The great depth of water into which they have to be lowered, their own weight, the increased difficulties attendant upon stormy weather, and—when once they are down—the uneven character of the ocean-bed, have all to be reckoned with.
Careful previous soundings are of course made, with a view to avoiding, if possible, abrupt descents and precipitous breaks in the line where the cable is to be. One can easily understand how, if a cable lies taut across from one ridge to another, it may snap with its own weight.
But even upon a fairly smooth bed, other dangers exist. Sometimes, deep down, a big “landslip” takes place, and a vast mass of débris slides to a lower level. If such a mass happens to descend upon a cable, the breakage of the latter is no unlikely event.
A hundred years ago, and less, Englishmen living and toiling in India reckoned themselves happy if, when they wrote “home,” a reply came by return of post in ten or twelve months.
Now answers to questions can be obtained in a few weeks, by post; and in cases of emergency, news of life or death, of safe arrival or recovery from illness, within a few hours.
Before the close of the Eighteenth Century, a British Embassy was sent to China, to interview the then Emperor of that always difficult country. The Ambassador and his suite were received with elaborate politeness, at the end of their tedious voyage. China was verbally polite then, as now. But an intimation followed, warning the visitors that, if they wished to escape unpleasant consequences, they had better take themselves off so soon as might be. Which they had to do, since no Army was at hand to back them up against a good many millions of yellow barbarians.
The story of all this reached England, and was given in the Times, exactly one year after it happened.
Now the contrast! We know at breakfast one morning what has gone on, the previous afternoon, in China, in India, in Australia, in America, in Africa.
During the days of the Peninsular War, battles were fought, reverses took place, victories were won—and the news filtered slowly home by hand. Larger items of information arrived generally in the course of a few weeks; particulars as to individuals often not for months.
Now, not only does a check or a success on one day become known to the Empire at large on the day following; but even while a hard-fought battle is being carried on, we at home sometimes hear of it, and strain our mental vision, and watch in suspense for the ending.