75
༡༡༡
PUBLIC RECORD
OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
6
BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
Mr. HERBERT ARNAUD TAYLOR, called in; and Examined.
Chairman,
1046. MR. TAYLOR, I think you belong to the firm of Messrs. Clark, Forde, and Taylor? Yes; I was formerly an officer in the Royal Engineers, and I have been a partner in the firm of Messrs. Clark, Forde, and Taylor for the last 24 or 25 years.
1047. The firm is that of consulting engineers? -Consulting engineers. We have supervised the laying of more than 100,000 miles of cable since I joined the firm.
1048. Your speciality is to supervise cable laying in the interest of purchasers ?--It is.
1049. Will you tell the Committee what expe- rience you have had in this work of supervision? I myself have officially supervised the laying of over 25,000 miles of cable. Many of the cables have been made from my design, and I have tested these cables, and large sums of money have been paid on my tests.
1050. Can you name some well-known cables that you have supervised the laying of?—I think the one most in point is the last long cable I was engaged on; that is the 1894 Atlantic.
1051. You are aware of the general nature of the proposal which this Committee is appointed to consider!-Yee; I have paid most attention to the long section, of course.
1052. Quite so; and have you any doubt as to the technical possibility of laying an efficient cable on that long section from Vancouver to
Chairman-continued.
miles in water over a thousand fathoms; 500 miles in one case exceeded that depth, and 800 Although the contract miles in the other case.
was placed, they themselves did that.
1057. You mean that a perfectly sound firm might reasonably make a firin offer to contract and lay this cable, intending itself to finish what surveying was necessary?—Yes, I think so: but I should like to say that in such a con- tract a clause providing for the survey was the necessary; it makes so much difference to purchasers.
1058. Would you kindly elaborate that point? Of course, any money the contractors spend for that kind of work naturally goes from their profits. They may lay a cable that would be absolutely satisfactory from their point of view, and will last several years without any symp- toms of giving way, but the purchasers want it to last 25 years. They do not get as good a cable as if it were surveyed and laid properly with the alack properly proportioned to the depth.
1059. Would you consider a term in the con- tract that the manufacturer and layer of the cable should be responsible for the repairs and maintenance of that cable for three years a sufficient test of the cable? I do not think it is enough protection, from the purchaser's point
of view.
1060. That is not, in your opinion, from the
Fanning Island ?—No; there is nothing to pre-purchaser's point of view, a sufficient test as to
vent it.
1053. What is the greatest depth you would have to meet on that route?-I think about 3,100 fathoms or 3,200 fathoms.
1054. What knowledge would be at your dis- posal if you wished to examine the question as to the nature of the bottom?-I am afraid that there are very few soundings available. I believe it is absolutely essential to get soundings before commencing such a work.
1055. You are of opinion that a preliminary say preliminary survey I do Burvey (when I not mean a superficial survey, but a thorough Aurvey) is absolutely essential to laying such a cable?--In one sense, yes; it is quite certain that it should be undertaken before actually laying a cable; I am absolutely convinced of the necessity of it.
1056. Do you think there is enough informa- tion in the possession of cable manufacturers to enable them to make a firm offer as to the cost of making and laying a cable on that section ?— Yes, I think so, decidedly; at the same time I think it would be madness for them to do it with- out soundings. They are perfectly certain to be able to find a route that would be satisfactory; I have no doubt of that; but certain detours might be necessary. To show the importance of these soundings, I may say that one of the companies placed two contracts-the terms were all settled and everything else to lay cables, one between Madras and Penang, and one between Labuan and Hong Kong, and the company at its own expense, extra to the contract, sent out ships and made a survey, got soundings every ten
50.
the durability of the cable --No, I do not think I should certainly advise that the purchaser insist upon the sounding being thoroughly done.
1061. Are you aware that Messrs. Siemens claim to have a system by which a full pre- liminary survey is not necessary ?By laying an additional wire; yes, I know about it, but it does not. meet that point which is most valuable. I think for paying out it does not give you any infor- mation till it is too late. I have been calculating that paying out such a cable in 3,000 fathome, at the rate of six and a-half to seven knots, which is the usual speed, the cable would be touching the bottom at between 19 and 21 miles astern of the ship, therefore you might be over a mountain like that (showing), and this apparatus would give you no hint of the fact till you have gone beyond it. Then it is too late; you have done the mischief, the cable would break.
1062. It would then be too late to make the detour which ought to have been made ?—Yes; the cable would break. You would go back and pick it up, losing money, cable, and time.
1063. Break in the laying or break after being laid ?—It would very likely break in the laying.
1 have known that happen.
Here is your mountain (illustrating), your submarine peak, say, 100 fathoms under the ship; you have got here 16 miles of cable. You go on paying out beyond this; the cable is hitched here and then you have a length extending inany miles sus- pended, and no cable in the world would stand the strain. When this cable gradually settles
23 November 1896.]
Mr. TAYLOR.
