The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-11-19

sea. This accident kept US at work two
weeks longer, but finally, on the last
night of August we caught it. WAhad
cast the grapnel thirty times. It vas a
little before midnight on Fridayinight
that we hooked the cable, and it was a
little after midnight Sunday morning
when, we got it on board. What was
the anxiety of those twenty-six hours
The strain on every mans life was like
the strain on the cable itself. When a.
nalIy 1t appeared, 1t was midnight the
lights of the ship, and in the boats
around our bows, as they flashed in the
faces of the men, showed them eagerly
watching for the cable to appear on the
water. at length 1t was brought to the
surface. All who were allowed to ap-
Proachl crowded forward to see It.
Yet not a word was, spoken, only the
voices of the officers in command were
heard giving orders. All felt as if life
and death hung on the issue. II was
only when 1t was brought over the bow
and on to the deck that men dared to
breathe. Even then they hardly be-
lieved their eyes. Some crept toward
it to feel OF it, TO be sure it was there,
Then we carried it along to the electri-
clans room, to see if our long sought
for treasure was alive or dead. A few
minutes of suspense, and a flash told of
the lightning current again set free.
Then did the feeling long pent
up burst forth. Some turned
away their heads and wept.
Others broke into cheers, and the cry
ran from man to man, and was heard
down in the engine rooms, deck below
deck, and from the bouts on the water,
and the other ships, whilerockets light
ed up the darkness of the sea. Then
with thankful hearts we turned our IA
ceS again to the west, But soon the
NUiT1H cd
were exposed to all the dangers of a
storm on the Atlantic. Yet in the very
height aud fury of the gale, as sat in
the ele0tr1clan's room, a flash of light
came up from the deep, which having
crossed to Ireland, came back to me in
mld-ocean, telling that those so dear to
me, whom i had left on the banks of
the Hudson, were we'll, and following
us with their wishes and their prayers.
This was like whisper of God from
the sea, bidding me keep heart and
hope. The Great Eastern bore herself
proudly through the storm, as If she
knew that the vital cord which was to
join two hemispheres, hung at erstern;
and SO, on Saturday, the 7th of fSeptem-
Der, we brought our second cable safely
to the shore. 7ffrFsi
But the Great Eastern did not make
her voyage alone. Three other ships
attended her across the Ocean-the
AL6Gny, the HeCltDGy and the Terrible
the officers of all of which exerted them
selves to the utmost. The Queen of
England has shown her appreciation OF
the services OF some of those more
prominent in the expedition, but If it
had been possible to do justice to all, /,
honors would have been bestowed upon
many others. II this cannot be, mt
least their names live in the history of
this enterprise, with which they win be
forever associated. '5'-f
When think of them all-not only
of those on the Great Eastern, but Of
Capt. Commerhill of the Terrible, and
his first officer, Mr.. Curtis, (who with
their ship came with us not only to
Hearts Content, but afterward to the
Gulf of st. Lawrence, to help in laying
the new CableD and of the officers OF the
other ship, my heart is full Better
men never trod q deck. III do not
name them all it is because they are
too many, their ranks are too full of
glory. Even the sailors caught the en-
thusiasm of the enterprise, and were
eager to share in tho honor of the
achievement. Bravo, stnlwart men they
were-at home. on the ocean and in the
storm, of that sort that have carried the
flag of England around the globe. I
see them now as they dragged the shore
end up the beach at Hearts Content,
huggtug 1t in their brawny arms as If
had rescued from the dangers of the
sea. God bless them all! ~
Such, gentlemen, in brief, is the story
of the telegraph which you have wished
to hear. 1t has been long, hard strug-
gle. Nearly thirteen years of anxious
watching and ceaseless toll. Often my
heart has been ready to sink. Many
times, when wandering in the forests
OF Newfoundland, in the pelting rain,
or on the deck of ships, on dark, stormy
far from home-I have
almost accused myself of madness and
folly TO sacrifice the peace of my family,
and all the hopes of life, for what might
prove, after all, but a dream. have
seen my companions, one and another,
falling by my side, and feared that 1
too might not live to see the end. And
yet one hope has led me on, and have
prayed that might not taste of death
till this work was accomplished. That
prayer Is answered; and now, beyond
all acknowledgements to men, is the
feeling Of gratitude to Almighty God.
Having thus accomplished our work
OF building aR Ocean Telegraph, we
desire to make it useful to the public.
To this end 1t must be kept in perfect
order, and all lines connected with it,
The very idea of an electric telegraph
Is, an-tnstrument to send messages Ut
StGntdneOmsEy. When dispatch is sent
from New York to London, there must
be no uncertainty about its reaching its
destinatton-and that promptly. This
we aim Ito secure. Our two cables do
their part well. There are no way sta
tions between Ireland and Newfound-
land, where messages have to be re-
pented, and the lightning never fingers
more than a second in tho bottom of the
sea- To those who feared that they
mighL be used up or wear out, would
say, for their relief, that the old cable
works little better than the new one,
but that is because 1t has been down.
longer, as time improves the quality of
gutta percha. But the new one is con-
stantly growing better. 10 show how
delicate are these wonderful cords, IL is
enouG h to state that they can be worked
with the smallest battery power. When
the first cable was laid in 1858 electri-
clans thought that to send a current
1000 miles, 1t must be almost like
stroke of lightning. But God was not
In the earthquake, but in tho still,
small voice. Tho other day Mr. IIati-
mer Clark telegraphed from Ireland.
across the ocean and back again, with
a battery fNTmed in a lRdy's thimbleI
And now Mr.. Collett writes me from
Hearts Content: ST have Just sent nv.
compliments to DIR. Gould, of Cam
bridge, who is at Yalentia, with bat
terry composed of a gan-cap, with a
strip OF zinc, excited by q drop Of water,
the simple bulk of a tearw A taIe-
graph that viii do that we think nearly
perfect. It has never failed for an hour
or minute. Yet there have been de-
lays In receiving messages from Eu-
rope, but these have all been on the
land lines or in the Gulf of st. Law
renee, and not on the sea cables It