The cable information blueprint from North Somerset Museum


© North Somerset Museum 2003

This blueprint is pasted into Mr Mulholland's note book. There is no date but I estimate that it describes the cables as they were in about 1925 (before the remaining Canso-Waterville cables were diverted via St John's, Newfoundland in 1926).
The turquoise numbers in the transcription below are added by me to facilitate reading the two parts presented.
The cable designations refer to Cable Station identifiers used at the time as follows (according to my interpretation):

AZ Azores (Horta)
CS  Canso (Nova Scotia))
HA Havana (?)
HR Le Havre
MI Miami
NF   Newfoundland (St John's)
NY New York
PB Port aux Basques (Newfoundland)
RK Rockport (Boston)
SN Weston-super-Mare (Severn ?)
WV   Waterville

"CH" as in "CH-CH" has me baffled but possibly means "Cable Head".
"Length CH-CH" must be the main cable length in Nautical Miles.
"Total CR" is, I am sure, Core Resistance - note at mean sea temperature.
"I.C." is cable capacity, I think, in µF.
The next three columns are calculated from the previous ones: "R/K" is Resistance / Capacitance - not sure of significance; "KR" is Capacitance times Resistance and cable speed will be proportional to the reciprocal of this; I assume "KR Working" is the same value measured by a different technique.

 

CABLE
DESIGNATION

 DATE LAID
AND SHIP

MAKERS
OF
CABLE

LENGTH
CH-CH
N.M.

CH-CH
TOTAL-CR
AT MEAN
S.T.

CH-CH
TOTAL
I.C.
MFDS.

CH-CH
R/K

KR
CH-CH

KR
WORKING
CCT
1 NF-WV MAIN 1 FARADAY 1884 SIEMENS

1802.12

5030

671.84

7.48

3.379

3.415
2 NF-WV MAIN 2 FARADAY

1884

 SIEMENS

1833.96

5100

693.0

7.35

3.536

3.581
3 CS-WV MAIN 3 FARADAY

1894

 SIEMENS

2166.86

4900

912.44

5.36

4.491

4.544
4 AZ-WV MAIN 4 FARADAY

1901

 SIEMENS

1207.7

7647.5

431.4

17.72

3.299

3.316
5 CS-AZ MAIN 4 FARADAY

1900

 SIEMENS

1698.68

6210.

653.49

9.5

4.058

4.163
6 CS-WV MAIN 5 COLONIA

1905

 T.C.M.

2237.43

4087

931.

4.39

3.805

3.909
7 CS-AZ MAIN 6 COLONIA

1923

 T.C.M.

1709.3

1700

768.1

2.21

1.305

1.328
8 AZ-WV MAIN 6 COLONIA-STEPH.

1923

 do.

1222.47

1219.47

544.33

2.24

0.664

0.674
9 WV-HR MAIN 6 STEPHAN

1923

 T.C.M.

512.2

525.96

226.55

2.32

0.119

0.127
10 AZ-HR MAIN 6 COLONIA

1923

 T.C M.

1736.89

1747.73

771.84

2.26

1.349

1.369
11 NY-NF NY 1 do.

1909

 do.

1302.01

5673

452.93

12.8

2.514

2.582
12 NY-NF NY 2 do

1912

 do.

1265.16

4546

468.3

0.7

2.129

2.184
13 NY-CS NY 3 FARADAY

1884

 SIEMENS

863.63

11530

256.8

45.04

2.932

3.081
14 NY-CS NY 4 SILVERTOWN

1900

 SILVERTOWN

889.27

5786

314.39

18.41

1.819

1.869
15 NY-CS NY 5 FARADAY

1923

 SIEMENS

974.15

2404

373.87

6.43

.898

.927
16 NY-HA HA  

1907

 SILVERTOWN

1289.52

7925

441.06

7.97

3.493

3.545
17 MI-HA MI   1921 T.C.M.

262.6

2224

78.96

28.17

.175

  
18 RK-CS BICORE RK1
RK2		  

1884

 SIEMENS

516.8

8351

163.7

51.01

1.367

1.421
19 PB-CS PB MB 1905 T.C.M.

199.86

1664.5

645

25.81

.107

.113
20 WV-HR OLD HR FARADAY 1885 SIEMENS

522.21

6880.

165.07

41.68

1.135

1.159
21 WV-SN BICORE SN1   1885 SIEMENS

331.9

3430.

105.5

32.51

.361

.363
22 WV-SN SN 2 SILVERTOWN

1901

 SILVERTOWN

329.9

914

140.4

7.08

.139

.142
23 WV-SN SN 3   1910 T.C.M.

338

1712

114.0

14.95

.196

.198
24 WV-SN SN 4 J.W.M.

1923

 do.

311.45

579

115.1

5.03

.066

.069
The table continues with these parameters.
"Undergrounds" I take to be the same parameters for the cables connecting the cable head to the station (it seems that a few went all the way into the station).
"Sea Earths" must represent similar data for the cables going out to sea earth plates / grids.
"Max depth" appears to have been a planned parameter for this table which was never filled in.
"Core" I am currently unsure about but it presumably relates to strand and / or cross sectional area of the core! (See below re diversions)
"Correct to" also is a little hard to understand but I think clearly refers to the last time the cable had attention from a cable ship.
"Original cable in circuit" is fascinating and it is only a shame there are not more rows completed. The second 1884 cable clearly had been nearly half replaced, whereas the 1900 Canso - Azores cable was still 100% as laid.
 

UNDERGROUNDS

SEA EARTHS

MAX.
DEPTH
FMS.

