The New York herald., 1879-03-11
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS old.
Brilliant Commsmorahon Of the Formation Of
The Atlantic Gable Company.
CYRUS w. FIELDS TRIUMPH.
Reception in the Historic Room
in Gramercy Park.
SPEECHES AND COMMUNICATIONS

Mr.. Cyrus W. Fields residence at Gramorcy Park
last evening was the of unique and brilliant
celebration. 1t the TWEEN y-ifth anniversary Of
the formation of q company for laying the frst At
lantic cable Mr.. Field had issued about
two thousand magnifcently engraved mon
ster invitations. bearing symbolic represents
tions of the great cable enterprise. and in
response to these avery and distinguished
throng of Rkopalasscnlbled in his parlors. Among
those present were Secretary Evarts. Sir Edward
Thornton. the British Ministers Mr.. shishkn the
Russian MINISTER; Judge Allen, Minister of the Sand
wich Islands; Professor Baird, OF the Smithsonian
Insttute President Garrett, of tho Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad; Mayor Latrobe of Baltimore; George
W. Childs and number Of Phiadelphia
notabilities. Peter Cooper. Moses Taylor. Mar
shall .. Roberts. Wilson q. Hunt. cx-Govcr-
nor Tilden. ex-Mayors Wickham and Ely,
Mayor Cooper. William II. Vanderbilt. Samuel d.
Babcock. David Dow. G. X. and William r. Garrison,
Jose r. Navarro, John Baird, Ex-Governor Morgan.
Abram 8. Hewitt. Clarkson n. Potter and host of
others. or MI. Fields Immediate family
present Mrs. Cyrus W. Field. Mrs Lindley and Mrs.
hudson. daughters of Mr.. Field Mr.. E. M. Field his
eldest and wife; Cyrus W. Field. Jr., another
son; Mr.. Dudley Fielu,Shis nephew. and wife. and
Mr.. Fields three brothers. David Dudley, stephen j.
Justice of the United States Supreme Court) and
Henry M. The partors decorated with flowers.
ornaments and pictures. and among the latter were
many striking "reminiscences Of the cables early
history.
CABLES PfcrORIAL HISTORY.
These pictures which were studied with general
interest by the guests represented the starting Of
the first cable at valcnta, the Irish coast show
Ing the Great Eastern at distance. the successful
landing at Hearts Content, the Newfoundland
coast. in presence of vast and joyous multitude.
the midnight graphing Of the cable on mid-ocean
and throwing up of skyrocket that
memorable occasion, the examination of the
cable on board ship to see if there was still
''life in It, the splicing Of the cable. Mr.. Fields
from the Great Eastern after the successful
laying Of two cables The back paror was fostooncd
with the very streamer which waved from the mast
head Of the cable ship Niagara. This fitted
mp with tho Same quaint old. yet still solid furni-
ture which it contained this day twenty-five years
ago. and here was the veritable table at which
Cyrus W. Field, Peter Cooper, Marshall o. Roberts,
Moses Taylor ana Chandler White pledged their
names for tho execution Of the vast international
enterprise, whose success was to mark epoch
In civilization. OF these five original founders Of the
Atlantic cable the first four were present. Mr..
Wilson G. Hunt taking tho place of Mr.. White, de-
ceased. and though quarter Of century had
passed over their heads they still Looked hale and
Joyous their present happy reunion and able to
hght the battles Of life for years to come At ten
o'clock they gathered round the historic table bear
ing globe on which Mr. Field made his first cable
studes and the formal part Of the celebration began
in the delivery of q number of addresses and the
reading of many letters and kilograms Of congratu-
1ation, which evoked much applause. banquet
spread by Dclmonicos then awaited the guests and
done full justice to. the band present meanwhile
discoursng lively music. Tho banquet hall was
decorated with flags Of all countries.
cADLEGRAM.
Among the special objects Of interest during the
evening the exhibition of the well known de-
tpatch Of congratuation sont by Queen Victoria to
president Buchanan, which the frat telegram
that passed the cable This telegram is now in
possession OF Mrs. Henry l.. Johnston, OF Baltimore,
and exhibited by MIR. Enoch Pratt of that city.
It reads follows:-
To TIL. Pnrsphsr OF THE UNITED srArns Washington =
Tho Queen desires TO congst,sto he President upen
which sSs 9assa ia. taken re inssssss
s fSsF Stable raif
Founded in their common interest aud rcciprocal
with sSs ana sno~ns her Wishes o
perity Of the United States.
At ten o'clock Mr.. Cyrus w. Field opened the pro-
cecdngs with the following address, :
sm CYRUS W. FIELDS SPEECH
Neighbcrs and friends said Mr.. Field.' twenty-five
aS bs sbs ana Il "a hs ns IN tins
tho agreement to form the New York. Newfoundland
and London Telegraph Company-the first company
was signed by five persons. four OF whom
Potter Cooper, Moses Taylor. Marshall q.
nfth Mr.. Chandler White, dicd two years after
and his place was taken by Mr.. Wilson @. Hunt who
their honor-as might have been expected from men
OF their high position and charactcthat they stood
BY the undertaking inanfuy for twelve long years.
through discouragcments such as nobody knows but
themselves. Those who applaud success know
little through what struggles It was obtained. One
made the heart SICK. We had little help from outside
for few had any faith in enterprise. But not q
man deserted the ship all stood by it to the end
MY brother Dudley is also here. who as the counsel
OF tho company. was present ut the signing OF the
week after to Newfoundland, to obtain the charter
and legal adviser through those an xious and
troubled years. when success seemed very doubtful
At st. Johns the first man to give o hearty wei
come. and who aided us in obtaining our charter
was Mr.. Edward M. Archibald, then Prime Minister
TO Newfoundland, and now for more than twenty
years the honorcd representative OF Her Majesty's
government ut this port, who s also here tonight
were spared to sec accomplished the wors that @
began; ana that we can meet now, at the end Of a
quarter of o century, to look with wonder at what
has been wrought since In other parts of tho world
Our little company carno into existence only few
weeks before the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany, which is entitled to share in congratula-
lions and has kindly brought connecting wire into
this room. by which this evening csnimun-
cate with cvcry and village from the Atlantic 70
the Pacific and by our cables. with Europe ASIA
Africa. Auptralte. New Zealand, the West Indies and
f1u'A A'p fStfffsshgools oolsfH: e,,xAr CHANGES.
While oiir s,naTh crcIo has been broken by death
but once very different hos 1t been with the Atlantic
Telegraph Company, which was formed in London in
1856, to extend limo tho ocean. At its be-
ginning there were eighteen English and twelve
American directors, thirty in all, OF whom twenty
nine havo either died retired from the Board
Alone still remain ono OF the directors
Many Of the great men OK science both sides OF
the Atlantic, who inspired by thcir knowledge and
their enthusiasm. have passed away. We have lost
Bacho whose coast survey mapped out the whole line
OF the American shores; and Maury who lrst taught
Us to ind path through tho depths Of the seas and
DerryInan. who soundcd across the Atlantic, and
Morse; and last. but not loast. Eenry. Across tho
water we miss some who did much as any men In
their generation to mako tho name OF England grca
Farady aud Whcatstoncs Stephenson and brunei
All OF whom gave us freely their invaluable coun-