THE TELEGRAPH TO INDIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 52, 13 January 1864, Page 4

THE TELEGRAPH TO INDIA.

[ Ir mccliiiiiictil appliances arc to be depended upon, j ! and if the most careful and experienced supervision of j all relating to the scientific nerfceliou of a submarine ! cable is of anv avail, the whole of F.nghmd before I , next March w'ill have sit command a means of daily. | I if not. hourly ciiiiiniuuicaliini with Ma Ir.ts, Caleiitlu, j ami Boinbav. The activity of gray shirting.- or the | i dtilness of mule twist ought to be known hc-e to the I I fraction of an aunn every morning ; and the news ! i Irom Cliinaand Au-iralia" anliripalcd by exactly the I j dill'.-reniv of time between an overland passage and an ! overland lelegrapli, whirl, means the di'.civuco be- j iwecii lliittv davs i:u.l live hours. So eaivl'tlliv Itltve I 1 tlu- pbins been matured, „o quiclly has the cable itself I , been nuinulreiur\l, that the announeciiietit that the | i c\]icdtt:on v. ill ill a few ihy* begin to leave these j fSLori-, to ae onipish such great results comes ujion us i KlilSi-. . ii ... . ,v... -,i i_..i , .......i: iii...

.'work-. North Uoohwch. Whatever may In- it-' uili- ! i male, it is (jinli' certain ilia' tic. ren,-\ cry,'-! ha- been a I : poiiu of •• comlunhiiy'' and insulation, comes, so | ; marly up lo llio standard ci!' üb-o!mo cicnn\al ]icr- ; , lection. 'Hi,- i!i-.ij;ii all,l coi'-lrm-tion ~]' ihe cable ; tliiiiT \"i-i-\ ii aicnally from any line hitherto laid. ' , !-.'\i.-y operation in submarine t'clc-raphv ■ own the j : ai'cat Atlantic Inn- ha- coiitr.butcd ii.- ,|i'iola i>!' \aiu- I aliii- , xpciiciiie : („r. -,!i,muli -invc.-sfuilv iai,! !>■■ :-ir ■ Charhs 1-riLLh: an,l l,i- a.-.-i-iam cn-duccr-. in spile of ' its iinpi-rli-c-t const™, lion. j| «„s ii,-t,-,o,ed l-v ihe in- ' pidicous elect rical treatment il iv< i-iv.-.l" :!|'lit%!i!.iiut- j ! -ion. Tin, In.-! i, now .„, well .stabiished iha ilu- I i c-iiu-i- oi'lln- lai.bnv of the .\l!a:ilir tal,!c m.-,v !>,• considered a.- set at iv,t lor ever. Tin- insulation of ilia! I 1 ill l- ua> not wry perfect, as may be in.auiued from ! the hiian. y of Ilu- ~-inin' at llial linn-, lint vi-t lln ; electrical [ oner u-t-il »;h Mi,h as uoiiU infallibly 1 hind, down even the luos! p. i-f,, i . able- li.iiiiufaciuri ■',; ; al lln- pr, -nil day. or ibi- oar r, adcrs u.av jutluc ! wh.n it is sian-d'lhal ill.- lai-,- in.'.union .oils i.is,: u-,-.l i;i hi I ween Amcrita wnv 1 pro! ably <<;t:al in el,-, tried tower ;,i ■Jt.iilH) battery ' ..-lis, while m.iv it is found iu-.-\jn-.',i,-m louse mor. I iililll two or tin-,,- cells 111 iv„|-i,ii,; 111,- 1011-r-l sllbI marine in,,- in nbi.iur. Some of thi- .una! power ,' ihromji Ihr In.,- al a .unat, i- -peed 'ilia,, "tlu'Vi'n | ' slow anil unrruuii.crativr rale at which il ha* alone j ! li-, n r»iiml possible in tnmmnninite ibrmiuh an nn- ; broki n It'll: lh <.l' :i,1.KM.l mile*. The ,- t sll ',t was ill.- ! i a.-lreus, luit ihe experience, thoucjidcarlv bmi-ht, has | : pioml of invaluable. Il has iauy.hl clcri n, urns ilu- I ; '.alu,' ol'inoonatin-- tin- powi r u,nl in workim; lint-, j i ami above all has pointed mil ilu- imperative noccsI shy „f haviiiu in, sniyle s,', tioiiof a submarine lim-oi j more than Mill mile- in ] v y.ph. To lav submarine! jcabltsin a con; unions k-tuiih without intermedin:,-! i stations has 1)..,-)! found to an.-n, i- no other purpo.-c j j than thai of ..-really diminishm;- the speed ofworuin- ; , aini u.ullipA inn -every imaginable risk In-ill of iiianu- j fa, tmv anil suhim r.-mn. 'Ilu- linlian Cotci'murut I artin- uu,l. r the jiiilirious ioiiiiM-1 ul' llu'ir s.-iiniiii,-a.lvisi-i's. hav,- tvis,'!v .h-t-.miinnl to tU'viilc ihc I'n'sian ! i.. nil ,al.ir into ihr,',- sci t ions, i]„,„„!, ;, s tc-ml lcn-lh i will not ex,col l.iV'll slalulc miles. ) The faults which le.l to the clestruetion oi" the Kc.l 1 -'ca line «nv of aitollio' (haracter. it was ! luiuuil'acturcu an.i tcsleil with cure jiiviitlv supcrinr to j .'lnil talicn ivnii the .Vtlanlic .ahle.i; was | .n a wav win. h ivmlci'e.l il c. asiim to work a uues- ' lion of a feiv wccl,s more or less. Nhcathca 'in a ' I overall of -mall uiivs. ,;iiile unjirotcctcil I'rom I l.orrosion. it was lai,l without anv nil. wan, c for j ".