Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-06-06
JOSEPH HENRY LONELY CARETAKER
OF ARMY'S SECRET OCEAN CABLES
(By Dispatch A. 7. Mire)


BOSTON, June 5.-A little gray
steamship with a queer signal hang
ing from it's masthead may be seen
now and again in the great ports
of eastern and southern United
States. Yet thousands of travellers
who view it never suspect that this
vessel, the only one of its class, Is
vitally concerned in the defense of
the American coast.
The ship is the U. S. S. Joseph
Henry. Its woTK is the maintenance
of secret system of submarine tel
ephone cables that enables the coast
artillery to train its big guns on
targets out at sea. The Joseph
Henry, anchored here or there. or
busily steaming about its business, is
the only visible evidence of these
underwater communication lines.
Is "Oculist Of Coast Artillery"
1t might be appropriately called "the
oculist of the coast artillery" The
eyes that help find the range Of dis
tant targets are located far away
from the harbor fort, sometimes ON
a neighboring promotory; sometimes
on an island in the harbor. The
cables are the nerves that carry the
range finding observations to the
brain" that, fires the big batteries.
The fact tnaT these underwater
cables exist is no secret. Their exact
location, however, is a military Sc
cret. They are laid so that they are
out of the way of shipping lanes and
anchorages. Nevertheless, every so
often, some vessel fouls one of the.
cables, or a new cable must be laid,
or a cable develops leak.
If this situation occurs anywhere
from Portland, Maine, to Galveston,
Texas, the Joseph Henry appears on
the scene 1t is designated mine.
layer, although it never laid a mine
and probably never will. hundred
and sixty five feet long and dis
placing COL tons, its only distinguish
ing characteristics are huge reel or
windlass, mounted horizontally on its
forward upper deck, a big sheave on
a forward boom, and another pair of
sheaves at the bow.
1t looks like navy ship, but it is
operated by the army, being attached
to the seventh coast artillery at
Sandy Hook. The crew consists of
enlisted coast artillerymen and war
rant officers under Captain T. r.
Parker. 1t is supposed to carry
crew of 25, but the vessel is generally
shorthanded. When not working, it
ties up in the shadow of the Statue
of Liberty at Bedloe's island.
Repairing Damaged Cables
Wind and tide must often deter
mine the movements of the Joseph
Henry. 1t slips away to where the
cable has been snapped, drags about
on the bottom for while with
of the broken line. The line may
strung through a sheave then wound
on the big reel as the ship moves
forward slowly through the water.
The cable looks like rope, less
than three inche$1ih, diameter, but it
is OF, sterner. stuff than most ropes.
1t weighs sabout4 ten pounds to the
foot, if it is Of the f'50-pair" Va7
riety Its core consists of 104 cop-a
per wires in insulation. About them
is water-tighto lead sheath The
lead is wound With jute serving"
and outside of that is bound heavy
steel "armor wire
1t is not easy to work with. Kinks
must be taken out. & Leaks and short
circuits must be found. Restored to
perfect condition, the cable is taken
out again by the Joseph Henry to be
relaid. A small boat picks up buoy
and brings a rope aboard to- which
the other broken end has been at
tached. Then this end is dragged
aboard.
While the Joseph, Henry is at work
a signal swings from the mast which
means in the international code ZEN
gagged in cable work; not under con
troll
The end of the broken cable just
dragged aboard is cut off and tested.
with man working on the land to
help if possible. Then the wire ends
are boiled out" in parafin. they are
spliced, matched by pairs insu-
lated, bound with tape, and covered
with a 1eaden sleeve. The joint IS
wiped or sealed. 1t is served
with the, jute covering and bound
over with the armor wire. Then the
splice in the armor wire is served
over with jute and the cable is ready
to lay again
Slowly the ship moves forward, A
brake controls the big revolving
drum. "Splice!' a deckhand shouts
and the brake is released while a
splice rides through the sheave. The
cable is laid and brought ashore. It
is tested for leaks and connected to
the maze of wires leading into the
switchboard of the fort. There the
responsibility of the Joseph Henry
ends.