The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-11-16

our faces again to the west But soon the wind
| rose, ana for thirty six hours we were exposed
| 10 all the dangers of a storm on the Atlantic.
Yet, in the very height and fury of the gale,
as sat In the electricians ROOM fash of light
came up from the deep; which, having crossed
70 ireland, came back to me in mid-ocean,
! telllng that those so dear to me, whom had
! leit on the banks of the Hudson, were well, aud
following us with their wishes and their prayers.
This was like whisper of God from the sea,
bidding me keep heart and hore The Great
Eastern bore herself proudly through the storm,
/ as II she knew that the vital cord which was to
| join two hemIspheree hung at her stern, and So
on saturday, the 9TH of September, we brought
! our second cable safely TO the shore.
Such, gentlemen, in brief is the story of the
telegraph which you have wished to hear II
mas been long, hard struggle. Nearly thir-
teen teen years OF anxious watching and ceaseless
toll. Often my heart has been ready to Fsink.
Many times, when wandering in the forests of
Newfoundland, in the pelting rain; or on the
decks OF ships on dark, stormy nights-aone,
iar nom home-l have almost accused myself
OF madness and folly 20 sacrifice the peace of
my family, aad all the hopes of life. for what
might prove, after all, but a dream I have
seen my companions one after another falling by
my side, and feared that /, too, might not live
TO see the end And yet one hope has led me
on, and have pra we'd that might not taste of
death tiil this work was accomplished. That
prayer is answered; and now. beyond all nc.
knoWIedgments to men, is the feeling of graft
tu6e to Almighty God.
Having thus accompi she'd our work of build
ing an ocean telegraph, we desire to make il
useful to the public, To this end II must no
Kept in perfect order and all lines connected
with it. The very idea of an electric telegraph
49, an instrument to send messages instanta-
neously. When despatch is sent from New
YORK to London there must be no uncertainty
about its reaching its destination-and that
promptly. This we aim to secure. Our two
cables do their part we'll. There are no way-
stations between Ireland and Newfoundland
where messages have to be repeated, and the
nPLtnlng never fingers more than q second i'm
The bottom of the sea. To those who feared
that they might be used up or wear out, would
say, Tor their relief, that the old cable works a
little better than the new one hut that is
because II has been down longer, as time i'm
proves the quality of gutta perCha But the new
one - constantly growing better.
To show how delicate are these wonderful
cords, it is enough TO state that they can he
worked with the smallest battery power When
the hrst cable was laid IN 1858, electricians
thought that to send current two Thousand
miles IL mast be almost like stroke of light
nlng. But God was not in the earthquake. bnt
in the still small voice. The other day Mr. Lati-
mer Clark teegraphed from Ireland across the
ocean and back again with a battery formed in
ladys thimble! And now Mr.. Collett writes
me from Hearts Content:-'T have lust sent INV
compliments to DR.. Gould, of Cambridge who
Is at Valentia, with battery composed of a gun
cap, with a strip of zinc, excited bv drSn of
water. the simple bulk of tearl" telegraph that
will do that, think nearly perfect 1t has never
failed for an hour or minute Yet there have
but these have all been on the land lines or
in the Gulf Of st. Lawrence and not on the
sea cables.
1t was very painful TO noe, when we landed at
Hearts Content, to find any interruption here
that message which came III a flash across the
Atlantic should be delayed tWenty-four hours i'm
crossing eighty miles OF water. But it was not
my lault. NV associates in the Newfoundland
Company will bear me witness that entreated
them year ago to repair the cable in the Gulf
OF St Lawrence, and TO put our land lines in
perfect order. But they thought it more prrl-
dent TO await the result OF the late expedition
before making further large outlays. We have
therefore had 70 work hard to restore our lines
But IN two weeks our cable across the Gulf of
st. Lawrence was taken up and repaired II
was found to have been broken by an anchor i'm
shallow water, and, when spliced out proved as
perfect as when LAID down ten years ago. Since
then new one has been laid, so that we have
there two excellent cables.
word about the tariff. Complaint has been
made that it was so high as to be very oppres.
sive. beg all TO remember that it is only three
months ank half since the cable was laid 1t
was laid at great cost and a great risk. Diff
ferent companies had sunk in their attempts
Sl2 coo. 1t was still an experiment, OF which
the result was doubtful This too might prove
another costly failure. Even if successful we
did not know how long It would work. Evil
prophets, in both countries, predicted that il
would not last month. II it did, we were not
sure OF having more than one cable; nor how
much work that one could do, Now these doubts
tlS lS-OiFShs we nave LOL OILY one CaDle, out
two, both in working order; and we 6nd, instead
OF i've words a minute, we can seudffteen. Now
we are free to reduce the tariff. Accordingly II
has been cut down one-half and l hope in a few
months we can bring it down to one-quartcr
am in favor of reducing il to the lowest point at
which we can do the business, keeping the
lines working day and night And then, il the
work grows upon US sc enormously that we
cannot 40 II, why we must go to work and lay
more cables.
Those who conduct public enterprise ought
not to object to any fair criticism of the public
or the press, But complaints are sometimes
made without reflection as when fault Is found
with the cable because the news from Eurone
may be scanty or unimportant as if we had anv
more to DO with what passes over the line than
the Post Office Department with the contents of
letters that go through the mail. We are com ..
mon carriers and send whatever comes: and If
our brethren Of the press keep capable men in
the capitals of Europe. who Will furnish only
news which IS important, We will see that il is
delivered here every morning
OF the results OF this seuterprise-Commercia |
and pOlitCally-it is for others to speak, To |
one effect only do l refer as the wish of my
heuIt-that as ii brings us into closer relations
with England, il may produce q better under
standing between the two countries, Let who |
Will speak against England-Words of censurp |
must come from other lips than mine. / have |
received too much kindness from Englishmeu |
to oin in this language. / have eaten of their |
bread and drank of their cup, and / have re.
celYed from them, in the darkest hours of this |
enterprise, words OF cheer which l shall never |
tor2et; and II any words of mine can tend to |
peace and good will they shall not be wanting. !
beg my countrymen TO remember the ties of |
Blood is thicker than water, Ame
Tica with all her greatness has come out of the |
loius of England, and though there have been
sometimes family quarrels-bitter as family |
quarrels are apt TO be-still in our hearts there |
is yearning for the old home the land of our
fathers, and he is an enemy of his country and |
Of the human race, who would stir up strife |
between two, nations that are one in race, in