Chapter VI: The First Cable (continued)

(1857)

The following cable message was sent to Mr. Field by Sir James Anderson on March 10, 1879, the twenty-fifth anniversary of "ocean telegraphy":

"It cannot fail to gratify you, and should astonish your guests, to
realize the amazing growth of your ocean child; sixty thousand
miles of cable, costing about twenty million pounds sterling,
having been laid since your energy initiated the first long cable.
Distance has no longer anything to do with commerce. The foreign
trade of all civilized nations is now becoming only an extended
home trade; all the old ways of commerce are changed or changing,
creating amongst all nations a common interest in the welfare of
each other. To have been the pioneer _par excellence_ in this great
work should be most gratifying to yourself and your family, and no
one can take from you this proud position."

It would have seemed a strange prophecy if the above had been predicted in 1856, when it was declared that the object of the Atlantic Telegraph Company was "To continue the existing line of the New York, Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Company to Ireland, by making or causing to be made a submarine telegraph cable for the Atlantic." At the close of the year the contracts for the manufacture of the cable were signed. Messrs. Glass, Elliott & Co. agreed to make one-half, and R. S. Newall & Co., of Liverpool, the other. Both sections were to be finished and ready to be laid on June 1, 1857, although the time fixed upon for the sailing of the fleet was to be as nearly as possible at the end of July, in accordance with the advice contained in a letter written in March, 1857:

"Perhaps it would be wise for the steamers not to join cables until
after the 20th of July. I think between that time and the 10th of
August the state of both sea and air is usually in the most
favorable condition possible; and that is the time which my
investigations indicate as the most favorable for laying down the
wire. I recommend it and wish you good-luck.

Yours, M. F. MAURY."

The English government had responded at once to the request of the Atlantic Telegraph Company, and a ship was promised with which to help lay the cable, and on Mr. Field's return home he asked the American government for the same aid.

He landed from the steamship _Baltic_ on the 25th of December; on the 26th he went to Washington; next we hear of him in Newfoundland, and then back in Washington early in the new year.

Mr. Seward referred to this time in his speech at Auburn in August, 1858:

"It remained to engage the consent and the activity of the
governments of Great Britain and the United States. That was all
that remained. Such consent and activity on the part of some one
great nation of Europe was all that remained needful for Columbus
when he stood ready to bring a new continent forward as a theatre
of the world's civilization. But in each case the effort was the
most difficult of all."

The more liberal men in both Houses at Washington were from the beginning in favor of the cable bill, and worked untiringly for its passage. The President and Secretary of State, desiring to remain friendly to both sides, took no active part in the discussion.

Mr. Field talked with almost every member of Congress, and tried to persuade those who were opposed to him to drop their petty objections and think only of the greatness of the work.

Extracts from a Washington newspaper of January 31, 1857, give some idea of other trials to which he was subjected. On the arrival of the steamship _Arago_ it was published that "great dissatisfaction exists in London at the manner in which the Atlantic Telegraph Company has been gotten up," and that "a new company has been formed to construct a submarine telegraph direct to the shores of the United States."

He answered:

"To this I may add that the object of this movement at this time is
well understood by those who know the parties promoting it. I
believe no such company can have been really organized in London as
represented, because none of my letters by the same steamer from
directors and parties largely interested even allude to such a
movement, which must of necessity have been made public and well
known to them if true. It cannot be believed that capitalists in
London or elsewhere can now be found to take stock in a submarine
line of telegraph of over three thousand miles in length, passing
over the banks of Newfoundland or across the deep waters of the
Gulf Stream, when it was by great exertion that subscriptions were
obtained to a line of little more than one-half of that length, and
that, too, upon a route the practicability of which had already
been fully demonstrated by actual survey to be possible.

CYRUS W. FIELD."

On the 19th of February the Atlantic telegraph bill passed the House by a majority of nineteen; but it was not until the 3d of March that it passed the Senate, by a majority of but one, and then it was said to be unconstitutional. Mr. Field sought Caleb Cushing, the Attorney-General, and begged him to examine the bill and give his opinion. It was favorable.

The date affixed to the bill is the 3d of March, but it was not until the morning of the 4th at ten o'clock that the President put his name to it as Mr. Field stood by his side. This was, therefore, one of the last official acts of President Pierce.

