124 SUBMAEINE CABLE LAYING AKD REPAIEING. 



whether the ship can come up to it. Generally a repairing 

 steamer of smaller draft lays the next section of 5 to 10 miles 

 of a lighter shore-end. In this case she loads cable from the 

 ship during the laying of the heavy shore-end, and then on its 

 completion picks up the buoy, splices on and pays out the 

 further length, finally buoying the end. 



If there is more than one shore-end to lay, the lighter 

 proceeds to load up again and lay the next piece in a similar 

 manner. When there are two or more shore-ends the position 

 of the first one is indicated by mark buoys or cork floats laid 

 at intervals along the track as a guide in laying the second, 

 •which is kept at a distance from it. Marks are also put on the 

 cables to distinguish them afterwards when it may be required 

 to cut in or under-run a particular one. This is done by brush- 

 ing each cable with a distinguishing colour in places about one 

 fathom apart. There are also marks put on to distinguish the 

 portions in the trench on shore. 



The cable house does not take long to put up, and the testing 

 instruments are rigged up in it as soon as possible to test the 

 insulation of the shore-ends after laying and buoying. Some- 

 times it is convenient when there are two or more shore-ends 

 to join them through on shore and make the tests from board 

 ship. 



When the weather is not too rough the end can be landed by 

 coiling several fathoms of it from the lighter on to a raft. The 

 raft has a strong timber platform for the cable, built on longi- 

 tudinal floats, which keep it about a couple of feet above the 

 water. A few hands go on the raft and move it along towards 

 shore by pulling on a line which has been previously run ashore 

 by boats. At the same time, cable is paid out from the lighter 

 or boat-raft, and when the raft is well in shore the cable is passed 

 out by hand and pulled up the beach. This method is largely 

 employed by Messrs. Siemens Brothers & Co., and the illustra- 

 tion Fig. 58 is of che landing of an Atlantic cable shore-end by 

 this eminent firm. 



We have here supposed that the arrangement made is to 

 lay the shore-ends and leave them buoyed, the ship then 

 proceeding to the port at the other end, where one of the 

 cables is to be taken in. Following this procedure, the ship 

 on arrival at the other port will lay the shore-end in a similar 



