THE LAYING OF THE ATLANTIC CABLE. 227 



possible the nature of the operations to he performed, 

 and also the means to he employed for carrying them 

 out, in order that I may, if I can, make the subse- 

 quent events thoroughly intelligible to the reader. 



The Cable, 2300 miles in length, -was coiled in 

 three tanks : one at the stern (I take them in the 

 order used), the second in the fore-part, and the third 

 in the middle of the vessel. The first contained 

 about 840 miles of Cable, the second about 640 miles, 

 and the remainder, together with the shore-end for 

 Newfoundland, was coiled in the middle tank. The 

 ends of these separate coils were kept joined, and the 

 transfer from one tank to another was performed with 

 the greatest ease. From the fore-tank a trough, with 

 revolving wheels placed at certain distances to pre- 

 vent too great friction, extended to the paying-out 

 machinery at the stern, whilst from the other tanks 

 smaller troughs led to the main artery. The paying- 

 out machinery, as I have said, is placed at the stern, 

 and is perhaps the most perfect thing of its kind that 

 has ever been constructed, not a hitch occurring in 

 its working throughout the voyage. It consists of a 

 large wheel, round which the Cable makes two turns, 

 and then, passing out, it glides over a succession of 

 smaller wheels, over which others are placed, acting 

 as breakers to prevent it paying out too quickly. Be- 

 tween the last wheel of this machine and the one 

 immediately over the stern of the vessel the dynamo- 

 meter is placed. This is an instrument for calculat- 



