Words Under Water : 317 



seemed to be a submarine tableland or plateau stretching away to 

 the Irish shore. To describe this condition, Maury coined and used 

 the phrase, "A table for a cable." 



Maury's interest in the depth of the sea was of a dual character, 

 being both scientific and practical. He served both of these interests 

 by constructing an orographical chart of the Atlantic Ocean. This 

 was based on inadequate information and had other imperfections 

 but it was the first serious attempt to produce such a work. During 

 the years the cable was being developed and laid Maury was carrying 

 out a heavy schedule of research and administrative duties for the 

 navy. However, in this period he also found time to send Field over 

 3,000 communications on the subject of the Atlantic cable such as 

 letters, memoranda, charts, diagrams, drawings of instruments, etc. 

 Maury with his energy and knowledge and Field with his energy 

 and organizing ability made a lively highpowered team. 



In the meantime the British were not idle. Field sought inter- 

 national financing for his project and as it turned out the bulk of 

 Field's financial support came from British sources. Lord Brassey and 

 other important financiers gave Field unusually loyal and courageous 

 support and on a number of occasions, when a cable was lost or 

 broken, undertook the refinancing of the enterprise. 



At the same time William Thomson, who later became Lord Kel- 

 vin, independently invented another type of sounding machine which 

 was used by a number of vessels and supplied additional information. 

 Thus, through a combination of efforts, over a period of years, 

 enough information was assembled to show that it was not alto- 

 gether impossible to lay a cable from Ireland to Newfoundland in 

 relatively shallow water and gradually the route for such a cable 

 began to emerge. 



Early cables failed not only because of their lack of strength but 

 also because of their lack of insulation and other protection. Then it 

 was discovered that gutta-percha, wound in long strips around the 

 inner core of the cable that carried the current and the message, pro- 

 vided the best insulating material. This, in turn, had to be protected 

 from shock and bruise which was done by applying layers of vege- 

 table fiber (jute). Then the whole had to be bound together and 

 strengthened with a long winding of galvanized iron wire. Later 

 coatings were developed and used in the cable structure which not 

 only were waterproof but which also repelled the voracious appetite 

 of ship worms and other destructive creatures living along the sea's 

 bottom. Gradually a cable structure was developed that was both 



