OCEAN CABLES AND DEEP-SEA TRAWLERS 



do this carefully and only with a knowledge of the wreck position 

 checked by fathometer and loran or Decca. In fishing near cable 

 areas where the exact positions of the cables are not clearly defined, 

 an element of risk is introduced. Most trawler skippers are experi- 

 enced navigators and as good seamen, they are extremely careful in 

 the vicinity of known obstructions. 



The captain and crew of the average trawler do not recieve 

 salaries, but share in a division of the profits after all expenses are 

 deducted. An average fishing trip may bring in $10,000 worth of 

 fish. The margin of profit is so slender that a broken voyage, caused 

 by loss of gear, may spell the difference between a profit and a loss 

 for the entire year. 



In 1850, after many years of experimentation and planning, the 

 first communication cable was laid between Dover and Calais. The 



cable was soon broken and not successfully reestablished for over a 

 year. Seven years later an attempt was made to lay a transatlantic 

 cable. This failed when the cable parted in a depth of 2,000 fathoms 

 and could not be recovered. In August, 1858, the first successful 

 transatlantic cable was laid between Valentia, Ireland and Hearts 

 Content, Newfoundland. Service was interrupted by a break in 

 deep water after only a few months operation. Transatlantic com- 

 munication by cable was finally achieved in 1866. By 1929 there 

 were 21 cables across the Atlantic alone and many more elsewhere 

 in the world. 



Laying the cable was but one of the many problems to overcome 

 before submarine communication could be called a commercial success. 

 Sensitive instruments and complex methods of operation gradually 

 increased the capacity of each cable. Cable construction details 



The Gifford Grapnel, one of the types used pn submarine cable work. 



Landing a cable buoy on deck after repairing a difficult break in deep water. 



63 



