New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-12

Ncwf 'mdland. An aeir-' eut with ne NewiohhuE'ho
Electric Telegraph Company AMI The formal surrender
Of IL charter signed Mach 10, l-@i, and on III"
18th Gym, and David Dudley II ID and hF. Nhite
accompanied by Gsl"rnc VIII, WaS destined soon Z"
disappear from IN" scene. leg NcwN ori Tor - Jvnh >
Aiicr = comparatively short decay 'nc Old charter "
the charter Of the New Iork newfoundland and
London Telegraph Company" was ped unanimously
by The Assembly and confirmed D.! the 'onnci. inls
cLailcr gave authority g. c>lab,A ''l,hal iS
graph aclo>S the rom cv,un land to lirhnd
prohibited any other company from uIghing me 'ua,t
Of Nc"inndhnd or IL dcp'nlcndc, WIN iel @
cable or Wlir rom any point fl a.iN years ana SNe
the compamy sf"ni q MY ,Giir miies 81 Hc Hsr
Cooper. Tavior. Robert and ficd had already nd
yngrd ;2o9s e3ch ana MI %t' ref ' "n The
passage Of the charter Nr WIFI" va, cnabed 10 draw
New York fog $4,000 with whch hr rad OF al the
debts u On" oil company. or cons there WIS u
dinner at t. John 10 celebrate th' p',sace Of the
charter The lir, Of long >,rcs 81 a1Pl"N attendant
upon different ever In he history u. hc cable Jay III "
In Nav. 81. Mc~,r>. White and Iied returned from
Newfoundland. and At O'Clock lh" morning oi
,trcamci into the wadow, Of Mr. FIELDS honse.' the
formal organization took pacs The harier WAS @.s ao
Peicr Cooper made csldcnt. Chandler White wee
pre- idcnt Moses Taylor ira ur r ard McSsrs Coopr
TayIor field Ho crt- and White were clo-cn directors
Il capital o! million and half subscribed, ana
company put lno ration that va to 'arTy lhe 81
telegraph to It; John and then 10 pan the sea All
this occupied fifteen minutes.
SOME OF THE FIE-T DIFFICULTIES.
build post road and telegraph line across Ncwfound
land through 400 miles of pathlcs wilderness
About forty miles only had been built by Osborne o
OF II. Johns Mathew d. Field, practical engineer
had charge Of the construction and Mr. White. the
vice president. went to st. Johns, general agent
Of the company. Many difficulties were encountered
progress slow and the expense was great. An
dpa ng the completion Of the road in the summer Of
la5j, cyrus Field wa sent to England 10 pr7lrr .
cable 10 span the Gnf of - Lawrence ana '"hNr'l
Cape Ray with the island of IIcton This was the
first Of over Fly voyage, made in the Interests OF the
cal l.. He there met Mr.. Brett, the father of silt
marine tccgTphy In England, who had stretched TWO
lines across the British Channel and who proved ms
faith In this scheme by taking some stock IN ne
Ncwfound and Company. In The GUNNER OF l7o2 ,he
cable arrived. although the road across Newfoundland
wa not completed. and gay party was invited Gown
from Ncw York TO witness the laying which wa ch
pcctcd to be an easy task and simply pleasant
spectacle. Hayad Taylor present. aS the rep
rc,ent1tive Of The Tribune and MS gr9hic letter, we,
af'rWam collected In one of hi, volumes {"
travel. Iut afer Ialing ont fnty mile aero,
he 'nf Of It Lawrc.ee storm arose ana tie cape
cable. which towcd behind steamer. TN ,
was Il severe di,appoinment but Mr. Fi'ld 9Tu' re-, a
uno,tcnatou,ly. laid from specially fitted -l'im'r
in The summer Of so and remained in WORKING ordcr
across Newfoundland for 400 miles had been com
pct"d "a, well another line 40 miles in lcngi IN
carried from New York 10 It Johns a distance Of over
1000 miles. The cost thu, far had been about a
500 900. Professor Morse. Robert W L0wbcr Wilson
G.; Hunt and John W. Brett had also contributed
something. The company had isSuc $4,000 Of
bonds which were taken mp by lis own members.
In I-5G Mr.. Field was chosen vice president. and
all the negotiations. planning oversight Of the WORK
and tho executive duties continued they had done
to dcvolvc chiefly upon him, lu the work was on,
lust begun The main problem of spanning the 1860
miles between Newfoundland and lrland was yet
unsolvcd.
