National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-03-22
HONOR TO WHOM IT is DUE.
Who was the Originator of the At
lantiC Telegraph
Rival Claims Considered and Presented In
the Light OF History--Equal Justice to
All Parties Interested-A Record
of Facts, Figures, and Dates
that Should Settle the
Controversy, SC.
Claims of Cyrus W. and David Dudley Field.

1
Claims OF Cyrus w. and David Dudley Field.
The world most cheerfully comedies to these
gentlemen and their worthy associates all the
credit of organizing n company, and by the aid
of other capitalists in America aud England,
| prosecution to successful completion one of
the greatest and grondest Enterprises of the
nineteenth century.
But when they claim to be originators Of the
project of an Atlantic telegraph they cannot
complain if they are shown to be engaged in
an ungonerous attempt to place upon their own
brows laurels that have been earned and right
fully belong to others. The mere idea of the
| possibility Of an Atlantic telegraph is not in
| controversy. That has the age of half q CEN
| tury or more. The question is on the first act
i've steps taken in the work aud it is proposed
| to show that three full years of preliminary
| progress had been made in the work before
| Cyrus w. Field was solicited to take part in
the enterprise What is the record of history
Mr.. Field in his speech ut the Gramerey
| Park banquet, on Monday evening" March 10,
1879, said:
twenty-five years ago this evening, in this house.
I'm this room, and on this table, and at this very
hour was signed the agreement to form the New
| York Newfoundland and London Telegraph Com
| pany-thc first company ever formed to lay an
| Ocean Cable
That would fix the date of the commence
ment of the connection of Mr.. Field and his
associates with the enterprise at March TO-
1854. In card signed Peter Cooper Moses
Taylor, Marshall o. Roberts, Cyrus W. Field,
David Dudley Field, and published September
o, 1s5S, occurs this language in reference to the
cable project:
This scheme originated with the two gentlemen
whose names are last subscribed to this card.
will now ask the readers attention to a
consideration very briefly, of
| THE WORK ACCOMPLISHED PRIOR TO TIE
MEssRs. FIELDS CONNECTION WITH THE
| ENTERPRISE.
The following editorial paragraph is from
the Boston Daily Journal of October 49, 1858:
The card recently issued by the Atlantic Tele-
| graph Company, claiming for Cyrus w. Field and
David Dudley Field the merit of originating the
| scheme under which the Atlantic submarine cable
| was laid, has called forth rcjOinder trom Mr..
Frederick ~ Osborne, in which that gentleman
honor, heretofore put forth in his behalf, and ad-
duees some strong evidence to show that heis fairly
entitled to the credit of advocating the project be-
fore the Messrs Field embarked in it."
The Boston Ledger, November 13, 1853, In a
two.column editorial, shows cOncusivcly the
priority of Mr.. Gisbornes plan and actual op-
erations all looking to the connection of the
two continents by ocean telegraph. After
referring to the card of the Atlantic Company,
the writer says:
ing the years lSjO-5l Mr.. Osborne, who is civil
engineer by profession, and an enicientand accom-.
plished gentleman, was acting in the capacity OF
general superintendent of the telegraph line
through Nova Scotia, which he rclinquished to
carry out his project of Newfoundland line in ac-
cordaDce with plan already submitted by him 10
the Nova Scotia commissioners in the spring OF
1850. III making the necessary surveys across the
island OF Newfoundland o distance of nearly 400
miles through unbroken forests from st, Johns to
Cape Ray, which were finally concluded on the ith
of December 1851, he suffered hardshps in the will
| i'll despair
III 1852 Mr.. Osborne went to New York-the first
time he was ever in this country-and there freely
discussed his project of an Atlantic telegraph with
Messrs. Horace b. Tebbetts and D. b. H0lbrook
Funds were gunraIseed to lay the wires across the
Island and cable to the American Continent-thC
line from Newfoundland 10 Europe to be COM
pleted by the subsequent organization of an Inter
national Company IN England and America. Aftei
q few weeks he left for London, bearing with him
letters of introduction from one of the Nova Scotia
commissioners to John w. Brett, esq, the inventor
ofsubmarlne cables. What his business was with
Mr. Brett, the following brief extracts from the
letters Of the latter to Mr. Osborne during the years
1929 Will sufficiently show
Under date of London, July IL, 1852, Mr., Brett
writes Major Carmichael smyth, friend Of youl
: Mr.. Howe, one of the Nova Scotia commissioners
has just called and gave me your plan"
May g. 1888, Mr.. Brett writes again that his pur
pose IN communicating with Mr. Osborne to Learn
If you are prepared to cooperate in opening up tel
cgraphic communication between Newfoundland
and Ireland, and whether the object will meet fan
pportunderyouraus auspices in America He adds
Ny impression is, to do it WELL and have an odt
dollar Or two to meet the chances OF accident we
e1 GOD o 3 GaPa & Ot H. nor,oo oI yUu AN l
@ $50, 900 and good names here?'
: July s. 1855. 1lr. Brett again writes: On my re
\ turn from Paris this morning found your salts
factory letter OF June a. Delivered mere on te iti
oorn ~ he S,ionja o,Ihnr,e ~" ami at once s
cure il our iolnt names nm exclusive nriyilege fS
! establishing submarine telegraph between New
! foundand and Ireland. You should by all means
get nity year, ana an annual sum, on .It G9hHion m
tl6ns .S Srce ami rom Emmnmh WI '0
/
= All this was prior 10 Tue Messrs' fleids mrs
, movement, winch was IN March, leoi. DURING
! the period Oh thiS correspondence Glsoorhe
$ was Dusty e'lsuse' III pushing ior""'u his en-
'cIPl'so ~ M htilolIo, . . -
r MIR. GlsBoRNE OBTAINS AN ACT OF lNCoRPo
9 RATION, WITH EXCLUSIVE RIGHT Fol
| THIRTY YEARS
Mr. Edward NJ Archibald whom Mr. FieId
| IL t - 49, |,,' ',' - - - : ~ Wv
the other ovenir" ,ncntiona5 as hnin" " mos iaS
= ant In a Latter 70 tho Nnyv Vorlr Us,oIJ /,
:. ISSs sovs. -
!. A., rt,,,o,,o ro,,,.,,, 10 c. r,,,,,. \, l., L. u,
snrinr of iS54 wbe" NJ his instance nm M nc mcn, ",
r porating himself dis being the only name men
p tioned) and such others as might become share
. hol9eTs ia u Company 10 Dc Goeu Il.e NeWiouhu
4 iuilu lSleHI3ph Coulnily' ws ltSseq, gIiutllg ny
y exclusive ilsht % cIccI leIeS'ap's III Ne"iouhu
| lslllu lOl llllllI years.