CORE

CORRECT TO

ORIGINAL CABLE
IN CIRCUIT
 

WEST

EAST

WEST

EAST
 

N.M.

CR.

CAP.

N.M.

CR.

CAP.

N.M.

CR.

CAP.

N.M.

CR.

CAP.

SHIP

DATE

N.M.

%
1

2.11

27.8

.63

NONE

    

3.17

7.8

1.2

.2

1.05

.08

      

J.W.M.

3-5-'25

    
2

2.095

27.8

.63

1.16

28

43

.05

.1

.02

749/749

19/19

43/43

  

430/270

350/300

M.L.M.

10-27-'24

1038.716

56.64
3

3.375

7.5

1.01

1.16

2.5

.4

.273

.7

.11

9.99

22.8

3.67

  

500/320

  

J.W.M.

3-6-'25

1877.68

86.53
4

1.44

5.6

.48

NONE

    

.85

4.7

.3

1.06

4.2

.4

  

170/160

    

OCT. '24

1201.36

99.72
5

3.25

55.7

1.35

1.44

5.6

.48

1.29

4.7

.53

1.43

5.7

.54

  

300/240

  

AS LAID

OCT. '24

  

100
6

3.3

35.5

1.35

NONE

    

2.0

3.8

.83

9.067

17.8

3.76

  

600/340

    

SEPT. '22

2197.317

98.2
7

3.25

3.6

1.47

.74

.9

.33

13.2/8.7

13.11/88

5.6/*3.8

1.43/1.43

1.52/1.52

.65/*.65

  

1100/450

  

J.W.M.

FEB. '25

    
8

.74

.9

.33

1.1

1.04

.47

8.45/2.7

9.11/2.9

3.69/*1.18

10.3/5.

10.58/5.11

44.8/*2.16

  

1100/450

          
9

1.11

1.15

.48

1.25

7.2

.37

6.0

6.2

2.61

8.7/2.7

9.3/2.9

3.8/*7.76

  

do.

          
10

.74

.9

.33

1.25

7.2

.37

8.45/2.7

8.11/2.9

3.69/*7.78

8.7/2.7

8.3/2.9

3.8/*7.76

  

do.

          
11

.36

3.2

.14

2.11

27.8

.63

9.34

32

3.51

3.23

13.9

7.126

  

250/200

  

J.W.M.

NOV. '24

    
12

.36

3.2

.14

2.11

27.8

.63

6.025

19.8

2.115

3.04

8.5

1.1

  

450/270

250/200

do.

FEB '25

    
13

.36

3.2

.14

3.5

17.3

1.05

4.9

42.3

1.596

EASTWD. UG-SE 57.6ω

  

70/85

  

S.FIELD

MAR '25

    
14

.36

3.2

.14

3.36

9.5

1.01

8.96

58.8

3.1

1.5

10.04

.525

  

110/160

  

M.L.M.

MAR '24

    
15

.36

3.2

.14

3.23

8.08

1.24-

7./7.

17.9/17.9

2.61/2.61

2.95/2.95

7.6/7.6

1.14/1.14

  

450/270

  

do.

MAY '24

    
16

.36

3.2

.14

.207

1.93

.07

9.81

65

3.35

.75

5.1

.26

  

180/160

  

ALLA

JAN '23

    
17            

3.16

29.4

.987

96

9

304

  

130/130

          
18

1.845

26.8

.64

3.5

17.2

1.05

5.28

88

1.69

EASTWD. UG-SE 59ω

  

70/75

  

J.W.M.

MAY '23

    
19            

TOT. DEDUCTION 95.5ω

        

130/130

  

TYRIAN

JAN '16

    
20

.22

3.5

.07

1.25

7.2

.57

.12

2.1

.02

5.08

4.6

1.59

  

20/75

  

G.G.W.

JUNE '23

    
21            

.22

3.7

.07

.4

4.75

.12

  

90/85

  

do.

 JULY '23    
22            

.83

2.6

.09

4.9

15.2

.21

  

375/225

  

do.

FEB '24

    
23            

.8

3.5

.14

3.

15.5

.518

  

220/180

  

do.

DEC '22.

    
24            

.3

I.0

.05

10.05

19 7

1.87

  

600/340

          
Cable 10
The cable on row 10 (AZ-HR) is interesting as the maps do not show such a cable and consideration of the lengths and resistances leads to the conclusion that this is actually the AZ-WV and WV-HR cables connected at Waterville Cable Station. Note also that the western undergrounds for AZ-WV and AZ-HR are identical as are the eastern undergrounds for WV-HR and AZ-HR. It may also be of significance that this "cable" is almost identical in KR value to the CS-AZ section of the same "MAIN 6" group so they could both be expected to deliver the same speed, repeated at Horta, with a straight through connection at Waterville.
On the other hand - the entries for cable-laying ships don't quite agree with this and information from the History of the Atlantic Cable & Submarine Telegraphy website credits the Colonia with laying Horta to Havre in 1923 and the Stephan UK-Ireland that year (J.W.M - the cable ship J W Mackay in the blueprint above).
Diversions
Cables 1 and 2 had been diverted by this time from their original CS-WV route to land at NF and the remaining part extended to NY[B]. This is no doubt the explanation for the dual CORE entries for cables 2 and 12 - each having a new and old section. The information for cables 1 and 11 which should have the same relationship appears to be incomplete. It is interesting to speculate that there appears to be a slip in the figures for 2 and 12 as presumably both should show 450/270 or 430/270 (for the original cable). 250/200 would appear to be the gauge (or whatever) for the new cable on the NY run and 350/300 for new cable into NF.
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