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THE REELS OP GUTTA-PERCHA-COVERED CONDUCTING-WIRE CONVEYED INTO TANKS AT THE WORKS AT GREENWICH .... 14 VALENTIA IN 1857-1858 AT THE TIME OF THE LAYING OF THE FORMER CABLE 18 TRINITY BAY, NEWFOUNDLAND ; EXTERIOR VIEW OF TELEGRAPH HOUSE IN 1857-1858 .......... 26 TELEGRAPH HOUSE, TRINITY BAY, NEWFOUNDLAND ; INTERIOR OF MESS- ROOM, 1858 .......... 28 H.M.S, AGAMEMNON LAYING THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLE IN 1858 A WHALE CROSSES THE LINE 28 1 > COILING THE CABLE IN THE LARGE TANKS AT THE WORKS AT GREEN- WICH 3C-7 THE CABLE PASSED FROINI THE WORKS INTO THE HULK LYING IN THE THAMES AT GREENWICH 38 IV I.IST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAdE TUE OLD FIUOATE WITH HER FREItJIIT OF CAULE ALONGSIDE THE GREAT EASTERN AT SUEERNESS 39 PAYING-OUT MACHINERY 4U COIUNG THE CAULE IN THE AFTER-TANK ON BOARD THE GREAT EASTERN AT SUEERNESS:'; VISIT OF H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES ON MAY 24 42 FOILHUMMEKUM HAY, VALENTIA, LOOKING SEAWARDS FROM TUE POINT AT WHICH TUE CABLE REACHES THE SHORE .... 44 ^ ! THE CLIFFS, FCJILHUMMERUM BAY : I'OINT OF THE LANDING OF THE SHUBE END OF CABLE, JULY 22 4i; h ! FOILHUMMEBUJI BAY, VALENTIA, FROM CROMWELL FORT : THE CARO- LINE AND BOATS LAYING TUE EARTH- WIRE, JULY 21 . . . 48 TUE GREAT EASTERN UNDER WEIGH, ,)ULY 23 : ESCORT AND OTHER SHIPS INTR(JDUCED BEING THE TERRIBLE, THE SPHINX, THE HAWK, AND THE CAROLINE 52 CHART, SHOWING THE TRACK OF THE STEAM-SHIP GREAT EASTERN ON UER VOYAGE FJ'.OM VALENTIA TO NEWFOUNDLAND . . ,j(i li SPLICING THE CABLE (AFTER THE FIRST ACCIDENT) ON BOARD THE GRE.Vr EASTERN, JULY 25 57 VIEW (LOOKING AFT) FROM THE P(.)RT PADDLE-BOX OF GREAT EASTERN SHOWING TUE TROUGH FcHl CABLE, ETC (J3 THE F(JKCE ON DECK; NKiHT OF AUGUST 0: PREPARING THE IRON PLATING F(JR CAl'STAN C8 PACE 39 40 I LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS. y I'AdlJ SEARCHING FOR FAULT AFTER RECOVERY OF THE CABLE FROM THE BED (jF THE ATLANTIC, JULY 31 , 71 [N THE BOWS, AUGUST 2; THE CABLE BROKEN AND LOST; PREPARING TO GRAPPLE .... 77 42 44 40 : GETTING OUT ONE OF THE LARGE BUOYS FOR LAUNCHING, AUGUST 2 . 7!) GENERAL VIEW OF PORT MAGEE, .tu., FROM THE HEIGHTS BELOW CORA BEG ; THE CAROLINE LAYING THE SHORE END OF THE CABLE, •JULY 22 HO INTERIOR OF ONE OF THE TANKS ON BOARD THE GREAT EASTERN: CABLE PASSING OUT S(i 48 LAUNCHING BUOY ON AUGUST 8, IN LAT. 51' 25' 30"; LONG. 30= 50' (MARKING SPOT WHERE CABLE HAD BEEN GRAPPLED) . 88 52 oU 57 03 FORWARD DECK CLEARED FOR THE FINAL ATTEJIPT AT GRAPPLING, AUGUST 11 !J3 G8 THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH. I .sHAr-i. not (letcaiu the roadcr.s of this brief namitivo with any sket(,'h of the jirogiess of oIi'<;tncal sciuiice. Tliere aro text-l)ooks, cyolopajdias, and treatises full of information eomernino; the men who worked in early days, and rceording the labours of those who still toil on, investigathig the laws and develojung the applications of the subtle ageney whieh has long attraeted the attention of the most acute, ingenious, and successful students of natural philosophy. For the Inst two centuries the greater number of those whose names ai'c known in science have made electrical experiments a favourite pursuit, or turuixl to them as an agreeal)le recreation from severer studies. The rajiidit}' with which electricity triivels for considerable distances through insulated conductors soon suggested its use as a means of transmitting intelligence ; but the high tension of the currents from friction nuichiues, and the difficulty of insulating the conductors, were practical obstacles to the employment of tiic devices, .some t)f them ingenious, reconunendcd for that purpo>^c from year to year. Otto Von Guericke, and his globe of sulphur ; (Uvy, with his glass tube and silken cords ; and Fraidvlin, with his kite, were, however, tlu' precursors of the iihilo.sophers who have done much, and whose successors may yet do nuich more, for tiie world. It is not easy to decide whether it is the man who gi\es a new idea to the world, or he who embodies that idea iu a form and turns it into a fact, who is deserving of the credit to Ijc assigned to any invention. A \;!gue expression of belief that a certain end may be attained at a future period by means then unknown docs not constitute a discovery, and does not entitle the person who utters it, verball\- or in writimr, to the honour whieh is due to him who indicates THM ATLANTIC TKLKORAPH. :i I 'I .•sltocificiilly the way of nchitivin;;' the olijcct, or wlio iictuiilly iiccninplisliiH il by inctlioils lio has citlior iiivciitiMl or aiijjlicd. Tlir iMiU([ui« of NVorccHtor (•crtiiinly did not iiivcnt the stfuin-cii^iint' ; iicitliordid Wjitson, Salva, SaMiinu'rinj,', or Koiialds, (ir any otiior of the many early cxiicrinicntalists, discovtir clcctrii- t('l(', Mr. Walker sent raos.sagcs to shore through two miles of insulated wire from ;i, battery on board a. steamer olV Folkestone. It was in IS.jl that an electric (ible. was actually laid in the open sen, and worked ,succe8,sfully ; and the wire which then connected Dover with Calais was beyond (piestion tla; first impV aiicliors, &(•., was so groat that they were pieked up, and lieavy cabli.'s of great strength were substituted, wliieh liave gi\eu no troubk' or anxiety, and have always been in goo. The people were on the same continent, the land was all their own, their greatest rivers coidd be traversed by wires ; and so it was rhat, whilst Mr. Morse was engaged in 2)rotccting his patents, and the Americans, self-contained, were not looking beyond the limits of their shores, a Kritish North American Province took the first step which was made at the other side of the Atlantic to lay down a submarine cabh'. In 18.") l-:^ a project was started in Newfoundland, to run a line of steamers between Galway and St. .lohn's in connection with a telegraph to Gape Ray, where a submarine Cable was to be laid to Cape Breton, and thence the news was to be carried by means of another cable from New Brunswick to Prince Edward's Island. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Newfoundland is stated to have l)een the original projxiser of a scheme for connecting the island with the United States, Imt tlie creclit of actually laving down the first submarine cal)le at the other side of the Atlantic belont>s to !Mi'. K.N. Gisborne, an English I'Ugincer. He had i)eeu previously engaged in the telegraph department at jMontreal, and had some knowledgii of the subject, but Ik; happened to be in London at the time of Br(>tt"s success. On his return to America he applied himself to get up a Company for the purpos(> of facilitating telegraphic communication between Europe and the United States. After mueli diltieulty the Company was formed, and an Act was passed by the Legislature of Newfoundland, in 18.)2, conferring the important privileges upon it, in event ol" the completion of the project in Newfoundland, which are now pos.sessed by the Atlantic Telegraph Company. Mr. Gisborne was superintendent and engineer of the Company, and he set to work with energy to construct a road from St. John's to Cape Ray, over a barren and resourceless tract of 400 miles, and made a survey of the coast line, during which he was exposed to great hardships. He succeeded at last in laying an insulated cable, made by Newall & Co,, from New Brunswick to Prince Edward's Island across the Straits of Northumberland, 11 miles lono-, in lit : If THE ATT.ANTIC TELEGRAPH. if| Mi li 5 '^ '' ill 22 i.itluiins of walfr; but was )iot successful in a similar attempt to coimect Nowfouudland with Cape llreton. jMeautime tlie Company l)et'amc involved in pecuniary ditiiculties, and j\Ir. Gisborne, early in TSo4, on the sus])cnsion of tho M-orks, proceeded to New York, where he hoped to find money to enable him to cany out the telegraphic scheme among the keen speculatoi-s and large-purs(>d merchants. Through an accidental conversation at tho hotel in which ho was staying, he obtahied an inten'iew with IMr. Cyrus Field. Ho laid his plans before that gentleman, who had no desire to resume an active career, having just returned from travelling in S(nith America, with the intention of enjoying tho fortune liis industiy and sagacity had secured ere he had arrived at the middle tenn of life. But Mv. Field listened to Mr. Gisborne Avith attention, and then began to tlnnk over the project — "To hiy these submarine cables so as to comioct Newfoundland with Maine ? — Good. T(j run a lino of steamers from St. John's to Galway 1 — Certainly. It Avould shorten the time of receiving news in New York from Europe four or five days." And so the brain worked ajid thought. Then suddenly, " But if a cable can be laid in the bed of these seas — if the Great Atlantic itself could be spanned t " Here was an idea indeed. Deep and broad seas had been traversed in Europe, Ijut hei-e was one of the great oceans of the world, of depth but faintly guessed at, and of nigh 2001) miles span from shore to shore ! Would it be within the limits of human resources to let down a line into the wateiy void, and to connect the Old World with the New ? What a glorious thought ! Was it a vision, or was it one (jf those inspirations from which originatt' grand enterprises and results which change the destinies of the world ? Mr. Field terminated his reflections that night by an eminently practical mca.sure. Ere he retired to rest he sat down and wrote two letters, — one to Lieut. ]\Iauiy, U.S.N., to ask his opinion concerning the possibility of laying down a calile in the bottom of the Atlantic : the other to Prijfessor Morse, to inquire whether he thought it prac- ticable to send an eh^ctric current through a wire between Europe and America. Lieut. Maury, in answering in the afhrmative, wrote, " Curiously enough, when your letter came I was looking over my U'tterto the Secretary of the Navy on that very subject." And, in fact, on the 22nd Fcltruary, 1854, Lieut. Mavuy made a long communication to ^Ir. Dol)bin, Secretaiy, United States Navy, from the Obscrvat(jry, AVashington, respecting a series of deep-sea soundings made by Lieut. Berryman, U.S.N., brig Dolphin, from Newfoundland to Lelaud, in connection wuth researches on the winds and currents, carried on for tlie National Observatory. It is obvious that Lieut. Maury, a.s well as many other.s probably, bad thought of the same idea as Mr. Field. He says, " The result is highly interesting, in so far as the bottom of the sea is concerned, upon the THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH. I'lguiatt' (]U(.'stion of a .submarino tolegi-Jiph across tho Atlantic ;" and he goes ou to make it the sultjcct of a. special report, in which occurs the following passages ; — "This line of deep-sea soundings seems to be decisive of the (question as to the practicability of a Submarine Telegraph between the two continents, in so far as the bottom of the deep sea is concerned. From Newfoundlnnd to Ireliind, the distance between the nearest points is about 1,()00 mih's ;* and the bottom of the sea between the two jjlaccs is a plateau, which seems to have been placed tliere esi»(H;ially for the j)urpose of holding the wires of a Submarine Telegrni)h, and of keephig them out of harm's wiiy. It is neither too deep nor too shallow ; yet it is so deep that tlie wires, but once laniled, will remain for ever beyond the reach of vessels' anchors, icebergs, and drifts of any kind, and so shallow that the wires may be readily lodged upon the Imttom. The (h'pth of this ]ilateau is quite r(>gular, gra(bially increasing from the shores of Newfoundland to the depth of from 1,.'500 to 20(10 fathoms as you approach the other side. The distance between Ireland and Cape St. Chai'les, or Cape St. Lewis, in Labrador, is somewhat less than the distance from any point of Ireland t<} the nearest point of Newfoundland. But whether it would be liettcr to lead the wires from New- foundland or Labrathu- is not way the question ; nor do I pretend to consider the question as to the possiliility of finding a time calm enough, the sea smooth enough, a wire long enough, a shi]) big enough, to lay a coil of wire 1,600 miles in length ; though I have Jio fear but tJiiit the enterprise and ingenuity of the nge, whenever called on Avith these problems, will be ready with a satisfactory and practical solution of them. " I simply a(hb-ess myself at this time to the question in so far as the liottom of the sea is concerned, and as far as that the greatest practical difficulties will, I apprehend, be found after reaching soundings at either end of the Une, and not in the deep sea. * * Tln-refore, so far as the bottom of the deep sea between Newfoundland, or the North Cape, at the niouHi of the St. Lawrence, and Ireland, is concerned, tho practicability of a Submarine Telegraph across the Atlantic is proved."' Professor Morse, in 18 4;?, indicated his conviction that a magnetic current could be conveyed across the Atlantic, and his reply to ]\Ir. Field Avas now given with increased confidence to the same »>ftcct. Thus cncourao-ed, ]\Ir. Field took measures to form a Company to piu'chase the rights of the Newfoundland Company, and to connect Newfoundland with Ireland by mejuis of a submarine telegraph across the Atlantic. Ho entered into an agreement with ]\lr. * "Frdiii Cape Frorlfi, Xowfumiillalnl, lo Enis Ilcail, Ireland, tlio ilistanoo is 1,011 mill's; fi'niii Caj Chnrli's, orCiiK- St. L ■«■!,■<, J.alnaJor, to ditto, tho diHtiincC is 1,001 iiiik's." 1% (i i ll i u 8 TllK ATLANTIC TKLKliltAl'll. (lisljonic for till- pui'chasi' of tlio })rivik'oes of the Company for 80u0/., ruuk'r certain foiiditioiis. Then he put down tlie names of ten of the i>riiicipal capitalists in New York, and {)roceede(l to unfold his project to each in succession ; and having seiurcd tiie, adhesion of ^Ir. Cooper, i\lr. Taylor, Mv. Rolierts, Mr. AVliite, and the advice of his brother, ^Ir. D. Field, he i;alled a meeting of these gentlemen ut his house on 7th March. Similar meetings took place at his residence on 8tli, Dtli, and 10th, and after full discussion and consideration it was resolved to foi'ni '"The New York, Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Company," of which Peter Cooper was President ; Closes Taylor, Treasurer ; Cyrus Field, C. White, 31. (). Rolx'rts, Directors ; and D. 1). Field, Counsel. ]\lr. C. Field, his I.rother, and 31 r. White were commissioned to proceed to Newfoundland, to obtain from the Legislature an act of incorporation, and set out for that purpose on i\[arch 15tli. (.)n their arrival at 8t. John's, the (Jovernor convoked the Executive Council. He also sent a special message to the Legislature, then in session, recommending them to pass an act of incor[»oi'ation, Avith a guarantee of interest on the Com- pany's boiuis to the amount of ."iOjOOU/., and to make them a grant of fifty S(juarc miles of land on the island of Newfoundland, conditional on the completion of the Telegraph. After some little delay, the Legislature, with one adverse member onl)', griinted the valuable privileges to the Company which were aubsecpiently trans- ferred to the Atlantic Telegraph Company. They constitute, in fact, a monopoly of telegraphic rights in Newfoundland, the value of which was enhanced afterwards by similar concessions from the state of Maine, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward's Island ; and liberal I'ncouragcment from (,'anada. There is much to be said against concessions, and mono])olies. and patents, on abstract grounds ; liut it is (piite clear that in certain circumstances men will not venture money and spend time, without the prospect of the ulterior advantages such proti'ction is calculated to ensure. The Government has, however, informed Colonial and Provincial Legislatures that in future Pier Majesty will be advised not to give lu'r ratification to the creation of .similar monopolies. By their chartered rights the new CNmipany obtained the e.vclusive privilege for fifty years of landing cables (jn Newfoundland and Labrador, which embraces a coast extending southwardly to I'rince Edward's Island, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the State oi Maine, and their resjjective dependencies; and west- wardly to the very entrance of Hudson's Straits. The Company also secured a grant of fifty square miles of land on the completion of Telegi'aph to Ca])e Breton ; a similar concession of additional fifty square miles when the Cable shall have been laid between Ireland and Newfoundland ; a guarantee of interest for THE ATLANTIC TELEGKAPII. twenty years at 5 per cent, on 50,000/. ; a grant of .5000/. in money towards Imilding a road along the line of the Telegraph ; and the remission of duties on the importation of all wires and mi, orials for the use of the Company. The Company also obtained from the Legislature of Prince Edward's Island, in ^lay, 1854, the exclusive privilege for fifty years of landing cables on the ccxst ; a free grant of one thousand acres of land ; and a grant of 1300/. currency per aanuni for ten years. Fi'om Canada the Company obtained an Act authorising the building of tcle- gi'aph lines thi'oughout the Provinces, accompanied by the remission of duties on all wires and materials imported for the use of the Company. Nova Scotia, in 185.0, gave the Company a grant of exclusive privilege, for twenty-five years, of landing telegraphic cables from Europe on the shores of the Province. The State of Maine accorded the Company a grant of the exclusive privilege, for twenty-five years, of landing European telegraph cal)les on the seaboard. From Great Britain eventually the Company obtained an annual subsidy of 14,000/. sterling until the net profits of the Company should reach 6 per cent, per annum, on the whole capital of .350,000/. sterling, the grant to be then reduced to 10,000/. sterling per annum, for a period of twenty-five years ; two of the largest steamships in the navy to lay the cable, and two steamers to aid them ; and a careful examination of the soundings by vessels of the Royal Navy. From the United States the Company obtained an annual subsidy of $70,000 until the net profits yielded (5 per cent, per annum, then to be reduced to $50,000 per aimum, for a period of twenty-five years, subject to termination of contract by Congress after ten years, on giving one year's notice. The United States government also granted the steamship Arctic to make soundings, and steam-ships Niagara and Susquelianna to assist in laying the cable. A government steamer was also ordered to make further soundings on the coast of Newfoundland.' Long ere the Company had been placed in possession of such beneficial rights, and obtained such a large amount of favour, Mr. Field, who threw every energy of body and mind into the work, and was entrusted by his brother directors with the general management of afiairs, proceeded to cany out the engagements the Company had entered into with the local legislatures. It has been said that the greatest boons conferred on mankind have been due to men of one idea. If the laying of the Atlantic Cable l)e among these l)enefits, its consummation may certainly be attributed to the man who, having many ideas, devoted himself to work out one idea with a gentle force and a patient vigour which converted opposition and overcame iudilference. Mr. Field may be likened either to the 1/ %^ ta IS I '9 10 THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH. h\ core, or to the external protection, of the Cable itself. At times ho has boon its active life ; again ho has boon its iron-bound guardian. Let who will claim the merit of first having said the Atlantic Cable was possible, to Mr. Field is due the inalienable credit of having made it possil)le, and of giving to an aboi'tive con- ception all tlie attributes of healthy existence. Tlie first stop in the groat onteiitriso, now fairly inaugurated, was the ronnoction of St, Julm's with the telegraphic lines already in operation in Canada and the United States. Mr. Field was despatched to England, as there wore no firms established for the manufacture of submarine cables in the United States, to order the necessary work to bo done, and to raise money. lie previously ordered epocimons of cable to be made, so that when he landed in England they wore ready for his inspec- tion ; and soon after his arrival he entered into a contract witii INIessrs. Kilper & Co. (subsequently Glass, Elliot, & Co.) for a cable to 1)0 laid across the Gulf of St. Lawrence. He held interviews with eminent enginoora and electricians, among whom were 'Mr. Brunei, ^Mr. (now Sir C.) Bright, Mr. Brett, and j\lr. Whitehouse, respecting his larger project, wliich led to extended and valuable experiments. The cable for Newfoundland was formed in three strands, and had three conducting wires ; and jMr. Field undertook to lay it, under the direction of !ilr. Canning. In August, 1855, the first attempt was made ; ])ut ofl:' Cape Ray a violent gale arose, and it was deemed necessary by the master of the vessel to cut the cable. This disappointment was not in the least a discouragement. Another contract was made by Mr. Field with ]\Iessrs, Kujjor & Co. to make and lay a ('able at their own risk, which was executed by Mr. Canning in the Propontis the following year. The station is at Point-au-Basque, near the western extremity of Newfoundland, and the telegraph nms across the island to Trinity Bay. 'I'l.o opportunities for scientific experiments aff'orded by the manufacture of these cal)los were not neglected. The possibility of transmitting signals under water without fatal loss of power from the increased length of circuit was the first fact determined. The attention of the experimentalists was then directed to ascertain whether, having regard to existing theories, it would be possible to carry even a single conductor across the Atlantic without the aid of a cable so ponderous and so costly as to render it useless in a commercial point of view. A scrii's of direct experiments were -it once undertak(m, which resulted in tluj establishment of the ftillowing facts : — first, that retardation of movement, in consequence of increas- ing distance, did not occur at a rate wliich could seriously aflfect a cable across the Atlantic ; secondly, that increased dimensions in insulated marine conductors V I THE ATLANTIC TELEllllAl'lI. 11 niiLfincutcd the ilifticultics in ul)taiiiiii!^' vcli)city, wo that bulk in a cabli' woukl not l)c requisite; and, thii'dly, that a velocity and facility which would satisfy all nuTO commercial and financial requirements in a line crossing the Atlantic, might be attained in the largest circuits. The next step was to actually make signals through 2000 miles of wire. This was accomplished tlu-ough the kind- ness of the dii'cctors of the English and Irish ]\Iaguctic Company, who placed at the disposal of the experimentalists 5000 miles of under-ground wire. On the !»th of October, 1856, in the quiet of the night time, the experiment was tried successfully. Signals were distinctly and satisfactorily telegraphed through 2000 miles of wire, at the rate of 210, 241, and 270 per minute. There was still a matter of the hist importance to be determined. Was the state of the bed of the Atlantic really such as to warrant the conclusion that a wire 2000 miles long could be deposited and remain there without injury 'i Mr. Field, in order to ascertain this fact, obtained from the government of America the assistance of Lieut. Benyman, U.S.N., in the steam-sliip Arctic, who succeeded, in July, 185(), in taking soundings across the Athmtic at distances varying from 'M to 50 miles, and, by means of scoops, or quills, bringing up specimens of the bottom, which, upon microscopic examination, proved to be comijosed of fine shells and sand. As capital was needed for the execution of the entei-prise which the confidence of moneyed men in the United States did not induce them to supply, and as it was desirable to enlist the support of the capitalists of Great Britain, Mr. Field was now authorised to form a company, with branches in both countries. Having secured the services of Mr. Brett, ]\lr. (now Sir C.) Bright, ]\lr. AVoodhousc, and others, on the 1st of November, 1856, as Vice-President of the New York, New- foundland, and London Telegraph Comi)any, he issued an elaborate, able, and argumentative circular in liondon, headed, "Atlantic Telegraph,"' and made a tour llu'ough the great towns, addressing meetings in support of the project. On the ()th of November, 185(5, the ])rospectus was issued, with a nominal capital of 350,000/., represented by ;?50 shares of 1000/. each, and within one month the entire of the capital had been subscribed for, and the first instalment of 70,000/. paid up. One hundi-ed and six shares were taken in London, eight-eight in the United States, eighty-six m Liverpool, thii'ty-seven in Glasgow, and the rciiiainder in other parts of England. JMr. Field stood as subscriber of 88,000/., and repre- sented all America. But it was not only from the public of Great Britain the project met encouragement. Ere the new company was formed, Mr. Field (13th September, !