-link" cable lo fall ii,!o the iiT.'-uiarilv of the hn;- j loin of the s. a. Il conscpu-nllv lav slrainc.l across ! j (he points of the incjualiiics,' ivi'th a tcn.-ion ot | j several ihoiisaml pjumls. As ilu- iinprolcclcl wii\s j i'ii-!cil iiwin. ami the Mispni.leil portions of the line ; lie.-aniL- ioinleil with coial ami hai-nachs. the whole I I iiue crumhleil into lmn.hv.ls of pica's bv its own I I wci;;ht. This is no lucre hvpoih' lien! o)iiiiion. bm a fait, which was amply prove,l bv the cxpeilition to' iln- Ki'tl .s ( -n in iMi'l. limit r .\!r. hatiniar t'larl,. i'herc can be little ilouht that the same cause le.i to .he temporary tailure of the Alalia ami Alexandria hue, as well as thai laitl for the French Covevnnicnl between Toulon ami Algiers. To obviate this cause nf ilanpT, which in the above aiculioucil lines has prulaibiv occasioned a loss ol properly to Ihe value of over'a million sterling, the ; I'crsian (.lull' line is ease.! in 12 No. 7 fcna;;e Inirl- | ..'i-awn iron wires, lhiel.lv »a!tanizeil. so lis i iieetua!l_i i to prevent their corrosion. Hut, in order in se, u,v | imiiv clicclmillv the pcrmaueiil .-nihility of the line | . he whole linishcl cable is Ihici.iy coated willi two ; siTidii'js of tarrcil heiup Mini, ovcriaitl with two coal 1 iiiiis nl a pal.-nl I'tiniposilion invented !iy Sir t'harle.-. ; l'.ri-ht ami .Mr. Latimar Clark. The composition ! I consists of mineral pit, h or asphalt. .Stockholm tar. j ami powdcivd siliia. mixed ill certain proportions, ami j I .aid on in a inched slate. \\ hilc vet warm it i- ,' ; passed between circular rollers, which'»ive it a roumi j j Miiooth surface. When tpiile .01.l this forms a niasi sii.' covcrim; of ureal strcnath and ].erl'cct llexibilhv. | .otally impervious to water, and inciLpahle of bi'iii.n : lest roved by the minute animalcule.' which exist in ' -itch abundance in warm latitudes, ami which, when j the cable is not protected annus! ihcir attacks, eal | .•u'ry mom of Ihe hemp, as in the ease of the cable I | -aid between Toulon and Algiers. Calvani/im,' the \ j wire is in itself an almost perfect protection from rust j j -cci'laiiiK formany years, as ihe i;ooil condition of j | .he cable [ i -ked up oil' the Kooira Alooria Islands, a part of whit h was nihaui;-.cil, showed, as far as ihe ; | ailvanizint: was concerned. Hut. villi the Jinn! pro- j j .c.tion both from rust anil iiliimaleula' which Uri-h, ! and Clark's compound ailords, there appears u> be no I nason why this cable, when once laid m shallow or ' deep water-, should not remain -t-Oil for a hmidre;: j I years lo conic. The copper conducting wire is com- I j pti.-cd of four segments, ttrawu into a holiow lube, in \ | such a manner as to appear like a solid win-. liv I \ tliis tiioaiis r.!l the of u siratid wire ar. ! ! .'ombinetl v.-iih Ihe t oudensed bulk ami small suriac,- o! j j .'. s ,!i.l one. Tlie cooper from which the the is draw, j is especially sciceLiM by ll'.c. cn-imcrs for iis hi-h | Ciiptfity lor comiuetini; electricity. It. is, jr-r'ao)- no ' I ; mcrai:y k.u.-.vn lhal ui.'i: ,'t „s «,„.,!. , of ~„,.,„',. van j isiuiicha.s.iiinrt.llpcrceni.milusrcspc.t- iha; is. j sane „„, eimeiis ol , upper w.iv will eoiuiu, 1 cleelricilv I tvilh greater i'aeilily ihan oih.r speehn.-ns of double I i ihe thickness, though physically there niav not be the j

