Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-10-18

expensive submarine cable ever laid
1t was manufactured by the Telegraph
Construction and Maintenance Com
pany of London, having been begun in
March, 1905, and finished and shipped
ON board the Construction Company's
steamer, Colonia, on August 3rd, 1905
Atlantic cables are always laid from
west to east because the prevailing
winds in the summer months on the
Atlantic are from the west and ships
meet much better weather going east
ward, consequently the Colonia sailed
direct from England to America, ar
irving off the coast of Nova Scotia on
August 18th, and landed the heavy
shore end of the cable on the morning
Of August 18th. Moving out from the
shore she struck q rock and remained
fast on it for four days. The injuries
she sustained compelled her to go into
dry dock at Halifax with 1900 miles
of submarine cable aboard. She was
the largest and heaviest ship ever
taken on that dry dock, exceeding by
thousands of tons the United States
battleship Indiana of ten thousand
tons, which went into dry dock there
a couple of years ago. Repairs were
made and the Colonia took the sea
again.
On September % she laid her course
from Canso. N. s., paying-out cable.
On September % she passed through
hurricane in mid Atlantic. although on
that day the weather on both sides OF
the Atlantic was reported fine with
gentle Winds On October she ar
rived without mishap at a point 1877
miles from the coast Of Ireland, where
the final splice was to be made be-
tween the cable that she had paid out
from the American side and the 1877
miles of cable previously laid west
ward from the Irish coast by the
Steamship Cambria in the month of
June The weather was heavy and the
Colonia was compelled to heave to for
several days awaiting smoother seas to
enable her to make the final splice,
which was made on October s.
AT some points the cable was laid at
a depth of nearly three miles below
the surface of the sea. TIE quantities
ofs material used in the manufacture
of the cable were 1,411,26O pounds of
copper; 799,6Ss pounds O. gutta per-
cha; 16.s45,000 pounds OF brass tape,
jute yarn. iron wire and preservative
compound.
The signalling speed Of this cable is
fifteen per cent greater than that o.
any other cable Of equal length in the
Atlantic. The cost of the cable varied
from $1,000 to $4,000 per mile, accord
ing to the character of the ocean bed
and depth Of water, the 8 ,eat variation
in cost being due to the different diam
eters and weights of the sections of the
cable, the cable which Isl laid in the
deepest water being the lightest for thu
important reason that It would be
impossible to retrieve heavy cable
from deep water because of the enor-
nous pressure. Gable III deep water
is practically safe from mechanical
injury and therefore does not need to
be so strong, so that the sections laid
in the deep water are Of smaller diam
near shores are of massive construc-
ton and very expensive. In the neigh
borhood Of the fishing grounds off the
coast of New England, type of cable
midway between deep water and shore
and cable is used. This intermediate
size is made strong to resist injuries
from the anchors of fishing craft, the
most prolific source Of danger to sub
marine cables. This intermediate type
is made just heavy enough to afford
reasonable prospect Of retrieving it in
the event of it's being damaged by the
anchor Of fishing vessel.
The completion of this cable increas-
es so greatly the already large facil-
tiles of the Postal Telegraph Gable
Company for ocean cabling that no 9TH
err company can now excel its cable
service.