■ 2 12 THE ATLANTIC TKLEGIJAI'H. h >fl 'i ' III Iboo) iuldressccl Lord Claiviulon, requesting aid, and protection .and privileges, and on the 20th Noveml)er received a, reply from the Secretaiy to the Treasury, engaging to furnish ships for soundings, and to consider favourably any request for help in laying the Cable, to i)ay 14,000/. (4 per cent, on capital) as remuneration for Government messages, till the net profits were G per cent,, when the 2)ayment was to become 10,000/. for twenty -five years, and the Royal assent was given to the Act of Incorporation of the Company July 'J7th, 1857. jMr. Field received far more encouragement in Great Britain, in Parliament and out of it, than he did at home. His bill was nearly rejected in the United States Senate, and it is stated only twenty-seven shares of the first stock were at fii-st subscribed for in the States. On the motion of Mr. Seward, a resolution was passed in the Senate, United States, on the •2,hd December, in comi)liance with which the President transmitted a copy of an application from the New York OtH(;e of the New York, Newfoundland, and liondon Telegraph Company, dated December li5th, in which the Directors set forth "their earnest desire to secure for the United States Government equal privileges with those stipulated for l)y the British Government in a work prosecuted thus far with American capital," and then recounted the terms agreed to by the Lords of the Treasury, On Januaiy Dth, 18.J7, Mr. Seward introduced a bill in the Senate to give and receive i)re- cisely the same privileges on the part of the United States Government. It Mas vi(jlently o])posed, was only carried by one vote, and was not ai)})roved till March ;3rd fijllowino'. The money being now forthcoming, the Provisional Directors of the Com- pany proceeded to order the Atlantic Cable. Mr. Field was an.xious that the order should be civen to the firm which had manufactured the St. Lawrence Cable, but the Board thought it would be better to divide the contract, and on the 6th December, 18.56, they entered upon agreements with the Gutta Percha Company for the siij)ply of 2,500 miles of core, con.sisting of copper wire, with a triple covering of insulating subst;mce, at 40/. per mile ; and also with Messrs. Glass, Elliot, & Co., of East GrceuAvich, and Messrs. Ncwall & Co., of Birkenhead, respectively, for the supply from each of 1,250 miles of the completed Cable for C2,000/. Within six months from that day, namely, on the 6th of July, 1857, the entire Cal)le was completed. The policy of dividing the contract for the manufacture of the ('aide was (juestioned at the time. When one portion of the Cal)le was to be made at East Greenwich and the other at Birkenhead, how was it possil)le that there iu)uld be any uniformity of supervision, any integrity of design, or any individual responsibility 1 Again, how was it possible that the textile strength or conducting I THE ATJ.ANTIC TELEOUAril. 13 power of the Cable euuld lie tested as satisfiietorily as would have been tlie case were its manufacture entrusted to one firm? And, an it happened, the twist ran from right to left in one lialf, and from left to rij^ht in tin- other lialf of tlie Cable. Before tlie prosi)eetus was issued, every attentiijii was paid that the eha- ractei'isties of the Cable should be suited to its work ; that it should not be too dense, lest its weight should render it unmanageable in the sea — nor too light, lest it should be at the mercy of the currents as it went down. It was decided that it should weigh a ton per mile, should be just so much heavier than liie water which it displaced in sinking, and of such structure as could be easily coiled and yet be a rigid line, while its centre sjiouhl l)e composed of wire capable of conveying electrical synd)ols tin'ough an extent of more than "JOUO miles, and .should retain complete insulation when immersed in the ocean. It was a subject of close and anxious incpiiry liow to obtain a Cable of this form and character. No fewer than sixty-two ditierent kinds of rope were tested before one was determined on. In the ("able finally adopted, the central conducting wire was a strand made up of seven wires of the puri'st copper, of the gauge known in thti trade as No. 22. The strand itself was about the sixteenth of an inch in diameter, and was formed of one straiglitly drawn wire, with six others twisted round it ; this was accomplished by the central wire being dragged from a drum through a hole in a horizontal table, while the tal.)le itself revolved rapidly, under the ini[)ulse of steam, cariying near its I'ircumference six reels or drums each armed with copper wire. Every drum revolved upon its own horizontal axis, and so delivered its wire as it turned. This twisted form of conducting wire was first adopted for the ro[»e laid across the Gulf of St. Lawrence in ISoG, and was employed witli a view to the reduction to the lowest pnssible amount of the chance of continuity l)eing destroyed in the circuit. It seemeil im[irobable in the highest degree that a fracture coulil be accidentally produced at prei'isely the same spot in more than one of the wires of this twisted strand. All the seven wires might be ])roken at difierent parts of tlie strand, even some hundreds of times, and yet its capacity fur the transmission of the electric current not destroyed, or reduced in any inconvenient degree. The copper used in the formation of these wires was assayed from time to time during the )iiauufacturc to insure absolute homogeneity and purity. The strand itself, when subjected to strain, stretched 20 per cent, of its length without givhig way, and indeed without having its conducting power much modified or impaired. The copper strand of the Cable was rolled up on drums as it was completed, and was then taken from the di'ums to receive a coating of three separate layers ■li ' i I i I 1 ii! ili It TilK ATFiANTK! TELIXJUAPII. oF rcfiiifd jfuttu pcrclm ; tlicsi' Ijrouylit itH tliumt'tor up to ultout throe-eight Iih of an inch. Tht^ coating of gutta percha was mado uniiHually thick, for the wake of (liniinisliing the influence of induction, and in order that the in.Huhition might !)(■ rendered as perfect as possible. This hitter object was also furthered by tho sevei'al layers of the insulating material being laid on in succession ; so that if there were accidentally any flaw in the one coat, the imperfection wa« sure to be removed when the next deposit was added. To prove the ctHcacy of tho l)roceeding, a great number of holes were made near together in the fust coating of a fragment of the wire, and the second coat was thou applied in tiie usual way. The insulation of the strand was found to bo perfect under these circumstances, and continued so even when the core was subjected to hydraulic pressure, amounting to five tons on the square inch. The gutta percha which was employed for the coating of the conducting strand, was prepared with the utmost possible care. Lumps of the cioide substance were first rasped down by a revolving toothed cylinder, placed within a hollow case, the whole piece of apparatus somewhat resembling the agricultural turnip machine in its mode of action. The raspings were then passed l)etweon rollei-s, macerated in hot water, and well churned. They were next washed in cold water, and driven at a boiling- water temperature, by hydrauhc power, through wire-gauze sieves, attached to the bottom of wide vertical pipes. 'J'he gutta percha came out from the sieves in plastic masses of exceeding purity and fineness, luid those masses Avcre then s(|ueezed and kneaded for hours by screws, revolving in hollow cylindoi-s, called masticators ; this was done to get the water out, and to render the substance of the gutta percha sound and homogeneous everywhere. At each turn of the screw, the plastic mass protnidcd itself through an opening left for feeding in the upper part of the masticator, and was then drawn back as the screw rolled on. When the mechanical textm'c of the refined mass wa.s perfiicted by masticating and kneading, it was placed in horizontal cylinders, heated by steam, and squeezed tlu'ough them by screw piston.s, driven down l)y the machinery very slowly, and with resistless force. The gutta percha emerged. Under this pressure, through a die, which received the tennuuition of both cylinders, and which at the same time had the strand of copper wire moving along through its centre. The strands were drawn by revolving dnuns between the cylinders, and through the die. They entered the die naked bright copper wire, and issued from it thick, dull-looking cords, a complete coating of gutta percha having been attached to them as they traversed the die. Six strands were coated togetherj ranging along side by side at the first covering. Then a series of three lengths of the strand received the second coat together. The third coat was !-cightliH of ir the sake ition might ;rc(l l)y the so that if raa Hiirc to icy of the thu first iipphcd in fi'ct under bjcctcd to ttii porcha pared with stni(>nt of the Avire unrolled spirally as the ends were pulled asunder, and so the condncting continuity of the strand was maintained, although the mechanical continuity of the strand itself was broken. The two-mile coils of completed and proved core were wound on largo drums with projecting tlanges on each side, tlu; rims of which were .shod with iron tires, so that they might be rolled aliout as broad wheels, and made to perform their own locomotive ofiices as far as possil)le. When the core was in position on these channelled drums, the circumference of the drum was clo.sed in carefully by a sheet of gutta percha, which thus constituted its core-filled channel a soi-t of cylindrical box or packing case. In this snug nest each completed coil of core was wheeled and dragged away to be transferred to the manufactory, either at Birkenhead or Greenwich. The core-filled drums, liaving arrived at the factory of the Cable, the drums were mounted by axles, and kept ready so that one extremity of the length of core might 1)0 attached to tlic Cable as it was spun out, when the drum previously in use had been exliau.sted. During the unrolling of the core from the drum, it was wound tightly round by a serving of hemp, saturated with a composition made chiefly of pitch and tar, the winding being eflected by revolving bobbins as the core was drawn along. This hempen serving constituted a bed for the external coat of metallic wires, and prevented the insulatuig sheath of gutta ])L'rcha from being injured by pressure during the final stage of the construction. Each new length of core was attached to the Cable by precisely the same operation as that used at the gutta percha works in joining the two-mile coils for testing ; shortly before an old drum was exhausted, its remaiiuler was rapidly pidled off and placed in the joiner's hands, so that it might be made continuous with the core on a new drum, before the outgoing Cable began to draw upon it. When tli(j core was covcr(?(l in with its great coat of hemp and tar, and care- fully gauged to ascertain the equality of its dinu'nsions everywhere, it was ready to be turned into the completed Cable. This final ojieration was effected as the core was drawn up through the centre of a horizontally revolving wheel or table. The table turned with great rapidity, and carried near its circumference eighteen l)obbins or drums. Each of these drums was filled with a strand of bright char- coal iron wire, and had two motions, one round its horizontal axis, and one round an upright pivot, inserted into the revolving tal)le, so that it delivered its strand always towards the centre of the table as it was carried swiftly round by the revolution, The iron strand was of the same diameter as that which was used for TITE ATLAXTir TELEfiRAPIT. 17 tho coppor covo, Tliorc woiv jilso seven iron wii-os in o;icli strniid, exactly like those for tlio (■opjwr strand. Ei,i,ditccn ii'on strands were tluis firmly twisted round tho ccnti'al core, as tho " elosin-- machine " whirled. Tho core, acted on by tjio rollers of the inaeliiiiery, ren miles of straiul. There were several strand machines at woi'k in the factoi'ies, and these every twenty-four hours made t2,0.->S miles (,f wire into i21M mile.-; of strand. As much as thirty miles of Cable were luade in a single day. The entire length of wire, copper, and iron employed in the manufacture, amounted tu ■3:i-2,r>()0 niile,<, vuow^h to f^irdle the earth thirteen timers. As tlie closed Cablii was compleled, it was drawn oul (Voni the wall of the fictory, anil pa.-sed throuiih a cislern cimtainin^n- pitch and tar, and was then coiled in broad ]>its in the onter yai'd (each layer of the eoil havino' been a^'ain brushed ovei' with pitch and tar), and there remaiiieil until embaiked on board the ve.- of construi>tion. Tl lese were finally I'S lonu', Were siniultaneouslv in unile(l to-i'ihcr into one continuous rope, as the ( al)li_' was sto wed awav in the vessel whicl 1 carried it to sea. Such is a descri|)tion of the Cabh' finally adopted, and which when completed weighed from nineteen hundredweight lo one Ion per mile, and bore a direct str uu of from f )ur to five t ons without breaking. he iKwt ciuestion wiiicli ai vise for consideraliiiii wa.<. how the Cable was to be laid in the ocean. Tin; Civat Eastern, I len known as the Leviathan, alone could never li(,'en tl embrace it within her gigantic hold: but then the vast fabric had ied. She might prove'. ;i failure, and in doing so, invoKe that of a fir ureat ind a far more imjiortaiit e.\[)i'riiiienl. It was tluMi determined that the responsibilitv should be d er ivided, a nd tin burden be (aitrusted to two vessels of meiil placed at the service of the Com] and the government of the United States of A smaller dimeiisioii> he lirilish ( lovern- my A; ;ameiiuioii line if-1 ol-iiatlle ship. merica sent o\er the Nine ara. 18 THE ATLANTIC TELEORAPn. U : Tlic Ai^fiimeninoii wiis considorocl to lie admiraltly adajilod for rpcciving the Tablo, l>y reason of licv peculiar construction ; her engines lieinp .situated near the stem, and there being amidships a. magnificent hold, forty-five feet squjire and twenty feet deep between the lower deck and the keel. In this receptacle one half of the Cable was distributed round a central core in a compact, single, and nearly circular coil. She lay moored oft' the wharf at Greenwich, and the Cal)lc was drawn into her hold by a small journeyman engine of twelve-hoi-se power, the rope ninning over sheaves borne aloft upon the masts of two or three l)arges, so moored betwc(Mi the wharf and the ship as to aff'ord intermediate support. The Niagara, though not l)y construction well adapted for the Cable, was rendered po l)y judicious alterations at Portsmouth. She arrived in the Mersey on 22nd June, and was regarded with much cmno.sity and interest in Livci-pool, where Captain Hudson and his officers received evciy attention. The Cable was coiled on board her in three weeks. Cork Harbour was selected as the place where these vessels should rendezvous, and make all final arrangements; from whence they were to proceed to the completion of the task, piloted by the U.S. frigate Susquehanna and H.M. frigate Leopard, both paddle-wheel steamers of great power. AVithin tlie barony of Iveragh, in the county of Kerry, on an island six miles long by two broad, lies the village of Knightstown and harbour of Yalcntia, the most westerly port in Europe. It is at the southern entrance of the open bay of Dingle towards the sea. Doulas Head on the east, and llecnadroolan Point on the west, mark the entrance to the naiTows. It can boast of two forts erected by Cromwell. The Skelligs — two picturesque and rugged pinnacles of slate — pierce the surface of the sea about eight miles S.W. of the harbour ; and one of these, the " Great Skellig," crowned with a light-house, towers to a height of 700 feet. It was decided by the Company that the Niagara should land the shore end in Yalcntia, and pay it out till her cargo was exhausted mid-way, where the Agamemnon was tu take up the talc and carry it on to NcAvfoimdlaud. The time best adapted for depositing the Cable in the ocean was deter- mined after nuich thought and delilu'ration. Tlie result of Lieutenant Maury's observations was, that in the months of June aiid July the risk of storms is very small, uidess immediately on the coast of h'eland, while the records of the ]\Icteorological Departments, both in England and America, showed that for fifty years no great storm had taken place at that period. It was finally arranged to adopt Lieutenant Maury's vicAVS, "that between the 20th July and the 10th of August both sea and air were in the most favourable condition for eivinp; tho (I near the quaro and ptaclo one single, and the Cable power, the '■ hargos, so port. The IS rendered Mersey on Liverpool, The Cal)le ctcd as the angoments ; 3tcd by the sel steamers d six miles )f Valontia, )f the open enadroolan ist of two pinnacles c harbour ; owcrs to a the shore way, where fonndland. was deter- Lientcuant he rislv of tlu; records lowed that was finally July and ndition for (I'll lllf M m :' '! '< ■i 1 1 |l .1 ; ,j/'- •'^''y." THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH. 10 laying clown the Cable," and tliat the vessels should be tlispatehed so as tu roai'h the rendezvous in niid-oceau, where the Cable was to l)e spl' d, as soon after the 20th of July as possil)lc. It had been aseeitaincd that the uistanee over which the Cable was to be laid was 1,8:3-1 miles, but (JOO additional miles uf Cable were provided, being an allowanee of ;};5 per cent, of " slack." Arrangements had been made that when the vessels joined company off Cork the entu-e length of the Cable should be temporarily joined up for the jjurpose of being tested through its entii'o length, as also to allow of some experiments being made to prove the eiticieney of the signalUng apparatus. The Cable was aixanged so as to come up from the hold of the ship sweeping njund a central block or core planted in the midst, to prevent any interference of the unrolling strands with one another, or too sudden turns, which might twist the Caldc into kinks ; having reat'hetl the open space above the deck, it was to be wound out and in, round four groovetl sheaves, geared together by cogs, and ]il;uitcd so firmly on girders as to render it impossible that they should be thrown out of the scpiare. From sheaves accurately grooved the Cable proceeded three or four feet above the poop-diik, luitil it passed over a fifth grooved sheave standing out upon rigid arms over the stern. From this it wouhl make its plunge into the deep still sea, and as the vessel moved away to be dragged out by its own weight, and Ijy the hold which it woidd have acquired up(jn the bottom of the sea. The paying-out sheaves were large' grooved drums, five feet in diameter, and set in a vertical plane, one directly before the other, and having a friction drum geared to them in such a way that its shaft revolved three times as fast as theirs, the axis of the drum being encircled by two blocks of hard wood, which could l)e gripped close upon its cii-cumference by screw power, so as either to retard or arrest altogether the movement of the sheaves. The screw was worked by a crank, at which a trustworthy oihcer was stationed, to keep a waiy eye upon an indicator near to express the exact amount of strain thrown upon the Calde at each instant. In the electi'ician's department there were to be signals every second by electrical currents passing through the entire length of the Cable, from shore-end, or from ship to ship. At the side of the vessels patent logs hung down into the water, to measure the velocity of the ship. One of these wheels, in the inuner.sed log, was ai'ranged to make and break an electric circuit at every revolution, a gutta percha covered wire running up from the revolving wheel on to tlie deck of the ship, that it might carry the cuiTent whenever the circuit was made, and record there, upon a piece of apparatus provided for the purpose, the speed of the vessel. The brakesman was to watch the tell-tale wluch would indicate the strain on the rope, and work his crank and loosen his gri[) whenever 20 THE ATLxVNTIC TKLEflKAlMF. this HOiMiii'il ti) 1m f(i(i ui'ciit ; ni' tiL;lit(ii liis nriip if ever tlic lidl ceased to report thai the eleeirieal way IVoin end to end nt' theCaMe was IVi'e and iin- impaired. An external nuai'd had been phieed over the serewsofthe vessels to tlefeiid theCahle IVoin tn\diii^- in ease ;iny necessity should arise tor liaclvin,L( the vessels. The A^uanieninnn had lieen jury-ri.uLied t'oi' the sei'\iee, her heavy masts and nif'dii" removed, and lighter ropes and sjiars sulistituted. In the event of siidilen and uid'oreseeii storm, ai'rantfenu'Uls had lieeii made to slip theCahle. On (ho decks of the payiiiir-oiit vessels two larye reels were placed, each wouud round with two and adialf miles of a very stronjf auxiliary Cable (lomposed of iron- wire onlv, ami caiiahle of resistinix a strain of ten to twelve tons. Should the Tele<'raiili Cahli; lie emlanueri'd it would he divided, and the si'a end attached to one of the strong- su|ieniumerary cords stnreil ujion the reel ; this liein^ ra'pitUy let out. would place the Cable in a depth of ocean where it.s safety wuuhl be secured until all danger had passcnl. in line, evi'ry jiossible contrivance that inevnuity could devise or scieutilie, knowledge, could suggest, aecording to the i .xpericneo then attained, had been adopted in onler to secure success. Thos,- who had toiled so long with wearied brain and anxious heart, undismayed by ditilculties — nt)t ilisheartened by failure, ho[iing when ho[)e seemed presumptuous, but not despairing even when despair seemeil wisdom, now felt that their jnirt had been accomplished, that the means of securing tin; result had now jiassed beyond man's control, and rested solely with a Higher Tower. On the 29th of July, 18.37, the U.S.N, frigate Niaga-n '\rrived at Qu(!cn8town, having been preceded by 11.^1. S. Leopard and 11,AI,>. Cyclops, which latter steamer had taken the soundings of the intended bed of the Cable. The Niagara was accompanied by the t'.S.N.S. Sus(|Uehanna, to act as her convoy. il.^l.S. Agamemnon had already arrived. Th(; Earl of Carlisk', Lord-Lieutenant nf Ireland, ever anxious to give such encouragement as his presence could atibrd to any undertaking which promised to do go(jd, eameddwn from Dublin to N'alentia, and attended iKh'j'eiiiivr given by the Knight of Kerry t(j celebrate an event in which the keenest interest was evinced, although the heart of the c(juntry was thrilled by the drcadt\d intelligence of Indian mutinies and revolt. The country i)eople flocked to the little island, and expressed their joy by merrymakings, dances, and bonlires. hi an ehxpicnt speech Lord Carlisli! declaied that tlmugh disai^jjoiutment might be in store for the promoters, it would be almost criminal to feel di.scouragenient then—" that the pathway to great achievements has frequently to be hc'wn out amidst perils and diflicultics, and that preliminary failure is ever the law and condition of ultimate success," These were prophetic words ; in others, still to be fulfilled, " Let us hope," ho said. TIIH ATLANTIC TKMlCUAIMf lil "We arc iilioiil, cither l.y tliis suii-ddwii or l)y (o-iiinmnv's dawn, to cm Ui-h new niat.'iial link hctwirn tlic OM World aud (Ik; New. .Alond links tlu.iv l,a Ix'L'n— ^links of race, links of cinmnrnv, links of fiicndsliip, links of lilnaturc, Im of ;^'larino- to deal Austria a deadly blow ; America lookdl pityhigly across the Atlantic, and wondered at our folly and our crimes. On August the .Jth, ly,37, the shore end of the Cable was secured in the little cove selected for the pui'[iose in \'alentia, on the cliifs above which a telegraphic station had been crectctl, and was hauled up amidst the greatest euthusiasm, Lord Carlisle partici|)ating in the joy and the labour. On the evening of Friday, August 7th, the squadron .sailed, aud the Niagara •.'2 TlIK ATLIXTIC TKf.KdUAI'll. I 'i comnit'iicod paying out the Cable very slowly. About four miles ot' tlie .HJiorc Cable luul been ]iaye(l nut, wiieu it lieeaiiie entanglotl with the machinery, by the earelrs>ni'>.s of diie of tlie mru in eharm', and brokr ; all hamls weiv engaj^ed in trying to underrun and join the Cable, but it was too rough, and the Niagafa eanie to aiirhor for the night. Next day a s[)lie(; was made, the ship resumed her eour.v, and at noon on Sunday, August lUh, 1)5 miles had lieeii [layed out. The paying-out gear jimved to be defe<'tive in the course of the loth. On the evening of Tuesday, the 1 Ith, all signals suddenly ceased. The Cable had bi'ohcn in 'JiMio fithonis of walrc, when about !);!