MAKING AND LAYING SUBMARINE CABLES. 187 
captain of the Great Eastern, had, in fact, been able to accom¬ 
plish the feat of bringing his ship across the line of the cable 
three times, and each time the cable was caught. The grapple 
line broke on each occasion, but once this occurred only when 
the cable had nearly been brought on board. For days and 
days the chief engineer of the expedition pursued his object 
with great and praiseworthy determination, until there was 
Fig. 125.—The Great Eastern. 
not a fathom of line left on board, and it became evident that 
the attempt must be abandoned, for that year at least. 
In the year following it was renewed by using the methods 
and machinery we are going to describe. 
The 1865 cable had been laid with about 15 per cent, of 
slack, and this gave hope of its being successfully raised. It 
had, in fact, been calculated that by hooking and raising it to 
the surface, the double line held suspended in the water would 
not be less than 9J nautical miles, for the depth of two miles, 
and that the horizontal distance, J J, fig. 126, separating the 
parts of the cable resting on the ground, would be 8 miles, 
