Chapter Ten 
THE CABLE IS LAID 
AMID THE GENERAL gloom there were grounds for optimism. 
The report of the technical staff, including Professor ‘Thom- 
son and Samuel Canning, summarized some favorable items. 
The cable, when not injured, had proved amply strong for all 
ordinary strains. ‘The improved telegraph instruments had 
sent more than eight words a minute through the cable to 
Ireland, clearly and unmistakably; this was in contrast with 
the cable of 1858 which had been very slow and undepend- 
able. ‘The gutta-percha insulation was much better than the 
earlier type, and seemed to improve after submersion in the 
cold water of the ocean. The testing-device almost miracu- 
lously enabled the electricians to locate the approximate 
position of a fault in the cable. The paying-out machinery 
operated perfectly, but needed a steam-engine for pulling in 
cable before it touched bottom. The grappling process had 
worked hopefully and only needed better apparatus. The 
Great Eastern had been steady and had kept under good con- 
trol by the combination of paddle-wheels and propeller. 
Buoys had been used successfully to mark the location of the 
lost cable. 
Confidence began to revive. ‘The directors of the Company 
decided that not only should a new line be laid, but that the 
old cable should be raised, spliced, and completed. This 
would then give a double line to depend on. 
The contractors made a new and liberal offer, by which 
their profit would depend largely upon their success. Also 
they agreed to subscribe heavily, if necessary, for the new 
stock issue. It was finally decided to raise six hundred thous- 
and pounds of new capital by issuing first-preferred, twelve- 
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