() nautical miles were laid, at a dislance of ilso miles IVom Naleiitia. At the lime the shi[i was going from three to four knots, and was able to pay out .j to .'j^ miles per hour, the pressure shown by tlu' indicator being IJUUOlb., but the strain being no (h)ubt much greater. This loss proved fatal to the iirst attem[it to lay the Atlantic Cable, as ou consultation among the olHccrs and engineers it ap[iearcd to lie unwise to renew the attempt with only 1,"^ 17 miles on boaid the ships, or an e.\iess of lii [ler cent, on ill" i|nanlily reijuiied by the ulmlr dislance. Nolhiiig daunlcd by tlie I'ailinv, .Mr. ImcM started olf at once in II. .M.S. Cyclops for I'^nglaiid, and, on his ai'i'isal, urged the immediate renewal of the entcrpriM' ; but it was resolved by the directors in Jiondon to postpone it to the following year. \n aihlition to the (•aj)ital of the Company wa.s proposed and agreed to. The greater [lart of the autunui was devoted to preparations for the renewed etlbrts of the Company. The part of tlu; Caljle which was left was hinded at Keyham, oM miles of the shore-end were recovered, and the Com- pany again apiiheil to tlu' lirilish ;ind American (Jovernnients for the services of the same vessels which had been [ireviini^ly h'Ut to them. .Messrs. tilass, EUiot, t'i Co., Were entrusted by the directors of 'J"hc Athintic Telegraph Company to manufacture a further length of tM)U mil"S, lo replace that which was lost or damaged, thus making a total of ;i,012 miles of Cable, .'^o as to guard against accidents by giving an allowance of 40 per cent, of slack. The paving-out apparatus was also improved, so that the eiiginet'r in charge ahtne should control the egress of the CaUe, instead of using the hand-wheel, which, upon the foiiner occasion, had caused much danger in rough weather. The manufacturers of tlu; machinery were Messrs. Easton k Amos, of South- wark, under the superiiitendeuee of .Mr. i'enn, ,Mr. Field, 31r. Lloyd, Mr. Everett, audi .Mr. llriglit. The im[iortant part of the apparatus consisted of Appold's self-regulating brake, so adjusted and coiislrueteil as always to exert a certain amount of resist- ance, regulated by the revolution of the wheels to which it was applied. More h TITK ATLANTIC TRLEORAPH. '>n lli.iii lliis lixcd iiniount of rcHistjiiKM-, \vli!it(^vi'r it mij^'lit Im', it guard against any chance of mishap, not more than half this ,aiii was put u]>oii it. The lirakes, as a rule, weiv fixed to give a strain oC hout K! cwt., 1 the forc(; re([uired to k-eep the machine going, or ali";it s cwt. more, was the am utmost th:it was allowed to come ujion the wire. The I iraKc o| the paying-out nundiine used on the occasion of the first attempt was ca[)al)le, l)y a movement of the hand, of exerting prodigious resistance. In the new niacliiiie any one could in a moment ease it, until there was no resistance at all heyond the S cwt. strain on tlie wire. .\t a few W \\ir Cal.h d a tew teet troiu tlie ]iayiiig-out niaclnne, tlierahle passed over a wliec], which registered precisely the strain in pounds at which tiie coil was running out. Facing this register was a steering wheel, similar to that of an ordinary vessel, and connected in the same way with compound levers, which a--*;.! upon the lirake. The otlieer in charge of the apparatus stood I)y this wheel, and wateheil the register of .strain or pitch of the vessel, openhig the lirukes by tlio slightest niovemont of his hand, and letting the Cahle run freely as the stern rose. TIk^ same officer, however, could not l)y any ])o.ssil>le method increase the actual strain on the C'alile, ■which remained always according to the friction at which the brake was at first adjusted by the engineer. All w;is ready for the expedition before the time indicated, and the cUrectors and the public looked ^vi♦^h ronfidence to the result. Instead of landing a shore- yi eiii THK ATNAXTIC TKI;KfiKAnf. 1 nt Yiilciilin, niid iiiakiiio- ;i juiKtidii of the Calili". it was drcidcd that tlio ships shinild in'iiiTcd tducthir to a puiiit midway lutwccii Trinity liavatid N'alcnt in, 'vo Pjilico the Calilo, and tlioi turn licii' iKiws cast a lul west, and iiroci'i'd t( tiu'ii' di'stiiiatKnis. On Thnrsday, (he Idth n\' ,lnni\ IS.IS, 1I.]\I.S. A^anuMiinon and U.S.X.S, Niaji'ara, acc()in|iatncd liy ll.M.S. ^'all^■()us and II. M.S. (Jurn-on, left Plynimith, the two t'ornu'i' having pn^viously niad<' an (wpcvinR'nial crnisc' in the C'liaunel wi'Ii the C'aliirs, wliich wnv vciy sati-^factory, in all iTspert.s. Exju'vicnefd mariners gazed with apprehension a! their depth in water as tliev li'fi the shore. It wa-, howrvia-, such gloriuiis weather as to cause some anxiety lest tliere -should I>e no wind, and that thi' slock of ecials niiglit he exhausted before their mission was aceonnilished. JU'fore midnight, however, ;v giadually iiicrea-^ing gale gathci'ed io a storm, while the liaroinetei' marked 2!)". For seven consecutive days the temjiest, so eloipientl^' descrihed liv ^Ir. Woods in tlu; 'I'l'iiir^, contimied. the Agamennion under clos(^-rei'fed topsails striving to ri ach the reiidezvoirs l,al. '>•! 2', Long, '.V-V 1 .'s', rolling A^y degrees, and lalioiu'ing I'e.-ii'I'ully. On the I Dill and 2(»tii the gale r.iiched its height. The ]iosition of the shij), carr\'ing l'.s lo tons of dcad-wcighl, hailly stoweil, had licconie mo.sl critical, from lici' viiilmt lurching as she >\\\\\i into the troughs oT the sea, and stiaig^lcd \iolcntly to right hci'sell' -the coal bunkers gave way, and caused alarm and contusion. AVere the masts to yield, the ship would rock still more violently, the Cable would sliii't, and ca.rry eveiy one with it to destrueiion. Captain I'lvedv had but two cnurses open in order to save the .•<'iagai'a, having passed through tlu' dreadful ordeal with less danger and dillicully. At hall-past two o'clock on the 2(iili, the Agamenniou and Niagara first sjiliced the Cable; it liowevei' becaiui' foul of the scraper on the latter slii|i, and bmke. \ second splice was immeiliatel\- made, and the \-essels started. The ,\gamennion hail ]iaid out .'!7.^ miles, when suddenly the contiiniity of the electric cuiavnt eea-ed, ,and the eli'dricians tieelared that the Cable had broken at the JHittoni. .\s the >,'iagai'a was hauling in the Cable, of which she had payed out 4:] miles, it snaj)ped close to the .ship. 'IIK ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH. On the 2stli, \hv tliinl and liiial splice was clTcctnl. Tlic Niagara slai'tcd N.W. ^ N. At 4 p.m. (ui ihc :2l)lli, when 111 milrs 1 lad iRM'ii paid m th lie cail.Si' was sonll I'lcclncians (in hnaul rcpDi'tcd that (•(Uitinuitv had erased. known. The Ag-auieniiiou had nin 118 niih's, and paid (Uit 1 liJ miles oi' ('ahl. when the upper deck eoil hecan le exhausted >S]ieed Mas slackened, m (inler to shift tlie (able to the lower deck, when suddenly it sna[iped, without any per- ceptiUe cause, under a strain of only 2-200 pounds. Tl the s]ieeil moderate— about five knots; the strain one-third less th;in luvakiii-- strain ; everythinii- fav It! weather was calm The Ni V liad /out able; and yet the Cable parted, silently and suddt.aily. le ISiagara liad to cut the Cable, as she had no means of rci-ovi^ring the iiortiou payed out, and lost 144 miles of it. On tlit^ 12tli .Inly, the Agamenmon, after an eventful cruise of tliirty-thive days, reached (,)ueenstown, having left the rendezvous on the (Itli, whither she had gone in tlie hope of meeting the Niagara. A special meeting of the Company was eaUed, and the expedition was ordered to go to sea. There was still (juite sutlieient Cable remaining, and it was determined to make another altemiit inunedialely. The way in which the Cable parted on the third occasion was the only thing ealcuhittnl to create doubt and a[i[»rehensioii. The two other lireakagcs might be accounted for, and guarded against for tla^ future, but there was something iu the latter not so easy of explanation, and which seemed to point to some mysterious agency existing iu the depths of the ocean, luyoiid the perception of science or man's control. At midnight on the 2Sth of July, 1 S.IS, the Agamemnon and Niagara once more met iu mid-ocean, and on the following morning spliced the Cable, which Avas this time destined to tend so nuich towards solving the great problem. On the ;i(ith, 2i;r) miles had been jiaid out. On the ;ilst, .VJO miles. On the bst August, 884 miles. On the i2nd, ]Ll.-)(i miles. On the 4th, ls.-)t miles; and on the .jth, i2(i22 miles. 'J'he Agamenuion now anchored in Dowlas Hay, Yalentia, and preparations were made to join the ocean and shore t'lids. On the same day, at C4.'3 a.m., the Niagara anchored in Trinity Hay, Newf mndland, and in an hour after slu' received a signal across the Atlantic that the Cal>k' had been lau(h'd from the Agamemnon. j\lr. Field at once telegraphed the news to the New York press, and the iutelligt'Ucc llew all over the I'niou, where it w.-is received with the most exti'a- ordinary manifestatiuus of dehglit. The iiiformatiou was received more equably in Enghuuk On the 7th of August, many an anxious heart was liglileucd liy reading in the 2Yines the foUuwing telciiram : — r 20 Tlli. ATLANTIC TELEORAPIT. " Valentia, August Glh, " End of Cable safely landed, close by pier, at Knightstown, being carried on the paddle-ljoxes of the ^'alorous — expect to lie open to public in three weeks." ]\lr. Field's disjmtch to the Associated Press of New York was foUowctl by two to the Tresideut, to which ]\Ir. Buchanan sent a suitable reply. A message was sent to tlie ]\layor of New York also, to wliich an answn- was returned next day. On August the 9th the telegraphic wires reported that " Newfoundland still answered, but only voltaic currents." On the lOtli it was stated "Coil currents had been received — 40 per minute easUy " — followed by tlie modest words, " Please send sluwer for the present." On ihe 14tli a message of 14 words was transmitted, and on the 18th the Directors in England thus spoke to their brethren in the other hemisphere : "Europe and America are united by telegraphic conimuniratioii. 'Clory to Cod in the highest, (jn earth peace, goodwill towards men."' This message occupied 'So minutes in transmission, it was rapidly followed by a message from tlie C^hieeu of England to the President of America, which occupied G7 minutes in transmission, and was i'e}ieated. The text was as follows :— " To THE PnESIDEXT OF THE UNITED StATES, WaSHTNGTOX : " The Queen desires to congratulate the President upon the successful comple- tion of this great international work, in which the Queen has taken the deepest interest. " The Queen is convinced that tlie President will join with her in fervently hoping tiiatthe Electric Cable which now connects Great Pritain with the United States will prove an additional link Ijetween the nations whose friendshii) is founded u})oii their common interest and reciprocal esteem. "The Queen has much pleasure in communicating with the President, and renewing lo him liei' wishes for the prosperity of the United States." THJO liEl'LY OF THE I'liESIDENT. " Washington City, August 10, I85G. "To Her MA.rESTv Vktoiua, Queen of Cheat Phitain : " The PresideJit cordially reciprocates the congratulations of Her Majesty the Queen on the success of the; great international enterprist; accomplished by the science, skill, and indomitable (.'iiergy of ihe two countries. It is a triumph rricd ;Iireo two was still lUtC tho n-(i : 3od )ieJ tlio . in )le- )est tly ted is nd he he ijh '^A< ■j3 I 4. .««iM«lipai greatest .scicMitific triumjih of the age. On the 7th of Septemlier, 1858, the following letter appeared in the IVmcn, addressed to the editor : — «' September Mi, 1S5S. "Sir, — T am iiiRtrncted by the Directors to inform you that, owing to .some cause not at present ascertained, but believed to arise from a fault existing in the Cable at a point hitherto nndiscovered, there havc^ been no intelligible signals from Newfoundland since one o'clock on Friday the 13rd inst. The Directors are now in Valcntia, and, aided by various scientific and practical electricians, are r, 2 28 THE ATLANTIC TELEriRAPlI. inveatigatiiig tlio causo of tlio sto[)piirTo, witli ;i view to romodyinn; tlui oxistiufi; (lit1icul(y. Uixlor tlicac circumstances no time can bo named at present for opening the wire to the public. " Geo. Sawaud." Such was the forcslindowing of the groat calamity that was so soon to follow. Pu1)lic excitement became intense. The market value of the Atlantic Telegraj)h Stock assumed a downward tendency, and fell ra})id]y. jhit the projectors had not been idle. A rigid inquiry had been immediately instituted by Professor Thomson, Mr. V^arloy, and Sir Charles ]'>right, which enabled them to arrive at a conclusion that the fault must lie on the Irish coast. Consequently the Cable was undormn for three miles, cut and tested ; but no defect being found, it was again .spliced. During all this period its electrical condition had become so much deteriorated that such messages as passed required to bo constantly repeated. So matters went, hope and fear alternating, until the insulation of the wire bccarao suddenly worse, and at last the signals ceased to be intelligible at New- foundland altogether. Scientific inquiry tended to show that the fault lay about 270 miles from Valentia, at the mountain range which divides the depths of tlic Atlantic from the shallow water on the Irish shore. This steep range, or sloping bank, which, on being sounded, showc'^ a ditlcrence of 7,'200 feet in elevation in a distance of eight miles, had been crossed by the Agamemnon an hour liefore the expected time, and it was said a sufficient fjuantity of slack had not been thrown out, so that the Cable was suffered to hang suspended in the water. But this was of course mere conjecture, and the failure most probal)ly was precipitated by injudicious attempts to overcome defective insulation by increased battery power. The conclusions finally arrived at by the Scientific Committee appointed to report as to the causes of the failure of the Cable were, first, that it had been manufactured too hastily ; secondly, that a gi-eat and unequal strain was brought on it by the machinery; and thirdly, that the repeated coiHngs and uncoUings it underwent served to injure it. To such causes was the failure to be attributed, not to any original defect in the gutta percha. Mr. Varley stated his opinion that there musi; have been a fault in the Cable while on boiu:d the Agamemnon, and before it was submerged ; but none of the theories accounted for the destruction of a Cable on which half a miUion of money had bi'on expended, and which (if successful) two governments had contracted to sulisidise to the gross amount of 28,000/. yeaily. Thus were annihilated, silently le T to il un M Tin: ATLANTIC TKM;(iI{Ari[. 2'J and mystrrioiisly, nil tlmsc liopcs wlildi lind huitivoiI ho niiuiy iit ill KntjlMiid, lis no olndlitioii.s of joy Imd liccii iiiduljfrd in wlicn surci.-H wonicd cci'tain, ncitlicr was tlicro now any yicldiiijf lo ges it had ac(juired— amongst others, the e.xclnsivc right to land telegraph wires on the Atlantic coast of Labrador, Newfoundland, Prince Edward's Island, and the Stat(! of IMainc — and invited public subscrijitions. The firm of Glass, Elliot, & Co., sent in tendin-s to provide a Cable at a cost of £700,000; a sum of £137,000, being 20 per cent, upon the capital of the Company, to be paid to them in old unguaranteed shares of the Company, provided they were successful. On the 4th of ]\Iarch, 18f^'3, a large number of tlu^ leading merchants in New York assembled in the Chamber of Commerce in that city, for the purjiosc^ of hearing some new and interesting facis relative to the Atlantic; Telegi-a2)h enterprise. The many advantages which would arise to America were apparent, and, among others, was the improvement of the agricultural position of the countiy by extending to it the facilities, already enjoyed by England htuI France, of commanding the foreign grain mark(^ts ; as well as the avoidance of misunderstandings between America ami other countries.* * Sli(irt-livo(l a.s w:i.s tlu^ foniicr Calilo, it liail sunivoil htivj; eiioiigli to imivo its vahio in ,i lliinnciul ])uint of vlow. Aiiioiig.st 400 iiiesaagos wliidi it liad tninsmittnl, wa.s mio that liail liccn (lispatLliocl from Liimloii ill the morning ami reaolied Halifax tlie same day, directing " tliat the (i'Jnd Regiment were not to ruturn to Englaml." Thi.s timely warning .«avod the country an expenditure of 50,000/. so THE ATLANTIC TEI/EGRAPII. Since 1S5S, \\h\[ was ;i lucrc I'xporiniont liad Ijocnmc ii practical reality. The Gutta PcM-clia Company had prepared no less than forty-fmu' submarine Cables, enclosing f)000 miles of conduothig A\h-e, ■which were in daily use, and not one of -which had required to be repaired, except at the shore end, where they were exposed to ships' aucliors. At the meeting in New York, Mr. Field read a letter from Glass, Elliot, & Co., in whicli they oflered to undertake to lay the Calile lictween Ireland and Newfoundland on the most liberal conditions. The terms which they proposed were, — First, that all actual disbui-Rcments for work and material .should be recouped each week : secondly, that wlion the Cable was in full working order, 20 per cent, on the actual profits of the Ccmipany should be paid in shares to be delivered monthly, while at the same time tliey offered to sid)scribG £25,000 towardis the ordinary capital of the Company. The English Government also agreed to guarantee interest on the cai)ital at S per cent., during the operation and working of the Cable, and to grant a yearly subsidy of .£14,000. JMr. Field further directed the tittention of the meeting to the line to San Francisco (a single State), as evidence of what l)usiness might be expected. The estimated power of the Cable was a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 18 words per minute. If it were to be worked for sixteen hours per day for 300 days in each year, at a charge of 2s. Gd. per word, the income would amount to .£413,000 a yejir, which would be a return of 4t» per cent, upon a single Cable. After the fadure of the last Cable a Com- mission of Inrpiiry, consisting of nine members, had sat for two years, and, by their report, afforded valuable information. The IJritish Government had also dispatched surveying expeditions, which reported most fiivourably as to New- foundland. In reference to the objection, that in case of war the Cable Avould be under the sole cumtrol of the Enghsh G(5vcrnment, it was to be remembered that it would be laid untion of copper wire can seldom be relied upon fur equality of streuLilh throughout, and in some instani'cs an inch or even a less portion of tlic wire will prove f.) be slightly crystallised, and conse- quently incapable of resisting the effects of coiling or i>aying out if brought to bear iqion the part, though no external ditfercnce bo at all ap[)arent between the weak portion and the remainder of the sample. J>y proceeding, however, as in the present case, the conductor was divided into seven sections, and the risk of seven weak places occurring in the same s[)ol being exceedingly remote, the probability of a breach of continuity in a strand conductor was almost ii/7. The weight of the new conductor was nearly thivc times that of the former one — being ;J00 pounds to the nautical nule against 1()7 pounds per knot to the conductor of IS.; 7. The adoption of this increased weight hail I'eference to the increase of comuiercial speed in the working of the new ("able expected to accrue therefrom, and wa-; founded upon the principles of conduction and induction, now Well understood, which consist in the law that the conductivity of the conductor is as its sectional area, while its inductive capacity (whereby speeil of trans- mission is retarded) is as its circumference only ; and, as the niaxinmm speed at which the original Calile was ever worked did not exceed two and a-lialf ^\■ords per mimite, it wouhl follow liy calculation, taking into account the thickness of the dielectric surrounding the present combictoi', that, using the same instru- ments as in Ib.jS, a speed of three' and a-half to four words per minute might lie expected from the new Cable ; but it was stated by the electricians that owing to the impi'oved UKxles of working long Cables that have been discovered since 18.JS, an increase of speed u]! to six or even moi'e words per mimUe might 1)0 secured by the adoption of suitable apparatus. The purity of the copper emphjyed, a very inqiortant item, aifecting the rate of transmission, had I)een carefully provided for. Every portion of the conductor was sulanitted to a searching test, and all copper of a lowt'r conductivity than b.j per cent, of that of pure copper was cai'efully rcjcctc(l. The covering of the conductor with its dielcetrit: or insulating sheath was effected as follows : — -The centi'e wire of the cop[)er sti'and was first covered with a coatinii' of <>-utta percha, reduced to a viscid stati' with Stockholm tar, this being the pi'cjtaration known as "C'hatterton's Conqtouud. " This coating must be so TlIK ATLANTIC TKLEGIIAPII. 