The suburban citizen., 1901-02-09
Z Y 7 ATCHING the dynamome-

U
trical engineer. Ny father, who was
| interested in n cable company, had
procured me the position Of engineers
assistant on the old cable ship Docia.
How the whitewash flew there and
how it made my eyes smart! Clouds
of 1t rose from the cable as it ran
around the drum and dipped under the
| dynamometer sheave. Within a few
minutes it would cover me completely.
Nevertheless, it was a good first ap-
premiership to the business Of laying
and operating ocean cables.
From the factories on the Thames,
! England. where most of the cable iG
manufactured, it is drawn off to the
great circular tanA5 of the cable ship
lying out in the river. 1t is coiled in
layers or fakes, as it is hauled aboard
and literally coated with whitewash,
to prevent the fakes from sticking to-
gether.
TO haul a long cable aboard and
stow it properly in the tanks often oc-
cupies twenty days and nights. The
cable ship, with a full complement Of
mechanical and electrical engineers
and their assistants. then steams away
to that quarter of the world where the
cable is to be laid, soundings having
been previously made for It along the
| sntire route.
Wnen laying down deep-sea cable
| the ship usually steams from five to
| seven AnOts an hour. but sometimes
! when all Conditions are favorable, iu-
creases her speed to nine knots. The
| coils Of cable are then whisking up
from out the tank and gliding through
] the sheaves at a spanking rate As it
rises from the tank it passes, first, six
| times around a great drum to prevent
slipping, then dips under the dynamo
meter and glides out over the stern
sheaves and down to its long rest on
/ the cold. oozy Ted Of the ocean
! Deep-sea cable is calculated to stand
a strain Of five tons. 1t will not bear
much more without breaking. The
dynamometer is a device with a point
er hand for indicating, from moment
! to moment. the amount Of strain to
which the cable is subjected When
the pointer turns to a higher figure we
know that the water is growing deep
er, and jHat consequently n greater
length of cable is hanging from the
stern sheave.
Frequently the cable steamer cannot
| approach within a mile or. two OF the
beach, on account Of shallow water
and sometimes the shore is rough and
rocky. Shore-end cable, too, is very
! heavy. Generally we get the end that
Is to go ashore down from the steamer
to a steam launch or a wherry. and
then make for the shore with it, at
taching balloon buoys to the cable as
1t comes from the ship to prevent 1t
from sinking and getting chafed OH the
! bottom as it is drawn along.
When the launch or wherry reaches
the beach the end Of the cable is
passed through a long spider gheavc,
anchored securely in the SAND. and
then the task Of hauling it begins.
The end usually has to be carried sew
eral hundred yards from the waters
edge up TO the cable hut, usually made
Of corrugated iron, which serves as a
temporary cable Office
While the line Of cable is being laid
| down the electricians test 1t constant
! ly to see that no breaks occur or faults
! develop. The coil in the tanks is kept
| charged with electricity from a bat
| terry of about a nuLdred cells aboard
ship A telegraph instrument Is At
tached to the end of the cable. brought
mp from the bottom Of the tank, so
that the ship is in communication with
the shore from which she is proceed
ing. A marine rejecting galyanometer
is also kept in the circuit.
At the cable hut on shore the cable
terminates at one pillar Of a discharg-
ing key, the end being thus insulated,
so that the insulation resistance Of the
cable can be kept under constant OBJ
servation. The galvanometer mirror
reflects a spot of light on screen
from little lamp called the galvano-
meter lamp.
Once in five minutes the operator on
shore, commonly called the "spot
watcher depresses the lever OF his
key, thus discharging the tension in
the cable into condenser" The spot
Of light moves on the screen and Its
movement Is noted.
simultaneously on board the ship the
salyanOmeter acts in the same way
After an hour the battery on the ship
is reversed. II the operator on the
ship wishes 10 speak to the one on
shore he reverses ahead Of time, and
If the spot watcher IN the cable hut
'ishcs 10 speak TO the ship he de.
presses his key out Of time.
To be left to watch spot" day after
day, in cable hut on some lonely
coast Is an experience which may re.
suit in adventures. Well 90 / remem.
Der being landed on the beach 10 the
east Of Accra, Africa, TO watch SPOT
when the Senegal and Loanda cables
were laid.
The shore end had been lanGcd az
usual. cable hut erected and galya.
I