The government at Washington had now united with that of Great Britain in agreeing to give all that was asked. The frigate _Niagara_, the largest and finest ship of our navy, was ordered to England. The New York _Herald_ of Saturday, April 25th, says:

"The performance of the vessel and of her machinery has fully come
up to the most sanguine expectations. She is now on her way to
London. By the recent news from England we learn that the British
authorities have detailed three steamers to assist in laying the
submarine cable and make soundings along the route. The
_Agamemnon_, a ninety-gun ship, in connection with the Niagara will
take the cable on board."

Very little rest was allowed him on his return from Washington--but two weeks at his home. He sailed for Liverpool on the 18th of March, leaving his wife with a baby four days old. He remained in England barely a fortnight; he was at home on the 22d of April, and on the 8th of July he was a passenger on the steamship _Persia_, once more bound for England.

Early in July the _Niagara_ had received her share of the cable from the manufactory of Messrs. Newall & Co., and the _Agamemnon_ hers from the works of Messrs. Glass, Elliott & Co.

Almost immediately on his arrival he was a guest at a _fête champêtre_ given by Sir Culling Eardley, at Belvidere, near Erith. Following is the card of invitation:

_Sir Culling Eardley requests the Company of_

=Cyrus W. Field, Esq.,=

_at Belvidere, on Thursday, July the 23d, on the occasion of the
departure of The Electrical Telegraph Cable for the Atlantic Ocean.

Messrs. Glass, Elliott & Co., the Contractors for the Cable, also
request the honor of_ =Cyrus W. Field, Esq.'s= _Company at Dinner
with the Directors and Friends of the Atlantic Telegraph Company,
the Officers and Crew of H.M.S._ Agamemnon,_ and the Artisans of
the Cable_.

_An early answer is requested to Sir Culling Eardley, Belvidere,
Erith._

It was at this _fête_ that he read this note:

"WASHINGTON, _3d July, 1857_.

"_My dear Sir,_--Accidental circumstances which I need not detail
prevented your kind letter of the 19th ultimo from being brought to
my notice until this morning. I now hasten to say in reply that I
shall feel myself much honored should the first message (as you
propose) sent across the Atlantic by the submarine telegraph be
from Queen Victoria to the President of the United States, and I
need not assure you he will endeavor to answer it in a spirit and
manner becoming the great occasion.

"Yours very respectfully, "JAMES BUCHANAN.

"TO CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq."

The following account is copied from a letter written to the London _Times_ on August 3, 1857:

"During the progress of the _Agamemnon_ to the Downs the mechanical
appliances for regulating the delivery of the cable into the sea
were kept continually in motion by the small engine on board, which
is connected with them; the sheaves and gearing worked with great
facility and precision, and so quietly that at a short distance
from them their motion could scarcely be heard.

"The strength of the girders which carry the bearing of the entire
apparatus, and which to the eye of a person unskilled in the
practical working of this description of machinery may seem at
first to be unduly ponderous, was found to contribute greatly to
the easy motion and satisfactory steadiness of this most important
agent in the success of the undertaking. So soon as the _Agamemnon_
had passed the track of the Submarine Company's cable between Dover
and Calais in order to avoid the possibility of its being injured
by the laying or hauling up of another line at right angles to it,
the experiments commenced. A 13-inch shell was attached to the end
of a spare coil of the Atlantic cable for the purpose of sinking it
rapidly with a strain upon it to the bottom, and was then cast into
the sea, drawing after it a sufficient quantity of slack to enable
it to take hold of the ground, and so set the machinery in motion.

"The paying out then commenced at the rate of two, three, and four
knots an hour respectively. The ship was then stopped, and the
cable was hauled up from the bottom of the sea with great facility
by connecting the small engine to the driving pinion geared to the
sheaves. When the end was brought up to the surface it was found
that the shell had broken away from the loop by which it had been
fastened for the purpose of lowering it.

"The exterior coating of tar had been completely rubbed off by
being drawn through the sandy bottom of the sea, and attached to
the iron coating of the cable were some weeds and several small
crabs which came up with it to the surface.

"On the following day a length of cable was run out and hauled in
with perfect success opposite the Isle of Wight.

"The speed was increased in this case to four knots. During the
afternoon of the same day a length was run out, having fastened to
the end of it a log of timber, and having been towed with a mile
and a half of cable, was coiled in again with success.

"On Wednesday about half-way between the Land's End and the coast
of Ireland another length was run out at the rate of six and a half
knots per hour, and subsequently hauled in. The _Agamemnon_ then
steered for Cork, and reached Queenstown Harbor at four o'clock on
Thursday morning, all on board being more than ever satisfied at
the success of the enterprise."