I slightest dill'erencu by which you can distinguish one ironi the other. Thin wire", which is nearly one- | eighth of an inch in diameter, is ihe.ii covered by the j I Uutta l'cre-ha Company with four distinct coats of ' ; I gutta peivha, ami four coats of Chatlerton's com- j pound laid on alternately. This "core" as it is termed, is then tested in cold water, at a temperature j of UO degrees, and then uneler a pressure of GOOibs. to | the' s(|uaro inch. After passing through all these j ! ordeals, the- 10.-s by leakage through the gutta percha . i covering does not exceed' one hundred-millionth part | ■of electricitv passing through the condm-ling wire in j everv nautical mile. To such minute' perfection has , i the svslent of testing adopted by the engineers been j i carried, that, the loss of one thousand-millionth part ; ! of the current hv leakage could he delected and osli- i j muled on the- instruments. In the present state of 1 the insulation of the cable, the loss by leakage in ; ' workiu" each section of the line will not exceed one- ! j I'our-htmJi'eth part of the' electric current sent through \ ! the- conductor--u eondiiion' of insulation which we ! ' believe has never been eepuilled by any i.able hitherto i ! inaiiufaelured. ' * j | liefore being sheathed at Mr. Henley's works the ! I coils eif gutta peivha con', which are in three mile j j lengths, are ajaiii le-sted under water for insulation. uiuf for •■■esistance ol' e-eiinlucleir, (lieri'fore if any in- , | jury shotihl have ejei-urr-'il lei the? fragile gultii ])ercha ; !'covering of the wire' during its transit from the j j Whari'-road to .Vorth Woolwich it is detected before j I the cable' is made up. and then the process of sheath- | j ing them in their outer covering is , ■oinmeneed. The I tirst coating outside lhe gulta pereha is 1.2 thick i j sir.inds of wet heinp. and over these again comes 12 , | soLid .Nil. 7 guage wires, which have been most enre- j j fully •jalvani:'.e,i bv .Mr. jlenlev. The' outer covering | of il-oi'i wire is generally th..' !a.,t which a cable re-] eeives, but in this in.-tane'e, as the line is to he laid it) ! comparatively shallow water, the wires themselves, ! though galvanised, are to be still further protected j from' their most formidable enemy, rust, which i- j done hv the coverings of liright and Clark's coinposi- I tiou already described. | ! During the whole time the cable is at Mr. lTen- : ■ lev's the current, is kept idwav.-, through it, so thutlhe j i slightest, possible defect in tlie wire can be delected, i ; lii addition to this the very able electrical stall' te:! I everv jiorlion regularly twice a day lor insulation and | , resis'liiuce of conductor. When everything has been ■dour, which Ih.e must jealous care'iiu.rthe most i fastidious seienliiii' skill can .-ugge'sl, it is piis-ed out on the riverside e>f Mr. Henley's factory, and. coiled away in tanks filled with water ; and even here perpetually watched and tested. There are upwards of nine hundred nautical miles of il thus manufactured lying at .Mr. Henley's works—huge coils of thick black-looking rope, marly J .Jin. in diameter, weighing j nearly four tons to the mile, and costing as nearly as ! possible C2OO per iuile--the cheapest, strongest, 'and i cleclricallv speaking, the most perfect cable that has ; ever ycl been made'. Three hun.hvd and (illy miles ■ more'of the'same kind have ye! to be manufactured! I —to which, however, the grout resources of .Mr. j Henley's factory are iptiie c,|iiu! —in the time that yet intervenes lie fore the last ship which composes j the-expedition will leave this country in September. '■ We have hitherto spoken of this cable us the Indian j wire', but, strictly speaking, it ought lo he called the i Tcrsiun (dull' line, and it is down that route it is to be ; laid lei i ounce! ivurraeiie with the present land line . to Constantsiioplc. Colonel Stewart has himself dur- | ing two years travelled through and examined the, various ovi rlaud routes which have he-en from time to lime suggested for a varl of this line across the Tur- • j kish portions of A.-ia Minor. One of these' had. been | I selected IVoui tlie greater ease with which land lines | ! are erccleii. and ke[it in repair Us compared with sub- i i marine wile.