192 SUBMARINE CABLE LAYING AND REPAIRING. 



kind of bottom, and having no projecting points or arms, as in 

 the ordinary anchor, which might foul or chafe the cable. 

 This anchor is usually shackled to 15 fathoms of |^in. chain 

 and the buoy rope attached to the end of the chain. The 

 buoy rope is paid out till the anchor is within a few fathoms of the 

 bottom, the inboard end then being attached to the buoy 

 <ihain on board. The bight is then thrown overboard and 

 the buoy slipped, the slack chain allowing the anchor to reach 

 bottom, and hold there. A considerable amount of slack must 

 be paid out where strong currents or great irregularity of 

 depth prevail. 



In deep water, for lightness, the buoy rope is of manilla, but 

 as chafing is likely to occur on the bottom, it is customary to 

 put in a length of 100 fathoms or more of compound steel- 

 wire rope. This is made with three cable-laid strands, each 

 containing three steel wires, served with tarred manilla yarn, 

 and known as three-by-three buoy rope. A length is also put 

 in between the buoy chain and manilla rope, and in shallow 

 water the compound rope is used throughout the whole length. 

 The idea is, of course, to provide weight enough below to bed 

 the anchor, and strength of rope sufficient to resist chafing, 

 while at the same time lightness is a consideration, so as not 

 to sink the buoy too far. If much overweighted, the buoy 

 rapidly sinks ; and buoys have been recovered from great 

 depths where the enormous pressure of the water has entirely 

 collapsed them. The buoy chain (fin.) is much lighter than 

 the anchor chain. To the top of the buoy is riveted a holder 

 for the beacon or flagstaff. During operations at night a boat 

 is lowered with hands to light the lamps on the buoy. As a 

 boat fender the buoy is usually fitted with a belt of stout rope 

 or packing a little above the water-line. 



Grappling and Grapnels. — The ship now leaves the mark 

 buoy, and steams out about a mile, in a course at right angles 

 to the line of cable, then lowers grapnel and steams back slowly 

 up to buoy, passing and repassing it till the cable is hooked. 

 Sometimes the ship is allowed to drift with wind or tide while 

 grappling, but this is only done in fairly deep water. The 

 speed for grappling depends upon the depth of water, nature 

 of bottom and whether the cable is old or new. When recover- 



