Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 198, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 August 1915 — Page 2

HOWA SUBMARINE CAVLE IS REPAIRED

by OSCAR ODEE

T a time when the public mJ expects its war news almost before the smoke of battle has cleared away, J the submarine cable and '*©'7 the methods used in keep-

ing it in repair are of interest Each submarina telegraph company has In service a fleet of cable ships, the units of which are stationed at different ports for quick access to the different sections of the cable. Let us take, for example, the cable stretching from San Francisco to Manila, a distance of 10,010 miles. This cable is divided into fotr sections —San Francisco to Honolulu, Honolulu to Midway island, Midway island to Guam., and Guam to Manila. The cable lies on the bed of the Pacific, which in places runs from three to five miles in depth, the latter depth being found off the island of Guam. Sufficient , slack must be paid out in laying a submarine cable to allow every part to rest on the bottom of the ocean, however irregular the bottom may be. A cable varies in thickness and type according to Its position and the nature of the ocean bottom in the locality where it is laid. The “shore end" of a cable, meaning a section laid close to land, is always thicker than a section out at sea. Ordinarily the diameter of a shore section runs about 2% Inches, while a section laid in deep water runs about % inch in diameter. About seven strands of copper, comprising a single conductor, form the core of the cable. Over this core are laid coatings of gutta percha, a layer of jute or oakum, and an envelope of composition rubber. Over this some strands of strengthening wires are wound on, and tarry rope and tape are wound about the whole. The average cost of a cable complete is about SI,OOO a mile. A surprisingly small amount of current is required for operating a submarine cable. One of the hardest worked of the Atlantic cables requires only 50 volts’ pressure at the sending end. and all that comes out at the receiving end is twenty-millionths ampere. Signals are transmitted simply by alternately charging and discharging the cable, which works much like a Leyden jar. One of the fastest of submarine cables transmits about 80 words a minute. Interruption In cable communication between two stations may come from one of several causes. There is the “fault” caused by the teredo, a submarine boring animal that penetrates the protective coatings in an effort to get at the core. Then the shore end of a cable, in spite of special protection, does not always -withstand the rolling and friction of the tides, and besides this, there is the risk that the cable may ’be fouled or lifted by a ship’s anchor. A cable may part completely, from one cause or another, forming what Is known as a "total break” Let us imagine that the cable from San Francisco to Manila is “down,” as it is technically expressed when the . cable is unworkable. in that section, 2,098 miles long, between San Francisco and Honolulu. We will assume that a series of tests based on the law of resistances has shown that the fault lies at a point 1,000 miles from San Francisco. Sometimes it is possible by testing to locate the position of the fault within onetenth mile, but the average is about five miles. Before the cable ship sails for the “ground,” as the location of the break, or fault, is called, the ship’s electricians will have made their own tests and advised both the San Francisco and Honolulu offices —the latter by an alternate route —to keep watch on their instruments in the office for the ship’s call. As soon as the cable ship reaches the “ground,” a signal, consisting of two red globes with a white diamond between, for day use, and replaced by similarly colored lamps at night, is hung in a vertical line in front of the foremast head. This signal indicates that the ship is engaged in cable-repair work, and is therefore not under control so far as getting out of the way of other craft is concerned. A marked buoy, moored to a mushroom anchor, is then dropped overboard at the point where the fault in the cable is supposed to be. The ship then proceeds to grapple for the cable. This is done by means of a grapnel, of which there are many kinds, all studded with prongs calculated to catch anything they encounter. To this grapnel is attached a steel hawser, the inboard end qf which Is connected to an instrument known as a dynamometer, or vertical scale,

BOWED TO BLOW OF FATE

Bmall Animosities Forgotten When Enemy’s Stroke Made Them Comrades In Misfortune. There have lived at Hartlepool. Eng., aide by side for many years a cranky old bachelor and a spinster of doubtful age. Their houses were adjoining, but the owners were not on speaking terms. The story of how their quarrel arose is safely locked within their own breasts. Suffice it to say that

in Me POPULAR MECHANICS

and capable of registering a pull up to 15 tons. The ship then steams ahead at a speed of one or two knots an hour in a kind of a taking maneuver at right angles to the line of the cable. While the ship is engaged in grappling a member of the crew, ordinarily the fourth officer, sits on the grapnel rope near the bow and can usually tell by the strain when the cable has been hooked. The instant the 1 cable is hooke’d the ship is stopped and the grapnel rope is slowly wound in by the hauling machinery. Sometimes the cable will stand the heavy strain of being lifted until it reaches the surface, only to snap and sink to the bottom again before it can be secured. When this happens the ship steams to a new location and starts grappling anew.

