The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1897-01-07
CABLE AGAINST TELEGRAPH,
George Hennan Tells How the Success Of
the Cable Affected Him.

kennan was engaged on the RUSSIAN
overland telegraph, and the bad
news was the announcement of the
successful laying of the Atlantic ca
BILE. which brought his work to q
sudden stop. Mr.. Kennan says:
Early the next morning was
awakened by one of the Cossacks
with the welcome news that there
was a square rigged vessel in the
offing five or six miles beyond Ma
tuga island. climbed hastily up the
bluff and had no difficulty liz making
out with a glass the masts and sails
of a good sized bark, evidently
whaler, which, although hull down,
was apparently cruising back and
forth with a light southerly breeze
across the gulf. We ate breakfast
hastily, put on our fur kukhlankas
and caps and started in whaleboat
under oars for the ship, which was
distant about 10 miles. Although
the wind WAS light and the sea COM
paratively smooth, it was hard, te-
dious pull, and we did not get along
side until after 10 o'clock. Pacing
the quarter deck as we climbed on
board was a good looking, ruddy
faced, gray haired man, whom took
to be the captain. He evidently
thought, from our outer fur dress,
that wo were only party of natives
come off to trade, and he paid no at
tention whatever to US until I walk
ed aft and said, Are you the cap
tain of this bark?"
At the first word of English he
stopped as if transfxed, started at
me for moment in silence, and then
exclaimed in tone of profound as
tonishment: "Well! Has the univer-
sal Yankee got up here?"
Yes, captain, replied, He is
not only here, but he has been here
two years or more. What bark is
this?"
The Sea Breeze of New Bedford,
Mass" he replied, land am Cap
tain Hamilton. But what are you
doing up i'll this forsaken country?
Have you been shipwrecked?"
mo, l said, were up here try
ing to build q telegraph line"
"A telegraph line!" he shouted.
."Well, if that ain t the craziest thing
l ever heard Of Who's going to tele.
graph from here?"
explained to him that we were
trying to establish telegraphio com
municatiOn between America and
Europe by way of Alaska, Bering
strait and Siberia and asked him il
he had never heard of the Russian
American Telegraph company.
Never. he replied. Il didn't
know there was such a company,
but I've been out two years on q
cruise. and | haven't kept up very
well with the news"
How about the Atlantic cable?'
inquired. do you know anything
about that?"
oh, yes" he replied cheerfully,
as if he were giving me the best
news in the word. Tho cable is laid
all right"
Does it work." asked, with a
sinking heart.
Works like a snatch tackle, . he
responded heartily. 1.-The Frisco pa
pers are publishing every morning
the London news of the day before
I've got lot of 'em on board that
I'll give you. Perhaps you'll find
something in them about your com.
pany.'
think the captain must have no
ticed from the sudden change in the
expression of our faces that his
news about the Atlantic cable was a
staggering blow to us, for he imme.
diately dropped the subject and sug.
gested the propriety of going below.
We all went down into the cozy,
we'll furnished cabin, where refresh
ments were set before US by the
steward and where we talked for
an hour about the news of the
world, from whaling in the south
Pacific to dog driving in arctic Asia,
and from Weston s walk across the
American continent to Karakozef' s
attempt to assassinate the czar.
But 1t was, on our side at least, a
perfunctory conversation. The news
of the complete success of the Allan
tic cable was as unexpected as it was
disheartening, and it filed our
minds to the exclusion of everything
else. We had lost the race, and even
If we should go over the course we
could hardly expect to get any ap-
plause or attract any attention. The
world would have no use for an over.
land telegraph line through Asia
and Siberia if it already possessed a