THE NEW AUSTRALIAN CABLE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 265, 15 September 1879, Page 2

THE NEW AUSTRALIAN CABLE.

The delegates of the International Telegraph Conference paid a visit to the Scotia telegraph ship, commanded by Captain Cato, now taking in the new Australian cable off Greenwich. Amongst I he visitors are Admiral Sir G. Richards, Sir William Thomson, Mr Willoughby Smith, Captain Hyde, of the Calabria, Mr Preece, &c. The company was received on arriving on board of the Scotia by Sir D. Goocli, Bart., M.P. the chairman; Captain Hatpin, commodore of the fleet; Mr Shuter, the Secretary; and Mr Dickens, on behalf of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company. The last portion of the Australian Submarine Cable was being taken on board at the time of the visit. The tanks are three in number, capable of containing in the whole 4000 tons of cable, the length stowed away in each tank varying accordin? to the diameter of the cable contained. The Scotia, originally built for the Cunard line, has been recently acquired by the Construction and Maintenance Company, making, with the Calabria, the Kangaroo the Edinburgh, and The Seine, a fleet of five handsome vessels. This vessel wan originally a paddle steamer, but she has been converted into a twin screw ship by Messrs Laird Brothers, of Birkenhead, who have replaced her former engines by two capable of developing together, an actual force of 25000 horse power. The length of the ship is 370 ft., beam 48ft., depth of hold, 38ft. Its registered tonnage, is 2931, and its actual capacity 4666 tons. The centre tank, which is the largest, is 40ft. in diameter, and 23ft. deep, and in it was being deposited thedeep'sea portion of the cable, weighing about four tons'to

a mile, fore and aft tanks having already received their charge of heavier cable, The steam-steering gear, the grappling apparatus, and the paying-out machinory were in turn shown and explained by the chief officer (Mr Kellett), as was also an ingenious modification by Mr Lucas, of Sir William Thomson's new apparatus for taking soundings while the ship is under way. A very simple but importart portion of the pay-out apparatus consists in & dynamoneter, which indicates out on a painted scale evey variation of stain on the cable, and thus shows at every mom- • ent whether the operation is being carried /' out or otherwise. The apparatus consists mainly of a weighted wheel, resting owl the cable being paid out or taken which is connected with a piston rising ■< and falling in a cylinder filled with water, the piston swerving to control the motion of the wheel, and preventing its rise and. fall from taking place too suddenly. Subsequently the visitors proceeded to the cable, factories of the company at East Greenwich, to inspect the process of manufacture. In the evening a dinner was given to the delegates and other visitors to the ship hotel, Sir Geotge Elliot, Bart, M.P., in the chair. The gnests numbered nearly . 300, and included the .Marquis and Marchioness of Tweeddale and Mr John Pender, M.P.