7 BE TELEGRAPH. 
184 
board tlie vessel. It. rarely happens, however, that the grapple 
hooks the. cable near enough to the rupture to allow of this 
being done. It is nearly always impossible to tell on which 
side of the rupture the drag will catch the cable, and while the 
line is being drawn in, only its looseness will show that 
the fault is close at hand. If, therefore, there be no slack, 
the cable must be cut and tested electrically, so that the 
Fig. 123.—Removing a Buoy. 
shortest part may be found. The uncertainty of the position 
of the fault will easily be understood if we remember that the 
electrical error of determination must be added to that attend¬ 
ing the nautical determination. 
When the cable is large and tight, great care is required in 
cutting it, to prevent accidents, especially if the sea is rough. 
A strong chain is fastened to the cable, and is tightened and 
fixed on board. Another chain is also fixed on the other side 
of the grapple, and is allowed to run out in the sea to a 
certain extent, the other end being fixed on board. A man, 
