Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-08-14

Origin of Submarine Electric TelegraPhing.
The Cincinnati Commercial claims with good
backing from former editorials, &c, that the
paternity of the idea, or at least publishing the
idea of connecting England and Amerlca by
means Of Submarine Electric Telegraph, be-
longs to the late l. G. CUKTIss, the founder
and original editor of the Commercial As early
as Is45 Mr. Curtiss advocated the subject OF
extending magnetic wires under water IN his
editorial columns, and brought upon himself a
storm of ridieule. In 1851 he prepared
letter addressed to Congress, setting forth his
theory, and a petition asking for authority to
form company, with view of extending the
magnetic wires across the Atlantic. Senator
Morehead, of Kentucky, presented the letter
and petition, which was read before the Senate,
and the fact furnished an item over which the
press of this country and Europe was merry
Both the papers of Mr.. Curtis, the visionary
enthusiast as then supposed, slept in Congress.
The idea OF Curtiss was seized in England,
and some time after his unsuccessful aPpiica-
ton to Congress, distinguished British engt-
neer called the attention of Parliament 10 the
feasibility of laying cable across the British
Channel and connecting France and England.
His plan found favor and the cable was laid
So sanguine was the editor of the Commercial
that in Is47 he spoke of the reference of his
petition to the Committee on Post Roads, and
declared" If power be given to form COM
pany, the magnetic wires will be extended across
the ocean next summer, on the same principle
that they are now across rivers and strails-
Wires, rightly prepared, can be as easily e1-
tended across Lake Erie, or any other Lake, or
the Atlantic, as they can be overland, and We
believe with more permanency."
The Pemanency predicted by Mr.. Curtis has
become a fixed fact. With the exception Of the
chafing off on the rocks near shore of the first
smsD cable laid between Dover and Calais, We
do not remember the record of a single instance
in which submarine tslegraphs have been out
of working order. Once successfully and prop
erly laid, their Permanency far exceeds land
wires The matter has now been pretty thor
Oughly tested by various submarine lines of
different lengths, and this fact gives strong hope
that the Atlantic cable viii prove to be endur-
ing
In Is47 Mr. Curtis stated in his Commercial
that he should take still further steps to secure
patent for The invention, " as nothing he
says, is easier than for us TO establish that fact
we first demonstrated, that the extension OF the
.oI,--,,,b ,,,.lar ,.,sfar ,.y,s feosihla -
We well recollect when ." the ocean telegraph
of the Editor of the Commercial 4" was fire.
quent joke and that his ideas then were slightly
extrayagant, viii be seen by the following par
agraph, which we reproduce from the Daily
Commercial of juno 5th, ls4s
Some four years since, we published our own
views OF an ocean telegraph-being no more
nor less than an extrayagant plan Of connecting
Cincinnati with New York, thence to London
across the Atlantic, thence to Pans, thence
through Europe and Asia, along the Chinese
Wall, thence across the Pacific Ocean TO Cali
fornia, thence 10 St. Louis, and from St. Louis
to connect the circuit at Cincinnati, the place
of startingl Now, extravagant as this scheme
looks to the casual and unthinking observer, it
may vet be done We sent petition to Con-
press, and it was presented by Gov. MOrehead,
of Kentucky, to the U. 5. Senate, but said peti-
ton was there allowed 10 sleep. At the time our
petition was read, MOrse's telegraphic system
on land was looked upon as chimencal, although
the lightning was then cOursing over some few
miles, and giving instant communications be-
tween Baltimore and Washington City. To
show the readers of the Commercial that our
system of ocean telegTaphs was not quite so
chimerical as some have supposed, we Will state
that the English Government, with much more
liheralitY than our own, listened 10 the petition
of one of her subjects, distinguished engineer
who, after reading our extrayagant ideas, adopt
ed so much of them as he desired, and IN form,
asked assistance 10 Try our project.
Mr.. Curtiss often declared that the ocean was
a. designed in part for telegraphie PurPOses"-
but he did not live to see his great idea fully
realized.