270 SUBJIAKINE CABLE LAYING AND KEPAIEING. 



from , now join up and pay out." Also a similar meaaage 



to the superintendent on shore : '* Fault removed, now join up 

 and pay out, free one hour, then look out." The cable la always 

 freed by the shore for one hour during the making of a splices 

 to allow for tests during and after splice is made. We will now 

 turn our attention to the making of the cable joint and splice. 



Joint in Core. — Before the work of jointing and splicing is 

 commenced the end of the new piece of cable to be joined on is 

 brought up into position for paying out, so that everything will 

 be ready to pay out as soon as the splice is completed. It is 

 not usual to fit repairing-vessels with a separate brake gear aft 

 for paying out, as in the large cable-laying steamers, the spare 

 drum and brake on the picking-up gear being available for this 

 purpose. 



In the tank from which cable is to be paid out, the end is 

 passed up through the crinoline, and out through the bellmouth 

 above the tank, thence forward to the hauling-oJBF sheave and 

 drum, round which it is wound four or five times. If it is 

 intended to pay out from the bows the end is then in position 

 fi)r splicing ; but if paying out is to be done over the stern, the 

 end is taken aft, passed under the pulley of dynamometer at that 

 end of ship, over stern sheave, round outside ship to bows, and 

 back inboard again over one of bow sheaves. The end is then 

 stoppered, about 15 fathoms of slack being left on deck for 

 splicing. The two ends to be spliced now come inboard side by 

 side over the bow sheaves, and when spliced together the bight 

 so formed is slipped overboard, and cable at once takes its 

 proper place for paying out over the stern. Of course, when 

 the end is taken forward to pay out over bows after splicing, 

 there is no bight to slip. 



The cable having been got into position, the two ends are 

 brought up together for jointing. On one end, which we will 

 call the left end, for distinction, the sheathing wires are unlaid 

 for a length of about 60ft., and all the exposed core cut away 

 except about 4ft. On the other end — the right end — the 

 sheathing wires are cut or opened out about 3ft. back and the 

 ends lashed round to keep them in place. This leaves 3ft of 

 core exposed for convenience of jointing. The core ends on 

 both sides are then prepared by stripping off the insulation 