When the cable is brought safely to the surface, it is first secured on either side of the grapnel by what is known as a chain "stopper,” this work being done by a man lowered over the bow in a boatswain's chair. The cable is then cut, each end is connected to the instrument in the testing room, and the stations at San Francisco and Honolulu are each called up. It is more than likely, of course, that the ship will not be able to speak to one of the stations, as the fault will probably lie at some point between the ship and the station. In case it is necessary for the ship to steam one way or the other to find the fault, as it usually is, it is necessary to leave one end of the cable behind and to secure it so that it can be raised again without grappling. One of the big seven-ton buoys shown in the illustration is made ready, a flag Is put on it, and it is lifted overboard by a derrick. One end of the cable is attached to the buoy by a long mooring chain and rope, and is allowed to sink to the bottom, the buoy itself being held in place by a mushroom anchor. At night time the buoy carries a light. The ship now starts picking up the cable toward the fault. This is a slow process, requiring careful navigation, as the ship must be kept going slowly ahead at such a speed as to relieve the 6trnin on the picking-up gear. The cable comes on board at the rate of one or two miles an hour and is coiled by the. men into one of the large round tanks that take the place of the hold in an ordinary ship. The cable is guided from the bow to the tank by a series of sheaves placed at intervals on the deck. While this operation is going on, the electricians continue testing and the cable may have to be cut several times before the actual fault is on board. With the fault found, the defective portion of the cable is cut out, and a good piece from the ship’s

their aversion to each other’s sight and habits of life has furnished many an amusing incident to the neighborhood. The attack on her cats and the defense of his rude-mouthed parrot had afforded many a scene of violent outburst of loud temper and abusive language. Then came the early morning 'raid of the German cruisers. He was just out of his bath, enwrapped in a towel, and she had just disembarked from the deck of her four-poster when, crash! a fearful c'nsh that seemed like the crack of doom, and amid the

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

tank is spliced in in its place. Then the cable is paid out as the ship returns to the buoy marking the location of the other end. With this recovered, the ship has both the San Francisco and Honolulu ends of the cable on board.- Tests are made to ascertain that no other faults have developed and that both sections are in good condition. A message reading “Communication restored —now making final splice” is sent to both of the stations. Following this message two hours are allowed before the stations attempt to communicate with each other. This is a very busy two hours on board the cable ship. The ends of the cable are secured over the sheaves at the bow and are connected by a splice from 36 to 40 feet long. With the splice completed two ropes, one at each side of the bow, are attached to the cable and It is lowered overboard and slacked out slowly until it reaches the surface of the water. A block of wood is placed on the deck under each of the ropes. At a given signal the ropes are cut at the same time with axes, the ends of the ropes fly overboard and the cable sinks to the bottom of the ocean. As the cable disappears from view, the engines are run full speed ahead and cable ship returns to port

The Iris in History.

The iris was long centuries ago adopted by Louis IX the gallant young crusader, as the emblem of his house. It became thereby “the flower of Louis,” which was corrupted into "Fleur-de-lis.” The iris, or blue flag, is rpally meant when one speaks of the lily of France. The iris is a plant that insures its life. In its large rootstocks it lays up endowment insurance in the days of plenty, so that when the earth is chill, cold and inhospitable its savings will provide against need.

Titivating Titles.

King Victor Emmanuel boasts the most comprehensive official title of any European monarch. His dignitaries, most of which come to him from tb,e old kingdom of Sardinia, include » claim to the sovereignty of Sardinia,’- France, Spain, England, Italy, Jerusalem, Greece, Alexandria and Hamburg, in addition to such grandiloquent generalities as Ruler of the Midway Sea, Master of the Deep and King of the Earth. —Pall Mall Gazette-

Diamonds Absorb Radium Rays.

