The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-03-02
NoRrn ArLINIlc rlLEqRApn

NORTH ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH
70 he honorable Senate and House Of Representatives. Of e Con-
gress Of he United States Of Ataerioa
The undersigned Taaieuo p Shaffner of the State Of
Kentucky respectfully petitions your honorable bodies
for the privileges and benefits hereinafter set forth.
For many years, and on both continents he has been
professionally engaged electric elegnpher, and
early in his connexion with the novel enterprise he de
vised plans and hld in view the extension Of this
OF communication between Europe and America.
In the year 1858 he commenced his abors directly to-
wards The contamination of an Atlantic telegraph de-
signing to the cable between Newfoundland and Ire
land About the same time practical and well-defned
discoveries demonstrated the retardaton Of the electric
current in submarine wires This development in the
science determined the mpaccability of working long
sub-aqueous conductors for practical Geographic pur
poses Soon after this discovery in Europe he instituted
experiments which fully sustained Che above philosophy
Up to the present time there has been discoveries in
the sciences inventions in the arts changing the
OF things above set forth
With determined zeal The undersigned held to the
truth of this development in science Others with
resolute faith, confded in the pactcabty of working
cable any length in the ocean. The most signal and
complete failure of the late Atlantic telegraph has dem
onstated the correctness of the position in the science
and art of teegmphing held by the undersigned and
promulgated by him throughout the world at the very
Time too, when the sangune friends of that scheme
celebrating its triumph in vain glory, with more than
the 'pomp and circumstance of war flnatcliy display
ed in the darkest ages
With the full faith in the philosophy herenbeiore men
toned the undersigned proceeded in 1854 TO negotiate
with the Danish government for the right to tele
graph over Greenland Iceland and the Farce Isles His
Majesty, the King Of Denmark, awarded to the under
signed the exclusive privilege those territories for
the term of one hundred years from the 10th OF August
1854 In 1880 the governments of Norway and Sweden
granted to the undersigned concessions having in view
the contamination of the telegraph designed by the
royal Danish grant just above mentioned.
Without any intermisson, the undersigned has had
in contemplation and has exerted himself towards the
perfection of the before mentioned telegraph and at the
present time he has important negotiations pending be-
fore great powers for the complete triumph of his pro-
posed international telegraph, FREQ from and unembar-
raised by the vampire influence of reckless and adven
turesome spectators. He has for moment been
influenced TO prosecute zealous this particular enter
prise by desire speculation but ON the contrary he
has been aiming for the realization OF noble and
glorious ends not for personal agBrandzement but for
the veal OF man.
Accompanying herewith he transmits a map prepared
by him with much care having traced thereon the dill
terent proposed teegraphs and their respective
lengths, That under the Royal Danish, Norwegian and
Swedish concessions ~ called the North Atlantic Tel
egraph, and its route Will be extending
Labrador, Greenland Iceland and the Farce Isles The
longest cable will be about five hundred miles which
might embrace half dozen electric wires SO that
different nations have their preferred wires their
respective interests.
The map win show the f,ct that New Orleans will be
1858 miles st. petersburgh via North Atlantic
route than it would have been via the late Atlantic tee
tic current on subaequeous conductors given for diff
erent distances TO 500 miles philosophical fact
stated III the memorial presented to the Senate at the first
session of the present Congress by the undersigned to
the effect that the electric current materially retarded
in its passage along submarine wires. 1t was therein
stated that number sixteen copper wire u wave
would require full nine seconds to the distance
between Ireland and Newfoundland 1t has been sup
posed that the conductor in the late cable had three times
greater facilities for the transmission of the electric
rent or In other words the resistance to the intensity
of the current through the cable conductor about
third OF that common to number sixteen copper wire.
In the attempt TO work the late cable the maximum
number of electric received over IT, including
unntelligible signals, at the rate of for
each "a seconds From these facts il will he that
the science practically demonstrated by the late cable is
substantially forth by the undersigned in his
| memorial to the last session of Congress
He further states that he has expended towards this
enterprise hundred thousand dollars, and he
contempatcs further outlay the coming in hay-
ing the whole route of the north Atlantic telegraph care
fully surveyed 10 this end he has engaged his engi-
and other assistants to accompany him in the cx-
pedton 10 start early in June next traversing respect
lively Labrador Greenland Iceland, &c In order to ia
ctate the consummation of this important enterprise
he would most respectfully petition the Congress Of the
United States TO authorize the President of the United
States the Secretary Of the Navy TO render such
sisance may be practicable consistent with The in
teres OF the public eyce towards the said telegraph
by permitting the government ships TO convey the
respective the beiarG mentioned surveying expedi
| ton.
The undersigned however, seeks this aid, provisional
that the said telegraph shall for all time be open TO all
nations alike strictly in conformity with the royal Dan
ish concession, which embraces fundamental princi-
pie, viz;
90 Thar the GOVERNMENT OF DENMARK FOREVER
FEsD PRESERVE RIGHT UNITED STATES,
NATIONS, TRANSMIT LINE
HEREIN CONTEMPLATED, rnoyIDxp
CALCULATED PROMOTE war, INSTRUCTION. RIOT THE
VIOLATION PLACE AMONG SATIoSs.
Respectfully submitted,
TAI. z. SHAFFNER
EnIAt1in l..-