Show to The The Atlantic Cable THE electric telegraph had but half its value and usefulness until Cyrus W W. Field carried it across the Atlantic and united the two continents with its magic wire WIre An attempt had been made to build a aline aline aline line across the island of Newfoundland the most easterly point on the American America coast and have this connect with a lin linof line of fast steamers which could reach the nearest point on the other other- side of the ocean in about five days Mr Field was known as an able enterprising and wea wealthy thy man and was strongly urged to take hold of this scheme He was wag thinking about it when when the thought came cameto cameto cameto to him Why not carry it across the ocean The more he thought of it the surer he felt that this could be done He organized a stock company furnishing furnishing furnishing fur fur- one fourth of the capital him him- self Great Britain and the United States provided ships and in 1857 an an expedition set out to lay the wire This and another the next ye year r proved failures A third trial was made but the wire gave out The enterprise was was now considered hopeless The stockholders stockholders stockholders stock stock- holders were discouraged but Mr Field never lost faith in the success of the thes s scheme heme The cable however being re recovered recovered recovered re- re covered it was laid the following year The success of this great enterprise was celebrated d by public demonstration both bothin bothin bothin in Europe E rope in Arnen The Thy Atlantic ri cable has served to unite kindred nati nations ns and diffuse civilization throughout through through- f. ou out t the world t The process of manufacturing the ther r cable is as follows The insulated copper wires are first lai laid around a center core of hem hemp p the exterior and spaces between each wire being wound with hemp yarn so as to form a perfect circular rope It Itis Itis is then provided with another covering w of hemp yarn the the whole of the yarn used being first soaked in a preparation of tar pitch oil and tallow It then receives receives receives re re- its outside covering of twelve No 4 guage iron r The whole of this process except the insulating of the wires is carried on at atone atone atone one time by machinery erected for the purpose Ocean cables now connect nearly all civilized nations The French have recently recently refi re- re fi completed a line from Australia to New Caledonia j and there is talk of its being extended to the United States by way of Samoa and the Sandwich Islands We hope the Pacific cable is isa a thing of the not far distant future Violet McCarthy |