The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-21
THE FIRST ocean CABLE
Vicissitudes of the Early Wires
Under the Atlantic.
Original Submarine TeleKraphy an
Exploit Beneath the English Chan
AgamemnOn and Sabseauent La
bors of the Steamer Great Eastern.

H.
Half century ago the first messages
sent by a submarine cable passed between
Dover, England, and the coast Of France.
Science had again redeemed herself from
the calumnies of ignorance and what had
before been popularity considered wild
and baseless chimera. had become, at
length an established truth.
There is something fascinating, almost
romantic. in the birth and development OF
all great discoveries. To trace the per-
fected system back to its original incep
lion is like the exploration Of some
mighty river to its fountain head. The
noble stream along whose shores great
cities spring into existence as II by magic,
ard in whose beneficent course follow pro-
gress and civilization, traces its origin to
some mountain spring that gushes petu-
lantly forth in the midst OF bleak and
forbdding Businesses.
Were the projects Of the telegraph or
the railroad traced. respectively. to the
original inventors the results, 1t is felt
assured, would be sufficiently startling
In the case Of the first We would find, du-
ring the latter part of the last century. a
poor Spanish engineer who. his comrades
said. had some kind Of an insane idea
about sending messages by wires TO great
distances, even beneath the ocean. To
look for the man who first conceived the
idea of loconotion by steam is still
| more melancholy task. Read the words
OF Marion de Lorme who, in the year 1641,
in company with the Marquis of Worces-
ter. CHANGED to visit the Bfcetre at Paris,
Al-A st a FL + 1T
united the honors of prison and an in
ferno
I'VE were crossing the court" writes
De Lorme, land 1, more dead than alive
with fright, kept close to my companions
side, when a frightful face appeared be-
hind some immense bars, and a hoarse
voice exclaimed. I am not mad! am
not mad! have made discovery that
would enrich the country that adopted it.
What has he discovered?' asked the
guide. 'Oh!' answered the keeper, shrug-
ging his shoulders, something trifling
enough; you would never guess it; it is
the use Of the steam of boiling water F"
All through the first half of the present
century telegraphic experiments were
going on. for it is a notable fact that
though the man may die, his idea, If it
contain within it the germ of truth, will
thrive, and become immortal.
In 1873 signals were transmitted
through seven miles Of wire laid on the
bottom of pond An English engineer
officer, in 1888, made some more or less
successful experiments with cable in
sulated by means OF tarred roped and yarn
solidified with pitch. Submarine telegra-
ply, however. was not rendered thorough
ly practicable until perfected by the
brothers John and Jacob Brett, who. over
LOT ba
beneath the waters of the English chan
mel. ,-
Tie possibility of laying an electric
cable in the Atlantic, from Europe to
America, was suggested by Prof. Morse
as back as 1S43 but it was net until 1854
that Cyrus Field and others discussed the
means of practically realizing the idea.
In 1855 negotiations were carried in in
England to establish a company and
raise capital. which objects were at
tanned in 1856. The New York and New
foundland Telegraph Company connect
ed Newfoundland with the mainland of
America by cables and land wires, bat
the Electric Telegraph Company und r
took the laying OF a cable from New
foundland to Ireland with capital of
81. 10000 in shares OF 5000 each
length Of $500 English miles CT cable was
ordered. and was completed by the sum-
~
be seen in the National Museum among
the relics of Prof. Morse. contrasting
forcibly with the jeweled decorations
presented TO the great inventor by near
ly every monarch in Europe. This first
cable consists of conductor of seven
fine copper wires No. % gauge, twisted
tightly together, forming a c-rd one
twelfth OF an inch thick and Weighing 107
pounds per mile. This thickness is in
I'D tn fp1,t L. aG ;.,.I l..
core of three layers of gutta-percha Out
side the core is jacket of hemp yarn.
saturated with pitch. tar. beeswax. and
boiled linseed OIL The outer sheath
consists of eighteen strands, each formed
of seven No. 20 iron wires. The whole
diameter is about six-tenths of an inch,
and the weight one ton per mile.
The Niagara and the Agamemnon, the
one lent by the English Government and
the other by this country, took each ] $50
miles of the cable. and steamed forth from
Valencia fwest coast of, Ireland on Au-
gust 7, 1857. The Niagara paid out her
portion of cable as she went. On the 1fth
in an attempt to slacken the rate of pay
ing out. the cable snapped, and the end
sank in 1000 fathoms of water $50 miles
from the Irish Coast. The appliances on
board not being sufficient to remedy the
disaster the two ships returned to Ply
were placed in tanks until the following
year.
In 1858 another ATTEMPT was made to
bind together the two Continents by he
slender metal rope. The Niagara and
Agamemnon were again employed, but the
submersion was to begin in mid-ocean
this time, one vessel proceeding eastward
and the other westward, after splicing the
two halves of the cable They left Nalen
bat Z ,0t otv fnnyD
days later that they could finish the
splice and commence the submersion. On
the 2sth double breakage took place and
IA miles of cable went to the bottom
wholly severed from the rest.
The Agamemnon returned to England
for improved appliances and further in
gtructions. and a month was thus lost.
On July 20. the two ships again spliced
their two halves of cable in midocean
and proceeded with their work without
further disaster. On August 6. the Aga
memnon reached Valentia. and the Mag