The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-08-08
=. = ID M y T1.7l .1f.-
The Atlantic Cable.

ing of the Atlantic Telegraph, is ma /
tive of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and
is is in the forty ninth year of his age.
At fifteen years ofage he began his ca
reer as clerk, in New York city, and
in few years after was at the head of
a heavy mercantile house in that city,
from which he retired, partially, in 1853,
with large fortune. He went, soon
after, to South America, and on his res
turn, some six months afterwards, be
came interested in the great scheme of
atclegraph across the ocean. His at 7
tention was especially directed to the
subject by being called upon to aid i'm
completing line commenced between
St. Johns and Cape Ray, in Newfound-
land. While looking into this scheme, /,
the idea was impressed upon him of
stretching submarine line from New
foundland to Ireland. ;
In 1854 he procured a charter from
the Legislature of Newfoundland, grant
ing an exclusive right, for fifty years,
to establish line from the Continent
of America to Newfoundland, and
thence to Europe, Peter Cooper, Moses
Taylor, and other eminent citizens of
New York being associated with him
under the title ofthe "New York, New
foundland, and London Telegraph
Company" for the purpose of carrying
this stupendous enterprise into effect.
Thenceforth all his wonderful energies
and great business capabilities were de-
voted to the gigantic work he had ia
ken in hand
In the construction Of the land line in
Newfoundland, and in the two attempts
to lay line connecting thatisland with
Cape Breton, he was the leading spirit,
visiting England in 1854 and 1856 on
the latter business.
In1s65 he organized the "Atlantic
Telegraph Company" which was incor-
porated by an " act of Parliament, ses-
sion 1872 George Peabody being one
of the directors and Mr.. Field being
chosen as "General Manager
On the 5th of August, 1857, the cas-
tern end of the cable was drawn on
shore from the Niagara at Ballycarby
bay by American sailors, his Excellen-
cy the Earl of Carlisle, Lord Lieuten-
ant of ireland, coming down from Du-
bin to encourage by his presence the
great patriotic international enterprise.
On the It'll of August the squadron
bore away for the west, and on the 18th
of that month the cable parted, when
$50 miles from the coast of ireland, and
this ended the first attempt.
The company, under the indefatigable
leadership of Mr.. Field, went vigorous
ly forward, gathering wisdom from
their unsuccessful attempt, and in Au-
gust, 1858. a second trial was more sue
cessful. When about 100 miles of
the cable had been laid, it parted in
mid ocean. The break, however, was
repaired, and the cable laid from the
coast of Ireland to the coasts of Amer
lea, SO that signals actually passed from
shore to shore, from August 10 to Sep
TENDER l, l29 messages having in that
period been; sent from Valentia to New
foundland, and 271 in the other direc-
lions. Among those messages was one
of SO words, sent over the line in 81
minutes, from the Queen to the Presi-
dent.
The current however, weak from the
first, finally failed altogether. The
ablest electricians, with their most pow
erful batteries, were employed, and, on
the goth of October, an imperfect mes
sage was received at Valentia, more
than one thousand times the power re-
quisite in ordinary well-insulated con-
ductor being employed on the occas-
sion. The impossibility of raising the
cable from deep water without breaking
it made an attempt of remedying the
defect then hopeless. Thus the enter
prise, after immense Ovations on both
sides of the Atlantic at the supposed
triumph, became another failure. In
1860 portions of the cable in Trinity
bay were recovered. The cost of the
scheme up to December, 1858, was ST.
$4,000. In 1861 the Dutch laid a
cable in the Mediterranean from Malta
to Corfu, 400 miles long, at cost of
e125,oOO, cable like that of the Allan
tic, which proved failure. The En-
glish, some years ago, attempted line
through the Red sea, which was also
to the attempt to connect Falmouth, in
England, with Gibraltar, the project
having been abandoned after the cable,
at cost Of 100000, had been COM
pleted.
In 1862 Mr.. Field, persistent in the
face of all these calamities, again visited
England, and succeeded in so much in
terestins Messrs. Glass, Eliot & Co.,
manufacturers of the most Of the subma-
rine cables, as to engage them to en-
bark in the enterprise and make the Ca
BILE for new attempt, the cable they
had then recently laid from France to
Algiers-52O miles-being in good work
ing order at that time under water as
deep as any in the route for the Allan
| tic line. The work was Immediately
resucitated, and after three years ofthe
most thorough preparation, and with
! the utmost confidence of success, last
wear another trial was made and anoth-
er failure succeeded, the cable parting
when l .260 miles had been paid out
The precise cause of this failure has not
we believe, been determined.
The following, which we cut from
the London Times, we think, furnishes
all, with the announcements of the tri
umph already made, that is necessary
to complete the great story: ),
The attempt last year is fresh in the
memory of all, although the real ca,ss,
of it's failure, whether accidental or 9th
erwise, is still unknown. The present
effort has not been made without for
mer cause Of failure having been opro