Evening journal., 1903-02-23
PRESENT METHODS
IN LAYING CABLES
No Moisture Must Reach
the Wires Which Are
Copper


dAcate that the builders OF the new Pa
cifc cable, which has already reached
Honolulu and viii soon be ON its way
to Manila and the coast of Asia, are
profting enormously by the cable build
ing experiences Of the past, says the
New York Evening Posts correspond
ent. The first consideration Is to get
good support for the cable on the bed
OF the ocean and not TO have 1t suspend
ed in festoons from peak to peak. The
soundings of the Pacific taken by the
hvdroara phic bureau OF the navy and
made available for the Commercial Ca
BILE company by agreement are the best
piece Of work In their line ever done
and accordingly the cable which foi-
lows that line will call for less than the
usual amount of repairing.
Millions of dollars have boen thrown
into the ocean by improper cable lay
ing. Companies have gone ahead with
cut any adequate survey and some
times without any survey whatever.
II IN paying out the cable the ship
came to a place where the bottom OF
the ocean suddenly rose considerably,
the cable would be Immediately drawn
taut at that point and suspended in a
long fostoon until It was brought to
The next point Of Fest. In laying the
arst Hne from Alden 10 the coast OF
India the cables were sent out on ships
with laying machinery designed for
depth OF n thousand fath0ms. When
! the first ship was starting from Aden,
n British naval officer came in with the
information that the general depth over
- the route was about doUbie that Of the
estimate. Still the company went ON
y laying the cable, with the result that It
failed very early. Il worked well for a
time. but It's llfe was short. AS cables
then coat much more than they do now,
IL was an expensive experiment.
The working limit today in cable lay
'' ing Is about $500 fathoms The rou-
be is not in laying the cable, but in
q picking Il up for repairs, and this Is
J. about the extreme limit Mt which II Is
thought best to operate grappiing ma
II chinery. This limitation compelled a
u somewhat circuitouS route in the Pacif-
e ic cable In the part Of the sea between
e the Midway islands and Guam a sub
marine depression was found Of 5,209
Z fathoms-almost six miles. That Is the
p deepest part OF the surface OF the earth
Ig Of which there is record.
People who know vaguely that a sub
y. marine wire is only about an inch thick
N and looks not unlike an ordinary street
's car cable have very little idea OF the
intricacies Of its construction. The del
icate copper wires which carry the cur
a. rent musa be so protected that they car
~ lie Tor years on the bottom Of the oceal
and do their work without accident o
In interruption Not Only strength. bu
ol continuity and perfect insulation, ar
necessary No moisture must reach tn
Dol metal
sst The cable is accordingly composed o
three parts-a core, which is the cor
.e- ductor made up Of copper wire; tn
40 casing of hemp, tar and rubber. whic
,at protects this from the water, ana IN
heavy steel binding that acts as
act shield against rocks wreckage and III
he keels OF ships near shore. The insula
nd ing covering IS generally made OF gu
Ia percha but occasionally india rul
of bor is used A layer Of tanned ju
atv yarn covers the gutta percha to prote
cid il from the steel wire casing which
ne turn protects the whole from accider
md though II has itself 10 be ineased
iute warn and a bituminous compouI
ace TO keep It dry.
lis- The cable ship Is not only & hui
Irs- storage department, but a big foatii
{ s workshop as well. In the hold the
och are three immense iron tanks, simil
TO the land tanks at the manufactor
the thirty-four feet I'm diameter, for I
y Of storage Of the cable, each having
e Of conical core for guiding the cable VIII
Test paying Il out The space within the
lru- cores Is utilized TO hold fresh watt
The c.ipacity OF the tanks in the roc
day lar cable ship Is about 1,4o0 tons
ing cable. this being the equivalent
r oil about 100 miles of inshOre cable weie
was ing fourteen tons TO the mile or
pied miles Of the deep sea type. weight
len about two tons mile.
rett The cable tanks are all connected
eel ways or troughs so that transi
was may be made from one tank to anotf
VIII or from any tank to either Of the hu
on having out machines. Handling Of
7s-i cable made necessary by such transi
9ls a is usually done by means Of SIN
engine connected with a drum and
mounted on truck, by which it m
oies be moved about the deck.
sev- A dynamometer indicates the amor
row OF strain to which the cable is subje
Old ed at any moment and also enables
man in charge Of the brake wheel
regulate the strain put on by the bra
with TO suit the varying conditions OF Il
mid. ing. After leaving the dynamometeI
lille passes under and ovor several large
onlv tarding wheels before vending its S
and uous way into the sea.