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


the expeditions which followed, and
who for his services has been made q
Baronet of the United Kingdom. His
son, Mr.. Charles Cooch, a volunteer In
the service, who worked faithfully on
board the Great Eastern, we are happy
to welcome here tonight.
The good fortune which favored us in
our ship favored us also in our COM
mander. Many of you know Captain
Anderson, who was for years In the
Cunard line. You may have crossed
the sea with him, and you remember
how kind he was how clear-eyed and
prompt in his duty, and yet always the
quiet and modest gentleman. How
well he did his part In two expeditions
the result has proved, and it was just
that a mark of Royal favor should fall
on that manly head. a
Thus organized, the work of making
new Atlantic cable was begun. The
core was prepared with infinite care,
under the able superintendent of Mr..
Chatterton and Mr.. Willoughby Smith,
and the whole was completed In about
eight months. As fast as ready, it was
taken on board the Great Eastern and
coiled In three enormous tanks, and on
the 18th of July, 1865, the ship started
on her memorable voyage. ...-l5
will not stop to tell the story of that
expedition. For a week all went we'll F;
we had paid out 1900 miles of cable,
and had only 600 miles further to go,
when hauling in the cable to remedy a
fault, it parted and went to the bottom.
That day L can never forget-how men
paced the deck in despair, looking out
on the broad sea that had swallowed up
their hopes; and then how the brave
Canning for nine days and nights
dragged the bottom OF the ocean for our
lost treasure, and though he grappled
1t three times, failed to bring 1t to the
surface. The story of that expedition,
as written by DIR. Russell, who was on
board the Great Eastern, is one of the
most marvellous chapters in the whols
history of modern enterprise. We re-
turned to England defeated, yet full of
resolution to begin the battle anew.
Measures were at once taken to make
second cable, and fit out a new expe-
ditiOn; and with that assurance came
home last Autumn 10 .--.g-,r ,r.a..-
In December 1 went back again,
when 10, all our hopes had sunk to
nothing: The Attorney-General of
England had given his written opinion
that we had no legal right, without a
special act of Parliament, (which could
not be obtained under year. to issue
the new II per cent shares, on which we
relied to raise our capital. This was a
terrible blow. The works were at once
stopped, and the money which had
bG6u Jitlu 1Il1 EeLuEueu 10 Tie SuDSCFl-
bers. Such was the state of things only
ten months ago. I reached London on
the oath of December, and the next day
was not "merry Christmas" to me.
But it was an inexpreSSible comfort to
have the counsel OF such men as Sir
Daniel Gooch and Sir Richard A. .lGlass;
and to hear stouthearted Mr.. Brassey
tell us to go ahead, and II need were, he
would put down EGG, 600 moreI 1t was
finally concluded that the best course
was to organize a 7Iet0 company, which
should assume the work, and SO origin
ated the Anglo-American Telegraph
Company. It was formed by ten gem
don, and put down 100000 apiece. 1
hope the excellent Secretary of this
Company, Mr.. Deane, who came with
us across the ocean, will write its his
tory, and tell the world what life and
Vigor were comprised in its board of
Directors. The great Telegraph Con-
struction and Maintenance Company
undaunted by the failure of last year,
answered us with subscription of
100000. Soon after, the books were
opened to the public, through the emf
nent banking house of j. 8. Morgan e
Co., and in fourteen days we had raised
the whole g60O,OOO. Then the work be-
gan again, and went on with speed
Never was greater energy infused into
any enterprise. 1t was only the 1stdav
of March that the new company was
formed, and was registered as con-
pany the next day; and yet such was
the Vigor and dispatch that in five
months from that day the cable had
been manufactured, shipped on the
Great Eastern, stretched across the At
lantic, and was sending messages, liter
ally swift as lightning, from continent
to continent.
Yet this was not ''luclSy bit''-a fine
run across the ocean in calm weather.
1t was the worst weather ever knew
patch which appeared in the New York
papers you may have read, "The
weather has been most pleasant" 1
wrote it "unpleasant." We had fOgs
and storms almost the whole way.
Our success was the result of the high.
est science combined with practical ex-
perfence. Everything was perfectly
organized to the minutest detail. We
had on board an admirable staff of OFF,
GERS, such menas Halpin and Beckwith;
and engineers long used to this busi-
ness, such as Canning, and Clifford,
and Temple, tho first of whom has been
knighted for his part in this great
achievement; and electricians such as
Prof Thomson of Glasgow, and Will
louUhby Smith, and Laws; while Mr.
@. f. Varley, our companion of the
year before, who stands among the first
In knowledge and practical skill, re-
mained with Sir Richard Glass, at Va
Ientia, to keep watch at the end-of the
line; and Mr.. Latimer Clark, who was
to test the cable when done. OF these
gentlemen, Prof. Thomson, as one of
the earliest and most eminent electri-
clans of England, has received the same
mark OF distinction. England honors
herself when she thus pays honor to
science; and it is fit that the Govern
Inent which honored cheIRistry in Sir
Humphrey Davy, should honor cleo
trical science in Sir William Thomson.
But our work was not over. After
landing the cable safely at New Found
land, we had another task-to return to
mid-ocean and recover that lost In the
expedition of last year. This achieYe-
ment has perhaps excited more sur
prise than the other. Many even now
"don't understand 1t, /" and every day I
am asked show it was done ~ Well,
it does seem rather difficult to fish for a
Jewel at the bottom of the ocean two
and half miles deep. BUTT is not so
Very dimcult-when you know how.
You may be sure we did not go a fish
ing at random, nor WAS our success
mere, "luck.O It was the triumph of
the highest nautical and engineering
skill. We had four ships, and on board
OF them some of the best seamen in
England, men who knew the ocean as
hunter knows every trail in the forest.
There was Capt. moFtartyj who was in
the Agamemnon in 1888. He was in
the Great Eastern last year, and saw
the cable, when it broke; and he and
Capt. Anderson at once took their OBJ
seFvations so exact that they could 90
right to the spot. After finding it, they
mar Sefl the line of tie ca bIe I1V n FoTr5