THE BROKEN CABLE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1883, 3 July 1888, Page 2

THE BROKEN CABLE.

[PBB PREBS ASSOCIATION. J Sydnbt, July 2. The New South Wales Government feel no alarm at the sudden interruption of the cable. Adelaide, July 2. Tho breaking of the cables gave rise to great uneasiness here. A belief is growing that tho snapping of the cables was the work of tho Chinese as a j preliminary retaliation for restrictive I legislation. A Council of War was held, and the gunboat Protection was I plac3d m fighting trim, and the members of tho Permanent Force were ordered to remain m barracks and at tho forts. I A further test by tho authorities shows that both cables broke close together. Tho fault m tho old cable iB 850 miles from Port Darwin, and m the new ono forty miles further. Melbourne July 2. The scare resulting from the break m tho cables is subsiding. Tho Government state that they merely used tho •ccasion as a pretext for testing the alacrity of the forces. Wellington, July 2. Tho distance between Baujoewangi and Port Darwin is 1082 mileß, whioh the steamer would cover In about four days If the Cable Company send messages .along m this way as thoy did aome time ago, A batoh ma? be expeoted about Friday. The Sherrard Oiborne'a engagement m New Zealand will somewhat retard the labor of repairing aB Bho ia tho steamor best suited for work at long distances. Tho Cook's Straits cable Is all bnt finished as the only work now left la the addition .of a pleoe of new cable to the single wire line wl)ioh was broken the other day. The tension caused the two ends to spring nearly half-a-mile apart, and tho oablo whioh temporarily supplies the gap has beon found unsuitable and Is now being replaced Mr Browning the Cable Company's Superintendent at Wakapuakn, has re* ceived the following Information from tbe Superintendent at Port Darwin. Tbe old cable wbs perfect on Jane 28, and we worked on It to Singapore during the pmrning. On the night of .June 29, when the cables were Interrupted, a test of both was made. Tha breaks are between $00 and 900 miles from here. Oa testing with a high battery power noxt morning, a small faqlt of high resistance waa deyeveloped In the old oable, oaused by a defeotive joint on the buaoh, but not suffiolent to interfere with the working had tho oable not beon broken. The c*-ble is now perfect np to the break, at abont 850 mileß from here. vVo only worked ono oable at a time, and immediately tho new cable failed, we joined up on the old oable, and fouud it had gone also.