Whale On A Cable

Submarine cables are usually irabedded in the slimy bcttom oí the oceau, but at certain points they bang like wire bridges over deep submariue vaüeys, so that whalea and other large inliabitants of the deep may beeome dangerous to the cable. Once in awhile Ét is the cable that becoinee dangerous to the whales, as recently ?hown in an accident to the western Brazilian cable. There was some trouble with the wire, and aíter many futile efforts the seat of the trouble was disnovered 7ü miles north of Santa Catharina. The repair ship VikJng was sent to repair the damage, and began to take up ths cable near wheire the seat of trouble had been located. After the cable proper had been grappled and was taken up on the large drums provided ior the purpose it was found that it floated very much easier and was more buoyant than was ordinarily the case. The reason was discovered when in a loop of the cable the carcass of a whale of more than 60 feet in length came up with it. It appears that the whale had become caiig-ht under the cable, and, not being1 able to lift it nor to g-o forward or back, it suffocated, since it could no more risetothe surf ace. By ils last spasms or attempts to free itself the whale had damaged the cabio so that the insulation was rubbed ofE and the wire became useless. This is the third case of the kind, since a similar case once happened in the Persiau gulf and another on the Peruvian coast.