Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-11-22


TgRpRIsE.-The people Of this country
have given Cyrus W. Field full credit
for his zeal and labor in the great work
of laying the Atlantic cable, but they
have very vague notions, for the most
part, as to what extent it was an Amer
lean enterprise, and with what degree of
truth Mr.. Field could be regarded as its
parent. Mr., Field made both these
points very clear in his speech at the
banquet given in his honor by the New
York chamber OF commerce, last week.
and the record is 4 very flattering one
for him and for the country:
1t is nearly thirteen years since half a
dozen gentlemen of this city met at my
house for four successive evenings, and
around a table covered with maps and
charts and plans and estimates, COnsid
cred a project to extend line of tele-
graph from Nova Scotia to St. Johns,
in Newfoundland, thence to be carried
across the ocean. It was a very pretty
plan on paper. There was New York
and there was St. Johns, only about
1900 miles apart. 1t was easy to draw a
line from one point to the other-mak-
ing no account of the forests and noun
tains, and sWamps and rivers and CULTS
that lay in our way Not one Of US had
seen the country or had any idea Of the
obstacles to be overcome. We thought
we could build the line in a few months.
1t took two years and half. Yet W.
never asked for help outside oEr own
little circle. Indeed | fear we should
not have got it if we had, for few had
any faith in our scheme. Every dollar
came out of our own pockets. Yet / am
proud to say no man drew back. Nc
man proved d deserter; those who came
first into the work have stood by it tC
the end.
OF those six men four are here tonight
Mr. Peter Cooper, Moses Taylor, Mar
shall o. Roberts and myself My brother
Dudley is in Europe, and Mr.. Chandler
White died in 1856, and his place was
supplied by Mr.. Wilson G. Hunt, who is
also here. Mr.. Robert w. Lowber was
our secretary. To these, gentlemen, as
my first associates it is but just that !
From these statements you perceive that
in the beginning this was wholly an
American enterprise. 1t was begun and
for two years and half was carried on
solely by American capital. Our breth
rem across the sea did not even know
what we were doing away in the forests
of Newfoundland. Our little company
raised and expended over million and
quarter of dollars before any English
man paid pound sterling. Our only
support outside was in the liberal char
ter and steady friendship of the govern,
ment of Newfoundland for which we
were greatly indebted to Mr.. EN-. Archi,
bald, then encouragement of that colo,
ny, and now British consul in New
York
And in preparing for an ocean cable the
first soundings across the Atlantic were
made by American officers in American
ships. Our scientific men-Morse, Henry,
Bsche and Maury-had taken great in.
terest in the subject. The United States
ship Dolphin discovered the Geographic
plateau as early as 1858 and the United
States ship Arctic sounded across from
Newfoundland to Ireland in 1856, year
before her msjestys ship Cyclops, under
command Of Captain Daymon, went over
the same course. This state, not to take
aught from the just praise of England,
but simply to vindicate the truth of
history.