THE FIRST CABLE
(1853-1857)
The last sentence of the last chapter is a true indication of character.
Mr. Field had doubtless expected, when he retired from business, to
retire permanently, and to spend in ease not only the evening and the
afternoon but the meridian of his life. But it was not to be, and one
may well imagine that his previous experiences had been a providential
preparation for the great work of his life, the great work of his time.
It matters little who first conceived as a dream the notion of electric
communication across the Atlantic. To realize that dream there was
needed precisely the qualities and the circumstances of Cyrus W. Field.
Here was a man whose restless energy had not yet begun to be impaired by
time, but who was already a successful man. In virtue of his success he
was able not only to devote himself to a work which he was convinced was
as practical as it was beneficent--he was able also to enlist the
co-operation of wealthy men, whom the project of an Atlantic cable would
have left quite cold if it had been propounded to them by a mere
electrician. They could not have helped regarding the scheme as
chimerical and fantastic if a purely scientific man had approached them
with it, even with the most plausible figures to prove its
practicability and profitableness. To give it a chance of success with
them, it must be presented and believed in by one whose previous life
and whose personal success forbade them to regard him as a visionary,
and who by force of his position as well as of his qualities was able to
infect them with some part of his own confidence and enthusiasm. Mr.
Field was that unique man, and hence it is that he must be regarded as
the one indispensable factor in the execution of a transatlantic system
of telegraphic communication, inevitably soon to become a world-wide
system, and far to outrun in actual fact the poet's daring dream of
putting "a girdle round about the earth in forty minutes."
It was on Mr. Field's return from Washington late in the month of
January, 1854, that his brother Matthew asked him to have a talk with
Mr. Frederick N. Gisborne, who was stopping at the Astor House. Mr.
Gisborne was an engineer and telegraph operator, and his desire had been
to connect St. John's, Newfoundland, with the telegraphic system of the
United States.
In the spring of 1852 the Legislature of Newfoundland had passed an act
incorporating the Newfoundland Electric Telegraph Company, and had given
to Mr. Gisborne the exclusive right to erect telegraphs in Newfoundland
for thirty years, with certain concessions of land by way of
encouragement to be granted upon the completion of the telegraph from
St. John's to Cape Ray, and on his return to New York he formed a
company, and in the spring of 1853 set vigorously to work to build the
line. He had successfully completed some thirty or forty miles when his
work was suddenly brought to a standstill by the failure of the company
to furnish the means to carry it on.
"He returned to New York from his difficult and unaccomplished task
utterly disappointed and beggared, and at this time was waiting for
something to turn up." Mr. Field saw Mr. Gisborne, heard what he had
done and what he had failed to do, and became at once interested in the
work. This meeting was followed by many others, and after they had
parted late one evening, as Mr. Field stood studying intently the large
globe that was in his library, it flashed across his mind that, if it
were possible to connect Newfoundland with the United States, why not
Ireland with Newfoundland?
The idea once conceived, he lost no time in putting it into execution,
and the next morning's mail took letters to Professor Maury at
Washington and Professor Morse at Poughkeepsie. He also consulted his
brother, Mr. David Dudley Field, and his neighbor, Mr. Peter Cooper.
More than twenty-five years after Mr. Cooper told of the meeting:
"It fell to my lot to be one of the first, if not the first, to
whom Mr. Field applied to join him in the enterprise which has so
much interested us this evening. It was an enterprise which struck
me very forcibly the moment he mentioned it. I thought I saw in it,
if it was possible, a means by which we could communicate between
the two continents, and send knowledge broadcast over all parts of
the world. It seemed to strike me as though it were the
consummation of that great prophecy, that "knowledge shall cover
the earth, as waters cover the deep," and with that feeling I
joined him and my esteemed friends, Wilson G. Hunt, Moses Taylor,
and Marshall O. Roberts, in what then appeared to most men a wild
and visionary scheme; a scheme that many people thought fitted
those who engaged in it for an asylum where they might be taken
care of as little short of lunatics. But believing, as I did, that
it offered the possibility of a mighty power for the good of the
world, I embarked in it."
As soon as he obtained the co-operation of the men mentioned by Mr.
