Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1855-06-20
The Great Telegraph.

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For considerable period nothing has been
heard of the progress of the great enterprise
of constructing line of electro-mag agnetic tel
egraph across the Atlantic ocean from Europe
to America. by the way of Newfoundland and
ireland, and no doubt many have supposed
the whole thing mere project, without body
of any kind, existing only in the newspapers,
and the stock market 10 be sure, we have
had at intervalsvague givings out of what the
company was going to do, but nothing actual
ly accomplished having been chronicled, the
enterprise has been regarded as a castle in the
air. At length. however, we have something
more substantial. The company has been
all this time bnsiIy at work, aud there q a
visible prospect of the construction of the tel
egraph. From the government of Newfound-
land an exclusive charter has been obtained
for fifty years, to build a telegraph to OF upon
the island, or in the waters adjacent thereto,
or any of its dependencies; and to encourage
the undertaking, the government has agreed
to pay $4,000 towards constructing bride
path across the island for the use of the tele-
grarh, and to guarantee the interest on ESQ.,
900 for twenty years. besides giving fifty
square miles of land to be selected anywhere
on the island, on the completion of the line
to ST. Johns, and fifty more if the line be sue
cessfully carried across the Atlantic to Eu-
rope From the government of Prince Ed
wards Island the Company has also obtained
an exclusive charter for fifty years, and a gift
of one thousand acres of land. The Company
has also purchased a charter previously OBJ
tanned in New Brunswick and have since OBJ
tanned one from Canada, with full liberty to
cross those territories, should. it be necessary.
An agreement has been made with Professor
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newals.
The Company has done something more
substantial than merely to obtain charters-
II has proceeded to act vigorously thereon,
haying purchased the steamer Victoria and
sent her to Newfoundland with an engineer
and assistants. The whole of last season six
hundred men We're engaged in cutting the road
across Newfoundland, distance of four hun
dred miles. In doing so, three mineralogists
employed by the Company to explore the
country, discovered two mines of coal, one of
copper. one of lead. and quarries of slate and
alabaster, besides very valuable tracts of ship
timber These discoveries viii, of course,
tend to populate the line of the road, and
make the telegraph valuable. The most inn
portant achievement of the Conrpany's agent
Is thus narrated by the New York Eccnge-
list.
50 In London he formed contract with the
Transatlantic Telegraph Company composed
of English aud French capitalists, whereby
the latter engaged to construct and lay down
at their own expense and risk a submarine
cable, extending from Ireland to St. Johns.
Newfoundland, and to have it completed for
operatian on or before the 22d day of Janua-
ry, 1855. The two companies, European
and American, each VIII own the line which
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to operate in connection with each other, to
the exclusion of all other lines, for the period
of fifty wears. which is the limit of the Amer
can company's charter At the same time a
favorable contract was made for the submarine
cable to connect Newfoundland with Cape
Breton This viii be seventy-four miles long.
and is to be ready on the last day of this
month, when it will be shipped direct to New
foundland The steamer Victoria sailed a
few DAYS since for St. Johns, with Mr.. Ellis,
the Chief Engineer. and his assistants. The
company confidently expect to have telegraph
ic communication established between New
York and St. Johns in the course of this
summer. All the necessary harbor and wharf
accommodations have been secured at that
port for the steamers which are expected to
call there on their trips between America and
Europe. ST Johns is about two days nearer
to England than Halifax We have there
fore every reason to believe that in three
months the old world and the new viii be
within weeks of each other-and that with
in three gears the tro heDaispheres scia be IN
Instantaneous cimmunicatioa.
This news viii be as unexpected as graft
flying 10 everybody. The thing is actually
under contract. with prospect that it will be
completed in three years. The last day of
this month the first link of submarine cable
is to be delivered for shipment. Of course,
the great difficulty exists in laying the main
cable from Newfoundland to Ireland. How
that is to be effected is. as yet, mystery. as
in so long journey any vessel containing the
cable would run serious risk from storms
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