MECHANICS AND USEPUL ARTS. 25 



cable ; the wire being of steel running through the Manila 

 covering. 



The new cable is superior to the old in strength and conductiv- 

 ity, from its enlarged copper wire, and especially by its increased 

 and more carefully guarded insulation. In consideration of these 

 qualities, of the delicate instruments for detecting faults and for 

 Avorking through them when detected, and of the high degree of 

 perfection to which electrical science as applied to telegraphy has 

 now attained, it may be confidently asserted that the new Atlantic 

 cable will be permanently successful. 



Says the " New York Independent:" "On Monday, July 30, 

 Mr. Field received a message of congratulation from Mr. Ferdinand 

 de Lesseps, the projector of the Suez Canal. It was dated at 

 Alexandria, in Egypt, the same dny, at half-past 1 p. M., and re- 

 ceived in Newfoundland at half-jjast 10 A. M. Let us look at the 

 globe, and see over what a space that message flew. It came 

 from the land of the Pharaohs and the Ptolemies ; it passed along 

 the shores of Africa, and under the Mediterranean Ocean more 

 than a tliousand miles, to Malta ; it then leaped to the continent 

 of Europe, and shot across Italy, over the Alps and through 

 France, under the English Channel to London ; it then flashed 

 across England and Ireland, till from the cliffs of Valentia it 

 struck straight into the Atlantic, darting down the submarine 

 mountain which lies off the coast, and over all the hills and val- 

 le3's which lie beneath the watery jjlain, resting not till it touched 

 the shore of the ' New World.' In that mornina-'s flio;ht it had 

 passed over one-jourth of the earth's surf;ice, and so far outstrip- 

 ped the sun in its course that it reached its destination three hours 

 before it was sent ! To understand this, it must be remembered 

 that the earth revolves from west to east, and when it is sunrise 

 here it is between 8 and 9 o'clock in Alexandria, in Egypt ; and 

 when it is sunset here, it is nearly 9 o'clock in the evening there." 



THE NORTH ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH. 



The magnitude and serious nature of the transmitting difficul- 

 ties existing in all long unbroken sea lines, has led to the con- 

 struction of what is known as the Russian-American line, — a land 

 line of telegraph intended to reach New York from St. Peters- 

 burg by Avires through Siberia and on to San Francisco, Avith a 

 short sea section across Bchring's Straits, a total distance of about 

 12,000 miles. This Russian- American line is already far advanced 

 towards comi^letion. But by far the most important line of tele- 

 graphic communication between England and America is that to 

 be immediately carried into effect via Scotland, the Faroe Islands, 

 Iceland, Greenland, and the coast of Labrador; and knoAvn as the 

 Nortli Atlantic Telegrajih. A glance at the map in the direction 

 pointed out will at once shoAV tliat convenient natural landing 

 stations exist, breaking up the calsle into four short lengths or sec- 

 tions, instead of the necessitous employment of one continuous 

 length, as betAveen Ireland and NcAvfoundland. It will also be 

 found that the aggregate lengths of these sections is Avithin a very 

 few miles the same as that of the Anglo-American cable. Not 

 3 



