The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-04-15
Much Gutta PsTeha Needed
for Submarine Cables. ?
THE SUPPLY IS VERY LIMITED.
Leading Nations Are Making Desperate
Efforts to Discover New Stores Of
The vIscid Substance.

one serious element in projects for the
construction OF submarine cables is the
increasing scarcity of gutta percha and,
consequently its increasing cost, for gut
IA percha is an Indispensable cable insu-
lator. Between 1864 and 1890 the amount
of gutta percha exported from the re-
stricted region where IL Is produced in
creased from 1880 TO 10000 tons. Even as
late as lSS2 only SS0O tons was exported,
so that the actual increase In the nine
years was Loo tons.
But this increase in production By no
means kept pace with the increase I'm de-
mand, owing 10 the enormous extension
of cable laying in the SOS. So intimately
allied are electric cable extension and
gutta percha production that IN any year
or any given period of years IL Is quite
possible To measure the one by the other
But comparatively speaking. cable lay
ing IN an parts OF The world has SO Out
stripped gutta percha production that
there has been a very decided increase
in the cost OF gutta percha In the mar
L.t. Between 1876 and 1882 the price Of
gutta percha doubled. Between 1889 and
1898 il Increased by one-third
George Clapperton. trofnc manager or
The Commercial cable company, 10 a New
York sun reporter. is a vital factor I'm
making submarine cables, and | have
heard the comparative scarcity or gutta
percha discussed as serious element In
the cable laying OF the future.
but the promising view Of the case IL
that really there Is not vast deal OF
deep-sea cable laying IN the world which
remains to be done
THERE rs NO SUBSTITUTE.
''The last link in the second line from
England TO South Africa has just been
completed. and the German cable 70 this
country has been laid. The two great
lines in contemplation are the American
cable TO Hawaii and the Philippines, ana
the British line from British Columbia
about 1890 miles.
Then there rs another tine in COnstd-
eration from somewhere on the eastern
coast OF South Africa TO Australia. about
b0oo or 1000 miles al rough estimate. and
some 1900 miles more in Northern Europe
making total OF from 25,opo to 25,uoO
miles.
when these are completed the world
will be pretty well immeshed with' cables,
and II would seem that the construction
Monid be comparatively limited. for a
Now. of course. the construction of
ahe 5000 miles In the Pacific alone Will
require vast deal OF gutta percha. Yet
] imagine the cable manufacturers know
where they are going 10 get IL. for un-
derstand that they are already prepared
10 bid on the contracts This. suppose.
would hardly be the case unless they had
the gutta percha I'm sight.
There is absolutely no other substance
haf usill al ka ha ~ af sytff IN
percha as a shield for the copper wire
case and electric cable. Search has been
made and is still being made for some
thing that will do AZ well. but IL has not
yet been successful. Experiments have
been made with other substances. hut
they all failed. So the dep-sea cabie
seems practically to be dependent upon
guttu percha.
1T is a perfect insulator and II has
also the property not only OF deteriorat-
ing by submersion IN sea water. hut of
actually improving the longer II Is sub
merged. GGtta percha that has been az
the bortom of the sea for years Is bet
ter than when it was first laid down. II
retains its remarkable Elasticity and re-
mains stil as perfect IN regard to It's In
sulating qualities
Covering the copper core OF am electric
cable with gutta percha is one OF the
most difficult and delicate processes ~
cable manufacture The slightest impcr-
fection IN the covering or porc tn,
fraction " q hairs breadth in size means
sooner or later broken communication
involving an expensive voyage of the re.
pair ship
"The gutta pcrcha which must he oi
the finest quality. is laid ON over the wir,
IN a thickness of about the diameter oi
the wire itself over this is laid a coat
ing % paler and cheaper quality ~ gut
~ percha, and then come the steel wire,
20 give tensile strength. over the Who'll,
is wrapped jute cord coated with tar
WORK FOR a "GENTLEMAN.
There is on board every cable repair