33 ■ti)i' lUS- at on Is of it lie Ic of •tor tliaii was witli (' so thick that, when the otlier six wiius forming tho strand wore hiid spirally and tightly round it, every interstice was eonipletely filled up and all air excluded. The ohject of this process was two-fold ; first, to jirevent any space for air between the conductor and insulator, and thus exclude the increase of inductive action •ittendant upon the absence of a perfect union of those two agents, and, second, to secure mechanical solidity to the entire core ; the conductors of some earlier Cables having been found to lie to some extent loose within the gutta pereha tube surrounding them, and thercliy nuich more liable to permanent extension, mechanical injury, and imperfe(;t ceutricity than those in which the preliminary precaution just described had been made use of. The whole conductor next received a coating of C'hattcrton's Compound outside of it ; this, when the core was completed, quickly solidified, and becanu' almost as hard as the remainder of the subsequent insulation. It was then surrounded with a first coating of the purest gutta pereha, which lieing pressed aiound it while in a plastic state by means of a very accurate die, formed a first continuous tube along the whole conductor. Over this tube was hud by the same process a thin covering of Chattertou's Compoinid, for the ]»urpose of effectually closing up any possiide pores or minute flaws that might have escaped detection in the first gutta pereha tube. To this covering of Chattertou's Compound succeeded a second tube of pure gutta pereha, then another coating of the compound, and so on alternately until the conductor had received in all four coatings of conijiound and four of gutta pereha. The total weight of iiisulating material thus applied was 400 pounds to the nautical mile, against 261 pounds in the Cable of 1857-iS. The core, completed as described, and wdiich had previously and repeatedly been under electrical examination, was at length submerged m water of a temperature of 7.) deg. Fall., and so remained during twenty-four hours. This was done that the subsequent electrical tests for conductivity and insulation might be made under circumstanc(^s th<' most unfavourable to the manufacture, from the welldtl to insure success in the present state of our experimental know- ledge respecting deep-sea Cables," taking care at tli" same time, by enforcing a stringent specification and constant siipcwision, to guard against any possible laxity ill the details of its construction. The Cable so decided on weighed 35j cwt. per knot in air, but in water it did not exceed 14 cwt, being only a fraction heavier in that medium than the old Cable, though bearing more than twice the strain — the breaking strain of the new Cal»le being 7 tons l.'j ewt. In water it way eapal)lc of bearing eleven miles of its own length perpendicularly susj)endcd, and consequently had a margin of strength of more than four and a-half times that which was absolutely requisite for the deepest water. The core having been received from the gutta perciha works, and carefully tested to note its electrical condition, was first taken to receive its padding of jute yarn, wliereby the gutta percha would be protected against any pressure from the external iron sheath, which latter succeeded the. jute. On former occasions this padding of jute had been saturated in a mixture of tar before being applied to the gutta percha ; but expe- rience had shown that this proceeding might lead to serious fallacies as to the electrical state of the core, cases having been repeatedly found where faults existed in the core itself — amounting to an almost total loss of insulation — which, however, were only discovered after being submerged and worked tlu'ough, owing to the partial insulation conferred for a time upon the bad place by means of the tarred wrapping. The Atlantic core, therefore, was Avrapped with jute which had been simply tanned in a solution of catechu, in order to preserve it from decay, and as fast as the wrapping proceeded the wrapped core was coiled into water, in which, not only at this stage, but ever afterwards until finally deposited in the sea, the Cable, complete or incomplete, was stored, and the water being al)lo to freely pass through the tarred jute to the core, the least loss of insulation was at once apparent by the facility offered by the water to conduct away to earth the whole or a portion of the testing current. joen ■ I! I THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH. a? The iron wire with wliich tlie juto cover was surrounded was specially prepared for tliis purpose, and is termed by the makers (Afessi-s. Wehster & Ilorsfall) "Homogeneous Iron." It was manufactured and rolled into rods at their works at Killamarsli, near Sheffield, and drawn at their wire factory at Hay mills, near Birmingham. This wire approaches to stt.'el in regard to strength, but by some peculiarity in the; mode of preparing i*-, is depri\'e,d entirely of that springiness which prohibits altogether the use of steel as a covering for the outsides of sub- marine cables. Ten wires were laid spirally round the core, and each of these wires was of No. 13 gauge, and was under contract to b(>ar a strain of 850 to 1,100 lb., with an elongation of half an inch in every fifty inches within those breaking limits. The Cable, as completed and surrounded by these wires, had not the slightest tendency to spring, as would be the case if the metal were hard steel, and could be handled with great facility. Before, however, these ten wires surrounded the core, each separate wire had to be itself covered Avith a jacket of tarred ]\[anilla yarn, the object of which is at once to i)rotcct the iron from iiist and to lighten the specific gravity of the mass, while adding also in S(mie degree to the strength of the external portion of the Cable. The wire was drawn horizontally forward over a drum through a hollow cylinder, on the outside of which bol)bins filled with IManilla yarn revolved verti- cally, and the yarns from thesi; bobbins, being made to converge around the wire as it issued from the end of the cylinder, were thus spun tightly round the former. These Manilla-covered wires being wound upon large drums ready for use, the core, which we left some time back surrounded with jute, was passed round several sheaves, which conducted it below the floor oi the factory, from whence it was di'awn up again through a hole in the centre of a circular table, around the circumfer- ence of which were ten receptacles for ten drums, containing the JManilla-covered wire. Between these drums massive iron rods, fastened to the circumference of the table, rose, and convergi'd around a small hollow cone of ii-on tlu-ough the upper flooring of the factory, at a height of 12 or 14 feet above the table. The jute- covered core was pulled \ip vertically, and passed on straight through the hollow interior of the cone already mentioned, which latter formed the apex of the con- verging rods. This done, the ten wires from the ten drums were drawn up over the outside of the same cone, and as they rose beyond it converged around the core, which latter, being free from the revolving part of the machinery, was simply drawn out ; while the circular table being now set revolving by steam p>ower, the ten wires from the drums were spun in a spiral around the core, thus com- pleting the Cable, which was hauled out of the factory by the hands of men, who at the same time coiled it into large iron tanks, where it was covered with water, !)8 THE ATLAXTK' TELEGRAPH. i: and was daily subjected to the most careful electrical tests, both by tho veiy experienced staff of the contractoi-a and by the jigents of the Atlantic Telegraph ( 'ompany. The distance from the western coast of Ireland to the spot in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, selected as the landing-place for the Cable, was a little over 1,0"00 nautical miles, and the length of Cable contracted for, to cover this distance, including the "slack," was 2,300 knots, which left a margin of 700 knots, to cover the inequalities of the sea-bed, and to allow for contingencies. On the first occasion 2,500 statute miles were taken to sea, the distance to the NewfountUand tenninus on that occasion being \,6i0 nautical miles ; and, after losing .'38r> miles in 18.57, and setting apart a further quantity for experi- ments upon paying-out machinery, sufficient new Cable was numufactured to enable the Niagara and Agamemnon to sail in 1858 mth an aggregate of 2,963 statute miles on board the two sliips, of which about 450 statute miles were lost in the two fii'st attempts of that year, and 2,110 miles were finally laid and worked thi'ough. The greatly increased weight and size of the Cable woiUd have made the question of stowage a very embaiTassing one had it not been for the existence of the Great Eastern steamship, there being no two ordinary ships afloat that would be capable of containing, in a form convenient for paying-out, the great bulk presented by 2,;300 miles of a Cable of such dimensions. This bulk, and the now ackncnvlcdged necessity for keeping Cables continuously in water, made their influence! to be felt in a very expensive manner to the Com- pany and to the contractors throughout the progress of the work, even at this early stage. The works at Morden Wharf had to be to a very large extent remodelled to meet these contingencies. Eight enormous tanks, made of five- eighths and half-inch plate iron, peifectly watertight, and veiy fine specimens of this description of work, were erected on those premises, and these tanks then i-eceivcil an aggregate of 80 miles of Cal)le per week. Four of the tanks were circular in shape, and each contained 153 miles of cable, Ijcing 34 ft. in diameter and 12 ft. deep. The other four were slightly elliptical, being 3G ft. long by 27 ft. wide, and 12 ft. deep, and contiuned each 140 miles. The contents of all these, aa they bname full, were transferred to the Great Eastern at Sheerness, for which service the Lords of the Admiralty granted the loan of two sailing-ships, laid up in ordinary at Chatham, namely — the Amethyst and the Iris.* These ships had to undergo very considerable alteration to ♦ It may here be Btated that Admiral Talbot, iu voiiiinaud at the Noro, gave evoiy aid tu the uiuU'rtiikiiig ; and that Captain Hall, of the SlieeruoMH Dockyard, waH indufatigable and lucwt serviceable ill forwarding the work whilst the Great Eastern lay iu the Medway and iit the Hore. t I: !l 'ciy apli iay, GOO nee, lots, On the ifter )eri- 1 to e of iiiles kid iiade the ihips •out, )ulk, ater, !om- this tent five- is of then ft'ore ictor by cuts at a of hyst to u thu .■eiil)U' ("^pr j i ' "( i ^-^ . ,^,^ •i THE ATLANTIC TKLKGRAI'K. .'Ui render tliem suitable for tlio work, portiouH of the main deck having to be removed— fore and aft— to make room for watertight tanks, whidi here, as else- where, were to be the medium for holding the Cable. The dimensions of the two tanks on board the Amethyst were 29 ft. diameter by 14 ft. (> in. in \\\iH tilled with water. Tiiere was ahso a duplii-ato dnun and pair of Apptild's hrnkeH fitted in position and ready for use in ease of accident. Upon the overliiinf5in<:; ends of iho siiaftH of the druniH driving pulleys were fitted, which could lie connected by a leather belt for the purpose of brin(, .iijfc^ '.'iSj'IW,^ U 1 i TITE ATLANTfC TELEOIIAI'II. 41 momoter was plaood a tiller-wlio(,'l, and the man in (•liarge of it never let it g.3 or sla 'kened in Lis attention for an instant, but watched the rise and faU of the dynamometer as a sailor at the wheel watches his compass. A single movement of this wlieel to tlie right put the l)rakes on, a turn to the left opened them. A good and experienced brakeman would generally contrive to avoid either extreme of a high or low strain, thougli tliere were few duties coimectcd with the laying of submarine cal)les which were more anxious and more responsible while they last, than those connected with the management of the brakes. The whole machine worked beautifully, and with so little friction that when the brakes were removed, a weight of 2t)0 lb. was sufficient to (baw the enable through it. In order to guard against any possible som'ces of accident, every preparation was made in case of the worst, and, in the event of veiy bad weather, for cutting the Cable adrift and buoying it. For this purpose a wire rope of great strength, and no less than fi 'e miles long, having a distinctive mark at every 100 fathoms, was taken in the Great Eastern. This, of course, was only carried in case of desperate eventualities arising, and in the earnest hope that not an inch of it would ever be re Cable to the Great Eastern. On the 24th the Great Eastern left the Medway for the Nore, carrying 7000 tons of Cable, 2000 tons of iron tanlcs, and 7000 tons of coal. At the Nore she took in 1,.'500 additional tons of coal, which brought her totid dead-weight to 21,000 tons. ]\lr. Gooch, IM.P., Chairman of the Great Eastern Company and Director of the Telegraph Constniction and ]\rainteiiance Company ; Mr. Barl)cr (Great Eastern), Mr. Cyrus Field, Captain Hamilton, Directors of the Atlantic Telegraph Com- pany ; ]\I. Jules Despcseher ; ]\Ir. H. O'Neil, A.K.A. ; Mr. Brassey, Mr. Fairbairu, ]\[r. Dudley, the representatives of some of the principal joimials, and several visitors, went round in the vessel from the Nore to Ireland. The ^^■hole of the ari-angements for paying-out and landing the Cable wore in charge of Mr. Canning, principal Engineer to the Telegraph Constniction and IMaintenance Company, jVIr. Clifford being in charge of the machinery. These gentlemen wex'e assisted by IMr. Temple, Mr. London, and eight experienced engineers and mechanists. A coqis of Cable layers was <^urnished by the Tele- graph Construction and Miuntenance Company. The Electrical Staff consisted of C. V. de Sauty . Chief. H. Saunders . . Electrician to the Malta and Alexandria Telegraph. Willoughby Smith Electrician to the Gutta Percha Company. W. W. Biddulph . Assistant Electrician. H. Donovan . . Do. O.Smith ... Do. J. Clark ... Do. J. T. Smith . . Instrument Clerk from ]\lalta and Alexandria Telegraph. J. Gott .... Do. Do. Do. L. Schaefer . . Mechanician. he L'U of to I'O it, )() bo to lie '), u- u, al in id 3e ik ), I I THE ATLAiNTU; TEl.lXaiAPH. 13 J. May . . 'J\ Browii . W, Crocker . G. Stevenson E. George . H. Fisher . Thu Staff (it Valentia teas coiiq/uncd of . Sui)crintentk'nt. . Assistant Electrician. Do. . Instmment Clerk from Malta and Alexandria Telegraph. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. All the aiTangcmonts at Valentia were under the du-cction of Mr. Gla.ss, Mr. Varley, chief electrician to the Atlantic Telegraph Company, was appointed to report on the laying of the Cable, anil tt) sec that the conditions of the contract were complied with. Associated with him was Professcn- AV. Thomson, LL.D., F.RS., of Glasgow. His staff was composed of Mr. Deacon, Mr. !Medlcy, Mr. Trippc, and Mr. Perry. Several young gentlemen interested in engineering and science were accommo- dated with a passage on board. At noon on July 15th the Great Eastern, in charge of ^Ir. Moore, Trinity l)ilot, drawing ;34 ft. 4 in. for^'ard, and 28 ft. 6 in. aft, got up her anchor, and at micbiight on July 16th was off the Lizard. On jNIonday, 17th, she came up with the screw steamer CJaroline, freighted with 27 miles of the Irish shore end of the Cable, weighing 540 tons, and took her in tow. Then a gale set in, which gave occasion to the Great Eastern to show her fine qualities as a sea-boat when properly handled. Even those who were most prejudiced or most diffident, admitted that on that score no vessel could behave better. This trial gave every- one, from Captain Anderson down, additional reason to be satisfied with the fitness of the great ship for the task on which she was engaged. Next day, Tuesday, July 18th, she encountered ofi" the Irish coast a strong gale with high westerly sea, through which she ran at the rate of six knots an hour. The Caroline, which tolled so hea\'ily and pitched so vigorously as to excite serious apprehensions, broke the tow rope in the course of the day, and ran for Valentia harbour, where she arrived safely, piloted by the Great Eastern ; and the Great Eastern, passing inside the Skelligs, stood in close to Valentia Lighthouse, and sent a boat ashore to communicate. H.M.S. Terrible, Captain Napier, and H.M.S. Si)hinx, Captain V. Hamilton, were visible in the offing, having sailed at the end of the previous week from Queenstown for the rendezvous, outside Valentia. Captain Anderson having fired a gun to announce his arrival, steamed for Berehaven, in Bantry Bay, and anchored inside the island on Wednesday morning, July 19th, in 17 fathoms. Here the Great Eastern lay, preparing for her great f! 2 41 THE ATLANTIC TELEGIlAril. emuul — perhaps, us it may prove, her exclusive "mission," — on Thursday, 20th, Friday, 21 at, and Saturday, 22nd July, whilst the Caroline was landing the shore end of the Cable in Foilhummerum Bay iu Valentia. During her stay in Bantr}- Bay, many visitors, high and low, eame on board the Great Ship, but it was believed all over the country that she was going to Foilhummcioim. The greater portion of those anxious to see her made the best of their way tj that secluded siK)t, to which there was once more attached an interest of a eivilisj\l character ; for, if countiy legends be true, there must have been some regard paid to Foilhuni- nierum liay b}- no less a person than Oliver Cromwell, testifieil yet by the grey walls of a ruined fort, and traces of a moat and outer wall, on the greensward above the point which forms the noi-thern entrance to the lonely bay. This crisp greensward, ghstening with salt, lies in a thin crust over the cliffs, which rise shecrly from the sea some three or four hundred feet ; and for what Oliver Cromwell or any one else could have erected a fortalicc thereon, may well IjaHie conjecture, unless the builder, having a far-reaching mind, saw the importance of watching the most westerly portion of Europe, or anticipated the day when Valentia would be recognised as one of the landmiU'ks created by the necessities of commercud and sociid existence. Taking advantage of the shelter afforded by a gradual descent inland of the soil, a few cabins have been placed by the natives — half- fishermen, half-husl )andmeu — Ai'chytas-like, spanning land and sea, and making but poor subsistence from their efforts on both. The little bay, wliich is not much above a mUe in length, contracts from a Ijreadth of half so much, into a watery cul-de-mc, terminated by steep banks of shale, earth, and high cliff, furrowed by watercourses ; and on the southernmost side it is locked in by the projecting ledges o^ rock forming the northern entrance to the Port Magec cliannel. It is so guarded from wind and sea, iluit on one side only is it open to their united action, but as the entrance looks nearly west, the fiUl roll of the Atlantii." may l)reak in upon it when the wind is from that point ; and indeed there is not wanting evidence that the wild ocean swell must? tumble in there with frightful violence. Jagged fragments of masts and spars are wedged into the rouks iunnovably by the waves, and the cliffs are gnawed out by the restless teeth of the lumgiy water into deep caves. But then a sea from that point would run parallel with the line of the Cable, und would sweep tdong with and not athwart its course, so that the strands would not be driven to and fro and ground out against the bottom. Except for a couple of hundred feet near the shore at the top of this cove, indeed, the bottom is sandy, and the rocks inside the sand line were calculated to form a protection to the Cable, once deposited, as the greater part of its course lay through a channel which had been cleared ^, 20th, shore Bnntr}- it waa greater 3chalccl racter ; nlhum- ic grey riswarcl This which Oliver y well iw the ted the by the ahclter placed g laud } little 3f half ;h, and ked in Magec t open of the indeed there d into estless would id not and ar the inside asited, learcd IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k 4 /. V- ^ 1.0 I.I U^I^S |2.5 u Hi 1^ 1^ 12.0 IL25 i 1.4 1.6 ^1 '/ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation SJ <^ A^ jsy^WrS ^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 !>" .A "% ^ '^y w •x ii'i, 'Hi- '1 'i I'! I,, ''I! ^■Ji Tlir: ATLANTIC TELEGUAril. 45 of the boulders with the intention of rolling them back again at low water, to cover in the shore end. Lieutenant White, and the hardy and hard-working sailors of the Coastguard Station at Valentia, had been indefatigable in sounding and buoying out a channel from the beach clear out to sea, within which the Caroline was to drop the Cable. A few yards back from the cHff, at the head of the cove, the temporary Telegraph Station reared its proportions in imitation of a dwarf Brompton boiler — a building of wood much beslavered \vith tar and pitch, of exceeding plainness, and let us hope of corresponding utility. Inside Avere many of the adjuncts of comfort, not to speak of telegraphic luxury, galvano- metei-s, wires, batteries, magnets, Sicmens's and B. A. unit Ciises, and the like, as wcU as properties which gave the place a false air of campaigning. A passage led from end to end, with i-ooms for living and sleeping in to the right and left, and an instrument room at the far extremity. Here, on a narrow ])latform, were the signal and speaking apparatus connected with the wires from the end of the Cable, which was secured inside the house. Outside the wires were carried 1)y posts in the ordinaiy way to the station at Valentia, whence they were conveyed to Killarney, and placed in communication with the general Telegraphic system over the world. The Telegraphic statf and operators were lodged in primitive apartments like the sections of a Crimean hut, and did not possess any large personal facility for enjoying social iutercourae with the outer world, although so much intelligence passed through their fingers. But roilhummerum may in time become a place with something more real than a future. If vessels from the westward do not hke to make heii- number outside, there is nothing to prevent their running into Valentia for the puipose, at all events. On the plateau between the station and the cliff, day after day hundi'eds of the country people assembled, and remained watching with exemplary patience for the Big Ship. They came from the mainland across Port Magee, or flocked in all kinds of boats from points along the coast, dressed in theii' best, and inclined to make the most of their holiday, and a few yachts came round from Cork and Bantiy Avith less rustic visitors. Tents were soon impro- vised by the aid of sails, some cloths of canvas, and oai^s and boathooks, inside which bucoUc refreshment could be obtained. Mighty pots of potatoes seethed over peat fires outside, and the reek from within came forth strongly suggestive of whisky and bacon. Flags fluttered — the Irish green, with hai-}), crown sur- mounted; Fitzgerald, green with its blazon of knight on horse rampant, and motto of " Malabar aboo " — faint suspicion of Stars and Stripes and Union Jack, and one temperance banner, audaciously mendacious, as it flaunted over John Barleycorn. Nor was music wanting. The fiddler and the piper had found out the island and the festive spot, and seated on a bank, played planxty and jig to a 40 THE ATLAXTiC TKl.EUKAl'ir. I I nil !! •I ; I : 'H, 'I I |. I' I.; li'h II' IM "'h couple or t\\ o in the vciy liuiitccl ciiclu I'onueil in the «oft earth by plaatic feet or ponderous shoeiuasoury, around vhieh, sitting and standing, was a dense crowd of ^ipell-bound, delighted spectators. In the bay below danced the light cauvas- eovered canot; or coracle in which the native fishermen will face the mountain billows of the Atlantic when no other boat will venture forth; and large yawls tilled with country people passed to and fro, and the bright gToupings of colour formed on the clitls and on the waters by the red, scarlet, and gi-cen shawls of the women and girls, lighted up the scene wonderfully. It would lie gratifying if in such a primitive spot one could shut his eyes to the painful evidence that the vices of civilisation — if they be so — had crept in and lapt the souls of the people in dangerous pleasures. Hut it could not be denied that the spirit of gambling and gourmandise were there. Seated in a ditch, Avith a board on their knees, four men were playing "Spoil Five " with cards, for discrimination of which a special gift must have been required ; but they were as silent, eager, and grave, as though they had been Union or Portland cham- pions contesting last trick and rub. Near them was one who summoned mankind to tempt capricious Fortune by means of an iron skewer, rotating an axis al)ove a [)iece of tarpaulin stretched on a rude table, which was enlivened Ity rays of vivid colour. At the end of each ray was an object of art — the "uerdon of success — an old penknife, brass tol)acco-box, tooth-comb, thimble, wooden nutmeg, or the like. f\. very scarecrow professor of legerdemain and knavery hid his i)ea, and challenged detection, and divided public attention with a wizard who presided over a wooden circle with a spinning needle in the centre to point to radii, at end of which were copper moneys deposited by the adventurers, who generally saw them whisked oft' into the magician's grimy pocket. An ancient woman, spinning, and guarding a, basket of most atrabilious confectioneiy, and a stall garnished with buttons and gingerbread, completed the attractions of Foilhummerum duiing this festive time. The matter of wonder was, what the people flocked to see, for it must soon haAc been known the Great Eastern was not there. The Hawk and the Caroline, as they went into Valentia, did duty successfully for the Big Ship, and tlic steam-yacht Alexancba, bi'longing to the Dublin BaUnst Board, and Il.M. tender Advice, created a sensation as they appeared in the offing on their way to the same rendezvous. All that related to the Cable and the laying of it possessed the Utmost interest for the country people, simply because the Cable went westwards across the ocean to the home of their hopes. Many of the poor people believed that it would facilitate communications with their friends in the land to which their thoughts are for ever t(>n I •I , I I'll I 1 1 \ ,■ ^ hi pi I • ill ::( i III; [ t:::: til, TIIK ATLANTIC TKLIXiRAIMI. 