280 SUBMARINE CABLE LAYING AND REPAIRING. 



can be traced and understood. Necessarily, in the sketch, for 

 want of room, the splice is shown much shorter in length 

 relatively to the size of cable and sheathing wires than it should 

 be, but it serves the purpose of making the manner of splicing 

 understood. In splices made at the factory between very 

 different types of cable such as the deep-sea and intermediate 

 portions, the sheathing wires of the larger cable are tapered 

 down to the size of the smaller. Apart from the great length 

 of the cable splice, so made for the purpose of distributing the 

 strain, it will be noticed that it differs from the sailor's rope 

 splice, in which he remembers he must 



" Worm and parcel with the lay, 

 Turn about and serve t'other way." 



Again, it will be noticed that the joint in the core is covered 

 by the pairs of right and left wires laid together, and is some 

 distance away from the place where the alternate pairs butt, 

 so that the joint is well protected mechanically. Over all butts 

 are wrapped seizings of soft iron wire. 



Another method, known as the overlapping splice, is much in 

 use on account of taking less time to make. For this splice 

 the sheathing wires on one end, which we may call the left 

 wires, are opened out for a length of about 6 fathoms and the 

 core so exposed cut away so as to leave only about 3ft. or 

 4ft. for jointing. The sheathing wires on the other side 

 — the right wires — are then cut off at a distance of about 

 3ffc. from the end, the ends being bound round with a 

 piece of twine or yarn to prevent them opening out. This 

 leaves 3ft. of core exposed on this side. The joint in the 

 core is then made as previously described, and the jute serving, 

 of wnich a suflBcient length has been retained on the cable, is 

 wrapped round it and the bare part of core. The splice 

 between the sheathing wires is now made in the following way. 

 The left wires are taken and divided for convenience in handling 

 into bunches of three or four wires each, and in order to keep 

 them always in the same position abreast of each other the 

 ends of each bunch are given a twist or threaded through holes 

 in small wood cleats, and then twisted (Fig. 165). This also 

 gives something to lay hold of and pull on while laying the 

 wires. The ends of the bunches are now taken in hand, and 