The New York _Herald_ of August 28th published a letter from its special correspondent on board the _Niagara_, and from it these extracts are made:

"From the deck of our ship we can see a small, sandy cove which has
been selected as the place for the landing of the shore end of the
cable, and a hundred yards from which a temporary tent has been
erected for the batteries and other telegraphic instruments. In
front of it is displayed an attempt at the Stars and Stripes; but
it is only an attempt, and it would require one of the most
shrewd-guessing Yankees that ever lived in or came out of
Connecticut to tell what it was intended for. It will soon be
replaced by another of a more unmistakable kind, however, and that
ought to be sufficient to satisfy the most exacting patriot....

"We arrived and anchored in Valentia Bay on the evening of the 4th,
but at too late an hour to commence operations other than I have
described. The work of landing the shore part of the cable was
deferred, therefore, until the following morning at eight
o'clock....

"On the shore there were about two thousand persons, the whole
population of the place and large contributions from miles around,
waiting there from seven in the morning till seven in the evening
for the arrival of the fleet of cable boats whose progress they had
watched with so much anxiety and impatience. It was five o'clock
when we started, and never before was such a scene presented in
Valentia Bay, and the poorest spectator there, though he could not
tell what strange agency it was that lay in the cable, understood
what it was intended to effect, and his face beamed with joy as he
heard his comrades say that it brought them nearer to that great
land that had so generously stretched out the helping hand to their
starving countrymen.... Among those on shore are the Lord
Lieutenant of Ireland; Lord Morpeth, of anti-slavery proclivities;
Lord Hillsborough; the Knight of Kerry; and nearly all the
gentlemen connected with the enterprise. But here comes the cable
in the hands of the crew of the _Niagara's_ boat, who rush up the
beach with it dripping with water, for in their haste to carry it
ashore they have to wade knee-deep through the water. Mr. Cyrus W.
Field is there beside Lord Morpeth, or, as he is now called, Lord
Carlisle, and as Captain Pennock comes up in advance of his men
with the cable he introduces him. There is no time for the passage
of formalities, and the introduction and the meeting are therefore
free from them.

"'I am most happy to see you, captain,' says Lord Morpeth, and the
captain most appropriately replies: 'This, sir, is the betrothal of
England and America, and I hope in twenty days the marriage will be
consummated.'

"The crowd now press around, all eagerness to help in pulling up
the cable; and when the work is through those who have been
fortunate enough to put their hands to it show the marks of the tar
to those who have failed in the attempt, as a proof of their
success. By dint of pulling and hauling they get it into the trench
in which it is to be laid, and take up the end to the top of a
little hill, where they secure it by running it around a number of
strong stakes driven fast into the earth and placed in the form of
a circle. This is the centre of the site marked out for a house in
which the batteries and instruments are to be put, and which will
be used as a temporary station till a better and more substantial
one can be erected. When the cable was placed here and the
enthusiasm of the people had somewhat subsided, the rector of the
parish made a prayer....

"The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland closed his speech with these words:
'And now, my friends, as there can be no project or undertaking
which ought not to receive the approbation and applause of all
people, all join with me in giving three hearty cheers.'

"Three cheers were given with a will; but it was not enough, and
they cheered and cheered until they were obliged to give up from
exhaustion. 'Three cheers,' said Lord Carlisle, 'are not
enough--they are what they give on common occasions. Now, for the
success of the Atlantic cable, I must have at least one dozen.' The
crowd responded with the full number, and cheered the following:
'The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland'; 'The United States of America';
'Mr. Cyrus W. Field.' Mr. Field spoke as follows: 'Ladies and
gentlemen, Words cannot express to you the feelings within this
heart. It beats with affection towards every man, woman, and child
that hears me; and if ever, on the other side of the water, one of
you present yourself at my door and say you had a hand in this, I
promise you an American welcome. What God hath joined together let
no man put asunder.'

"And more cheers were given for the following: For 'the sailor';
for 'Yankee Doodle'; for 'the officers and sailors on board the
ships that are intended to lay the cable'; 'the Queen'; 'the
President of the United States'; 'the American Navy.'"

The sun set on the evening of August 5th with the shore end of the cable safely landed, but the ships' anchors were not weighed until early the next morning.

Five miles from shore a slight fault occurred, which was soon remedied.

The Knight of Kerry sent this note to Mr. Field.

"VALENTIA, _6th August, 1857_.

"_My dear Sir,_--Fearing I may not be able to get on board the
_Niagara_, I write a line to thank you for the most valuable gift
you made me of the piece of cable, as I have just learned from my
friend Crosby.