Diamonds exposed to radium become highly radioactive and remain so for several years, according to a British scientist

blinding dust and falling rubble they were discovered each to other, only a few feet separating them, prostrate on their respective floors from shock, but otherwise unhurt, for the partition wall between them had been blown down. Fate had saved their lives, but had ’laid them almost in each other’s arms.

Uncongenial Associates.

Sociability is all right, but never try to introduce a lobster to watermelon and ice cream. — Boston Advertisifc

HELPS ALL EMPLOYEES

EDUCATIONAL BUREAU DOING A REALLY GOOD WORK. Venture Which Was the Idea of the Late Edward H. Harriman Is Likely to Spread to All the Lines of the Country. As a result of the generosity and farsightedness of the late Edward H. Harriman, a unique plan for the betterment of railroad employees throughout the United States has made rapid progress in the last two years. This plan, which Mr. Harriman conceived and caused to be put into operation on the Union Pacific railroad, was the forming of an educational bureau, through whose offices the employees of the Harriman lines were tittered an Opportunity to increase their capacity to assume greater responsibilities to fit themselves for promotion. So successful has the venture proved that officials of practically all the railway companies in the United States are considering the advisability of adopting similar methods for the benefit of their own employees. As there are about 365 such companies, employing some 1,800,000 jhe possibilities for good, should”' this educational work be to each line, are enormous.

Through the agency of the educational bureau, every man in the employ of the Union Pacific can, without incurring any personal expense, avail himself of the benefits of some thirty courses of instruction, covering virtually every branch of railroad work. A central bureau has been established at Omaha, Neb., under the direction of Mr. D. C. Buell, who has a score of assistants, including traveling representatives, instructors, etc. In the words of Mr. Buell, the railroad is creating a reserve supply of better men, which will make it unnecessary for the officials of the operating department of the road to go outside of their ranks for men to fill responsible positions, as w r as frequently the case in the past. The interest of the employees themselves is indicated by the fact that in the first year of the bureau more than 50 per cent of them enrolled as students. All instruction is conducted by correspondence, thereby giving each employee, no matter where he is located, an equal opportunity to obtain the benefits offered. The lessons are specially prepared, and are approved by the heads of the departments interested before they are issued, thus putting the stamp of authoritative information on each course.

After a man enrolls he receives a set of lesson papers, including a pamphlet that explains just how to proceed -with his studies. Each lesson contains a set of questions which the student must answer in order to qualify on that lesson and proceed with the next. The answers are corrected at the central office of the bureau, and the report sent to the student, so that he can ascertain whether he has acquired an understanding knowledge of the subject.

One of the best things about the plan is the fact that lack of previous education does not prevent a man from taking a course. Some of the courses can be completed by anyone who can read and write, while others require a knowledge of simple mathematics. In correcting the lessons, writing, spelling, and punctuation are not considered.

The training of station helpers and clerks is another important part of the bureau’s work. For this purpose there has been established in Chicago, in co-operation with the Illinois Central railroad, a class room where young men graduates of telegraph schools are received and given a practical course in station and other clerical work. Here they are enabled to familiarize themselves with the actual work they will have to do when they enter the service. This course averages about four weeks, and when a student has successfully completed it, he is immediately placed in a position as station agent’s helper. Three months’ acceptable service in this work leads to the position of scheduled telegrapher, and from then on promotion depends entirely upon the man's ability and attention to duty.— The Sunday Magazine.

Lamp Trimmers’ Safety Signal.

Arc lamp trimmers frequently find it difficult to lower the arc lamp on a busy street without the danger of having the lamp crashed into by passing vehicles. The driver of a car is more apt to keep his eyes on the road than to look up, and sometimes the glare of the sun will prevent him from seeing ■& lamp that is hanging just high enough for his vehicle to hit it Realizing this danger, a %nan in Minneapolis has devised a signal consisting of a tripod with two white signal wings on which red circles are painted. This the lamp trimmer places on the street under his lamp, and then he may lower the lamp without fear of a collision. —Scientific American.