-, ami also because along at least three- | j fourths ol' the entire route-the Turki-h Covcrumeid j i iugordera lelegruh from Colislantii'.t.pie to Hagdad. i | This laud liius fioni Si uiari on the lJosphonts across j ; Asia Minor lo lliarbekir, theme to Mosul (the | ; iiitiietil .N'mcveh.). and thence te' i-ageia.l. It hap- j pens, however, thai over lhe broad tract of countrv I j v.!,i, 1, imecvcius between Ihigda.l and the Ik ad of j ; the i'ersiau liulf. along which this submarine eableto j ! luoia is lo lie iaid. various |iredatory tribes ol' Arabs j 1 i l.iiiu a sovei-ciguiy. and i'.ghl ibr il wiili more or less ! | s.tecess. and over lii.'se law',--- vagaliou.i- of the | j eicsert tlie I'orie has no ma-mer of eon.rol. Always '■ I ipiai-reliiug among theniselvi -, they agree only on tile ; one point oi' ui-ohey mg and delyiug their nomiui'.l j ior.l i.ie Sultan, whii Ii they always do with impunity a; K .-.si. if :ini su.ecss. Tile's,' people will n-ipiire : sniiiuil hamiliug. ami the laud line ironi Jiaguad will probably be taken along the frontiers of Arabia, through lhe territories of the most powerful of the tribes, who are to protect i; against all comers, ami whom a subsidy of ci.UilO a yiar will at o.ice l'e'.i.ler most zealous. ' liy th.s roule, for a length of some ;ii)i> miles, it will' pass to lhe head of'lhe Persian Ciuifal the estuarv which marks tin' ium-lion of the fi.ersiind Kuphraies -a mis, rah.e Ka'slcru luwuship ended Siiat-ei-Arah. It is not intended, however, to rely solely upon I lids laud route. Another Imkl line will very proj hably be taken from l,ag,!a io e'l- lhe IrontieroflVrsia j 1 1) Teheran, iheiuvto lsj ahau, ami -o on by Shira.'.down !to lhe shore oi' the Persian dull' al l.usiiire. Thus, j even in ease t J it- Arabs proving refractory, there' will I always he the land line through Persia'to llagdiul. | ami so on to i.'oiislaiiliuople ami i'higiand. From the estuarv al Sh.it-i'l-Arab I lie submarine portion of the line- is'u, he laid in three sections: lor', although the I length of the whole is only 1.200 nautical miles, yet | the (.iovcrnnii lit have iims! wisely delerinined to i avoid lb,' fatai dangers wlm-h always beset le'.i'graphv 1 through long eiccp-sui routes by making no less thaii : thrc iuv.ihs'.ii I lie stations at which iho cable will be ] landeii. 'Lhe t.vsl h-nglu will he from the head of the Persian (,'un'at Shat-el-Arab to Pushire, a di.i- ---! lance of 17H mil,-, along whi. h tlie e.ihie will he sub- ; nier_etl in from 20 lo 2"> fathoms of water. The ) next length will be from Utishire to Mussen.lom, a j bold, di solute, stonv hcadlami on the coast of Arabia. I This section will he I 10 miles long, and Mibim-rgetl in j from ditto ;!."> fathoms of water." The third length t will be froiu.Musscnooni to <.i nadd.-l, agnail lit v on j the Mekran coast, era the frontier of the lxclal t'erni lory. This portion will be 'Ml uiiies long,amllaiel in I I'ro.ii b> l,i ;...! jalhoms of water. from C.ua.ldol, | a sliorl length of lanel line is now almost complete j along tiie lo:i-I. giving direct, conimuuie'ation wiih ! Kurrachee. ami tln-uee all over Inuia, lo the very j I'rouiiers of Pui-mah. j Al ali these' breaks or stations in the Persian Gull', j the extreme stiore ends will be very massive, eoad'el j I with galvani/.ed iron-wire of almost tenfold strength I I and weighing as much as eight tons a mile. In certain portions of the route near Uussorah, where there is any danger to be apprehended from small coasters anchoring, the weight of the line will also be increased by the extra thickness of its wires to nearly nine lons a mile—enough to shield it from :inx risk from the lilile anchors of the native boats which are likely to come there. in short, as far as depends on minute care' ami wide seienliiii' experience, the whole value is likely io be as perfect as skill or ingenuity can make it. The vessels which are to take this line will probably leave England abend, the end of next mon.h. arriving on the scene of their operations in the Persian (iulf in .lanuary or February—tlie best eimc of the year in which to lay the cable" The pro- • ess of submerging it and securing the shore ends is not likely to occupy more than a mouth or so. The lotal e-0.-t of the submarine sections of the line will be j less than .Cd.jU.UiJO, including tiie expenses of luviii" j it. — 'J'ini'-s.