I'm Iuly 1873. the Government at the request OF
Mr. Field sent Lieutenant Gcrryman In the Arctic 10
line 81 deep >'a soundinEs along the pain marhr
ont for the cable. THIS was done with Lieutenant
I.rook'S dccpSca sounding apparatus and confirmed
the existence " the clceraphic plateau At re
time Mr. Field went 10 Engnnd aud induced me
British Government 10 send the Cycops, under Lieu
tenant Commander Dayman. to run a similar Inc 2i
-oundngS from Nalcntia. Ireland when "nIrmed u,
general Lieutenant Bcrr, mans rc-nlt~. The only
exception 10 uniform depth was found 200 mile- OF
from $50 fithom- to l.75O fthDms. The errlt'si
dcpth on his plateau 1000 fnthomS, or l2oH'
feet Meanwhile Mr. Field Wa In England CARVING
ont The original design of the company by obtaining
subscriptions 50 a. 70 ensc is capital ara ing.c
in corporation the whole line rom New ,W OK ="
London. frtt Brunei. stephenson. Fright anf White
house sccntit, consulted. and the hrn OF "As.
Elliott 60: Of London set TO- work eNp'rienns -" vi,
cables finally securing H,aii2n by 'ne1s 81
-cttcd the practlcablty OF t"hsrapmnE u,tpii" Di
proposed Atlantic cable. and he enthusiastically cal
cnlatcd sending by n cable containing single con
dncng wire twenty WORD MESSAGE ID ',t'S' mini.
twenty such messages In the hour. or if,ioo WORT
per day faraday believed in thc scheme ana tn'
recommendation s ~ scientists caused pubnc 'phhuW'
The English Government In November, 7'", eishS,'l
to furnish ship, for soundne to consider iny2;',s rs
request, for aid IN laying me cable ana % pay -,
yearly while the cable wa' IN WORKING ou'r
fr CONVEYANCE OF Government message. tO ~
reduced t. 10000 when the net profits II I'VE
company should give n dividend Of q per cent. Nr
Fc>, then issued circular IN the name ~ 81. Ne. ".
.rrrrr subscription, T. the stock Of the Atlantic
Telegraph Company. formed to continue the line Of
the first across the Atlantic with capital of t5'o
900 Mr.. Brett vi, valuable assistant n WILL a.
sir Charles Bright af"rwori the engineer ana DE-
Whitchouse the electrician of the company
THE sHARn, TAKEN IL ENGLAND.
Mr. Field addressed the Chambers Of Commerce Of
.is. u, TntI,,, ~ le
$50 shares Of el.ooo each. all were taken In n few
wcels 1Oi in London cirhtysix In Liverpool, thirty
seven I'm Glasgow. twenty eight in Manchester, while
Mr. Field who subscribed 100000, found when the
books were closed that he held eighty eight shar''.
He intended 10 dispose Of some In this country Among
the subscribers were Mr.. Thackcray and Lady Byron
A contingent interest In the profits was allowed Mr.
Field and his associates for their services I'm getting
up the company and for their exclusive rights, ~ bc
allowed only after the cable should be Snrccs,inl!
laid. The company was organized III December l7"n'
fine director, being chiefly leading bankers and mcr
chant, Of London and Liverpool although among them
They then coniiaJ-5d FOR the cable which consisted Of
seven copper wires twisted around one another, en-
about which taricd hemp, and over this eighteen
strands Of iron wire each consisting Of seven distinct
a hasty Journey 10 Newfoundland. Mr. Field went To
Washington 10 seek Government aid. In the form OF
subsidy. There was much opposition, partH, OH
political grounds but the measure was cmInploned Dy
rcward Douglas and Ru,t. The same privileges were
a. 1,
mr,,ngc, aud the use Of Naval vessels. After a hard
Gght the bill pissed the BY majority, mud
was signed by President Pierce on March j. 1897, the
day before he left Office.
IN. Nlagnrr and su.quchanna, designated for ala
I'm having the cable by the American Government, anu
the Agamennon aud Leopard, English ves sells, rs
scmblcd In lie harbor of Valentia Ireland in lhS
summer Of 1-57. ON board the Niagara and
Acnmcmnon WAS the completed and tested cable
filling The holds with lis immense coils
Thcre we're three smaller EngllA steamers at hand 70
render assistance, and the coast Of Newfoundland.
two American steamers waited the coming OF me Met
on Wednesday August g. 1887, the shore end Of the
cabl, was taken 10 land. Next morning the Meet
.tarted The Niagara. board Of which was Mr.. Field.
having ont the cable. The shore end caught In the
machinery and parted before going five miles, but the
accident was readily repaired. On Monday, when over
300 miles AZ sea Their, mysterious Interruption
~ thc eject rical continuity OT two hours and half,
Int fhe current returned and messages ccnld be again
cent 10 shore. But Tuesday morning, rs the cable