IN the number of this Journal published in February 1885, we referred to the efforts then being made to connect the Sunk Lightship off the coast of Essex with the shore at Walton-on-the-Naze, a distance of about nine miles, by means of electric telegraph.

We are rejoiced to hear that those efforts have been crowned with the success they deserved, and that the undertaking, which was at that time in the " experi- mental stage," has now become an accom- plished fact, thereby verifying our pre- dictions, that whatever the difficulties to be overcome might be, they would not prove insurmountable to the electric engineers of this country.

The ship's moorings are compesed of two anchors, the chains from which come up and shackle on to the lower side of a swivel, the chain from the vessel's bows being attached to the upper side. Since the commencement of these experiments, these moorings have been materially strengthened to prevent a recurrence of the vessel dragging them. Under ordinary circumstances this swivel would have a solid bolt; in this case the bolt is hollow, and the telegraph cable passes up through it to the ship, making, it may be said, a third arm or ground-chain to the moorings.

If this swivel were always suspended at a fixed uniform distance from the bottom, the three cables (including the telegraph cable) would retain the same relative positions and distances from each other, and there would then be no danger of the last-named being injured, but unfortu- nately this is not the case. The constantly varying strain brought on the moorings, by the action of the wind and sea upon the vessel, together with the rise and fall of the tide, is always changing their positions, and leading to friction of the telegraph cable. Added to these causes there is one that we fancy must entail a greater danger to the electric wires, and that is, the necessity for veering a con- siderable length of cable in bad weather.

Indeed, sufficient is veered to admit of the mooring-swivel lying on the ground, but experience has shown that the present cable is able to withstand this strain, as well as that caused by its being dragged over the ground as the ship moves about, or being twisted round the riding-cable above the swivel by the ship swinging round when the cable is veered out.

It is very interesting to consider the practical workmanlike way in which the Telegraph Construction and Main- tenance Company have devoted their skill and energy to bringing this im- portant work to a successful issue, by meeting each new difficulty as it developed itself. The first appears to have been caused by the copper conductor, which was a strand of seven wires, breaking, probably from the constant bending of the cable on the bottom caused by the cease- less rise and fall of the ship. Curiously enough, occasionally as the tension slack- ened, the two broken ends came together and restored communication for a time, until the cable stretched and separated them again. Permanent communication was, however, restored by introducing a special form of conductor, a solid copper wire surrounded spirally with a finer wire, so that, in the event of the large wire breaking from undue strain, or any other cause, communication would be main- tained by the smaller wire being drawn out in the form of an extended spiral.

On one occasion the vessel dragged her anchors in a heavy gale, causing the chains to become twisted together, with the cable jammed between them; under these very adverse conditions, com- munication was maintained for twenty- one days, when the telegraph cable broke, through the constant and undue strain and friction brought on it. The danger of this happening again has been pro- vided against by laying down heavier moorings, which, together with the tele- graph cable, have come completely unhurt through the severe trials of the last winter, although for more than half the time the swivel was lying on the ground sixty fathoms from the ship. On the 23rd of June last, the cable was finally inspected by a committee of the Elder Brethren of the Trinity House, accom- panied by Mr. GRAY, C.B., and Captain Sir G. NABBS, K.N., K.C.B., on the part of the Board of Trade, and officially taken over by the former Corporation, which must be considered as convincing proof of the success of the undertaking.

The instruments used are the ABC, the Morse, and the Telephone. To anyone familiar with a ship, it must seem very remarkable that the latter instrument is applicable. "Why does it not convey with the human voice all the thousand and one indescribable noises from creaking bulk- heads, grinding cables, etc., etc., to be always heard on board a ship, especially in rough weather ? We believe the whole risk of failure lay upon the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, who contracted to establish communication and maintain it for a year, before it was taken over by the Trinity House, and therefore to them is the credit due of having first carried to a successful issue an enterprise that has hitherto been pronounced impractic- able, although in winning the race they had very little to spare, because the Germans connected the "Aussen Jade" Lightship with the coast in July 1885, and maintained the communication until the removal of the ship from her station for the winter in December last.

"We look upon the completion of this work as a very valuable advance in the measures for saving life from shipwreck, because it ensures more speedy and more exact information respecting the actual site of any casualty, than it is possible to give by the present system of signals by guns and rockets, or flags in the daytime, for summoning Life-boats to the assistance of vessels in distress.

We most fervently hope that the under- taking will not be allowed to rest where it is, but that in reasonable time we shall see all our outlying Lightships connected with the shore in .a similar way. Every one interested in the subject will eagerly watch for the Report of the Committee, about to be appointed by the Board of Trade, to inquire into and report on the subject. We trust their inquiry -will not be confined to the question of Light- ships, but that it will include lighthouses on outlying rocks, and other points, which place them in advantageous posi- tions for giving notice of vessels in distress.

Whilst writing these pages, an excellent illustration has occurred of the immense advantage these communications, when generally adopted, will be to the Life-boat service, both in procuring the more speedy dispatch of Life-boats to vessels in distress, and in preventing unnecessary launches. On the evening of the 27th of September, a smack arriving at Ramsgate gave infor- mation of having passed a vessel on the Kentish Knock. The Ramsgate tug being unable to go, the information was wired to the Life-boat authorities at Harwich, arriving there at 5.55 P.M., or seven hours after the vessel had been got off again •without assistance. Had the Kentish Knock Light-vessel been connected with the shore, she would have flashed the news within a few minutes of the accident happening, and would again have sent word of her having got off without assistance, possibly so quickly after the first message, as to be in time to save the Life-boat and her crew going out for nothing. If the state of the weather prevented the Lightship seeing the vessel in distress, the vessel that took the news to Ramsgate might possibly have been able to communicate it to her, and so have saved many precious hours.

One instance of preventing unnecessary launches by cancelling a call for Life-boat assistance, in consequence of the necessity for it having passed very quickly, has already occurred.