47 lu'ilmps the wcmls of LonI CailLsl.. wh,.,, I„. toM tliom of tlic adviuitnjr.'M tli«- 'IVIegnii)lii(: Ciiblo would r-oiifcT upon thcin. The villiigo of Knightstowii witiiosHcd an unusual influx of viHitora, and thoHi- whom tlu! hospitalilti mof (jf (Jlcnlcani could not .stivtch its willijig oaves over, found something more than shelter in the inn and in the eomfortahlo houses which iicted as its suirursales on the oeeasi(.n. Rut there was in the midst of 111! the plcasui'aUe exeitcmeMt of the inonKMit a ting(> of dissatisfaction, l)ccaus(' the people had persuaded themselves that if they were not to see the tJreat Eastern in the, harbour, they would at least have H.iM.S.S. Terrible and Sphinx, and the satellites of the Leviathan in their anchorage, and all they beheld of the men of war was their smoke and faint outlines on the distant horizon. re The Terrible and Sphinx might have coaled in Valentia, and waited the., for the arrival of the Great Eastern, of which they could have heard by telegraph, instead of towing coUiera to Cork and going into Berehaven, where there is no telegraph. Now, as to this harbour, let it be admitted at once that its entrance is only 180 yards broad. But the " Narrows" of Valentia flarbour is like a very short neck to a bottle, and after less than a .ship's length, the channel cnlartros sufficiently to allow several ves.sels to sail abreast in water which is never rouo'h enough to prevent the passage of boats to Begonnis or Renard Point. Indeed, Capt. Wolfe's report to the Hydrographer to the Admiralty expresses an opinion that the Needles' passage is more intricate and dangerous. The Skelligs on one side and the Blasketts on the other mark the approach very distinctly. Inside, thoro Is 600 acre.s, or more than a square mile, of harbour, \vith good holding o-round, having a maximum of six furlongs and a minimum of three furlongs water. The disappointment caused by the cautious indifference of the Terrible and Sphinx to the advantages of lying snugly inside Valentia Harbour was felt acutely. The Knight of Kerry, who has taken such an interest in the under- taking, and all the inhabitants, regarded it as a mark of distrust in the safety of the anchorage and mi the facility of access to it, Avhich was Avithout any justification, and some ascribed it to less creditable influences and objects ; but no one could believe that the officers in command of the ships kept out at sea in such weather, wearying the crews and wasting imals, without direct orders, or that they would hesitate to run in, if left to themselves, as soon as it was evident the point of rendezvous ten mUes from shore was not intended as a permanent station. The harbour had been visited by H.M.S.S. Stromboli, Hecate, Leopard, Cyclops, the U.S. frigate Susquehanna, and many large merchantmen, including the Carrier Dove, a vessel of 2,400 tons. On July 19th a channel was made down the cliff to the beach for the shore I* ' I !• I 4rt THK ATLANTIC TKLWlllAI'U. iiiil (if tlic CiiMt', wliicli wns ('nrriivl down in an outer cnsc throui'li ii culvert i)f ninsunrv, ami depositeil in a eut nimle as far into the sea as tlie state of the tiili' woulil admit. On the i! 1st aii"eartli" ('iil)h', witli a zinc earth, on Mr. Valley's plan, was ('aiTicd out into the liay from the station, and safely felt an interest whicli 1 am sure the hundilest iicrsou hero has also felt in the succes,4 of this the greatest undertaking of modern times. I lielicve there never has hcen an undi'rtaking in which, not to speak dis[iarag- inglv of the commercial spirit and the great resources ami strength of the land, that valuable spirit has hcen mixed up with so nnicli that is of a higher nature, combining all the most noble .sentiments of ()ur mind.s, and the feelings intended for the most beneficial purpose, which are eidculated to cement one great universe, I may say, with another. 1 th> not thhik we .shouM be <|uite silent when such an undertaking has been inaugurated. It has bei'U discu.ssed whether this ceremony should bo opem-d with a prayer or not. ^^'hether that shall be done or not, I am sure thei'c is not u person present who docs not feid the iitmost thankfulness to the Giver of all Good for having enabled those who liave taken an active part in it to bring this great undertaking to what I am sure will have a happy issue. I (hi not tliink anything could lie fitly added to the sentiment of tlie first message whi;'h was conveyed, namely — 'Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men.' f shall not detain you witli another word, but will only ask you all to give the heartiest cheers for the success of the undertaking. I will also take the liberty of asking you, when you have done that, to give three cheers for a gentleman who has come here at great incouvenionee, and has done us veiy great honour in doing so, and who deserves tliem, not only from his position and eluiracter, Imt also from liliul, ilSKlllg ■V? I'll I '»! < i! »f ; THE ATLAXTir TET.lXIRAl'ir. 40 tho intorortt wlik'li lie has al\vn)-s shown in this undortalving. I call upon you to give three hearty cheers for Sir Robert Rcl." The meeting responded very heartily to the call, and when silence was restored, Sir Robert Peel said : " Clcntlcnien, as the Knight of Kerry has well observed, this is one of tho most important works that this country could have been engaged in, inasmuch as it tends to draw us together in a link of amity and friendship with a mighty continent on tho other side of the Atlantic. I trust, as the Knight of Kerry has so justly observed, that it may tend not only to promote! the peace and commerce of tlie world, but that it may also lead to a union of feeling and to good fellowship between those two great countries ; and I trust that as it has ])een so happily inaugurated to-day, so it may lie successful under the exertions of those who have taken ]>art in it to-day and for some lime past, (ientlemen, I thiidv the jirogress of this undertaking deserves that we should pay the highest compliment to those wiio have been actively engaged in carrying it out (o the stage at which it iias arrived. W'q ai'c almu! (o lay down, at the very bottom of (he mighty .Xtlantic. which beats against your shon^s with everlasting pulsations, this silver-toned zone, to join the Ignited Kingdom and America. Along that silver-toned zone, 1 trust, may pas,- words which will tend to promote the commerce and the interest of the two countiies ; and I am sure we will offer up prayers for the success of an undeitaking, to the accomplish- ment of which persevering industry and all the mechanical skill of the age have been brought to bear. Nothing has lieen wanting in human skill, and therefoi-c for the fiitur(\ as now, l(;t us trust the hand of Divine Providence will be upon it : and that as the great vessel is about to steam acro.^s the Athmtic no nn'shaps or misfortune may occur to imperil or obstruct the success of the woik which has now been so happily commenced. I ask you all to give a cheer in lu)iiour of my noble friend here, the Knight of Kerry, who has just begun the work.' The demand was enthusiastically compli(>d with, for the Knight is an innneaise favourite with all the dwellers in his little dominion. Sir Robert Peel then said : "Now, gentlemen, probably one of tlu; first mes- sages that will l)e sent by this Cable will be a eonimunication from the Sovereign of thi.s great coiuitry to the great ruler of the mighty continent at the othei' siile of the Atlantic. 1 will ask you to give three cheers for her Majesty the Queen." (Cheers.) Sir Robert Peel in conclusion, said : '' I give you, with heaity good will, health ami hap])incss to the ruler of the United State.'^, President Johnson."' (The toast was received with loud cheers.) I\Ir. (Ua.ss, who was called on to acknowh'dge the heartv reception given to his name and the Company's, said : "On behalf of mvself and those connected with ill it I' i I'll I Hff'r •Hi 50 THE ATLAXTTf" TELEGRAPn. nil' ill tliis iindcrtiikiim-, I lici^' to ivtui'ii you tliauks. I ;iiii <^l;i(l lli;ii oui' liilioiirs lijivo liccii ;i])|)rcciiit('(l liy those ;irouii(I m. I nssurc ynii tlint tlic work tlmt liiis ln'cn so far coniidctt'd lias liccii a sonivo of ojrcjit aii.xi<'ty to us all; l)ut lliat aiixifty lias Im^cu relieved very uiucli Ity tlie fact that we have lunv landed a Cahle Avhieh we one ami all helieve to lie pori'ect. I lielieve that nothing can interfere with tlie successful laying of the Cahle hut the hand of the Alniirfhty, who rules the winds and waves. So far as human skill has ^oiie, 1 helieve we have proihicrd all that can lie desired. We now offer up our prayers to the Almighty that He w ill grant success to cnir undertaking." The Do.xology was then sung, with which this part of tli(> jU'oceedings closed, and the electricians liusied themselves with securing the shore end confided to their charge in its new home. .\t 2 o'clock in the afternoon the f'aroliue, towed hy the Hawk, and attended ]iy the rriiicess Alexandra and .\dvice, jiroeecded to sea, veering cmt the shore end of the Cahle in the channel niarkeil liy Licuti'iiant White. anny. to come round with all speed. This order was oheyed with such diligence that her appearance oil' the harhour of \'alentia was re]iorted in Kniglitstown soon after 7 o'clock next morning, duly -I'A. 1I.M.S. Teriilile ami II. .M.S. Sphinx were in comjiany. Tin' Hawk, which relumed froui the Caroliue in the cuiu'se of the night, got up steam and left A'aleutia Harhour ahout 10 o'clock a.m., duly "J;!. with a party of visitors and pa-seiigvrs for the (Ireat Eastern, among the former heinu' Sir R. Peel, the Knight of Kerry, and ("a]itain Lord dohn Hay. liy L5 p.m. tlie Hawk had rea(died the flotilla, which lay around the huoy, pri'paring for the fjrcat enterprise. She was just in time ; the end of tln^ shore Cahle was ahout to he spliced and joined with the'laiKlwanl end of the main Cahle from the after tank of the (Ireat Eastern, and the hoats of the (Ireat Ship and of the two men-of-war. were engaged in carrying the end of tlu' main Cahle to the (^'aroline. Sir I!. Peel, the Knight of Kerry, Lord -loliii Hay, Mr. Canning, and others, got on hoard the (licat Eastern in .successive trips of the Hawk's hoats : hut the hulies, who had come so far and had sutfered too iu (U'lh'r to .see the famous vessel, could not venture, as there was ;i swell on which made it diiliciilt to cmhark or approach the gangway ladder.s. After an hour's enjoyment of the almost terrestrial steadiness of the (Ireat Eastern, the visitors dejiarted, amid loud checi's, to the Hawk, and at f)']!) |i.m. it was re[iorted hy the electricians that the tests of the splice hetweeii the main Cahle and the shore end were complete, and that theshoi'c eml was much improved in TIIH ATLANTIC TEr.ECIlfAPlI. ■>\ its e'lcctrical coiiditioii liy its iiiiiut'i'.sit)U in the water. Tlic lioats were hdisicd ill l>y tli(^ iiirii-ot-war and hy tlu' (ircat Eastern, adiriix and gnod -wislics wcic L'xcliangcd, and, witli ''uurts lull of ((inlidciicc, all on liuard M't aliout llie wuik lu-furc tlu'in. The 1 light of tliL' C'alilc was slipjii'd from the Caroline, at 7"lo ]>.ui., and the Great Eastern stood slowly on her course N.AV.,jW. Then the Ttnilile and Sphinx, \vhieli liad ranged up ahuigside, and sent their (rows into the shrouds and up to tlie tops to give her a parting elieer, delivered tlidr friendly liroadsides with vigour, anVere as follows: — 1. JJuriiig tlie jiayiiij^-out of the Calile, iVmn the iiKHuent of st;utiiiLf until tlie eiiil is landed at Newlbuudlainl, electi'lcal tests will lie applied wiUinut intciiiussiciii. I I'll ,!! 52 Till'; ATLANTIC TliLEOllArH. 2. The tests will be for insulation, for continuity, and to detormino the resistance of the conductor, the whole length of Cable being joined up in one length. 3. Each scries of tests will commeuce at the hour (Greenwich time), and will last one hour. 4. The insulation test will consist of 30 iniuutes' elcctritication of the Cable, com- mencing at the hour, an ; the ordinary signals will be .") reversals of '2 ndnutes each. t). At 40 minutes, C of Cable will be taken to 10 minutes. 7. At 50 minutes signals will be sent to the .shore, and for the ordinary signals r> reversals, 2 minutes each, commencing C to E. ». Then a repetition of the same tests to be maJe and continued witliout any interval. !). In case it becomes necessary to speak to shore by speaking instruments, the signal will be given at the ")0 minutes, and at the .SO minutes, as in paragraph .'), by sending H\ minutes' reversals, commencing Z to K, and changing over to the .speaking instruments, on receiving aeknowledgnu^nt of call from shore (which will be al.so H\ minutes' reversals), communication or message to be sent, and when acknowledgment of message and reply (if any) is received, then the system of testing is to be resumed, as if no iutcrruptiou had taken place. 10. Every 50 nauts. of Cable paycd-out will be signalled at the same time (viz., at tho 50 mins.), thus, instead of 5 rever.sals of 2 minutes, 10 reversals of 1 minute will be made commencing Z to E. • 11. Every 50 nauts. distance run will be signalled to the shore; the signal will bo 2 reversals (commencing Z to E), each 2 minutes' duration — 2 reversals, each 1 minute's duration, and 2 reversals, each 2 minutes' duration. 12. Should any defect in signals be perceived, or bad time kept, notice will be given to the shore by signalling at the 50 minutes — thus, by giving 2 reversals of 5 minutes' duration, commencing Z to E. 13. In sounding, signal will bo one current of 10 ndnutes' duration, Z to E. 14. Land-in-sight signal will be likewise one current of 10 ndnutes' duration, Z to E. 15. Greenwich time will be kept, but a column will be devoted in journals and sheets to ship's time. l(j. After the insulati(^n test is taken, it is to be worked out thu.s — The same deflection at the 15th minute's reading will be obtained with the same battery through resistance, and a shunt to the galvanometer. The amount of resistance nndtiplied by multiplying power of the siumt, and galvanometer multiplied by the length of the Cable, will give the G. p. H. jtr. nt. ! tlic one jin- tlio itOH. i, in t to jivc nuls i-val. i, on lals), luid tlio adc bo 2 ite's ivcn lies' E. lects tion ami jwor tho m TIIK ATLANTIC Ti;[,i:(IUA»'II. M 17. The copper resistance of tlie Cul)lu will Lo tiilvcn at'tor .'> niiimtt's' eloctriticiition. 18. No ciiiingo ill tliu in.struiiientH, wires, or coiincctioiis (otiicr than the liatturics, if necessary), to he iiuuh; on any nceouiit, iinliss sucii instruments, ixc, l)ecomc defective — any necessary elianf,'o to he iiiaiie as (piiekly as po-silili,'. 1!). Should tiie rolling,' of the ship t,'iiu'rate a ni;inni'tie currriit of sutlicient stniifjth to eniharrass the sif,'nals, a stroiit,'i'r euri'ent for the si;;iials will lie put on on shuic, and a shunt used with the ;,'alvaiionieter on hoard, nutice to the slioic to put on ninrc power will lie given hy one current of ."> minutrs, eninnieiieinf,' Z t'< K, and •") reversals of 1 minute's duration. 20. The iron eailh of tiic C'ahle will he used hoth on hoard and on shore — other earths, howevt'i", to he in readiness for use, if necessary. "21. Full jiarticniais of every test and evc'ry net iiirenee in the testiiiy-rooni to he entered in journal, together wit ii tiie name of the eleetrieians on duty, and the time of their coiiiiiig on and goiug off duty. 22. After the end is landed, shoulil .signals fail, the paying-out system to ho resumed until signals are re-estahlished. 215. In case of a minute fault appearing, sneh as will partially affect the signalling, hut which will not stop the communication entirely, notice will he given to slioiv to reduce battery power. Such notice will he given at the ■")() minutes, hy sending ."> reversals of 1 miiinte each, commeneing Z to E, and 1 current of .') minnte.s' duration. '24i. A proper snpj)ly of lamps, glasses, oil, and wicks ; instrument ink and iiistrnnient paper, in sufficient quantities ; paraffin, wicks, and spare lamp-gla.sses for the instrument hunps ; lamp-hrnshes, tools, sulphate of copper, stationery, kc, to he always ready for use. 2."). No person except those on duty, and the engineers and the officers authorisi.'d hy the Atlantic Telegraph Company, to he allowed in the instrument room on any pretence. 2(j. The batteries to be kept in an efficient state, especially those for sending reversals — their force taken periodically, and if any variety occur, they mu.st he renewed, or brought up to the original force. 27. Supplies of every material needful for such purpose to bo in constant readines.s. 28. The actual cud of the Cable to be brought to the iustruiueut tables, aud well insulated. SHIP'S SIGNALS. 29. Ordinar)'. — .' rcvcrsahs, commencing C to E, each 2 minutes. To open communication. — 8 reversals, commencing Z to E, each { minute. 50 nauts. payed out. — 10 reversals, commeneing Z to E, each 1 minute. 50 nauts. distance run, signal will be, 2 reversals, each 2 minutes, commencing Z to E. ■* 1 )> ), ,» ** J» )» •* if " " Defective signals. — 2 reversals, commencing Z to E, each 5 minutes. In soundings. — 1 current of 10 minutes Z to E. Land in sight. — 1 „ „ „ „ 54 TIIK ATLANTIC TKLEdUAlMI. ♦ miinitcN, commoucing Z to K, niul 5 ri'vcrsiils of 1 minuto's (liiratioii. Notice to ivdiicc power. — .') ivvfrsiils of 1 niiimti', coiniucuciiig Z to E, uml 1 current of .'» iniuutos. SHORK. 1. Diiriiij,' tlic |myinj,'-oiit of tlio Culilo, fioin tin- inoiiiciit of Htartiii),' until tlio end w lanilod lit Ncwfoiiiiillanil, i\ system of testiiijf will 1h' iipplieil witlioiit iiiteniii>si(Hi. '2. Tlie tests will lie for insulation, for eontinuity, ami to lietirniini^ the copper resistaneo of tlie ciiiidiii'tiir. '<). Kaeii series of tests will eoiiniuiiee at llie Imur (dreehwieli time), anil will last I lioiir. Until tile insulation and C H tests will he made on hoard. ■k TIk' insulation test will he made on hoard, ami to I'naliie tiiat tn he done, the end of the C'ahle must he insulated on shoie for .'10 minutes, euiumeneinj,' at tlie limir. •'>. At tlu' ;t() minutes pa>t the Imui', si;,'lials uill he sent to the ^iiip fur 10 liiiuutis. Should ship at this time desire to op( u eoinmuiiie.itidn, ship will put (HI a eurriiit so .as to oppo-:i^ shore's rurreiit on his ;,'alv.'niMiiicti r, to arre.^l slmre's attention, and will, when gained, give the cill as in paragraph 10. (J. The ordinaiy sii,ni,'il will he ."> n.'Vers:ds of '1 miniites' duration, eomniencing (' to I'l. 7. At the 40 minutes, CahK' to l)e put to earth direct, without any instrument being in circuit. H. At the ."t) minutes, signals will he receivt-d from the shii). Tiie ordiiiary signal will he .') reversals, oaeh '2 minutes' duration. U. Thou a repetition of the same series to he maili' and continued. 10. Should .ship desire to open eoiumnnieation hy special spetikiiig instruments, notice will he receiveil hy a signal of ,S reversals (giving a detli'ction the opposite to the ordinary signals) of \ minute's duration. 11. AiU'i- returning the same signal to the ship as an aekiioulednment, the speaking instrnnicnts to ln' jint in circuit, and the message from the ship received, and when acknowledgment (if messiige, or r(|ilv, is given, the regular .systini of signals to he n.'snmed as if no interruption had occurred. 12. Kvery r>() nauts. of the (.'ahlc iiayed-oul w'M he signalled to the ,-,hoie hy signal (instead of the ordinary signals). This signal will be 10 reversals of 1 minute each — the tirst current giving a deiiection the ojiposite side to the first current of the onlinary .signals. 13. Every oO nauts. dist.-incc run will he signalled to the shore : the signal will hc' 2 reversals of 2 minutes' durati(jn, 2 reversals of 1 minute's duration, and 2 reversals of 2 minutes' duration — the first current giving a deflection opposite to the first deflection of the first current of the ordinary signal. 14. Should ship receive weak or defective signals, or bad time kept, notice will bo given hy sending 2 reversals of o minutes each, commencing the opposite side to the ordinary signals. U,M T1IR ATFiANTFC TF.LF/inArH. 55 l.'t. When »lio sliipjjcts into MiMiniliii>;s, mitici' will 1»^ ;,'iv('ii by scndinj^ mic curnut nf 1(1 niiMul( . I'M'ntidii, tlic i(|i|v>sit<' k\i\<' to tlic first nirri'nt. of tlu^ nnliniiry NigniilK, 10, Wh.'u IflM'l is in Hinli', imtii'i' will !»• yivin l>y tlic same Hij^nal. 17. Orronwirli tidif" to lie kept, Imt ii coliinm to lie ilcvotcil to lornl time in the journals iiml nIk n. I.'-.. \" clianj,'!' in instruments, wires, or eonnectinns (otlur tlidu the halteries, if noccHHary), i- I"' made mi any nrroiint, unless such instrMnierits become defective, and any necessary ehanjje to Im' niiide as i|uickly an jKissiblo. lit. Should the rolling,' of the shi[» j^eneratu a niaj,'netip nirrent of sufficient strenjijth to emliiirruss the siir|in|s_ a stroii},'er riuTetit for tho sii,'n.ils lllM^f be put on by shore on receiviiit,' notire from the sliip; the notice will lie given by 1 current of .') minutes', and .) reversals of I iiiiiinti's dur.itinn. 'JO. The iron earth of tin' Cidiie to be u^ed botli on board and on shore; copper earths, however, will be in readiness for use if lu^cessary. 21. Full particulars of every occurrence in the testin>,'-ro(im will be eiiteretl in joiu'nais, together with the names of the (dectricians on duty, ami the tinui of their Coining on and going off duty. '22. When the eml is lande reversals of I minute's, and a ciu'reiit of "i minutes' duration, shore must reduce the ball(uy power used for sending reversals by one-half, and on a repetition of the same sign.al again riMluco the power tine-half, until (should notice contiinie to be given to that elt'ect) the minimum of power bo reached. 2-i. Shore mu^t not have the )iiivilegc of opening a <'iinversatiou, or to use or call for tho use of the special speaking instruments, uiuler any circumstances, except to give notice of any accident that may causi' an interruption of signals, or that may atVeet the safety of the Cable or signals. 2'). ShouM any interruption fif sign.als from the ship occur by reason of an accident * on board, shore will continue to free tin; Cabh- at the usual time, and to put to earth direct at tlin usual time, and in the intervals to put into circuit with tho ("able a galvanometer, and w;itch the same foi- sign.als, and continui' doing so until communication with the ship is restored, or information is received by other nie.ans from the ship. 2 be brouglit to the in.strunieut tables, and well iii.sulated. SHORE SIGNALS. .'in. Ordinary. — "> reversals, each two minutes, connncncing C to E. 'M. T take the reader over the course so tluit he can follow the expedition readily by the aid of tin; accompanying chart, I propose recording events in tlie form of a diary. 2fonihii/, Juhj 2iilt. — Tlu' morning was exceedingly fine, and the .ship pro- ceeded steadily at an average rate of G knots an hour, with a liglit favouring wiiul and a cahn sea. Those who were up betimes liad just taken a turn or two on deck, wateliing for tlie early dawn, wlien tliey observed some commotion in the neighlioiirhood of the Testing-l!o(jm, and .soon afterwards the .ship's engines were slowed and stopped. Aec(mliiig to Trofcssor Thomson's galvanometer, which is used in the system employed in tt'sling, a ray of light reflected from a tiny mirror su.s- pended to a magnet travels along a scale, and indicates the resistance to the passage of tlie current along the Cable by the deflection of the magnet, which is marked by the course of this speck of light. If the light of the mirror travels beyond the in.lex, oi- out of bounds, an escape of the current is taking place in the Cable, and tlantic /crsals pd, or !SS. .1 well , com- ,11(1 ill V waH isincss ■oyago ;, then How l)aiidrt iiwicli liiight tiiicf, adily of a pro- wiiul o oil ill tlio were USL'd r siis- ssairc ('( ll.y tlic ami ■ II ^ HHjm ■ill liii In! - ■ Hi I * » ;. "■Wfl-.i-'V^ f . 1^ X ^A iS ■1 \ \', .'. ,X .H, •- I - < 1-n oo o I- < <: 1. '-t.- .; td I I . -,■ * b CO - » < ir O i "-^ X IT Q-. (— o < nL a: O — ' K n: UJ — - ^- o UJ '^ ?