THE CABLE SHIP ON REPAIRS. 221 



to the cable. If the insulation is good, very little current 

 passes ; if faulty, the deflection of the instrument is large, 

 allowing, of course, for the relative lengths of cable on each 

 end. If the fault is very small and polarises quickly, or the 

 cable is known to have a length or more of low-insulation 

 cable spliced into it, so as to bring down the general insulation 

 resistance, the difference between the deflections or the insu- 

 lation of the two sections may not be so great, especially if the 

 fault is on the shorter length. It may, therefore, be necessary 

 to repeat the tests again after this is found out ; but, generally 

 speaking, the faulty side shows itself ou the first test. The 

 other end has then to be moored and buoyed, and the ship's 

 officer is informed at once which end is to be prepared for 

 buoying. Meantime it is necessary to form an idea how long 

 it will take to remove the fault, and about what time the ship 

 will be back to the buoy again, because there is no need for 

 the station on the buoyed end to put their men on watch again 

 until such time as the ship returns to the buoy after removing 

 the fault on the other end. This time is estimated by the 

 electrician, by deciding there and then approximately how far 

 the fault is off. If he makes it five miles off and the time is 

 about noon on, say, Monday, he will send a message to the 

 superintendent at this station : " Now buoy your end, keep 

 watch after 6 a.m. Tuesday." While to the other end a message 



is sent : " Now buoy end and pick up towards , keep 



watch night and day." A message is also sent direct to the 

 head office, giving information as to the time of arriving at 

 position of fault, time got cable, number of miles away from 

 shore where cable was cut, and estimated distance of fault. 

 These messages being sent, the electrician emerges from his 

 testing-room to find that everything has been got ready to 

 moor the cable and buoy it ; and he has only to give the word 

 that he is ready to buoy, when the cable-end is at once lowered 

 and moored, and the buoy with the mooring chain floated. 



Buoying the Cable. — A sounding must be taken where it is in- 

 tended to buoy. The buoy is then got ready, the flagstaff and flag 

 put on, and the buoy slung on to a block and tackle secured to a 

 convenient place in the rigging. In this position the buoy is out- 

 side the shrouds and resting on two wooden skids ready for 

 lowering, the fall on the block being of sufficient length to lower 



