212 SUBMAHINE CABLE LAYING- AND KEPAIRING. 



Another way of effecting the same object is to buoy the 

 second bight and then run between the two bights and part 

 cable with a simple cutting grapnel ; or it may be possible to 

 raise cable between the two bights without cutting below the 

 surface. 



The most diflScult conditions to perform this under are when 

 two or more cables cross each other near the point or lie very 

 close together. In that case two bights can be buoyed and the 

 centre raised to the surface and examined before cutting. In 

 one instance, on raising the second bight to the surface and 



Fig. 123.— Cable Hooked on Shackle of Grapnel. 



cutting, the end next buoy was about to be thrown overboard 

 in the usual way, but on the chance of its being a piece of 

 abandoned cable the end was retained, and on picking up was 

 found to be separate altogether from that on buoy, being, in 

 fact, a piece of cable abandoned on a previous repair, which was 

 thus all recovered. 



A curious case of raising cable occurred some little time ago 

 on board the "Electra." The cable came up as shown in the 

 photograph (Fig. 123), on the shackle of the grapnel, not being 

 caught by the prongs at all. The illustration shows the manner 

 of letting down two men over the bows seated in boatswains' 



