steam
er with full corps of electricians on
board Immediately starts for the spot
where the break is supposed to be.
This is an easy matter, for when cables
are laid the latitude and longitude of
the cable laying ship is taken as each
mile of the cable is paid out If the
break, as determined by the resistance.
Is say, 500 miles off shore, the captain
OF the repair boat directs his vessel to
the particular junction of latitude and
longitude which was encountered when
the 50O-mfle mark of the cable was first
laid. Having arrived at what he CON
ceives to be the proper vicinity he
steers his vessel into a course at right
angles to the course held by the cable.
He then throws an iron overheard and
to grapple for the cable
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
iron will finally let go with a jerk,
but the cable when caught will exert a
long, steady and obstinate pull as it IS
hauled to the surface. There is also a
patent graphing iron which cuts
through the cable covering and cleo
trically rings a bell. Having picked UP
the cable the chief electrician on board
the boat cuts through the covering if
it has not already been cut through by
the graphing iron and attaching d
transmitter to the core sends a signal
through the cable. If he gets an an
swer from this end of the line he
knows, of course, that the break must
be beyond him or vice versa if the an
swer comes from the European end. (