The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-09-12
TRANSATLANTIC TELEeRApHY.

learn that our article on "Thc T~rans-Pscifc
Telegraph in the ADVERTISER Of the 22d ultimo,
has given satisfaction to our readers, az impart-
ing valuable information on n subject If much
interest a. dWellers on these Islands. And we
have been asked to give a history Of Telegraphy
on tie Atlantic, with an account Of the position,
number, and date Of laying Of the ocean cables
now in operation. This, with the data at our
command, we find ourselves at present unable 70
do, but will state sueh facts a. are within our
recollection.
The idea Of a submarine telegraph across the
Atlantic, was entertained By Professor Morse as
early as ls43 and in 1856 the Atlantic Telegraph
Company was formed, chiefly through the exer-
tons Of Cyrus w. Field. The first attempt to
Law the cable resulted in a failure, owing to a
break when 300 miles at sea. In 1858, the
experiment of laying the cable was made again,
and after three more breakages, the work was
accomplished on the 9TH Of August. But. in the
words Of Lieutenant Maury, in his " Physical
Geography of the Sea- it was "a splendid
failure" Imperfect messages were sent through
at first, but there was soon an absolute cessation
of Geographic signals, and no efforts were avail
ing to resuscitate the current of electricity.
Alaury wrote in 1860, " The idea of n telegraph
from England or Ireland along this Iocean bottom]
plateau 10 America, seems after the splendid
failure Of 1858 10 have been abandoned, chiefly
+ however on account Of the electric difficulties
which stand in the way Of so long a circuit"
At a banquet given in honor of Cyrus w.
Field, at New York, November 18th, 1866, in
speaking of the cable of 1858, that gentleman
said at spoke, though only in broken SEN
1885, d. -IsIo - 1ozE-I - - ~ tn0
messages were sent across the Atlantic. You all
remember the enthusiasm which it excited. 1t
was a new thing under the sun, and for a few
weeks the public went wild over it. Of course,
when it stopped, the reaction was very great.
People grew dumb and suspicious. Some thought
it was all a hoax and many were quite sure that
it never worked at ali. That kind of Odium we
have had to endure for eight years, till now, l
trust, we have Mt last silenced the unbelievers. -
Mr.. Field was imbued with perseverance and
an undying faith that all the difficulties could
be overcome, and he accordingly spent two or
three years IN England engaged in experimenting.
He succeeded in obtaining from his own and the
British Governments the needed resources to
manufacture a new cable. In July, 1866, the
new cable having been completed, the attempt
was repeated with the steamer Great Eastern,
and the Western end of the cable was landed at
New Foundland, without mishap, in fourteen
days. 1t continued tn wnrk satiafartnrily from,
that time until last year, when by some means il
became broken, and could not be used for the
transmission of kilograms. Business during the
winter aud spring was confined to the two other
cables-an English and a Freneh-that were sue.
cessively laid after the cable of 1856 had become
I nm established C,of DaAonsI- 49,
was made that the broken cable was successfully
repaired, and in working order, 90 that all three
were in operation, and the Anglo-Ameriean Gable
Company are about to lay a fourth. The opposi-
ton cable, the section of which between Halifaz
and Rye Beach in New Hampshire was finished
in July, is probably completed and in working
order by this time. Thus there are five cables
between England and America, whereby it would
seem that the tolls for messages should be reduced
to reasonable rates.
Shortly after the cable of 1866 was fairly in
working order, MIR. Field received a message o.
congratulation from Mr.. Ferdinand de Lesseps
the proprietor of the Suez Canal. 1t was dated
at Alexandria, In Egypt, the same day (July so
at halfpast one P. NJ, and received in New
Foundland at halfpast ten A. NJ. Let us look al
the globe, and see over what a space that message
flew. 1t came from the land of the Pharaoh!
and the Ptoiemies; it passed along the shores o.
Africa, and under the Mediterranean Oeear
more than a thousand miles, to Malta it the1
leaped TO the continent Of Europe, and shot
across Italy, over the Alps and through France
under the English Channel TO London it ther
flashed across England and Ireland, till from thu
cliffs of Nalentia it struck straight into the At
V--s.z - 4 Al. -a
which lies off the coast, and over all the hills and
valleys which lie beneath the watery plain, rest.
ing not till it touched the shore of the New
World" In that mornings flight it had passed
over one-fourth Of the earth's surface. and go far
outstripped the sun in its course that it reached
its destination three hours before it was sent
To understand this, it must be remembered that
the earth revolves from west to east, and when il
is sunrise in New York it is between s and 9
O'Clock in Alexandria, in Egypt and when it is
sunset in the former place, it is nearly . O'Clock
in the evening in the latter.
One of the most remarkable feats of engineer
ing of any age was the picking up Of the cable OF
1865, lost at sea. August I'd. At the time OF
parting, l.2l3 miles Of cable had been paid out,
and all attempts to regain it had been useless on
account of the ineffciency Of the apparatus used
Having laid the new cable in 1866. the Great
Eastern sailed August 9th, TO pick up the old
The dragging for the cable commenced August
18th, resulted in bringing it to the surface on the
18th. says Mr.. Field We had it in full
sight for FIVE minutes, a long, shiny monster,
fresh from the ooze of the oceans bed, hut our
men began to cheer so wildly that it seemed to
be frightened, and suddenly broke away, and
went down into the sea-" 1t sunk four times.
but on the fifth trial, after casting the grapnel
thirty times, a permanent union was made with
the coil on board the Great Eastern, on September
q. Il was found uniniured and in perfect work