Chairman-continued. down, which it does very slowly, it takes an hour or more to get its bearings, it is nipped here; it parts.
1064. And therefore you would always recommend purchasers to insist in the contract that soundings be taken by the contractors before the cable was actually laid ?—Yes; ! would specify how far the distance apart the Boundings should be.
1065. Would you make the number of sound- inge vary in proportion to the depth of the water arc more soundings necessary in very deep water ?—No, I do not think so; it makes no difference whether it is 1,000 fathoms or 3,000 fathoms in the number that will be required.
1066. Going back to this proposed section, from Vancouver to Fanning Island, would such a survey as you think necessary introduce any serious delay in laying the cable ?-Sounding in 3,000 fathoms takes an hour and 30 minutes to an hour and 40 minutes; a ship could get from seven to eight a day.
1067. Therefore, could the survey be completed while the cable was being manufactured -Oh, easily.
1068. Would it make any difference to the answer you have just given if the surveying vessel or vessels found themselves in the middle of mountain peaks?—I do not think sufficient to modify it much; it might take another week, or it might take another fortnight; but if the ship was on the ground, I think the whole section might be done, I think I may say confidently, in two months.
1069. What do you consider nowadays to be the life of a thoroughly well-manufactured cable? -It is almost impossible to say,, it depends so much on the waters. A deep-water cable in tropical seas may seem just as good as ever for 20 years after it is laid. The same thing in the Atlantic as to some parts of a cable, whilst other parts of the same line may have very much de- teriorated. The 1873 Atlantic cable belongs to the Anglo-American Company. It is still alive and in good order, and that is 23 years of age; the 1874 is still alive and in good order; that is 22 years, and how much longer they will last no one can say. The longest cable that was in existence across the Atlantic was called the French Atlantic Cable. It was laid in 1869, and it has been dead about three years.
1070. Then do you consider the Pacific to be favourable to the long life of a cable ?—As far as one knows I do,
1071. And what effect on the life has the Is it favourable to the life or the great depth. reverse ?-I think it is favourable to the life.
1072. It has been represented by one witness we have had here, that given sufficient and proper repairs every year, and I think an allow- ance of a substitution of fresh cable at the rate of 200 nautical miles per annum, practically the life of such cable would be everlasting-No. I do not agree with that at all. You cannot repair in deep water when a cable has got to a certain extent of deterioration.
1073. Why? It has not the strength to lift. 1074. It will always part when being lifted? -It will always part when being lifted.
I
Chairman-continued.
[Continued.
speut 135 days in the Atlantic with the first Atlantic cable of great age that was ever repaired in deep water. There have been two abandoned. This was the first that was ever repaired, and it was as near a failure as it could be.
We put it through in three cases, but it took 135 days, and it was always a very near thing whether it would go or not.
1075. As regards the replacing of such a cable as the one you contemplate, what advice would you give to proprietors; how much would you advise them to lay by for amortisation ?—I am not an expert in that at all; I have no experi- ence in money matters; in financial matters.
1076. Perhaps that is not quite the right way to put it to you. What would you say to that. You told us the life of this cable is not in any circumstances everlasting-Yes.
1077. Therefore we must be prepared some day to replace it; how many years may we reasonably expect this cable to last with repairs? What answer would you give ?—My idea is that repairs in shallow water are so immaterial that they hardly count, and that repairs in deep water will not be wanted for a good many years.
Mr. Murray.
1078. How many?—I should not like to say; 20, say.
Chairman,
1079. No repairs in 20 years?—Not in deep water I should think.
1080. Not in deep water?—No.
1081. Then the life of a cable in deep water I understand you to say would be a good deal over 20 years in the Paciɓe?---That is my im- pression; yes.
1082. Suppose for the sake of example that a cable had been laid on this route at a cost, we will say, of one and a-half million?—A complete cable from end to end?
1083. A complete cable from end to end.—Yes. 1084. What sum would you advise the pro- prietors to reckon on for repairs and maintenance per annuan-I do not know of any except that you must keep the ship there for emergencies; but as to the finance of the renewal business it is utterly out of my line.
1085. Leave that out; simply regard the question of repairs to keep the cable agoing as a commercial business?—I think you ought to have one ship, certainly; I think you ought to have two probably. Each ship would cost you, I dare- say, 16,000 or 18,000 a year.
1086. And besides the up-keep of the ships, ought you not to allow for the expenditure of n certain amount of fresh cable every year? I do not think so; not in the deep water. You cannot go to sea to lay a cable without a very considerable surplus. You would not dream of going without 15 per cent. of surplus.
1087. Of slack-Of slack; of surplus cable. It will not all go in slack unless there is any cata- strophe, and you should have several hundred miles of that spare cable when you have done.
1088. You mean you would start with 15 per
Then cent. of surplus.
would probably not you use more than 10 per cent.; therefore you would
K 2
76