A A. Pancake Early Engineer.

Alfred’ A. Pancake of Harrisburg, who has completed his eighty-sixth year, took the first locomotive from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, crossing the mountains by ten inclined planes, and from Johnstown to Pittsburgh on a canal boat. He was ttfe first engineer to run the first train from Pittsburgh to Altoona through the Gallitzin tunnel. —Philadelphia Record.

WILL INSIST ON COURTESY

Railroad Managers Have Systematic Rules for the Governance of Their Employees. “Courtesy meetings," it appears, are to be organized by one of the great railroad systems of the country- It is felt that rudeness and boorlshness on the part of conductors, brakemen, porters, clerks and other employees of a carrier are neither essential nor unavoidable, and that neither strenuosity nor efficiency requires the sacrifice of good manners. If “safety first” is a good slogan "courtesy secorid” is just as good. Time was in this country when busy and energetic men assumed tacitly that in trade and commerce manners were of no consequence. So long as the goods were "delivered,” what did mere words matter? Why waste precious moments —which any statistician could multiply into staggering periods of time and enormous losses of money —on “please” and “thank you?” Why riot leave all such empty and useless formalities to the absurdly ceremonious Latins and show the world that business can be transacted in a downright and swift manner? These notions have been relegated to the limbo of crude ignorance. There has been a veritable rediscovery of manners in business. Efficiency is being separated from brusque discourtesy. Statisticians to the contrary notwithstanding, a billion “thank yous” will not “waste” a single second. Manners may take time, but they bring money instead of taking it. Politeness and affability pay—and pay on trains and cars as in dry goods stores and restaurants. Public utilities need not be places of public exhibitions of vulgarity and ruddriess. The negligent and careless employee is a menace; the rude and insolent one a nuisance. All nuisances are bad for business. The time is ripe for schools 'of manners and courtesy meetings in the so-called hard and practical world. —Chicago Tribune.

SHOWING THE NEXT STATION

Indicator Designed to Furnish Information for Traveler on Railroad or Subway Cars. An indicator to be placed in the middle of railroad, subway and elevated cars to tell the next station has juss been patented by Bernhard Leder-

A, Buttons for Shutters; B, Shutter Lettered; 81, Shutter; Blank Lettered Shutter Shown on Other Side, C. Device to Raise Shutters; D, Space for Advertisement; E, Next Station or Stop; F, Where Shutters Are, After Dropping. man of Brooklyn. It is designed to be hung where it can be seen by passengers at both ends of the car. Below a board lettered “Next Station” are metal shutters rising and falling on hinges and operated by a touch of a button from the conductor or motorman. On leaving one station the button is pressed and this raises into full view the board bearing the name of the next station and at the same time sounds a buzzer. At the end of the route the shutters are lifted back into place by a leVer.

Two electric lights illuminate the indicator and a transformer reduces the. high current of the train line to the low voltage needed for operating the shutters. The whole is constructed of sheet iron and when fitted with shutters for 50 stations requires a space only two feet in length.

MET ALL DEMANDS OF WAR

German Railroads Have Been Superbly Handled Since the Beginning of the Conflict. Since the beginning of the war all German railways have been controlled by the military authorities, through the military controllers that are attached to each line, even in time of peace. In conquered territory the railways are operated directly by the military authorities with the aid of railway men who have joined the army. Movements of troops are usually made on short notive and they cannot be accomplished punctually unless the military controllers have complete command. This is the essential difference between conditions in war and in peace. The first care of these officials is to provide the required trains at ’'the proper time and place, the second to assure the safe operation of these trains on short headway. The problem of feeding men and horses on the journey also requires mi}ch forethought and preparation. These objects are accomplished very satisfactorily, despite the fact that a-large proportion of the railw'ay. employees, and even of the rolling stock, is at the front. All this is done, according to the Berlin Lokal-Anzeiger, without seriously interfering wiht ordinary passenger traffic, even with the fast trains, but freight traffic is subordinated to military needs. —Scientific American.

Barred Smoking on Trains.

Smoking in British. railway trains was officially prohibited prior, to the year 186*.

