New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-08-27
-, s,-s-,rr..YT1o rELEGRAPH.

Afer reading. in another column, the Geographic
;ntoll;genca which left London on Wednesday last
IA reached New Orleans, via New York, on the
elloyips day one can better realize the actual ac-
somnlisbment of that great undertaking which,
few DAYS ago, was looked upon by thousands as
merely The mad chimera Of visionary Spectators,
likely only to excite the deris0u of the world and to
bring pecuaiary ruin upon its projectors 1t does
indeed seem little short of miraculous that events
transpiriUg in the far of metropolis Of Great Britain
in tie other hemisphere, should be made topics of
conversation here almost within the brief period re-
quired to write them down, thus bringing the ends
Of the earth together in as complete sense as the
nature Of things will probably allow. 1t affords
singular sort Of satisfaction to sit in one easy chair
and peruse intelligence but few hours old almost
from the antipodes- intelligence which we have been
accustomed to patiently wait days and weeks for ;
and we suggest that it would add to that satisfaction
if little trouble were taken to give us the hour at
which dispatch is forwarded, well as the day, in
order that might know precisely how old our news
is when it arrives. This demand might appear un-
reasonable and exacting if made to Mr. Field and the
Directors after all they have accomplished but we
insist that it would be good arrangement. flash
of lightning sent from London in the afternoon, and
arriving in New Orleans sometime during the morn
ing Of the same day. might astonish persons who had
never calculated the difference in longitude between
the two places and deduced therefrom the fact that
there was in consequence difference in mean time,
and might, perehance, fire off train of thought in
minds all unaccustomed to the laborious luxury Of
thinking
We do not believe that the consummation Of any
great event ever produced general and real aston
ishment than this After the irstfaure and the unta
vorable results several experiments we were among
the most increduous to the success of the enter
prise and doubted in fact, whether it could ever be
effected It seems that in both countries general
apprehension prevailed that the expedition would re-
suit in failure, and that it did not is undoubtedly
mainly attributable to signal good fortune aud is no
evidence that the obstacles in the way Of such work
and tile difficulties to be encountered have been over
rated.
1t will be remembered that in the course Of several
experiments under the most favorable circumstances
and with the same machinery which finally achieved
success the cable parted repeatedly and that during
the trial which resulted in the final failure this
red in the most mysterious and uuaccountable man.
ner, somewhere in the depths of the ocean This,
too was in the farest weather, and when everything
appeared to be working smoothly and it seemed to
prove concusvely that there existed unknown and
undscoyerable Obstacles invisible dangers threaten
ing the continuity Of the wire which science and pru
dence could neither foresee nor guard against, and
which could be escaped only by provdentia interpo
sition or the fiat Of mere chance. This being the
case the final success of the expedition must be con
sidered stroke Of rare good fortune, and far as
we can learn it is 50 regarded by nearly all who were
engaged in the work, Indeed, it is probable that
should the attempt Of laying a second cable be made
Gas no doubt it will beg, number of failures will
occur before success is again achieved notwthstand
ing all the advantages acquired by experience and
observation