STATE OF THE CABLE. MODE OF LAYING. 209 



much impaired, although the hempen strands were 

 supposed to be prevented from "dry rot" by being 

 impregnated with a solution of tannin. In spite of its 

 light weight it was hardly strong enough any longer 

 to be laid with safety in the considerable depths be- 

 tween the Algerian and Spanish coasts. Still worse 

 almost was it that my brother had invented for the 

 laying a new mechanism, which was now to be tried 

 for the first time. It consisted in the cable being coiled 

 round a large drum with stationary axis, which was to 

 be turned for the winding and unwinding of the cable 

 by a specially constructed small steam-engine. This con- 

 trivance, though carried out in a very ingenious manner 

 by my brother, yet appeared to me very dubious, for 

 the uniform rotation of so heavy a drum, especially 

 in a rough sea, was connected with difficulties, whose 

 extent could not be foreseen, and the portion of cable 

 unrolled by the revolving drum could only be properly 

 estimated when the ship's velocity, the ocean- depth, 

 and the currents were at all times exactly known. 

 But as the weather was calm and fair, and I had 

 moreover constructed an electrically worked velocity- 

 meter, which I desired to test, and which, as I hoped, 

 would always accurately indicate the ship's speed, we 

 resolved to make the attempt in spite of the decreased 

 strength of the cable. 



Unfortunately my fears proved to be justified. 

 After the heavy shore -cable had been laid, and the 

 laying of the light copper cable , connected with it, 

 had proceeded for perhaps an hour without disturbance, 



OF THE \ 



:VERSITT 

 AUFORNlA^-'" 



