234 APPLIED SCIENCE 



fathoms of the surface, it broke at her grapnel. The end fell 

 down, and the loose bight was easily hauled on board by the 

 ' Great Eastern.' The strain on this occasion was six tons. 

 Owing probably to the hemp covering, the cable did not slip 

 along the grapnel after being cut by the ' Medway.' The only 

 chance of failure was that the cable might have rusted so much 

 that, even when hanging vertically, it could not bear its own 

 weight in two miles of water. On the contrary, little or no 

 signs of rust were observed, and there is no reason to suppose 

 that the 1865 cable had materially lost strength during its 

 year of submersion. Considering the perfect success of this 

 simple method of recovering the cable, it really is unnecessary 

 to discuss the many ingenious plans suggested ; probably the 

 use of a holdfast grapnel in one ship, and a cutting grapnel in 

 the other, would avoid a few mischances ; but it is clear that 

 even these appliances are unnecessary. A few accidents from 

 broken chains, weak swivels, stoppers that slipped, bent 

 grapnel-prongs, etc., did occur and always do occur, even 

 when cables are repaired in shallow water ; and, indeed, the 

 repairs of cables in the English or Irish Channel often last 

 longer than the three weeks occupied in recovering the Atlantic 

 Cable. A rocky bottom causes more difficulty and delay than 

 2,000 fathoms of water. 



The cable, when recovered, proved perfect ; and on Sep- 

 tember 2 Sir Samuel Canning telegraphed to Sir Richard 

 Glass, the able manager of the contracting company, that he 

 had much pleasure in speaking to him through the 1865 cable. 

 It was a noble triumph, well earned. The 1865 cable was 

 completed on September 8, 1866. It lies about thirty miles 

 north of the 1866 cable. Those who wish to learn more of the 

 history of this enterprise will find accurate and clear informa- 

 tion in 'The Atlantic Telegraph,' by W. H. Eussell, LL.D., 

 illustrated by R. Dudley ; and in the diary of Mr. Deane, the 

 secretary of the Anglo-American Telegraph Company, published 

 in the ' Times.' 



The success of the Atlantic Cable was not gained by the 

 effort of a single genius, but resulted from the co-operation of 

 many minds and divers kinds of men. Some have followed 

 the undertaking from first to last ; for instance, Mr. Cyrus Field's 



