.s/A' WILLIAM SIEMK.\*, /.A'..s. 75 



/// lite {lim-tixsion of the Paper 



"ON THE MAINTENANCE AND DURABILITY OF 



SUBMARINE CABLES IN SHALLOW WATERS," 



By W. H. PREECE, 



MR. C. W. SIEMENS* felt more than usual difficulty in 

 approaching the subject, because the paper, although dealing only 

 with the phenomena which presented themselves in the treatment 

 and management of some short lines of telegraphic cables, opened 

 for discussion a branch of science, which embraced many others, 

 from chemistry to naval architecture. 



He had engaged, on the part of the contractors, to superintend 

 the electrical condition of the Channel Islands cable, during its 

 submersion, and also to arrange the instruments of the line. At 

 the time the cable was laid, nothing could be more satisfactory 

 than the results it afforded. The electrical condition was, con- 

 sidering the state of perfection then arrived at, very satisfactory ; 

 the instruments acted with the greatest facility, and with very low 

 battery power, and he took this opportunity of stating that he 

 considered it an essential point to save cable as much as possible 

 from the strain of great battery power. The paper dealt, more 

 particularly, with the mechanical -accidents that occurred to the 

 cable, upon which he would, in passing, make a few remarks. 

 The route, as was justly stated, was not well chosen ; it would 

 have been better, no doubt, had it passed direct from the Isle of 

 Wight to Guernsey ; but he was under the impression that the 

 choice of the route was not left to the contractors, but that it was* 

 as had generally been the case, determined by the company, in 

 concert with the Government. He also agreed with the author, 

 that the shore ends had, generally, been made too light, and that 

 the specimens he exhibited presented far greater resistance to wear 

 and tear. But Mr. Siemens had adopted the plan, when laying 

 electric wires across rivers or bays, of inclosing them in a 



* Excerpt Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Vol. 

 XX. Session 1860-1861, pp. 53-60, 72 and 90. 



