Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-06-13
THE NEW OCEAN CABLE.

The facts connected with the ocean cable,
one end of which has recently been landed
at Portsmouth, N. II. are briefly stated in an
article in the Newburyport Herald as follows:
The original company was chartered about
1866, under the title Of the "American Allan
tic Cable Company" and in March of the year
following an act of Congress granted the COM
pany the right to lay land sea cables and oper-
ate them on the coast for twenty years. The
company then attempted to raise the neces-
sary capital to lay cable from Holland to
the United States. The attempt failed, and
for while the project was nearly abandoned.
Finally another attempt was made to procure
the necessary means to lay line from Ire
land to the United States. OF course, in
the previous one, great opposition was met
from the Anglo American Company, the
Western Union Company and the French
Company. This opposition has been contin-
ued from then till the present time. The
struggle was hard one, as the opposing
companies left no stone unturned to place OBJ
stacles in the way of those interested. OF
course, with such opposition, Colonel A. M.
Eastman, who has been the mainstay of the
company, was charged with most difficult
job--to procure the whole amount of the cap
ital required, 1850, 00O-it being necessary
to have the whole amount raised before re-
sponsible contractor could be obtained, and
of course the work required that only one in
div idual should have the contract, it being
impossible to let in sections. Consequently,
under such circumstances, the efforts of the
watchful opposition met with much success.
After carefully working, the necessary mon
ey was raised, and early in FEBRUARY, 1873,
the contract was awarded to Messrs. Siemens
Rrntbars Of opdon xuhO kava 6nna fhpir
work in better manner than stipulated for,
the cost being 81, 300, 900, including laying
and delivering the cable in working order,
thirty days after connection is made between
land and land.
A company called the Direct United States
Cable Company was then organized under a
parliamentary act which has the matter in
charge and by whom the capital was raised, a
portion of which came from France, Holland
and Belgium, but none from America, as but
little faith was here manifesto ed in the enter
paise. The contractors then set to work to
procure the necessary material in secret
manner, as the stock Of gutta percha was not
very large, and the enemies of the new COM
pany were powerful. 1t was however, OBJ
tanned, and the work of making the 5000 miles
begun. To lay and transport properly the
cable the contractors built the Faraday,
which will hereafter be used in cable laying,
the company expecting to lay a second cable
as soon as capital shall be obtained and the
success of The first warrant it.
The instrument house on this side of the
Atlantic will be an ornamental structure on
Straw's point. A reinforcement house will
be entered at Berry's Head, Nova Scotia, and
Old World terminus will be at the extreme
west end OF Ireland. The company possess a
charter in New Hampshire under the title of
the New Hampshire Land and Ocean Tela-
graph Company, thus allowing the landing
without any interference.