us
problems of race and politics in the southern states during and after the
"reconstruction period" following the Civil War; while in _The Creoles of
Louisiana_ (1884) he presented a history of that folk from the time of its
appearance as a social and military factor. His dispassionate treatment of
his theme in this volume and its predecessors gave increasing offence to
sensitive Creoles and their sympathizers, and in 1886 Cable removed to
Northampton, Massachusetts. At one time he edited a magazine in
Northampton, and afterwards conducted the monthly _Current Literature_,
published in New York. His _Collected Works_ were published in a uniform
issue in 5 vols. (New York, 1898). Among his later volumes are _The
Cavalier_ (1901), _Bylow Hill_ (1902), and _Kincaid's Battery_ (1908).

CABLE (from Late Lat. _capulum_, a halter, from _capere_, to take hold of),
a large rope or chain, used generally with ships, but often employed for
other purposes; the term "cable" is also used by analogy in minor varieties
of similar engineering or other attachments, and in the case of "electric
cables" for the submarine wires (see TELEGRAPH) by which telegraphic
messages are transmitted.[1]

The cable by which a ship rides at her anchor is now made of iron; prior to
1811 only hempen cables were supplied to ships of the British navy, a
first-rate's complement on the East Indian station being eleven; the
largest was 25 in. (equal to 21/4 in. iron cable) and weighed 6 tons. In
1811, iron cables were supplied to stationary ships; their superiority over
hempen ones was manifest, as they were less liable to foul or to be cut by
rocks, or to be injured by enemy's shot. Iron cables are also handier and
cleaner, an offensive odour being exhaled from dirty hempen cables, when
unbent and stowed inboard. The first patent for iron cables was by Phillip
White in 1634; twisted links were suggested in 1813 by Captain Brown (who
afterwards, in conjunction with Brown, Lenox & Co., planned the Brighton
chain pier in 1823); and studs were introduced in 1816. Hempen cables are
not now supplied to ships, having been superseded by steel wire hawsers.
The length of a hempen cable is 101 fathoms, and a cable's length, as a
standard of measurement, usually placed on charts, is assumed to be 100
fathoms or 600 ft. The sizes, number and lengths of cables supplied to
ships of the British navy are given in the official publication, the
_Ship's Establishment_; cables f