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Chapter 20. In Latitude 47° 24’ and Longitude 17° 28’

           Itwasonthe17thofMay,about500milesfromHeart’sContent,atadepthofmorethan1,400fathoms,thatIsawtheelectriccablelyingonthebottom.Conseil,towhomIhadnotmentionedit,thoughtatfirstthatitwasagiganticsea-serpent.ButIundeceivedtheworthyfellow,andbywayofconsolationrelatedseveralparticularsinthelayingofthiscable.Thefirstonewaslaidintheyears1857and1858;but,aftertransmittingabout400telegrams,wouldnotactanylonger.In1863theengineersconstructedanotherone,measuring2,000milesinlength,andweighing4,500tons,whichwasembarkedontheGreatEastern.Thisattemptalsofailed.

           Onthe25thofMaytheNautilus,beingatadepthofmorethan1,918fathoms,wasontheprecisespotwheretheruptureoccurredwhichruinedtheenterprise.Itwaswithin638milesofthecoastofIreland;andathalf-pasttwointheafternoontheydiscoveredthatcommunicationwithEuropehadceased.Theelectriciansonboardresolvedtocutthecablebeforefishingitup,andateleveno’clockatnighttheyhadrecoveredthedamagedpart.Theymadeanotherpointandsplicedit,anditwasoncemoresubmerged.Butsomedaysafteritbrokeagain,andinthedepthsoftheoceancouldnotberecaptured.TheAmericans,however,werenotdiscouraged.CyrusField,theboldpromoteroftheenterprise,ashehadsunkallhisownfortune,setanewsubscriptiononfoot,whichwasatonceanswered,andanothercablewasconstructedonbetterprinciples.Thebundlesofconductingwireswereeachenvelopedingutta-percha,andprotectedbyawaddingofhemp,containedinametalliccovering.TheGreatEasternsailedonthe13thofJuly,1866.Theoperationworkedwell.Butoneincidentoccurred.

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