"Yet I must say you owed me some compensation for having stolen the
hearts of my wife and children and of every friend whom I was
guilty of bringing into contact with you. I believe if you were
obliged to make similar compensation for all the delinquencies you
have been guilty of in this way, your whole cable, great as it is,
would scarcely suffice. I know the inroad you have made into the
Lord Lieutenant's affections would require a long bit of it. I was
sincerely sorry to hear from Crosby that you were again suffering,
but I reflect with satisfaction that probably the voyage, even with
its accompanying excitement, is the best remedy within your reach.

"Yours most sincerely, "FITZGERALD, Knight of Kerry."

All went most successfully, and although the excitement was still at fever heat on board the _Niagara_, the probability of soon meeting the _Agamemnon_ in mid-ocean and following her to the shores of Newfoundland was most hopefully discussed, and this message was given to the press:

"VALENTIA, _Monday_, _August 10_, 4 P.M.

"The work of laying down the Atlantic telegraph cable is going on
up to the present time as satisfactorily as its best friends can
desire. Nearly 360 miles have now been successfully laid down into
the sea.

"The depth of water into which the cable is now being submerged is
about 1700 fathoms, or about two miles. The transition from the
shallow to the greater depth was effected without difficulty. The
signals are everything an electrician could desire. The ships are
sailing with a moderate fair breeze, and paying out at the rate of
five miles per hour. Messages are being instantly interchanged
between the ships and the shore.

"All are well on board, in excellent spirits, and hourly becoming
more and more trustful of success.

"WILLIAM WHITEHOUSE, Electrician. "GEORGE SAWARD, Secretary."

At nine o'clock the same evening, without any apparent cause, the cable ceased working. At twelve o'clock the electric current returned, and it was with a feeling of intense relief that all went to their berths. This satisfaction was short lived. At a quarter before four came the cry, "Stop her! back her!" and then the words, "The cable has parted."

The flags of the ship were put at half-mast, and the fleet returned to Valentia.

This expedition had cost the Atlantic Telegraph Company $500,000, and on August 25th Robert Stephenson wrote: "The Atlantic cable question is a far more difficult matter than those who have undertaken it are disposed to believe. The subject has occupied much of my thoughts, and as yet I must confess I do not see my way through it. Before the ships left this country with the cable I publicly predicted as soon as they got into deep water a signal failure. It was in fact inevitable." The first words of greeting were more cheering:

"VALENTIA, _14th August, 1857_.

"_My dear Sir_,--In all our disappointment at the temporary check
of the cable, our first thought has been about you. But I was very
glad to hear yesterday from the officers of the _Cyclops_ that you
were, as indeed I might have judged from your character, plucky and
well. It is a great comfort to think that the experience that has
been obtained in this, the first attempt, must immensely improve
the chances of success on the next occasion. All here desire to be
affectionately remembered to you.

"Ever yours, very sincerely, "FITZGERALD, Knight of Kerry."

It was not proposed to abandon the enterprise, but to postpone work for a year. The ships discharged their freight of cable, and the _Niagara_ returned to America, and before Mr. Field left England the directors voted to increase the capital of the company and to order seven hundred miles of new cable.

The news that met him upon his arrival at New York was most depressing.

The panic of 1857 had just swept over the country, and while he was at sea his firm suspended, owing over six hundred thousand dollars, and with debts due to it, from firms which had already suspended, of between three and four hundred thousand dollars. He settled at once with his creditors, by giving them goods from his store, or notes for the amount in full at twelve, eighteen, or twenty-four months, with seven per cent. interest added. The first notes were paid at maturity and the other two some months before they were due, the holders discounting the interest.

On the 21st of November, 1857, Professor Francis Lieber wrote:

"I wish to possess all the materials I can procure regarding the
history and statistics of the subatlantic telegraph. It will be the
most striking illustration of the increasing tendency of all
civilization, that of uniting what was separate, and of the
pervading principle in the household of humanity, that of mutual
dependence. May Heaven bless your undertaking, and may the next
months of June or July bring us the first message from old England,
outrunning the sun by five hours and a half."

The Secretary of the Navy said to him in parting on the 30th of December, "There, I have given you all you asked." This was that the _Niagara_ and the _Susquehanna_ might form part of the cable expedition of 1858, and that Mr. William E. Everett might again fill the position of chief engineer.

On the evening of December 31st Professor Lieber wrote: "This may be the last letter or note I write in the old year, and I cannot conclude it without wishing from all my heart that

MDCCCLVIII

may be called in the future school chronologies the telegraph year."