Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

EARLY ATLANTIC CABLES. 369 Fig. 12.—PICKING-UP MACHINE USED IN 1866. above programme, and to provide a sufficient reserve. The new main cable was similar to that of the year before, but Messrs. Bright and Clark’s shore end type had this time only one sheathing of twelve contiguous iron wires of great individual surface and weight, and outside all a covering of tarred hemp and compound. A substantial length of other types was also made for intermediate depths approaching each shore end. A 70 horse-power steam engine was fitted to the paying-out machine, so that it could be used, as in 1858, for Improvements picking up during laying if Machinery required, thereby avoiding the risk incurred by passing the cable from the stern to the bows. The pick- ing-up apparatus forward was considerably strengthened by the fitting of spur-wheels and pinion gearing. With two drums worked by a similar pair of 70 horse-power trunk engines, this constituted an exceedingly powerful machine. Similar gear was also fitted to the smaller vessels. With a further view to picking up the 1865 cable, twenty miles of rope were manufactured, consisting of several iron wires, each sepa- rately covered with JVJanila hemp. This rope was capable of bearing a stress of thirty tons. Five miles of buoy rope were also provided, (1,408) besides buoys of different shapes and sizes, the largest of which would support a weight of twenty tons. Then, again, several different kinds of grapnels were supplied; so that altogether the forthcoming expedition was not likely to fail for want of sufficient materials. On June 30th, 1866, the Great Eastern again set forth for the landing-place at Valencia, accompanied by the same consorts as before. The staff on board, represent- ing the contractors, were the Eastern " sets same as in the previous year, agajn except that on this occasion Mr. Willoughby Smith acted as chief electrician. Professor Thomson accompanied the expedi- tion as consulting electrical adviser to the Atlantic Telegraph Company, whilst Mr. Varley was ashore at Valencia as their electrician. Sir Charles Bright (then M.P. for Greenwich) was ultimately prevented by pressing Parlia- Fig. 13.—BUOYS, GRAPNELS, ETC., USED DURING THE 1866 EXPEDITION. 24 vol. ii.