■ I — < q: u_ UJ i f > \\h m I I TlIM ATF, ANTIC TKI.lK.'l.'Al'H. what irt tochuically cnUril a. fault has occurred. At ;M 5 a. in., when 84 miles of Cable had been p;iid out, tlu; electrician on duty Maw the light suddenly glide to the end of the scale, and then vanish. The whole staff wore at ontic aroused — the news soou flew through the ship. After testing the Cable for .some time 1>y signalling to and from the shore, Mr. de Suuty satisfied himself that the fault which had occurred was of a serious character, and measures were taken accord- ingly to rig up the picking-up apparatus at the bow, to take in the Cabh' till the defective portion was reached and cut out. Such an early interruption to our progress caused a little chagrin, but the veterans of submarine telegraphy thought nothing of it. Whilst the electricians wen.' testing, to obtain data respecting the locality of the fault, the fires were g(jt up in the boilers of two small engines on deck to work the picking-up machinery. At 1 a.m. a gun was fired by the fireat Eastern to call the attention of the Terrible and Sphinx to our proceedings, and tliey were al.so informed by signal of the injury. Notwithstanding the skill and cxperii'Uce of the .scientific gentlemen on l)oard, then' was a great \agueness of opinion among them respecting the place where the fault lay. Some believed the defective part was near the shore, and probably at the s])lice of the shore end with the main Cable ; others thought ir was eastward or westward of the same place; and calculations, varied by uncertain indications given l)y the currents showing that the fault itself was of a variable charaetei', and permittt'd the currents of electricity to escape irregularly, were made by tlu; scientific stati', which fixed it at points from 22 to 42 miles — one at GO miles — from the ship. Jjut repeated observations gave closer results. Mr. Varley came to the conclusion that the fault was not very far from the ship; and JMr. Sanders, a gentleman who had much experience in fault-finding, arrived at the conviction that it was not more than 9 or 10 miles astern. 'J'lie best test taken by Mr. Saunders, l';30 a.m., Greenwich time, July 23, after the Cable had been cut down to 78 "5 miles, gave — Reaiatauci.', shore end discoimccted, 2,(iOO units, „ ,, to earth, 312 ,, Let a and b be the lengths of Cable-conductor, having resistances ecpial to the first and second of these numbers ; I the length of Cable, and D the distance of the fault. The ordinary formula gives D - />— v/('i— 6) {l—Uj Hence, I being 78"5, and a and b being calculated from the obsci-ved copper- resistance of the conductor in the after-tank, and various assumed tempeatures of the sea, we should have, were the measurements perfect, results as follows : — ,1 ii li y. I*" ")rt TIIH ATLAXTfC TEI/WJRAl'H. Cdpiii'i- ri'i2° 2' :50". Long. 12° 17' .iS'. As the <^'able was in fail' woiking order, .Mr. Caiininu- tran.sinitted a messaiic to JNlr. Class at KniiJihts- i ugly IS of ilcs. ,-iiig il.ly ■ecu till! I)\VS. 400 ; slio cred The -out uiul, I its "lien was up iiod ;-iip 1)\VS, arge Ccpt lis li to of (,' of lit ill, till! tioii, was i. I i TITK ATf-ANTIc EI.ki• ini i li ...d us,.,.! m if (lie slioiv I'lid of (lie (';il)li; wciv dcfoctivo. If that wnv. rm ,.;,«<•, Iir ,,- posed to samfic(i tlic portion of ('aLlc ahvaily laid, to ivtiini I make »\v Hj)lic(' of tho main lino witli tlu' slioro end, and to start afrosli. »!),■ cnnr-.c of the fvoning a niosHaj>e was received from Mr. Glass, informing J\lr. (;aunin^ ihat^ the \hn\k sliould lie sent out as soon as she had eoaled the (,'ar(iline. The Terrihie sent iter First Lieutenant, Mr. i'rowse, on board, to see if she could ren(U'r us any nssistance. The Si)hinx was busied in taking soundings all round the shi]i, which slunvod depths varying from 400 to 480 fathoms. The operation of picking up la'oceeded all day and all night— the \veatli(>r being fine ])ut cloudy. Titos put one in mind of an elei»hant taking up a stiviw in its proboscis. At 7'15 a.m., (ircenwich time, dl miles of Cable had been picked up from the sea, ami the thin greyish coating of nuid which di'o|tiied I'loni it showeil that the bed of the Atlantic here was of a soft ooze. The ( 'able had been cut twice; on board, to enable the electricians to ajiply tests separately to the coils in the tanks. At !) a.m., ship's time, wlien somewhat more than ]0;|, mih^s li;id Ikmmi haided in, to the joy of all the "fault" was discovered. The Cable came in with tlagrant evidence of the miscdiief. The cause of so nuudi anxiety, delay, and bitter di.sappointment turned out to be a piece of wire of the same kiml as that used in the jirotecting strands of the Cable itself. It was two inches long or so— rather bent in the middle, with one end sharj) and liright, as if from a shaq) fractiu-e or being cut by a jiair of ]iliers~tlic other end hbint and jagged. This luece of wire liad been forced tln'omjli the outer covci'iurr of Ih,. Cable into the gutta percha, so as to injure the insulation, but no one could lei; how it got into the tank. The general im])ressioii was. that it was a luec.' of Cable or other win^ which had been accidently carried into the tank, and forced into the coil by the pressure; of the papng-out machinery as the Cahle flew between the jockey-wheels. Mea,sures were at once taken to niak(> a new splice and joint, njecting the Cable picked up, a good deal of which had been straiiu>d in the process. Signals were made to the Heet that the enemy had been detectcMl, at .') a.m., and tlu^ Terrible replied, " I congratulate you." First a splice was made in the Cable where ! I' I f.l» Tin; ATLANTIC TKI.Kdl.'AIMI. B" I' il! I it liad lircll clll, I'nr t||C jUirpi isC nf Ic.xtillLj lirtwcfll till' ilfliT iUlil fore tllllks, ;iMil illl jiiliiiiivil till' iic;ittnss iiiid str»')if;tli witli uliiih it \\;is |iriritiincil - tlic roii;; wires .snldci'cil ;iiii| Liiipcd (ivrr till' mill;i |irrrliii lii'iiti'il mill inmililril mi tlir juilrlinll ; iiml. lill.'lllv, lln' sI1';i1I(|h rjiniril (i\rr till' I'lilV llllij si'ilirril. hlirilli,' till' n|irr;ltinU tllO lliiwlv rrlUlllril In N'lllrllt ill witll i>lir Irttl'I'S, Illul uitll tlir jfond news, wliiili, linwrvi r, must li;i\i' lircii i!iitici|iati'(l Iiy tin' Calili' itsi'if. Tin- splico and jniiit >>( tln' I'lid of f'aiilc towards tlic sIkut and the end from tlu' nfttT tank was next made. Tlicn tlii'sr s[ili('('s wm' carcriilly trsted and found lu'il'iTl, and till' stfraiii nf I'lirtrit'ity was oni'i- nnn'i' sent (lirrct to N'alditia. Al'lrr a drtriitiiiii ni' siinir twrlvr liuiirs, tlir ]ia yin,L;-nut niacliiiicry was ai^ain |iut in artimi, and tlir CaMr lilidrd mit ra]iidly astrrii. All scciiicd to liiur and sliip rrascd alto^i'tlicr ! I'mm L^rcat coMfriitnicnt tluri' was suddni lilaiik drspair! Tin' opiTatms wm: in I'linstrrnatiun. Tlir iirws spnad from end to I'lid of till' ship, wliirli a.nain lay in iTstli'ss (piirt on tin' watn's. Tlio fai'cs of the most I'lu't'rful luTamc overcast — prloomy foreliodinjfs filled men's minds nil at once. Why had the Hawk lieen sent Iiiick f Why were not more tests madn lief'ori: she left ? Away worked the electricians in their room, connectinf,' and disi'oniiecliiio-. jiuttine- in and takiiiu' out stojis— intcnsifyinif and reducino; (Mureiits, Not a sien ! Not a shadow of a siun ! Mr. de Sauty suffejested they Jiad not hold of the wroiin' wires, and professors opined that the operators had done wroUL!; in spendinji lime over the splice Ix'twceii the two tanks at tlu; critical moment when tliey should have 1 u watchinif the signals from tho shore. Anxious ermips gathered round llie 'I'estinir-lioom, and the liolder popped in (heir heads, as if they could learn anythiiiij; from the duml) mute wires and the clicking of the chronometers, or from tho silent operators who lient over the instruments. At ;M5 p.m. the Calih^ hetwet'ii the two tanks was again cut, and examination was made to make sure no c'rror had heeii made in the communications. Again the wearisome energy of the picking-up a]>[>aratus was to he called into ]ilay — once more the Calile was to lie shackled and thrown overboard, and hauled u]) to the liows and ]uilleil out of the water. Such a Penelope's web in 24 hours, all out of this single thread, was surely disheartening. The Cable in the fore and the main laiik> answered to the tests most perfectly. Hut that Calile which went seaward was sullen, and broke not its sulky silence, i'^veii the gentle eiiuanimity and con- liili'iire of Mr. h'ield were shaken in that supreme hour, and in his heart he may for a momeiil have sheltered, though he did not nurture, the thought that the dream of his life was indeed but a chima'ra. Who eouhl bear up against a life of picking-up? And our paying-out seemed to have such an undue share of tho Tin; ATLANTIC Ti;i,i>ii;Ai'ir. i;i rovcrH.- pCHTSH ,ltl,„l,r,| I,, it: |1„| ||„.,v wiis ;t rl|llll,!.V ill tile fort mics nf | hr f«lli|. ;ill.l n\- its |Vri!,r|it. Til.' ilhl-'X |ij,r|,t sihMrnly IViipprillV,! n|| its |,;,tl| ill llli' 'IV>tillc,f-l|(.n|ll. llll.l till' Wcillicd Wiltrlirrs WclV o|;„|lii|i and til.! sli.Hv lia.l Ihvh ivstniv.l, aii.l that cv. ry instant .1.'v.'1..|mm| tlicir str..'n;,rtli. Mr. ilc Saiity caiiK' ..iit ..f the T.'stiii,u-II.»>iii t.. iiilnini rnit'.'SHm- Th..iiis..ii i.f the fa.'t, aii.I .Mr. ('amiiii,-"M .ip.'rati..iis at tli.' Im.ws ..f ih.. ship lor pi.kiii;^ up wviv most ^M'at.'fiilly siisp.n.l.'.l l.y ih.' iiit.'llinviic.' that, tli.i iiiai'hin.Ty w.ml.l ii..t )..• iv.ntiiv.l. .\| .pi.-, p.m. tli.' ship st.sini.'.l ..n aluwiil a;;ain, and th.' T.Trililf and S[.liiiix w. iv si^nall.'.l In cnin.' (ni, ;t7 h.airs ami 10 minutes liaviiiii at noon was f'ouml to l.c, Lat. Jl^Tis', Loiih-. \-2 j j' ; t..ta! distamc rr..m \'al.'ntia, '>■'!! mill's; ti)tal ('al>l.' pay.'.l-out 71 miji's (po- ('.'iita;;v of slack liciiiL;' II mil.'s), distam.'i' from II. art's ('.ml. lit, 1„">:mJ milu-i. Tho (■ommiiiii.'ati.ni with sli.nv .•oiitiiu;".! t.) impr.iv.', ami was, in th.' I.tiiiriia;;.' of t.l.^iaph.'rs, (). K. Th.' alt.'rnati.iiis of li.i|ii' ;in.| frar t.) wlii.'h \\r ha. I lin'ii i'\p.i,-.'d w.'r.' n.iw p|. asjintlv t.'i'minat.'.l I'.ir th.' .'\-.'iiiii;^r. an.l Ih.' sal.)..n h.'.'am' ilu' st'cn.. .if jnv.iiis an. I aiiiniat.'.l (■..nvi'rsali..ii,ani| ..fa unud .|,al of s.'i.'iitili^ .liscussi..ii, till th.' appr..a.'h of mi.lnii^dit. The .'alls.' .if till' .li'li'iiiioii was arnii.'d fiillx , hut it was n..t easy In (Ictcr- min.' li.iw it .-ami' to pass th.' siniiallin,^;' iia.l li.'.'ii iiil.'irnpl.'.l ; it was n.'iii'rallv ai'.'..uuti'.l tor hy llic supp.isiti..ii thai ll '.l^r ..f th.' t.'sts had lii'.'..ni.' d.'raiio',.d whilst thi' splii'i's wt'iv hciiii,' iiia.li' .ai imar.l, ami sum.' ..f th.' I'l.'.'tri.'ians wcr.) iu.-liiu'.l t.. think that th.' system was d.'f.'.'tivc, Ix'.'aiis.' th,' int.'rvals wciv .so Ioiil; that th.! fiull niinlil he ..v.'rhoar.l s.nim tiiii.' li.'fnri' it c.ml.l lir .l.'t.'ct.'.l. .Vs th.' si'a an.l wiii.l r.is.' a litti.', lli.' spiT.l ..f th,' ship was .liuiiiiish.'.l fi'nni (J.j knots t.) .'} kii.its, al wlii.'h rate tli.j (.',ih|r ran out licaulifully thr..ii;4li.iul lIn; nii^lit. J/i/>/ '2i\tli. — Th.' e.iursc of tluj (.'alilis ran siim.ithly all ilmaiuhout the nielli. At 8 a.m. the (Ireat Maslerii was lijo milrs fr.au ^'ai.'lltia, ami IC].], mil.'s ..f Cal.le, im'lu.liiig tin- .slu.re eii.l, ha.l L.'.'ii lai.l — the l.i.ss liy sla.'k lii'lno' ..nl\- 7-(;:! per cent. Th.' iiiorniiin; was lia/y. ami a s'-om.- wiii.l fr.an th.' imrlh-w.'st l.r.im^hl up ratlu'r ;• ln-ivy sea, hut lln' (ir.'at i'^astcni was as slca.lv as a Tliam.'s st.'am.'r : imli'.'.l th.' slal.ilily .if th.' v.'ss.'l was a lu'vcr-i'iiiliiiL!; llii'iiic of a.lmirali.ui. ( )ur eoiis.)rls were imt s.i imlitf.'rent to ih.' !..ll ..f th.' .\tlaiiti.'. Th.' T.'rril.l.' thump.'.l throutjli the li.'avy sea, and Iniri.'.l her Idws in loam with d.« sent down toiiealjant masts ; later aiiain, sh(> siirnalled that we were going too fast fill' the Sphinx ; but as the (Jreat Eastern was not exceeding (io knots an hour, at whii'h rate the Cable rolled off easily from the drums, the engineers did not tliiidc it advisalde to reduce lu'r speed, and so the Sphinx was left fui'ther astern, till i,t length she was hull down on the gny horizon. Each hour it brcanie more important to know what depth of water we were in; ami the inconvcniriict' of ]iarting with the Sphinx was t'elt, as well, perhaps, as the defective natinc of the arrang(>ments witli the .Admiralty, which had furnished only one sounding a]i2)ai'atus. The Terrible had got no deep-sea soumling apparatus. There was none on board of the Great Eastern. In (hM^p-.sea soundings a speciid apparatus is re(|uisite, and the leads and the lines ordinarily used by men-of-wav only i>enetrate the u[>pei' strata of the waters of the Atlantic. It wa.s conjec- tured that we had passed over the ;2,0."i(» fathoms' souiulings, and the Cable proved, by a slightly incivased ]>irssin-e on the dynamometer, that its trail was lengthen- ing in the watery waste ere it rutlle(l the smooth .surface of the ooze two miles below. The insulation tests showed an improvement, and the transmission oi signals between the shij) and the shore afFonh'd most satisfactory indications. At night llu> wind came round to the north-west, the sea somewhat docrcasi-d, and as evening closed in, the Terrible drew up on our beam, Avorking two boilers; but when night fell, the Sphinx was .scarcely visible on the distant horizon. ,////// 27///. — j\rorning broke on a bright bounding sea and clear blue sky. From the Testing-Koom came gratifying reports of the improved insulation ot Iliaii now )!ink Tliis very liux, was At , and to 1)0 nilcs, lalled iii; so , tlio WOl'O g ci «, tho •i Avas Eacli ; and S till' only ratns. iccial war injcc- ■ovt'd, tlu'ii- niilos on oi itions. cased, •r two istant (• sky. :ion ot : m m u i i THE ATLANTIC TELEdRAPII. G.J the Cable, which liad liei'ii caused by the iininersioij of the Cal)l(! in col.hT water. We were now approacliiiio- an uiKhihitiou in the Ijcd of the Atlantic in which the soundings decreased ratlier aljruptly from 2,100 to 1,029 fathoms. The engineers were perfectly satisfied with the maimer iu which the machinery was working, and the mode in which the Cable ran out. The comjilete success of the enterprise, after this fair start, appeared to be a matter beyond doubt. The fore tank was now got ready for the paying-out t.f the Cable as soon as the coils in the after tank should be exhausted, and the framework for the crinoline was erected over tlie^ hatchway. At noon, our position by observation Avas I.at. 52°;}4';}0", Long. l!)^o' :}o", distance; I'un 141 miles, distance from Yaleiitia 320 mil<>s. Cable paid out 1;;,S miles. The Terrible was on our poit beam at some distance, but the Si)hinx was nowhere visible, although our speed had not much exceeded (J knots an hour. There was in the universal benevolence of the moment a feeling of sympathy for our lagging guardians. The conviction grew that the work was nearly accomplished. Some were planning out jijuvneys through the United States, othci-s speculated on the i)robability of sport in Newfoundland : the date of om' arrival was already determined upon. The sound of the piano, a tribute to our own contentment, rose from the saloon, and now and then the notes of a viohn became entwined in the melodious labyrinth through which the amateur professors wandered with uncertain fingers. The artists sketched vigorously. Men stretched their legs lustily along the decks, or penetrated, with easy curiosity for the first time into the recesses of the Leviathan that bore them. None of them indeed found out the hiding-place of the ghost who haunts the ship ; but they discovered crypts under the tanks, and mean- dered and crept about the shafts and l)oilers of the tremendous gloominess— vast and dark as the Halls of Ebhs. The ghost on board the Great Eastern, to which I have alluded, is believed to be the disembodied essence of a poor plate-riveter, who disappeared in some aperture of the nascent ship, never to be seen of mortal eye again, and who was supi)osed to have been riveted up by the hammers of preparation so closely that not even his spirit could escape. And so it, or he, is heard at all hours, with ghostly hammer, tap-tap-tapping on the iron Avails of his prison as incessant as that cruel Raven, even through the clangour of donkey-engines and the crash of matter. There was now and then a slight indication of unsteatliness, which niadi; one uncertain Avhether the wine was very strong or the Great Eastern unusually frolicsome ; but, as a matter of fact and truth, not a man aboard could imagine as he sat in the grand saloon that he Avas at sea at all. Every hour on board the ship increased our regard for all her qualities, except her capacity of making noise and producing smoke, fit TIFH ATIiAXTIC TKLEOTIAPir, ^'i '!; '! ip ;i: r I but both (if tliL'SO wt'iv toki'U.s iiiid iicfcssary coiulitions of her liin'h workiiijT Jii/// 2Sf//. — A uin'Iit iiKU'c of juyt>us ]iroj;rcss - iill ,u<'iii,i,' mi most successfully • — not a hitch in ('al)lc, machinery, or sliip. It was worth wjiiic tu no aft ami lonk at the Cable as, every inch seaiuied by watchful eyes, and noted in bonks, it flow through the whole appaiatus of jockeys and drums and dynamometers, and then in a gentle curve skinnned the surface of the ocean more than iZoo 'eet astern eiv it went " |ilum]), iijim^inu down amid the assendily of tin; wliides."' Oui' course was NAV. l \\'.. and the wind at W.N.W.. not too stronj^-, was just wliat we ' l.V 4.V'), distance run since yestenlay \')-'>h miles, Calile jiaid out 174 miles. Distance tVom \'alcntia 174 miles; distance IVom Heart's Content l,1SS',l nnles. The water was supposed to vaiy fi-oni 1,0^1) to 1 !).><' fathoiu.s in dejith. There was somethiui^f almost nnmotoiious in our .suc- cess ; no ships to b(,' seen, only our seNcrc-lookinii; consort, with her black hull and two funnels and jiaddle-lioxes, on the roiuid blue shielil of ^\■lliell the (Ireat Eastern was the boss. Even the .--ea-birds had bemiii to leave us, and a whale and a few porpoises which revealed tlu'ir beauties to a fa\duicd few were ivoanled as an envied treat. As the departure of the Sphinx had left one Hank open, and that the most vnlneralile, the (!reat Eastern sie-nalled to the 'iVi'ribl(> to ]U'event any vessel from tlu' X.W. erossinn- om' coiu'se, and soon afterwards the man-of-war steaine(l and took up her station on our starboard (piarter, where she reniaineil throughout the dav and ni,t;ht. Theiv was a .st'use of companion- shiii in seeini;; her near us. Snfiirddji, Jitlji ^l[)tli. — '• Evtivihinu has yone on most admirably during the ni-ht." SucI 1 w IS the report trom electru'ians, and enguieers, and oihcers tin.s morning. The electrical condition of the Cabl(> furnished results most satisfactory to .Mr. ^'arley and to Professor Thomson. The tests showed that in copper-resist- ance, insulation, and eveiy other iiarticular, the Cable w;is (exhibiting an excel- lence far beyond the specified standard. Coil after coil whirled otT from the tank and pas.sed away to sea as easdy as the liglitmng liasli its( and \ ileiitia was joined to us by a lengthening thread, which seemed stronger and moi'c MMitient as it lengthened. In the night the Terribh; had vanishe(l, but shi' came in sight m the morning, and drew up chiser to us. As the sen was calm, and the Cable ran out so bcautifullv, the spe(>d of th(^ steamer, and con.scqucnt rale of paying-out of the Cabl(', were increased ; and it looke(l as if there was really no limit to the velocity at which the process could be conducted uinhr favoiu'ing circiniistaiu (s. Yes; TiiH .\Ti,.\\Tic ti;i,i:(;i;ai'I' '•Ifo.irt's Cnnlciit" (111 Aiinust .■(ili was ccilain. What could I'lvvciil it? Tho fnult wliicli liail (icciinvd was caused hy ;iii accident most unlikely to happen n.tinin. So mc poivd over oiii' maps and marked out the soundings in the little l)iiy in Newioundland, and imagined what sort of plai'c it was, as men will do of spots they have never visited. At noon our jiosiiion was, Lat. .■J2 XV :!(i" (aiiothci' readino', 52" ;{s' :^i)"), Lou.u;. -27" 40'. Distance run, Kid miles. Distance from Valentia, (llMvl miles. Distance to Hearts (•ontent, 1.(12.'^ mihs. The Oreat Kastei'ii had passed ov(U- the valley in thi' plateau wlieiv the .\tlantic deepens to 2.4()0 fathoms, yVt 1) II. m. we had shoaled our water to 2m()0 fathoms, or 2 nautical miles, ITappy is the CaMcdayinn- that has no histoiy, jjrre minjit the day's record have Well lieeii closed, Hut it was not so to lie. .\t IMO p.m. (shii.'s time), an ill-omened activity about the Tcstliie-l!i,om, which had lieeii visible for some time, reached its climax. The enjiine.s were slowed, in five niimites th(^ oreat ship was motionless, in an instant aftei'wards every one was on deck, and the evil tidings Hew from lip to lip. Somethin.u- was wrong with the Cable again. Jiut the worst was not known. "Another fault," was the word. When I went into the Testing- j-ioom and found all the electricians so grave, 1 suspected more serious miseliicf than a dimimitioii of insulation ; and so it was. They had found "dead earth" — in other words, a complete destruction of insulation, and an uninterru|)ted escajie of the current into the sea. About TiG mih-s (nautical) had been payed- out when the ship stojiped .so suddenly. L'p to 2'4() o'clock, p.m. (Greenwich time), signals had been received from the shore in regular routin(\ At :] o'clock the electricians on board began to send the current through to the .shore, and in three minutes afterwards the galvanometer indicated "dead earth." So it was pretty clear the injury was close to the ship, and had gone over in the interval between 2-40 ]i.m. and :Vi p.m. At :{'':!' .So" (({reenwieh time), the electrician on duty saw the index light of Thomson's galvanometer Hy out of bounds whilst he was pa.ssing a current to N'alentia. The nature of the injury was so decided as to admit of no doubt. i)Ut in order to make assurance doubly sure two cuts were made in the Cable whilst the steam was being got up forward to be in readiness for the most retro- grade of all backward movements — ]iicking-up. The whole length of Cable in the tanks was first tested, and found to be in admirable condition. Then a test outward gave "dead earth" not far overboard. The next cut at the bottom of the coil in the after tank gave the same result. The tliird cut was near the top of the coil in the after taids, and confirmed tli(> ti-stimony of the otlii^r two tests. The usual preparations were then made to shackle the Cable ere T r>i; 'niH ATliANTfC TRLECiHAIMl. 