192 
THE TELEGRAPH. 
The new cable of 1866 having being laid thirty miles to 
the south of the old line, there was no risk of damaging the 
former. 
At depths of 1,900 fathoms (nearly two knots), a length of 
2,200 fathoms of grappling line was paid out. This operation 
of paying out took an hour and a half of careful work. During 
the descent of the grappling-iron and its line, the indications 
of the dynamometer were scrupulously observed, and the 
instant the grappling iron reached the bottom was immediately 
shown by a diminution of the strain. Then about 200 additional 
fathoms of line were paid out, and from that moment the 
dynamometer was constantly watched. The mean indications 
of each minute were written down, and sometimes hours were 
passed without these indications showing the least variation. 
It was interesting to observe with what regularity these mean 
indications remained between eight and a-half tons and nine 
and a-half tons. The slight variations depended only on the 
length of line and the power of the wind and the current. 
