Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1866-11-27
The Atlantic Telegraph.



Especial Despatch ,othe Chicago Tribune
The story ofthe Atlantic telegraph
as told by Cyrus w. Field at the
grand banquet last evening, contains
many facts not hitherto generally
known, which viii be read with in
crcasing interest by succeeding gen
erations.
COMMENCEMENT or TIE UNDERTAKING.
In relation to the commencement
Of the great undertaking, Mr.. Field
remarked 3" 1t is nearly thirteen
years since half q dozen gentlemen
ofthis city met at my house for four
successive evenings, and around ta-
BILE covered with maps, and charts,
and plans, and estimates, considered
q project to extend line ottelegraph
from Novo Scotia to St. Johns in
Newfoundland thence to be carried
across the ocean. 1t was very
pretty plan on paper. There was
New York aud there was st. Johns,
,only about /, 200 miles apart. 1t was
easy to draw line from one point
TO the other, making no account of
the forest, aud mountains, and
,swamps, and rivers, and CULTS that
lay in our way. Not one of us had
ever seen the country, or had any
idea of the difiulucs to he overcome.
We thought we could build the line
in a few months. ! took two years
and a half. Yet We never asked for
help outside our own little circle.
Indeed, fear we should not have
e it, if we had waited for any who
had faith in our scheme. Every dol
lar came out Of our own pockets vet
l am proud TO say no man drew
back ; no man proved a dcscrter. OF
those six men, four are here to night
Peter Cooper, Moses Taylor, Mar
shall O. Roberts, and myself Ny
brother Dudley is il Europe Mr..
Chandler White died in 1856, and his
place was supplied by Mr.. Wilson G.
Hunt, who is also here
AN AMERICAN ENTERPRISE.
From this statement you viii per
ceivo that, in the beginning this was
wholly an American enterprise. 1t
was begun and for two years and
la f was carried on solely BY Ameri-
can capital. Our brethren across
the sea did not even know what We
were doing. Away in the forest of
Newfoundland opr littlc company
raised and expended over million
and u quarter OF dollars, before an
Englishman paid single pound ster
ling.
TRIALS AND DIsAPPoINTMENTs.
After narrating the trials aud dis,
appointments Of the different cXpe-
dnions, Mr.. Field made the following
interesting statement relative TO the
present condition and future pros
poets Of the cable:
PRESENT. CONDITION AND FUTURE
PROSPECTS,.
Having thus accomplished our
work of building an ocean tc Q 1apb,
We desire to make it useful to the
public. To this end, it must be kept
in perfect order, and all lines connec-
ting with it. The very idea Of an
electric telegraph is an instrument
to send messages instantaneously
When despatch is sent from New
York to London, tn re must be no
uncertainty about its reaching its
destination, and that promptly.
This we aim to secure. Our two
cables do their part well. There are
no way stations between Ireland and
New Foundland, where messages
have to be repeated, and tho light
ming mex er fingers more than q sec
ond in the bottom of the sea. To
those who feared that they might be
used up or warn out, | would say for
their relief that
THE OLD GABLE WORKS BETTER THAN
.........a THE NEW ONE,
but that is because ii has been down
longer, as time improves the quality
of gutta pcrcha. But the new one is
constantly drawing better 70
show how delicate are these wonder
fal cord, it is enough to state that
they can be worked with the smallest
battery power. When the first cas-
BILE was laid in 1858, electricians
thought that to send q current 1000
mics it must be almost like stroke
OF lightning but God was not in the
earthquake, but in the still small
voice. The other day Mr. Latimer
Clark tclegraphcd from ireland
across the ocean and back again with
BATTERY FORMED IN AIApY's THIN
LIE
and now Mr. Collett writes mo from
Hearts Content: II have Just sent