5 m il was cut and cast nvcrlidanl willi its tow I'djn' of iidii wire, an (>|)('ratioii whic'li always caused the uravcst misnrivinp;s. It was admitted that- there was a certain aiiidunt ul' danger in it, and more in tlie |iieking-u|i ; Imt tlieii, when the (luestion was asked What wouhl you do r' the answer was not so easy. At, first it might a|i|iear natural to liack the shi]), and take up tlie ( 'alile from tlie stern: hut unfortunately shijis in general will not steer stern foremost, and the (ireat Kastern eerlainlv woiUd not. It was (ih\-ious that if Cahles could not h- secured against "faults," the mode of takiu"' them in would have to he ameiidi This was one of the most harassing lade as she rose and fell on the swell. AVIien the strain iiici'eased, the Cable ran with an edge of seething foam frittering iK'fore it backwards and forwards in the track of the shij), taut as a liar of steel. It was a relief to see the end cut at last, and splash over, with shackle chain and wire rojie, into tln' water. Then began an orderly tumidt of men with stoppers a.iid guy rojies along the bulwarks ami in the shrouds, and over the lioats, from stern to stem, a;' length after length of wire rope (lew out after the Cable. The lueu under the command of .Mr. Caiming weiv skilful in their work : but as they clamom'cd and clambered along the side.s, aiid over the boats, and round the padiUe-bo.xes, hauling at hawser.s, and .slipping biohts, and holding on and letting go stoppeis, the sensi' of risk and fear for the Cablo could not be got out of one's head. Tli<^ chief olticer, ■\ir. Ualpin, by personal exertion, made himself conspicuous, and rendered effectual assistance ; and Capt. J I TIIH ATLANTIC TKLKflRAPH. c.l Amlorsoii, on the liridoc, Wiitchrd hikI iliivctc' the liottoiii. fieively tiige(Hl at Great Eastern thronoh its iron line. If H (.'able for ever, the restorative pn At last our mind iiie or Calile parted, down sank the s were set at re>t hv the eoniineiieeinent of pr( The head of the (1 point thr Ireat Eastern was o(,t round slowly, and t'(t eastwards. I he iron wire rope was at leiiiith eoinin,''- in over the 1 lOW.S ■oiigh the |)iekiiin-u|) inaehiiiery. In due, but in weary time, tl le end ot the liussec <'al)le a]ipeared above the surface, and was liaul('(l on board and towards the drum. The stern is on these occasions deserted : the I aft clac )f wl leels, helore so active, eeas( crowdei w ith tl s : and tlie^ forward jiart of the vessel IS ios(! eneaecd m th le won d (lUl Wltll liose who liave oiilv to look on. The littl e eliuiinevs ot the loilers at the bows vomit forth clouds ot smoUe, the t wo eeeeiitrie-lookiiin- engines workiiin' the piek-u[) drums and •Allien take their places, indicator and hrake wlieets make as niueli noise as possible, 1 dynamometer [ilay their parts, and all is life and bustle lorwards niie(|ual siraiiiing the Cable is d as Willi slow ragged up from its water Th( ly had been foggv or rather liazv. Li(dit y ■w over the surface of the sea, and set men talkim-- of storms ; but toward grey sheets ot drizzling eloiK icebergs and Aretii s eN'eiiinii' tl le wuK 1 f( ind a cold clammy vapour setti down on ship and sea, bringing with it a leadei their tumbled ci 1 calm that the waves lost esis, and slei) 1 sle))t at last in almost uiimurmunng slumber, lint the machinery ceastnl never, and the dull big ship slept Hot. The clank and beat of mill-like chitter of Calile apparatus seemed t( Avore on. The foige {ires glaivd on her decks, and there, out in the midst of tl ) heconie more active as the iiicdit Atlantic, anvil: s raiiii' aiK pari H ew and the spectator thought of so me lage far away, where the blacksmith worked, uiivexed by Cable anxieties and greed of speedy news. As the blaze shot up, ruddy, mellow, and strong, and fluiio- arms of light aloft and along the glistening decks, and then died into a red centre, masts, spars, and ro|)es were for the instant touched with a golden gleam- ing, and strange figures and faces were eallod out from the darkness- -vanished — glinted out again— rushed suddenly into foreground of bright pictures, which faded soon away — Hiekered- -went out- as they wt're called to life by its warm breath, or were buried in the outer darkness ! Outside us all was t)bscurity ; but now and then vast shadows, which moved across the are of lighted Ibgbank, were projected far away by the Hare ; and one might well pardon the passing mariner G8 THK atlantk; ti;m:(irapii. III Hi' ■I III' '! .ii Ii I. ill I » 111 ) lii I Ii H * r '' «• 11 1 ' 1 '!' : ii I '! i 1' whose l);iik diiftrd him in ihf iii^ht acrD.-Js the track of tlic fjfroat Hhii>, if, cnmsing himself aiiil praying with shiiiUh'niig lips, he fancied he beheld a phantom ship freighteil with an evil crew, and ever after told iiow he had seen the workshops of the Inff'no rtoating on the liosoni of the ocean. It was indeed a most wondrous and unearthly sight I 'J'he very vanes on the mastheads, the ring-bolts in the bulwarks and decks, the blocks and the coidage, were touched with such brightness that they shone as if on lire; whilst the whole of the fon; part of the ship was in darkness ; and on looking aft, it a]ipeared as though the stern were on fire, or that blue lights were being burned every moment. For hour after lioiw. the work of " picking-up " went on. The term is objectionable; it rather indicates a brisk, lively ])roce.ss — a bird picks up a worm — u Lidy picks up a jiin — a sharper picks up ;i flat --Init the machine working at the bows of the (Ireat Eastern assiu'edly was nut in any one way engaged in brisk or lively work. Most doggedly at times did the Cabk; yield. As if it knew its homo was deej) in the bed of the Atlantic, and that its insulation and all the objects of its existence would be gained and bettered by remaining there, it strained against the power which sought to ]udl it forth ; and the dynaUKuneter showed that the resistance of the ligid cord was e(puvalent to -II ton.s. At tunes, again, it came up merely with coy reluctance, and again became sullen as though it were already trou))le(l by the whims of two woiids and partook of their fancies. No trace was visilile of its having tf)uched the bottom fur the '2j- miles which were liaulcd in, lint the men observed signs of animal life on it, and certain creatures which they called "worms" were detached and fell on deck, a specimen of which I sought for in vain. As the Cable was hauled in, the men who coiled it aft, and guided it thrimgh the niachineiy, fi'It it oarefidly with their hands to detect any "fault"' or injured part, and the line of large ship's lanterns hung up along the deck showed how cfacrully they did their work. It was rr4() p.m., Greenwich time, or about ;]-40 p.m., ship's time, when tla; end of the Cable came in board; but it was not till six hours and ten minutes had elaped (i)-.")!! p.m., ship's time) that the part of the Cable where the mischief lay was picked up. The d(;fective poi'tion was found at the very part of the Cal)le which was going over the stern when the ocean galvanometer indicated "dead earth.'' It was at once cut out, and resei-ved to be exannned by Mr. Canning. The necessary steps were next taken to test the rest of the Cable. The shore end was s])liced and jointed to a fresh end of the Cable from the after tank. These operations were finished before midnight ; but it was not judged expedient to resume the process of jiaying-out till the morning. As yet no one knew the natui'e of the injury to tin; Cable. No one could account for the hitch; but it certainly did nut affect any one's 1)elief in succes.s. Mr. Field, to I I 1^^ »i, : 111'* h ^^^J ;,!: ■( ^ ^rr"irTm"T'"'^ "-"*•"••* il it 1; i,l J - ! i < (' THE ATLANTIC TEF-EORArn. (HI whom sucli accidonts arc never ilis('(iunigiiii>-, rcinarkcil pleasantly during the erisis of pieking-up, "I have often known Cables to sto]) working for two hours, no one knew why, and then hegin again. Most likely it's some mistake on shore." What can discourage a heliever l It d very day eigiit years ago, a splice was m was even eond'oi'l to him to renieiulier that this :ide in iheiirst Atlantic Cahlc, verv much m tl le same place, l)Ut t'> all it had liecn a most trvinsi- dav. xVnd when night oamc, and somi retired to tlu' rest tliev had won so well, there, constant on ise ami eoiK luct las Sinn. paddle-box, stood Caiitain Anderson, watching the cou If the i)aying-out could have been stopped at once, and the Cable taken in over the stern, the delay would have been very trifling; but that was impossible. The ]iicking-up (necessarily slow under the most favourable circumstances) was rendered unusually tedious by the inclHcieiicy of the boilers. An interval of 1!) hours had occurn>d, and these faults and stoppages had caused so much labour an( 1 anxiety that Captain Anderson was obliged {o ivmaiii on deck for -Jli 1 lOUlV whilst Mr. ILilinn, .Mr. Clitford, ]Mr. Canning, the elect ricians Stat!', were exj)osed to an equal strain till the Cable was over tin amiiu. and the wiiole paying-out wheels Jiilij 'M)th {Stnidiii/). — The weather was exceedingly thick all night- a, fog hung round the ship, and the drizzling rain was so cold as to give an inqucssion tl lere was ice close at hand, but the water showed it was erroneous, as the tempi rature wa s .)S" it was a (lead ea Im, and tlie Great Eastern seemed to float oi 1 a grey and polished surface of cloud. The preparations for paying-out were com- pleted and tested. There would have been a better result had not an accident occurred this niornino; as the Cable w IS iteniu' ta ssed aft f rom the I )ow, in oi'dcr to transfer it from the picking-np to the ])aying-out macliinerv. Owing to a sudden jar it Hew off from vhe ilruni, and Ixd'ore the machinei'v <'ould be stopped le wheels, and were so much 1 make two new si)liees and several fatl lonis had x'come entaniilcd amid tl injured that it was necessary to cut out the j )ieces, aiK joints At 10 S a.m. (ships time licM 10- ->'|il a.!!!.) the Cable was v ecrci 1 out astern once more, our communications with Valentia beino- most satisfactorv. The Calile electrically was all that could be desired, its condition being rejH'cst iited •y 1,.'50(),UOO.()()0 IJritish Association unit,- At noon our position was I, at. 30' I onir. 'IS" i: distance from \'alentia, (J.jOl! miles ; Cable payed-oul, 7 t.') mile: The ("able which was rec hard- curves. pr oN.red yesterday esentine: a verv different ai was ■;(raiiu'tl, and lav twisted in ipearance fi (»in I lie easv i luct lie lines 111 w hich it lay in the tank. The defective porl ion oi the C ;ilile was not examined to-dav, and divine serv lee wa.- med lill •2"MK in order to uivc some time for sleep and rest to the exhausted and hard-worked stalf and workers of al i 1 i 70 THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH. kinds on lioiird the ship. Tlic weiitlici- ('(Uilimicd thick and hazy, a tVosli lircozo from tile X.N.W. not disjunsiiiL!,- thc.cohl orcy cKjuds and mist. The Tcn'il>l(' ah)ne was in si^ht. and it was conjectured that the Sphinx nui-t liave jiassed on durinj;- the niolit, and that slie wouhl arrive in Heart's Content before us. Tin.' souml and si^lit of tile wheels and drums revolvinjr aaaiu after so Ion"' a rest were very Lirati- fyin_<>-, and it \vas fondly hoped tliat this fault or dead earth wouhl lie the last, as it was now evident nothinc;elsc was to lie feared, and nothintj- else, humanlv siieakinji' could pri'Vt'iit the ('al)lelieinylaid. In the Calile itself lay all the sources of niisehief If there were' no faults or dead earth, the jiavinn'-oul was a matter of the most easy routine and most positive eei'taintv. AVheii the opeiation had to lie reversed, the whole condition of atfairs was reversed also. \ swei've of the helm, a rollinu,' hillow, an unseen weakness, a moment's necrleet. the accident of an instant, and down went the thread of thougrht between two continents, with all which d eiHMK led on it, to rest and rust in the dejiths of the sea. ]\lv mind could never j^et rid of the imajre of the (ireat East<'rn pulliiiu at the Cable as if she were animated by a malevolent desire, ^\■hen she caui^iit some one oil' tlu' watch, to use her , giant's streiiuth to fi'ar it asunder. Caiitaiii .Vndei'sou only e.\[iri'ssed the U'clin^u's of all who watched the -tru'. diilstCab th lie and Miipwcre adjust uig tluii' mutual rehition.s, when dmit- ilu'j: the task was more ditHcult than he had anticipated, in eoiise(pu'nce of the ob- stacles to the mananement of the ship, arisinn- from want of steeraii'e way as soon as th e eULinies were loplK'il -ne villi ( )ne feels so powerless -one can do so itil to jjdVel n evi'Uts whih' the alTair of ]iickin^-up is goini;- on. " 'i'l le weatnei' was 'avouralile, the sh 'I'l ler feet ion, and vet here were tin no one could foresee or prevent or remedy in any but the one way, and that a //>/ :]\sf.—\\v hnve hcoii passinrr over tho vnlloy in (ho Atlimtic which is moiv than two luih'sdcci.. Witli the moraino- (.,,1110 tlu; uew.s that all liad Sone woll (Uiringtho iii,irlit. Some had frnt up an lioni- aft.T midnioJit to watch the transfer of tlic oil from tlic aHcr t.. tlic fore tank, wliich was looked forward to with interest, as it was supposed to he attended with some little dilHculty. J>ut they wore agreeably disappointed; tho o])eration was effected with the utmost fa.'ility. At :)-.M) o'clock a.m. the ship was stopped, to permit the transfer to he nia.h'. At 3-.-,0 a.m. the ('al)h. was I'unnino- „ut of tlu; f.u-e hold, passing dow]i thi' trougii, and going out over the stern as she .steamed ahead again. Tlu' Croat Eastern was now near a fatal spot-.soniowhero liolow us lay th^o bones of throe Atlantic Cables. Ihit all during the foivnoon, engineers and electricians, agreed hi tho most favourable statements respecting the Cable and its pi'ogre.ss. At !) a.m. (Creon- wich time) SGS miles had been run out, and 770 mih's made from land In the f.m>noon Mr. Canning bi^ought to trial tlie coils in which the peccant part that had wrought such mischief ..xisted. Tho Court was held at the d criminal was detected and at if once carried off bv ^Ir. C :unnnij' The process (it examination was conducted in ,Mi'. Clifford s caliin, to which a few anxious spectators wore admitted. Tho coi ■0 wa.- laid oaro l)v untwistu th strands of ^rauilla covered with iron, and befoiv a foot of it was unco vered an pod our lips! Thoiv, driven right thr oxidamation literally of hoiror esca centre of th(; coil so as to toiU'h the inner wires, was if cut with nippers at one end and broken off short at the other. It ■ouuli th( a \ni CO ot U'oii wu'c, liriiiht as was tried wr th tl 10 ro was at once, we thought, demonstration ot a, villanous design. No man who saw it could doubt that the wire had been d riven IIS that was so, was it in by a skilful hand. And had been caused in a similar inaniior, and that it Then, again, it was ouiious that the former fault occurred when the sam men were at work in tho tank, [t was known thoi'o w not likely that the formei' fault was not the result of accident i ere enonuos to tl e gang of le manu- facturers of the r"al lie ; wJu punishment aM-arded by law for offences of such a character was a paltr}' fine and short i'^iprisonmont. The men who were engaged in the tank at the time of the occurrence were ti'ansferred to other duties, and the volunteer inspectors established a roster, and began their course of duty — one going on for two hours at a time, ami being relieved in order, so that night and jirevious misha[).s had lu'cn ctfei'tnally checkmated. The jiraLses of tlic (ireat Ivistern were on every toiijrue. Had no fault occurred, our task would have been nearly ended liy this tinii'. Her mission is nndoulitodly the laying of Atlantic Cables, and she did it nobly as far as in her hiy on this occasion. U'('(liir.'<'/>i//, AiKjiist 2iii/. — In the course of the niniit the wind, accom])anied by a dense foe;, rose from the westward. Then it suddenly shifted to N.N.W. ; but altliouL!,h the sea was liioji, there was no rolling' or pitching-, and none of tlie sleep 'IS were aroused from slumber, which was favoured by the ceaseless nimble of the machinery. They were, however, awakened but too .speedily. Again the great enter[)rise on which so much depended, and cm which so many hearts and eyes were fixed, was rudely cheeked. As I have said, the gale did not in the least affect the ship. .She went on through tile heavy sea steady as an island, running out the Cable at tiie rate of 7 kuot,s an hour; and when the wind .shiftt.'d to N.J\.W. our course was altered to N.W. by "W. I W., through a sea which fell as rapidly as it had risen. The crisis was now at hand. I was arousetl about 8 oelock a.m., (ireeuwich time (ship's time being more than two hours earlier), by the slowing of the engines, and on looking out of my port saw, from the foam of the paddles pa.ssing ahead, that the ship was moving astern. In a moment afti'rwards 1 stood in the Testing-Rooin, where ^Ir. de Sauty, the ei'iitrc of a small group of electricians, among wIkhii was Professor Thomson, was bending over the instruments, surrounded l)y his anxious staff. The chronometer marked 8'G a.m., Greenwich time. In reply to my (jues- tioii as to what was wrong, Professor Thomson whi.spered, " Another bad '"•uilt." This was indeed sur[irising ami distressing. In order to make the history of the day eonspeuiivc, I will relate as closely as possible what occurred. !^Ir. Field went on duty in the tank in the early morning, relieving M. Jules Despescher. rtoiiie twenty minutes before the fault was noticed, whilst ^Mr. Field was watching, a grating noise was heard in the tank as lue coil flew out over the flakes. One of the men excdaiiucd, " There goes a piece of wire." The word was passed up through the crinoline shaft to the watcher. Ihit he either did not hear what was said, or neglected to give any intimation, as the warning never reached Mr. Temple, wh<- was on duty .it the stern at the time. At 8 a.m., Greenwich time, l)eiiig the beginning of an li(.iur, and therefore the 1 <9*^ 7t TIIH ATLANTU' TKM-CIlAI'ir. 'Ii !l I, '''1. 1 1. I .1i fi tiiiir wlnii ill ivHiihir scrits the rlcctriciiiiis dii l)iiiiiil the (irciil Eiistcrii hcyaii to sciiil lurrciil- In tlir sIkhv, tlic lii'iitlcinaii niniiiicil in wiilchiiiL;' tln' liiilviiim- llli'lrl', s;i\\ llic Ulli'lTillli' illdi'X li,i;ilt (|llivcr I'c ir illl il:->l:lllt 1111(1 uliilc nil' llli' scillc. TIm' fnci u;is cstiililislu'd tliiit instead of lucctiiin' witli till' |ini|icr roistaiiic. and (ravcrsiiio the wluilc K'liiitli of" the ('aiil(>tii lln' slmrc, a \:\v<^c |H>rli(iii i>l' tiic stream was cscaiiinu,' tiiroi.^uli a lu'eaeh in llie l;u1i,i |ieiclia into the sea. Jf tlie (Hiaiitity of the eurriMit esea|>in,n' liad lieeii uiiit'orni, the eleetrieiaiis eoidd cah'uhite very nearly the distance of tlic spot where the injury hail taken plaee. In the |neseiit instance, however, the tests varied urcatly. and slmwed a varying fault. When the current is sent ihroiiuh a wire frmn one |iolc it jiriiduces an eleciro-chi'iiiical action on the wire, and at the |ilace nf the injuiy, which leads to a dcjiosit of a salt of eo|i|ier it the ln'caeh nid impedes the escape of electricity ; and when the opposite cunvnt is returned, the deposit is reduced, and liydro^cu gas forined, a nlolmlc of which may rest in the chink, and, hy its non-conducting power, restore the insulation of tlieCalile fm- ii time, 'i'he fault in the [nvsent instance was SI) grave that it wa- resolvcil to pick up the ( 'ahli' once more, till ■We cut' it out. and re-sjiliced it. How far away it was no tme could tell precisely; liiit i'rom a compaiisDU of tiiiu' it was imagined that the faulty part was not far astern, and that it was in the portion of Calilc which went over at S o'cloi'k in the nioiiiing, or a little hcfoi-c it : and although the time was not accurately li.\ed when Mr. Field heard it, the grating noise was supposed to arise from some cause coiiiiecled with the fault. Had the eiiginei'rs forc'secn what suhso- • lUeiitly occurred they might lui\e resolved to go on, and take the chance of working through the fault. I'rofessor 'riiomson has since given it, as his opinion that the fault could have heeii worked through, and that the CaMe could have transmitted messages for a long time at the rate of four words a minute — • making an amply reinuuerative return. Mr.de Saiity also entertained the holief that the Calile could have worked for several months, at all events. IJut it does Hot appear that Mr. Canning had any rea.soii to act on the views of these gentlemen, and it was (piitc sure, when the oul was hindeil in Heart's Content, Mr. Valley could not have given his certiticate that the Calile was of the contract standard. Neither ^Ir. Varley nor ]\lr. Professor Thomson had any power to inteifere, or even to express their opinions, and electricians and engiiicei-s are generally inclined to regard with exclusive attention their own department in the united task, and to look to it solely. Mothiiig was left liut to ])ick up the calile. Steam was got up in the Imilers lor till' picking-up machinery, the shackles and wire rope were pre]iaretl, and, meantime, as the shiii drifted the CaMe was let run out, and the lir.akes TIIH ATLANTIC THMKiKAI'l!. 75 wore iv,miliitc(l to ivdurc III,. .st,.,;:i liduw ;i() cut. .\s tlicy wmv .■iitlinn' t|„. (',.,1,1,, '"''■"■ ''"■ l"|' "'" ''"' '■■"i''^' ii' 'li'' f'"ivii(M.ii to iiiiikc ii test, (II I' Ihc luiriiii'ii |MT- crivcil ill III,' II,-ik(. uiidcriKMili tliiit which hml |i;i.^sc(| diit with tlic unitiiiL;- iinisc when the limit w;is :] a.m. The imlicator stood at ;!7(;-.-)!).>, showing that CISC mih's of Cable had been payed-out. At iC.jS a in. (Creeiiwich tinu'), the Cable was cut and slipped overboard astern, fastened to its iron guanliaii>. The depth of water was estimated at Jdiio fathoms. As it went over an I U[) bow. iiorc iiiti(! itfall icct'd way. m-ty- (lllO ith a, iieiy. there lit at was / and II his Dii of from s not IV ai'c! which ht on chafe n II ! I I, i ! 1 I>' M n hi I THE ATLAXTK! TELEGRAni. and strain against tlio l)ow. The Great Eastern could not go astern, lest the Cable shoald Ik? snapped, and without motion there was no power of steerage. At this critical moment, too, the wind shifted, so as to render it more difficult to keep the head of the ship up to tlie C'alile. As the Calile chafed so much that there was dajiger of its parting, a shackle, chain, and rope lielonging to one of the r'alil(>-hu(iys were i)assed over the bows, and secured in a bi'dit below the hawse-pipe to the Calile. These were then hauled so as to bring the Cal)]e to the right-hand side of the bow, the ship still drifting to the left, and the obli([ue strain on the wires became considerable, Ijut it was impossible to diminish it by veering out, as the length of ("able after it was cut at the stem for the operation of picking-up left little to spare. In the bow there is a large iron wheel with a deep groove in the circumference (technically called a V wheel), by the side of which is a similar but smaller wheel on the sami> a.\is. Tlu; Calile and the rf>pe together were bi'ought in over the bows in the grotn'e in the larger wheel, the Cable being wound upon a drum behind by the picking-up machinery, which was once more in motion, and the rope being taken in round the capstan. But the rope and Cable did not come up in a right line in the V in the wheel, Imt were drawn U|) obli(piely. Still, up they came. The strain shown on the dynamo- meter was high, but was not near the breaking point. The part of the Cable which had sutTeivd from chafing was coming in, and the first portion of it was inboard ; suddenly a jar was given to the dynamometer by a jerk, caused either by a heave of the vessel or bv tiie shackle of wire-rope secured to the Cable, and the index jumped far aboxc (iO cwt., the highest point marked on it. The chain shackle and wii'c-ro[H> clamiiercd up out of the groove of the V wheel, got on the rim, and rushed down with a crash on the smaller wheel, <>ivini>- a severe sliock to the Calile. Almost at the same moment, as the Cabh' and the rope travelled slowly along through the machinery, just ei'c they reached the dynamonu't-r the Cable parted, flew thi'ough the stojjpcrs, and with one bound leaped over iuterveuing space and flashed into the sea. The shock of the instant was as sharj) as the snapping of the Cable itself No words could descrilie the bitterness of the disappointment. The Cable gone I gone for ever down in that fearful depth I It was enough to move one to tears ; and when a man came with the piece of the end lashed still to the <'hain, and showed the tortured strands — thi' toi'U wires — the lacerated core — it is no exaggeration to say that a feeling of pitv, as if it M'cre some sentient ereatun* which had been tlnis mutilated and draooed asunder by brutal foicc. moved the spectators. Captain Moriaity was just cominii- to the foot of the companion to jiut up his daily statement of the ship's position, having had excellent observations, when the news came. '■ I fear," he said " \, • vl : 3 i \ III ^ 1 ■ ■ f : (ft Till'] ATFiANTlC TELEGRAPH. will not feel nnu'li iiitcrosti'd now in knowing how far we arc from Heart's Content." }fowevei', it was something to know, though it was little comfort, that we had at noon run precisely n(!'4 miles since yesterday; that we were 1,0G2"4 miles from Valentia, (>(»(!