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CABLE TO THE MAINLAND.
now IT WORKS.
COMPARISON WITH THE OLD
SYSTEM. ' i
"THE DAILY "POST" SPECIAL.
Could tbe deep sea cables speak lot
themselves as readily as tbey speak
for us how fine would be tlie talcs
tliey told.
Wbut is In" the sea deep
down remains a mystery unknown; the
few facts that have been proved are
but elements that give a semblayce
of reality to romance.
But
while
cables cannot speak for
themselves
there ig always interest attached to
how man malies them speak for us,
from the laying of the threads of coni-
'icatlon to the innjjrovenie&t BM
r 'its In the system.
At the commencement of this month
the
first
Commonwealth
submarine
cable to Tasmania began
to work
under official guidance, and thus after
a period of 40 years the old order of
things gave place to the new.
When
the Chiswick cable ship steamed across
Buss Strait at work on this great enterprise
laymen raised a scoffing voice;
it was a proposal they had not taken
kindly to.
That
two
submarine
cables should be laid down "where two
others were to be picu5d up, and that
new buildings should be .erected when
there were stations already appeared
to be an inconceivable problem
iu
economics.
But the expert mind was
enthusiastic.
It foresaw the benefits
that the Jaymau could not,
or
did
not, care to see, and what it prophesied
has already come to pass.
TUe
working'of the new cable means an
accelerated and more
accurate service,
while some incidental expenditure
ITau been dispensed with.
When
THE FIRST CONTRACT
was entered into for the laying of the
cable between Tasmania and the mainland
the State Government agreed to
pay the Telegraph Construction coin
pany an annual subsidy of £4200, equal
to. U per cent, on the cost of construction.
Later on that company's rights
were assigned to the Eastern Extension
Company, and the Government
was allowed to fix the cable charges
on the condition that, in addition to
receiving tbe subsidy named, the company
should be guaranteed a revenue
from business of £5000. When eventually
the Cunimonwealth authorities
declared in favor or State-owned
cables various ditBculties prevented
them froui taking over the existing
bles, flhd lints new routes were sured
from Flinders to Low Head.
The cruise or tbe Chiswick is fresh
In people's minds as is also the hardships
encountered, and the satisfactory
work (if tlie crew and expert cable
layers, some of whom had helped in
putting dowu eight of the sixteen Atlantic
cables which afford communication
between KTi^'.mni and America.
The work of tbe Chiswick was to lay
the first shore end at Flinders, carry
It out io sea for 31 miles over fte
intermediate stage, and buoy the end
so that it might bo lifted inter and
the two lines made complete. After
that had been done the second shore
end at Flinders was laid and that wlrv
without a break was carried across to
Low Head. where the second set of
shore ends was completed "and 1b
second cable carried back to make the
final connection IX miles front
Flinders. Though
THE NEW CABLE
is stouter than the one which previously
lay across tbe Strait its diameter
Is small compared with some of
tlie American Hues'; nevertheless, lt-
Ktrength Is sufficient to allow It to re
urj'iu in perfect preservation for mauy
years to come. Tbe part ol' the cable
that actually does the work Is onl.v
a tenth of an Inch thick- It Is a
dipper wire enveloped In gutta percha
IMlier wrappings over this are a fold
)f soft tape, and another fold of limss
ifeiitled chiefly to protect tiiv
against tbe ravages of a liitlcor'ng
sea insect known as tbe teredo.
Tlie latter is contained in a covering ot
"tanned yarn serving." of tbe appenrauee
of tarred rope, then a sheathin?
of steel wire—a double sheathing for
the shore cuds of tea inner wires running
In a spiral coil, with a second
outer coil of fourteen wires, and over
all the tiual wrapping of tarred Jute
containing preservative mixtures, Tbe 1
cable has it* great thickness at th '
shore cud. where e 'rents and various
forms of frii-r.o ha re to be resist-.*;!,
The extreme thick ess of tlie cable
runs about throi miles out from shore.
The probability of being able in tbe
near future to effect
A SAVING
by tbe new service seems very likely.
The repeating station at George Toiva,
with its numerous staff, lias been
abolished, and the wnrl; at that centre
is now performed by means of mc
chanlcal contr'v.niecs. The interest;
pavable on the capital Invested In the
cables will be less than <1 per cent,
which was formal/ aiven, and'a con-1
slderable portion, lf'm.t tbe wlioie.!
of the Bum of LliiOO will be credited
to savings. Two opera tore will to.|
added "to the Lar.ueestoii stall, but
extra salaries will be an insignificant
Item.
That' a communication can be sent
to the mainland with
QUICKER DESPATCH
tlinn hitherto has already teen prove.!;
indeed, the results in this respect are
extremely sa*!isfactory. Under the
peaters at Flinders. Now a communication
is sent direct to Melbourne
through automatic repelfei-s'at Latinceston
and Flliders. or, in ether words,
the cables on the. Tasntanlan side tire
connected direct to the land lin-,
which terminates In Launeeston. Naturally
there is less loss ot time In
transmission. The s.iced which it is
possible to at^ilu is considerably
above the present ivouirements of the
service. Messages ure ii'.'W despatched
at a rote of SO words a minute,
but though no test lias been made at
a great speed, it 's thoegbt the cable
would work satisfoetoilly at & rate of
100 words a miuute.
The Chief IL'ectrical Engineer of
the Commonwealth (Mr. Hesketb), who
supervised the testing of the cables,
etc., on behalf ol the department, returned
to Melbourne at the end of
last week, and his report to the Postmaster-General
(Mr. Thomas) shows
-that tbe results have been gratifying.
Judging by the tests which were made
prior to the time when the cable tvos
taken over by the Commonwealth, and
by its working since, there is every
reason to suppose tliat future results
will be as satisfactory as experts some
time ago said they foresaw.'
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