Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-06-04
FOES OF OCEAN CABLES.
Stornasy Tides, Icekergs, and Seaweed
Frequently Cause BreakaGe.

Frequently Cause BreakaGe.
DR. Maynard, curator OF mechanical
instruments in the National Museum
has quite recently placed ON exhibition
In the hall devoted to mechanical curiOs
short section Of the old Atlantic cable,
the first one thar was laid down be.
tween Newfoundland and England by
the steamer GRAFT Eastern In addition
to this, he has also placed ON exhibit
several sections of the second Atlantic
cable, laid in 1881, and which were pre-
scented to the Museum by the Western
Union Telegraph Company.
Several years after the first Atlantic
cable was laid many iTnperfections
were discovered in it's construction.
eter from one end to the other, and.
while this was all well enough in deep
sea, 1t was far from being heavy
enough at the shore ends TO resist tho
masses of floating ice, seaweed, ice
bergs and currents that strained, twist
ed. and tore the cable to such an ex-
| tent as to keep a force Of men con-
stantly employed making repairs on it.
To remed. this, a new and perfected
cable was made and laid In 1881, be-
| tween Dover Bay, Nova Scotia, and
Withstand Bay, Cornwall, England
This, the new cable (the one now in
| operation), Is three inches in diameter
at the Nova Scotia shore end and mar
rows down, through six successive
stages: the heavy shore, light shore,
heavy intermediate" to the seventh, or
deep sea disaster" of less than one
inch occupying the deep trough OF the
Atlantic Ocean. Then 1T begins TO thick
en- through all the stages above men
| toned, but in inverse order, froE the
deepest part of the Atlantic TO the point
where II terminates in the cable sta.
ton at Withstand Bay 1.-THE old Pen
zance"l, on the coast of Cornwall, Eng.
| land.
The deepest part Of the Atlantic
Ocean is where the cable is least dis
turbed, or, in other words, where the
likelihood of disturbance is the least;
but as 1t nears land In either direction
the danger OF its being disturbed. cut
ground. twisted, snaried, and broken
by currents, icebergs. etc, increases,
and this Is why the present cable is
thicker and heavier in such places than
it is in deeper water. in order that it
may successful, = resist all dangers of
this sort
The copper wire over which the news
of the old and the new world travels
remains, however. the same through
out the entire length of the cable the
protecting jacket and Insulation alone
varying i'm thickness and diameter ac
cording to location and depth of the
sea The insulation of the copper cable
wire remains Of the same materials
throughout. decreasing in mass and
size from shore to deep sea This insula
ton protecting the cable wire is as fol
lows:
The copper wire is first inclosed in :
tubing Of gutta percha, around which
comes a layer, or thickness. of small
r steel wires Over these is Wrapping q
iute fiber saturated in 81 waterproof
compound which, in turn. is iacloset
In a casing or armOr OF heavy steo
wires over these follows the last coat
: consisting Of jacket made of heml
fiber, tar and other ellen ants, ana
| which resembles patent leather, 1t j
! absolutely waterproof. and a thouSani
. years exposure TO the briny fluid Of ole
. ocean would not be sufficient TO tarniSh
much less to rot. this peculiar paper
= the process for making which is a st
o Icret.-Washington Post