Too slack a rein would allow of its egress at such a wasting rate and at such a violent speed that we should lose too great a portion of the cable, and its future stopping within controllable limits be almost impossible.

Hence our anxiety.

All were on the alert; our expert engineers applied the brakes most judiciously, and at the moment I write--latitude 52 deg.

28'-- the cable is being laid at the depth of two miles in its ocean bed as regularly and with as much facility as it was in the depth of a few fathoms....
"_Six P.M._ We have just had a fearful alarm.

'Stop her! Stop her!' was reiterated from many voices on deck.