•(! miles from Heart's Content ; that we were in Lat. 51° 25', Long. :V.f G', our course being 7(5° S. and 25° W. IJut instant streimous action was demanded ! Alas! action! There around us lay the placid Atlantic smiling in the sun, and not a dimple to show where lay st) many hopes buried. Tlie Terrible was signalled to, "the Cable has parted," and .soon bore down to us, antl came-to off our port beam. After brief consideration, Mr. Canning resolved to make an attempt to ivcover the Cable. Never, we thought, had alchemist less chance of finding a gold Initton in tlie dros.s from which he wa.s seeking auruni potabile, or philosopher's stone. But, then, what would they say in England, if ncjt even an attempt, however desperate, were made ? There were men on board who had picked up Cables from the MediteiTanean 700 fathoms down. The weather was l)eautiful, but we had no soundings, and the dejith was matter of conjecture ; still it was settled 'aat the Great Eastern should steam to Aviudward and eastward of the positi n in which she was when the Cable went down, lower a grapnel, and drift down across the course of the track in which the Cal)le was su])posed to be lying. Although all utterance of hope was suppre.s.sed, and no word of confidence escajjcd the lips, the mocking .shadows of both were treasured in .some (piiet ncjok of the fancy. The dnctrine of chanci's could not touch .such a contingency as we had to speculate upon. The ship stood away some i;{ or 14 miles from the spot where the accident occurred, and there lay-to in .smooth water, with the Teri'ible in company. The grapnel, two five-anne cwt., shackled and .secured to wire buoy ro])c, of which there were five miles on board, with a breaking strain calculated at 10 tons, was thrown over at ;J'20, ship's time, and "whistled thro'" the sea, a prey to fortune. At first the iron sank slowly, Itut soon the momentum of descent increased, .so a.s to lay great stress on the picking-up machinery, which was rendered available to lowering the novel mes.senger with warrant of .search for the fufitivc iiidden in mysterious caverns beneath. Length Hew after length over cog-wheel and drum till the iron, warming with work, heated so as to convert the water thrown upon the machinery into clouds of steam. The time pas.sed heavily. The electricians' room was closed ; all their subtle apparatus stood functionless, and cell, zinc, and copper threw off supertiuous currents in the darkened chamber. The jockeys irt's that (;2-4 Lat. LIOUS iiitic I'ioil. n to iiiug had ', was ^siiy were homa k'pth llDUld enable ivhich essed, L were id not away hiy-to armed end — 'iasteni j;ht up e l>uoy [ited at a. prey ileweeut ■nchn-ed iigitivi' g-wheel ^ water i. The md cell, jockeys U ! I! hi 'I , I" < '\ 1 f it i f n I fl i THE ATLANTIC TELEOUAl'II. liad run their race, mid reposed in their iron saddles. Tlui (h-unis hcnt no more, their lout!; roveilldu endiid in tli(i muttied roll of death ; that which had liccii hrokcn could fjive no trouhlo to hreak, and man shinnied the region where all these mute witnesses were testifyinj)- to th(^ vanity of human wishes. All life died out in the vessel, and no noise was heard e.Kcept the dull nratiii,!,' of the wire- rope over the wheels at the lio.v.s. The uiost a])atheti(; would have thought the ruml)hM)fthe Cahle the most gi'ateful music in the world. Away slipped the win? strands, shackle after shackle : ocean was in(h'ed in- satiahlo ; "more" and "more," cried tin; daughter of horse-leech from the hlack night of waters, and still the rope descended. (Jne thousand fathoms — fifteen hundred fathouLS — two thousand fathoms — hundreds again mounting up — till at last, at .O-C p.m., the strain was diminished, and at 2,500 fathoms, or l.'i.OOO feet, tin; grajmel reached the l»ed of the Atlantic, and .set to its ta.sk of finding and holding the Cahle. Where fhnt lay was of course beyond human knowledgi> ; hut as the ship drifted down across its course, there was just a, sort of head-shaking surmise tiiat the grapnel might catch it, that the ship might feel it, that the iniu-mpe might he brought up again — and that the Cable across it might — ^here was the most hazardous hitch of all — might eomi' up without breaking. Ikit -IJiW) fathoms! Alas!— and so in the darkness of the night — not more gloomy than her errand — the Creat Eastern, having cleared away one of tlu; great I)Uoys and got it over her bows, was left as a sport to the wind, and drifted, at tlie rate of 70 feet a minute, down upon the imaginary line where the Cable had sunk to useless rest. August 3rJ.— All through the night's darkness the Great Eastern groped along the bottom with the grapnel as the wind drifted her, but cunning liands had placed the ship so that her course lay right athwart the line for which she was fishing. There were many mi board who believed the grapnel would not catch anything but a rock, and that if it caught a rock or anything else it would break itself or the line without anyone on board being the wiser for it. Others contended the Cable would be torn asunder by the grapnel. Others calculated the force required to draw up two niile.s and a-half of the Cable to the surface, and to (bag iUong the bottom the length of line needed to give a bight to the C'able caught in the grapnel, so as to permit it to mount two and a-lialf miles to the deck of tlie Great Eastern. After the grapnel touched the bottom, which was at 7-45 o'clock, p.m., last night, when 2,500 fathoms of rope were payed-out, the strain for an hour and a-half did not exceed 55 cwt. ; but at 10 p.m. it rose to 80 cwt. for a short time, and the head of the ship yielded a little from its course and came up to the wind. It then fell oft" as the strain was reduced to 55 cwt. 80 TilE ATLANTIC TKLKlillAIMI. ! i I 1 'I I 1) II < li! which iippinviitly wuh tlic iiui'iuiil tune put (iii the ship by tlie weight of the rope and jrnipiicl. TJiis uinniinjr th<' same strain was shown hy tho dynanionu'tcr, and it varied very sliffhtly fnun midnight till (> o'clock a.m. Then the bow of the ship and the index of the dynamometer coincideil in their testimony, and whilst the Cireat Eastern swayed gradually and turned her luad fowanls the wind, the index of the machine recorded an increasing pressure. It began to be seen that there was some agency working to alter the cour.se of the ship, and the dynamometer showed a strain of 70 cwt. The news .soon spread ; men rusheil from compa.ss to dynamometer. '• We have caught it! we have caught it !" was heard from every lij). There Wiis in this little world of ours as much ever- varying excitement, as much elation and depression, as if it were a focus into which converged the joys ami sorrows of humanity. When the (Jreat Eastern first becanm .sensible of the stress brought upon Iwr by the grappling iron and rojie she shook her head, and kept on her course, disajipointing the hopes of those who were watching the dynamometer, and who saw with delight the rising strain. This hapi)eni'd several times. It was for a long time doubtful whether the grapnel held to anything more tenacious than the ooze, which for a moment arrested its progress antl then gave way with a jerk as the .ship drifted ; but in the early morning, the long steady pull made it evident the eui'sed prongs had laid their grip on a solid body, which yielded slowly to the pressure of the vcs.sel as she went to leeward, but at the same time resisted so forcibly as to slew round her bow. The scientific men calculated the f(n-C(! exercised by grapnel and rop(! alone to be far less than that now shown on the dynamometer. And if the Gi'eat Eastern had indeed got hold of a substance in the bottom of the Atlantic at (mce so tenacious and so yiekling, what could it be but the lost Cable ? At C"40 a.m., Greenwich time, the bow of the ship was brought up to the grapnel line. 1'hc machinery was set to work to pull up the 2,500 fathoms of ro[)e. The index of the dynamometer, immediately on the first revolutions of the wheels and drums, r(js(! to 85 cwt. The operation was of course exceedingly tediou.s, and its difliculty w;is increased by the nature of the rojte, which was not made iu a continuous piece, but in lengths of 100 fathoms each, secured by shackles and swivels of large size, and i)r(^sumably of proportionate strength. It Avas watched with intense interest. The bows were crowded, in spite of the danger to which the spectators were exposed by the snapping of the wire-rope, which might have caused them serious and fatal injuries. At 7'15 o'clock, a.m., the fii-st 100 fathoms of rope were in, and the great iron shackle and swivel at the end of the length were regarded with some feelings of triumph. At 7'55 a.m. the second III! IT, of i.a be umI ,v;is as oyrt the iiiitl the eral iiove Tave ■ady hidi , the men that (rot i(.l so 1) the ms of jf the Ihigly IS not iickles t was ger to might it 100 of the sccoml i I ■W I I, n ! TIIK ATLANTIC TELEOHAI'H. Ml loiigtii of 100 fathoms was on l)oar(l, the strain varying from 65 to 75 cwt. At 8"10 a.m., when 400 fathoms had l^eon purchased in and coiled away, the driving spur-wheel of the machinery I'loice, and the rope snapped, the strain being 90 cwt. at the time. The whole of the two miles of wire rope, grapnel and all, would have been lost, Init that the stojipers caught the shackle at the end, and saved the experiment from a fatal termination. The operation was suspended for a short time, in order to permit the damage to lie made good, and the rope was transferred to the capstan. The hazardous nature of the work, owing to the straining and jerking of the wire ro})e, was painfully evinced by the occurrence of accidents to two of the best men on Mr. Canning's staff — one of whom was cut on the face, and the other had his jaw laid open. At noon nearly half a mile of rope was gathered in With every length of C'a1)le drawn up from the sea, the spirits of all on lioard became ligliter, and whilst we all talked of the uncertainty of such an accomplishment, there was a sentiment stronger than any one M-ould care to avow, inspiring tlu^ secret confidence that, having caught the Cable in this extraordinary manner, we should get it up at last, and end our strange eventful history by a triumphant entry to Heart's Content. Already there were divers tiieories started as to the best way of getting the Cable on board, for if Mr. Cainiing ever saw the bight, the obvious question arose, " What will he do with it ?" The whole of our speculations were abruptly terminated at 2'50 o'clock, p.m. As the .shackle and swivel of the eleventh leugrii of rojie, which Avould have made a mile on board, were passing the machiner}', the head of the swivel i)in was wrung off .l)y the strain, and the 1,400 fathoms of line, with grapnel attached, lushed down again to the Imttom of tlie Atlantic, carrying with it the bight of Caltle. The shock was bitter and sliarp. The nature of the mishap was cpiite unforeseen. The engineers had calculated that the wire rope might part, or tiiat the Cabh^ itself might l)reak at the Ijight, but no one had thought of the stout iron shackles and swivels yielding. To add to the gloominess of the situation, the fog, which had so long been lianging round the ship, .setth'd dowr densely, and ol)liged the (ireat Eastern to proceed with extreme caution. Bu*- :.'.though the event danijx'd, i; did not extinguish, the hopes »f the engineers. j[r. Canning and IMr. Clitibrd a. once set their staff to bend 2, ,500 fatl'.ouis of spare wire rope to another gi-apnel, and to prepare a buoy to mark the spot as nearly as coidd be guessed where tlu' rope had parted, and gone down with the bight of the Cable. The Great Eastern was to steam away to windward of the course of the Cable, and then drift down upon it about tlu'ce miles west of the place where the accident occurred. Fog whistles were blown to warn the Terrible of our change of position, and at TSO, ship's I S2 THE ATLANTIO TELE(n?APH. it I ! 3>l ,' i 1 MM ii tiiius tlic (Jri'at Eiistcrn, as she stcanioil slowly away, iirod a gun, to which a real or fancied response was luai'd soon afterwards. As she went ahead, guns were fired ''very 20 minutes, and the steam-whistles were kept going, hut no reply was made, and she proceeded on her course alone. It was impossible to ol)tain a noon-day observation, and the only course to be pursued was to steam to windward for 14 or 15 miles, then to lay-to and drift, in the hope t)f procuring a favourable position for letting go the second grapnel, and catc-hing the Cable once more. AiKjiiM Xtli. — The morning found the Great Eastern drifting in a dense fog. In order to gauge the nature of the ta^k licfore them, the, engineers litted up a sounding tackle of all the spare line they couhl get, and hove it oveiboard witli a heavy lead attached. The sinker, it is believed, touched bottom at 2,:]0() fiitlumis, but it nc^ver came up to tell the tale. The line broke Avlien the nu'u were pulling it in, and 2(H)0 fathoms of cord wei'c added to the maze of Cable and wire rope with which tue bed of the Atlantic nmst be vexed hereabouts. Till' fog cleared away in the morning, ami the Terrible was visililc astern. Presently one of lier boats jtut otf, with a two-mile jjuII before her, for tlie Creal Eastern. Lieutenant Prowsc was sent to know what we had been doing, and what we intended to do. i'..' returned to his ship with the information that Mr. Canning, full of determination, if not of hope, would renew his attem[)t to grap[»le the ('able, and liaul it up once mon*. At noon, Captain Anderson and hSiatl'-Commander Moriarty, who had been very much peipL'Xcd at the obstinate refu.sal of the sun to shine, and might be .seen any time between 8 a.m. and noon ])ara(Ung the bridge sextant in hand, taking siglits at space, .sui'ceeded in obtaining an ob.scrvation, which gav ■ our position Lat. 51" ;54' ;}0", Long. 'M 54'. Tile (Ireat Eastern had drifted ;]4 miles from the place where the Cable |iaiteil, and as she had steamed 12 miles, her j'ositi'tn was 4(! miles to the ea^t of the end of the Cable. Meantime the engineers' staff were busy makino- a solid strouf' raft of timber balks, S feet square, to serve as a base to a buoy to be aneliored in 2,50U fathoms, as near as po.s.sible to the course of the Cable, and .some miles to the westward of the place where the grapnel-rope partt'd. .V portion of Cable, which haj, Aiujiit^f :)tl,.~-'V\xviv was no cliange in the weather. A grey mist envclojied the Great Eastei'n from stem to stern, blanket-like as sleep itself The haze— for so it was rather than a fog- -got lighter soon after VI oVjock, but it was .piite out of the question to attempt an obsei'vation of a longitudinal character. The steam-whistles pierced the fog-banks miles away. Shoals of grampuses, black fish, porpoises, came out of the o))si'ure to investigate the soun'(> of such d-', ad clamour, and blew, spout.nl, and rolled on the tops of the smooth unctuous-looking folds of water that undulated in i)n)ad sweeping billows on our b(>am. Our great object was to get sight of the buoy, and by tliat means make a giiess at our position. At 12-30 p.m. the Terrible was sighted on the port bciim, and our fog music was hushed. At ^l-'M) o'clock, p.m., the TeiTible signalled that the buoy was three miles distant from her. This was (juite an agreeable incident. Every eye was strained in search of th(> missing buoy, and at last the small ix'd flag at the top of the staff was made out on the horizon. At ;}-45 o'clock, ]).m., the Great Eastern was abreast of tlu; buoy, ,vliich was hailed with much satisfaction. It bore>ts(df bravely, though rather more depn'ssed than we had anticipated, and it was like meeting an old friend, to see it bobbing at us up and down in the ocean. It was resolved to steer N.W. by N. for 5 or (J milas, so as to pass some miles beyond the Cable, and then, if the wind answered, to drift down and grapj.le. The Great Eastern signalle.l to the Terrible, " I'lease watch the buoy;" and, under her trusty watch and ward, we left the sole mark of the exjiedition fixed on the surface of the sea, and stood towanls the northward. The wind, howev(H', did not answer, and the gnq^iel was not thrown overboard. Atuj. Cf/t, Skih/oi/.— It was very thick all tln-ough the night— fog, rain, drizzle alternately, and ail together. When morning broke, the T.'rribK' was .M '.; -luauL - ^-^-i 84 THE ATI-AXTIC TRT.EORArir. ii!' ■'(, f ft > i i visililc for ;i iiiomciit in a lift of the voil of f^rcy vapour wliioli Imiifr down from the siele.ss to form a eonjeeture respeptinuf the position of the sun or of the horizon, but Captain ISIoriarty and Captain .Andiisnii wei'e ready to [lounre upon either, and as the least gleam of light came forth, sextants in hand, like the (ilaut, and Ave .steered gently towai'ds hei' and fmnid that she was keeping watch ovi'r tiio liuoy, which was iloating ai)pareutly -1 miles away IVnm Ik'I'. Our eoui'.sc was W.N.W. till we came nearly ahreast (if the liuoy shortly hefoi'e !) a.m., when it wa.s altered to N.W. The wind was liMht and IVom the northward, and tlu' (Jreat Ea.slern stt'amed ipiietly onwards that she might hea\-(^ over the grapnel and came upon tli" buoy, aud having stoanu'd away to a favouraldc position, so as to come down on the course of the Cable again, remained drifting and steaming gently, on the look-out for the buoy, which it was very difHcult to discover owing to the fog and to the current and winds acting on the ship. The weather did not permit any obsei-va- tions for longitude to be made during the whole of this period. On Aug. 7th we passed the buoy and steered N.W., and at ll'lO a.m., ship's time, r47 p.m., Greenwich time, another gra])nel, with 2,500 fathoms of wire rope, was thrown over, ;ind the Great Eastern, with a favourable wind, was let drift down on the coi.i'se of the Cable, about half way between tlic buoy and the broken end. At I'i'.j shi])'s tinu', the grapnel touched the bottom in 2,500 fathoms watei-, having sunk, owing to improved apparatus, in half the time (onsumed in tnc first operation. In six hours afterwards, the eyes which were watching every motion of the ship so anxiously, perceived the slightest possible indication that the grapnel was holding on at tlic liottom, aixl I'lnt the sliiji's head was coming \i[) towards the nortliward. It is not pos.-ihle to dcM-rbi' the joyous excitement Mhich ditl'used it.'^elf over the Great Eastern as, with slowly -incroasiu-. certitude, she yielded to the strain fnau the I'j'apiicl and its pi'izc, and in an houi' and a-lialf canted her head from ^. by 8. I S., tn I'j, ^ North. 'L'Ik' screw was used to bring up her bow to ilie strain, and the machinery of tlie picking-up apparatus, nuu-h improvi a and stvengtin'nc(l, was set in motion to draw iu the grapnel by means of the ;'apstan and its steam power. The strain shown by the indicator iuere;\sed from 48 ewt. to {'>{] cwt. in a short time ; but the engines did then- Murk steadily till 8'1(), when one of tlie wheels was broken by a jerk, which caused a s!it;hl delay. The grapncl-ropc! was, however, hauled in liy the capstan at a unil'iii-m rati' of 1(K) fathoms in 40 minutes; but tlie strain went on gi'ailiially inereaMiig till it reached 70 I'wt. to 75 cwt \t 1]';50 p.m., shiiiV time, or 2'5 a. in., Greenw'eji, :]{){) fath(mis were aboard, and at midnight all t'iiise who were nut engaged on duty coimected with the operation retired to rest, thankful and encouraged. In the woi'ds of our signal to the Terrible, all was going '111 "hopefully." Throughout our slumbers the clank of the machinery, the shrill whistles to g" on ah';'(l, or turn astern, .-ounded till morning came, and vvdien one by one the eitizeus of o'.u' little world turned up on deck, each felt, as he saw the wliC'vs '-evolving and ;i \\'uv rope uncoiling from the drums, that he was assisting at an attempt of singular audacity and succes.s. A moonlight of great brightness, a, night of quiet loveliness had favoured the enterprise, and the links of rope had come in one after another at a speed which furnished ground.s f(jr hope that if the end of the day witnessed similar [)rogress, the Cable would be at th<' .-urface before niuhtfall. FJf:'"f'i *AtSt,. i ■ UL HI ! THK ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH. 87 Auffust 8th.—Th\n niomiiijr, about 7-30, one milo— ono tliouHand fiitlioinH — had hecn recovered, and was coiled on deck. The Cable, however, put out a little more vigour in its rosistanco nnd the strain wont up to 80 cwt., havinf? touched 90 cwt. once or twice provi(jusly. No matter what happened, the perseverance of the engineers and seamen had been so far rewarded by a very extraordinary result. They had caught up a thin Cable from a depth of 2,.'50O fathoms, and had hauled it up through a mile of water. They were hauling at it still, and all might be recovered. IJut it was not so to be. Our speculations were summarily disposed of — our hopes sent to rest in the Atlantic, Shortly l)eforc 8 o'clock, an iron shackle and swivel at the end of a length of wire rope came over the bow, passed over the dnuns, and had been wound three times round the capsfan, when the head of the swivel bolt "drew," exactly as the swivel before '♦; had done, antl the rope, parting at once, flew round the capstan, over the diai..g, through the stops, with th(! irresi?<''>le force on it of a strain, indicated at the time or a little previously, of 9(i It is wonderful no one was hurt. The end of the roi)e flourished its iron list in the air, and stniek out with it right and left, as though it were animated by a desire to tlcstroy those who might arrest its pro- gress. It passed through the line of cablemen with an impatient sweep, dashed at one man's head, was only balked by his sudden stoop, and menacing from side to side the men at the bow, who fortunately were few in numljer, and were warned of the danger of their position, splashed overlxiard. All had been done that the means at the disposal of engineers and officers allowed. The machinery had been altered, improved, tested— every shackle and swivel had been separately examined, and several which looked faulty had been knoeki-d off and replaced, but in every instance; the metal was found to be of superior quality. It was 7'43 a.m. ship's time, exactly, when the rope parted. The sad news was signalled to the Terrible, which had been following our progress anxiously and hopefully durimr the night. Her flags in return soon said, " Very sorry," and she steamed towards the Great Eastern immediately. Mr. Canning and Mr. Gooch, and others, consulted what was best to be done, and meantime the buoy and raft Avhich had been prepared in anticipation of such a catastrophe as had occurred, were lowered over the bows A\ith a mooring rope of 2,500 fathoms long, attached to a broken spur- wheel. The buoy was surmounted by a rod with a black ball at the top over a flag red, white, and red, in three alterjiate horizontal stripes, and on it were the words and letters : — " Telegraph, No. 3." It floated rather low on a strong raft of timber, with corks lashed at the comers, and by observation and reckoning it was lowered in Lat. 51° 25' 30", Long. 38° 56'. The old buoy at the time it was slipped bore S.E. by E. 13 miles from the Great Eastern. As there were still IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) fe // J V z y. ^ 1.0 ISi^ IM I.I lU m 2.2 1.8 11-25 111.4 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 Creat Eiistei'n stood down to tlie second buoy, for the inu'pose of fi.xing its exact locality by (iliservation. Sdon afterwards the weather grew threatening, and at 2 p.m. we were obliged to put her head to the sea, which graduallj- increased till the Great Eastern l)egan for the first time to give signs and tokens that she was not a fixrure. The Terrible stood on ahead on our port side, and for some time wc kei)t the buoy equl-distant between us. At night, the wind increased to half a gale, and it was agreed on all sides that though the Great Eastern could have paid out tlie Cable witli the utmost ease, she could not have jackiil up, and certainly could not have kept the grapnel line and Cable under her l)ows in such weather. But the steadiness of the vessel was the constant theme of praise. During tlie niglit she just kept her head to the sea. The Ti'rrildc, which got on our purt and then on our starl)oard bow, signalled to us not to come too close, ami before nndnitiht her liuhts were invisible on our i)oit quarter — one funnel down. A?iff. St/i. — Our course was W.N. W. during the night ; weather thick and rainy — strong southerly wind ; sea rumiing moderately high. At (i a.m., having run by reckoning 3o miles /rom the buoy, our course was altered to E.S.E., m as to bring us back to it. The state of the weather delayed the artificers in their work. It rained heavily, tiie deck was by no means a liorizcmtal plane, and it was doubtful if Mr. Canning and iMr. Clifford, using all possible diligence, coidd get tackle and machinery in order before the following forenoon, so that it was not necessary to make any great speed. The reputation of the ship was enhanced in the eyes and feelings of her passengers by the manner in which she had behaved in the undoubtedly high bn.'cze and heavy sea. Tin- former \.as admitted by sailors to be a " gale," though they seemed to think the force of the wind was affected by I TIIH ATLANTIC TllMKlUAl'H. H.) llic !i(l(litioii (if the ]nvfix " siiimiiciv" as if it niattcrcd iiiiu'li at wliat tinic of llic year a Tandeur l)eeonun