The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-10-12
New Line Constructed Between
U. S. and Europe Is the
Largest and Fastest.

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New York.-During a period of al
most three-quarters Of century tiny
strands Of copper, resting In the still
ness and darkness on the oceans bed
have been carrying messages between
Europe and North America. The elec-
trisal impulses passing over these
wires have linked the Old and the New
World. Time between the two has
been abridged to seconds and minutes,
as through the Atlantic waters flash
the doings and sayings Of the people
on each side of the ocean.
Pew persons who send cablegrams
have any adequate conception of the
work which must be done and the
amount of money spent before such
messages can be flashed from one con-
tinent to the other. The laying OF an
ocean cable, Its manufacture and re-
,air while in service, may be called
nerculean feats.
This subject Is now creating interest
for the reason that the Postal Tele-
graph Commercial Cables system the
other day took the first step In the lay
ing Of new cable between the United
States and Europe. This Is said to be
the largest and fastest in operation of
any deep-sea cable ever manufactured.
II Is the first to be laid between this
country and Europe since 1910, and It
will establish the sixth transatlantic
circuit owned and operated by the
Mackay system.
Largest Cable In tho World.
The American end Of the cable was
connected with the station at Far
Rockaway on August 20, and from that
point the cableship Faraday will lay
the Far Rockaway- Canso section,
which terminates at Canso, Nova
Scotia. This cable has length Of
about 1000 miles. Meanwhile, the
cableship Colonia, the largest Of her
kind In the world, will begin to lay
another section Of the new cable, about
100 miles In length, from Casno to
the Azores ISLANDS.
At the Azores connection will be
made with cables reaching London by
way of Waterville, Ireland, and later
IN the fall a new section of 1,546 miles
WIN be submerged between the Azores
and Havre, thus providing n direct cir.
cult to France and the Continent.
The new cable has the largest cop.
per conductor ever put In long dis
tance submarine cable, and It's mes.
sage-carrying capacity Is said to far
exceed that OF any similar length. The
conductor of the mnln section weighs
100 pounds per nautical mile, against
700 pounds In the largest deep-sea
cables used heretofore. The working
speed Of the new system is expected to
be 600 letters minute simultaneously
in each direction, or full capacity of
100 letters.
The laying of this new cable recalls
the trials and hardships encountered
Dy Cyrus West Field when he labored
10 get the first cable across the Atlantic
After the necessary survey Of the
oceans bed had been made In 1850 by
the United States and the British gov.
ernments the historic undertaking was
begun in August. 1857. The starting
point was at valentia. on the west
coast Of Ireland. After the cable ship
had covered distance of three miles
from shore the cable broke because II
was of weak construction. In June.
1853, attempts to lay the cable were
resumed. Time and again start was
made, but each attempt proved unsuc-
cessful. The greatest length laid was
200 miles.
$50 Words Sent In 80 Hours.
In spite of these disheartening fall
ures Field did not despair. and In July
he made another attempt. This time
the venture proved successful. The
cable reached Nova Scotia. and on
August 16, 1853. the first cablegram
was sent from America to Europe.
This message was greeting from
President Buchanan to Queen Victoria.
n contained 100 words and II took
30 hours to send II across. A com
parison Of this speed with that Of to-