S/fi WILL/AM SIEMENS, F.K.S. 77 



had an opportunity of watching the effects of tropical heat, or of 

 metallic veins at the bottom of the sea, which also tended to 

 destroy them. He could refer to several cables which had remained 

 perfectly sound for a certain distance, but had been, in certain 

 places, so completely corroded, that in attempting to repair them,, 

 they literally fell to pieces. Such had been the case as had been 

 already mentioned with the Atlantic cable. It was too much the 

 fashion to regard a cable when once laid down as of indefinite 

 durability, and in most cases no sufficient means were adopted to test 

 it at regular intervals. No means, for instance, were provided for 

 effecting repairs in the Ked Sea cable as the necessity might arise, 

 and under those circumstances it was surprising that it should 

 have lasted for nine months before the first fault occurred, it having 

 given way only the day before the extension was completed to 

 India. Upon the return of the expedition engaged in laying the 

 cable, it was the general opinion that energetic measures should be 

 adopted for its maintenance. The neglect of this might, in a 

 great measure, be attributed to the diverse interests of the several 

 parties concerned. There was the Government who had given an 

 absolute guarantee to the company which had the management of 

 the line, without being sufficiently interested in maintaining it in 

 good working condition ; there was the contractor who had fufilled 

 his engagement when once the line was successfully laid ; there was 

 the pioneer who had laid down the direction it should take, but 

 who had not had sufficient opportunity of testing the nature of 

 the bottom ; there was the engineer who superintended the making 

 and submerging the cable on behalf of the company ; and finally, 

 there was the electrician, who had, probably, the most anxious and 

 trying work of all, but the importance of whose office, had not, 

 he thought, been sufficiently considered in making the general 

 arrangements. The necessity of adopting a better system was, 

 however, beginning to be acknowledged ; in proof of which he 

 would instance the Government cable about to be laid between 

 Rangoon and Singapore, where an opportunity had been afforded, 

 for the first time, of carrying out a complete system of testing, 

 before the cable was shipped. 



The method of testing employed by Messrs. Siemens differed 

 essentially from those hitherto adopted. He would not, at present, 

 enter upon the mathematical part of this subject, which was very 



