The Washington herald., 1907-05-26
WHALE STOPS The MESSAGES
Atlantic Cable Tangled by Levi.
athan of the Deep.
Must Have been Caught During LHy-
Get Free Smashed Things.

In November last an officer Of the Gem
trail and South American Telegraph Com
panv called on tho director OF the New
York Aquarium with a letter from the
electrical engineer Of the company. who
desired 20 know what depth a whale could
descend and whether an air breathing
mammal could stand a water pressure of
nearly half a ton 10 the square inch.
These inquiries We're prompted by an
interruption Of the submarine cable be-
tween Iquique and Valparaiso. Chile.
which occurred on August Il last and
which was caused by large whale that
was afterward drawn TO the surface by
the repair steamer Faraday from a depth
Of 80 fathoms An article in the New
York Geological Socletys Bulletin for
April, an aquarium number from which
the above facts are taken. continues:
The cable In which the whale was en-
tangled weighed In air. while wet, ILLS
tons per nautical mile and had a breaking
strain OF 606 tons. The weight I'm salt
water was 1905 tons per nautical mile.
If the whale came to the surface 10
blow. he must have held two or three
miles Of cable in suspension. This. how
ever, is unlikely, since it had four turns
Of the cable around its body, one being
in its mouth.
When the trouble with the cable was
discovered tests from Valparaiso and
Iquique placed the break about thirteen
miles from the latter place. On August
.l6 the Faraday left IquiGue for the posi-
ton Of the break and began graphing in
$40 fathoms, with 800 fathoms Of rope out
The cable was hove up. cut and tested
to Iquique. The end was buoyed and the
ship, graphing farther out, picked mp the
cable which came in badly twisted and
with increasing strain.
4 large whale was brought to the sur
face completely entangled in the cable
The stencil being uncomfortable, the cable
was cut close to the whale and the vessel
moved to windward.
Tests were made and Valparaiso spoken
The ship made four soundings in the Vi
entity. which showed a depth of as
fathoms g. $50 feet. nearly half "a milel.
It is extremely doubtful whether an mir
breathing animal can go as deep as 400
fathoms. and as that depth is much below
the limit Of pelaglc life. on which most
whales feed it is not likely that the whale
would penetrate such a depth Total
darkness. moreover, prevails in depths of
40G fathomS.
According to the records OF vhalemcn.
whales have been known to stay under
water more than an hour and after being
harpooned 10 have carried out a mile Of
line before reappearing at the surface,
although this does not necessarily mean
that the line was carried down vertically.
The Vslparaiso-Iquique cable was laid
on January q, 1906. At first sight Il seems
unlikely that the whale entangled in this
cable could have remained eight months
without complete disintegration or being
gradually consumed by small forms OF
life on the bottom
The deep sea, however, is intensely cold.
the temperature being close to the freez-
Ing point Of fresh water, and the carcass.
unless actively attacked by bottom life,
might be expected to last longer than in
the warmer surface waters.
Since. from what we know of air breath
ing animals. it is unlikely that the whale
would descend 400 fathoms Of its owp ac-
cord, and as a deep sen cable is not laid
very slack. il is doubtful that the whale
could have fouled it at the bottom.
The logical conclusion Is that il became
entang'cd during the laying of the cable.
eight -tonths before when there was a
considerable length OF IT in suspension.
The twisted condition Of the stiff and
heavy cable about the animal shows that
the energy expended in the vain effort %
free itself must have been enormous.