IJf kJ Thm Gmnmral nayn Roofing and Building Paper mill# in the World by selling material* that last —at reasonable price*. Certain-teed Roofing Our Certatn-teed Roofing is giving excellent service on all classes of buildings al! over the world in all kinds of climate. It is the roofing with a guarantee of 5, 10 and 15 years for 1, 2 or 3 ply respectively, and it is hacked by the responsibility of our big mills. Try it once —you’U buy ft again. For sale by dealers everywliereat reasonable prices. General Roofing Manufacturing Co. World's largest manufacturers of Hoofing and Building Papers New York City CUcm*. PlfeUpUft St. L.* Boston C!lreland Pittsburgh Detroit San Francisco Cincinnati Minneapolis Kansas City Seattle Atlanta fleastea Lend— Haadwry Sydney University of Notre Dame NOTRE DUE, INDIANA Thorough Education. Moral Training. Twentyone courses leading to degrees In Classics, Modern Letters,Joumallsm.Political Economy, Commerce, Chemistry, Biology. Pharmacy, Engineering, Architecture, Law. v Preparatory School, various courses. For Catalogues address BOX H, NOTRE DAME, INDIANA

An Expert.

Johnny —What is an expert, pa? Pa—A fellow who tells others how to do the things he can’t do himself.— Kansas City Star.

SOFT WHITE HANDS Under Most Conditions If You Uss Cuticura. Trial Free. The Soap to cleanse and purify, the Ointment to soothe and heal. Nothing better or more effective at any price than these fragrant supercreamy emollients. A one-night treatment will test them In the severest forms of red, rough, chapped and sore hands. Sample each free by mail with Book. Address postcard, Cuticura, Dept. XY, Boston. Sold everywhere.—Adv,

Substitute for Horn.

A cheap and easily made substitute for can be made of wheat flour and sodium silicate. This substitute is very hard and strong and, by inserting organic dye into the composition while mixing, it can be colored to imitate almost any kind of horn substance. The compound is made by mixing 10 parts (by volume) of sodium silicate (40 degrees Baume) with distilled water, and then stirring the resultant liquid into a thick paste with fine white wheat flour. The mass Is then allowed to Btand for three weeks, during which time it undergoes a chemical reaction that produces a hard, hornlike substance. This composition can be molded without pressure when first made and turned and machined like brass after it has set.

Only Two Legs Left.

Carmargo, in Dewey county, Okla., has dogs—big dogs, little dogs and in fact all kinds of dogs, hut it has one that is somewhat of an oddity. This is a dog that travels on two legs. Several months ago a dog belonging to Mr. Storey, section foreman of Supply, Okla., was run over by a train and two of his legs cut off. For some time he was unable to move around, but now has recovered so that he can navigate quite handily. The two legs on which he is forced to walk are both on one side. He not only walks, but can also run, and seems to be about as well able to get around as a deg with four good legs.

NO IDEA What Caused the Trouble.

*T always drank coffee with the rest of the family, for it seemed as If there was nothing for breakfast if we did not have it on the table. “I had been troubled for some time with my heart, which did not feel right. This trouble grew worse steadily. "Sometimes it would beat fast, and at other times very slowly, so that I would hardly be able to do work for an hour or two after breakfast, and If I walked up a hill, it gave me a severe pain. “I had no idea of what the trouble was until a friend suggested that perhaps It might be coffee drinking. I tried leaving off the coffee and began drinking Postum. The change came quickly. lam glad to say that I am now entirely free from heart trouble and attribute the relief to leaving off coffee and the use of Postum. “A number of my friends have abandoned coffee and have taken up Postum, which they are using steadily. There are some people that make Postum very weak and tasteless, but if made according to directions. It Is a very delicious beverage." Name given by Postum Co* Battle Creek, Mich. Postum comes in two forms: Postum Cereal—the original formmust be well boiled. 150 and 25c packages. Instant Postum —a soluble powderdissolves quickly in a cup of hot water, and, with cream and sugar, makes a delicious beverage Instantly. 300 and 50c tins. Both kinds are equally delicious and cost about the same per cup. - "There’s a Reason" for Postum. ■ —sold by Grocers