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SUBMARINE CABLE LAYING AND KEPAIKING. 



When cable is paid on to a drum, taking a few turns 

 round it, it is necessary to fleet the turns or shift them con- 

 stantly sideways, in an opposite direction to that in which the 

 cable tends to coil itself on the drum. If this were not done 

 the cable would wind itself across the drum until it reached 

 one side, and then bank up and override the previous turns. 

 To prevent this the fleeting-knife is used against the drum, 

 as shown in Fig. 141. The knife is of cast-iron, having bolted 



'^ Fig. 142— Mounting of Drum 

 Knives. Flanges of drum partly 

 broken away. 



Fig. 14].— Use of Fleetiug-Knife. 



to it on one side the curved part B, which bears against the 

 cable. It is set close against the drum on the side on which 

 the cable leads on, and as the drum revolves it keeps the turns 

 constantly in the same position, and allows the cable to feed 

 on continuously in the same place. This will be understood 

 by reference to the figure, where the direction of winding of 

 the cable is indicated by arrows. The knife is mounted on a 

 sliding bed, so that by turning a screw, A, it can be with- 

 drawn from the drum while the first few turns of cable are 