Cooper, Mr. Field asked them to meet in the dining-room of his house,
and for four nights they sat around the table examining the records of
the old company, studying maps, and making estimates. On the 10th of
March, 1854, the Electric Telegraph Company formally surrendered its
charter, and it was decided that if the government of Newfoundland would
give the new company a liberal charter they would carry forward the
work, and, if possible, extend it. On the 14th of March Mr. Cyrus Field
and Mr. Chandler White, and Mr. David Dudley Field as legal adviser,
left for Newfoundland; they took the steamer at Boston for Halifax, and
on the 18th left Halifax in the steamer _Merlin_ for St. John's. In his
speech at the Cable Celebration in the Crystal Palace on September 1,
1858, Mr. David Dudley Field said:
"Three more disagreeable days voyagers scarcely ever passed than we
spent in that smallest of steamers. It seemed as if all the storms
of winter had been reserved for the first month of spring. A
frost-bound coast, an icy sea, rain, hail, snow, and tempest were
the greetings of the telegraph adventurers in their first movement
towards Europe. In the darkest night, through which no man could
see the ship's length, with snow filling the air and flying into
the eyes of the sailors, with ice in the water, and a heavy sea
rolling and moaning about us, the captain felt his way around Cape
Race with his lead, as a blind man feels his way with his staff,
but as confidently and safely as if the sky had been clear and the
sea calm. And the light of the morning dawned upon deck and mast
and spar coated with glittering ice, but floating securely between
the mountains which formed the gates of the harbor of St. John's."
The little party was welcomed warmly by Mr. Edward M. Archibald, then
attorney-general of the colony, and for many years afterwards British
consul-general in New York, and by the governor, Ker Barley Hamilton;
Bishop Field, of Newfoundland, and the Roman Catholic bishop, John
Mullock, were among their entertainers, and became their warm friends.
On November 8, 1850, Bishop Mullock had written to the editor of the St.
John's _Courier_:
_"Sir,_--I regret to find that in every plan for transatlantic
communication Halifax is always mentioned and the natural
capabilities of Newfoundland entirely overlooked.
"This has been deeply impressed on my mind by the communication I
read in your paper of Saturday last, regarding telegraphic
communication between England and America, in which it is said that
the nearest telegraphic station on the American side is Halifax,
2155 miles from the coast of Ireland. Now, would it not be well to
call the attention of Europe and America to St. John's as the
nearest telegraphic point?
"It is an Atlantic port, lying, I may say, in the track of the
ocean steamers, and by establishing it as the American telegraph
station, news could be communicated to the whole American continent
forty-eight hours sooner than by any other route. But how will this
be accomplished? Just look at the map of Newfoundland and Cape
Breton. From St. John's to Cape Ray there is no difficulty in
establishing a line, passing near Holy Rood, along the neck of land
connecting Trinity and Placentia bays, and thence in a direction
due west to the cape. You have then about 41 to 45 miles of sea to
St. Paul's Island, with deep soundings of 100 fathoms, so that the
electric cable will be perfectly secure from icebergs; thence to
Cape North in Cape Breton is little more than 12 miles. Thus it is
not only practicable to bring America two days nearer to Europe by
this route, but should the telegraphic communication between
England and Ireland, 62 miles, be realized, it presents not the
slightest difficulty. Of course we in Newfoundland will have
nothing to do with the erection, working, and maintenance of the
telegraph, but I suppose our government will give every facility to
the company, either English or American, who will undertake it, as
it will be of incalculable advantage to this country. I hope the
day is not far distant when St. John's will be the first link in
the electric chain which will unite the Old World to the New.
"I remain, etc.,
"J. I. M."
_November_ 8, 1850.
Shortly after the arrival of the gentlemen from New York the Legislature
of Newfoundland repealed the charter of the Electric Telegraph Company,
in which it had been expressly stated that the line of this company is
designed to be strictly an "inter-continental telegraph," and a charter
was given to the "New York, Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Company."
Not only was the title of the new company suggestive, but the first
sentence expressly stated, "It is deemed advisable to establish a line
of telegraphic communication between New York and London by the way of
Newfoundland." And at the same time there was granted to the company an
exclusive monopoly for fifty years to lay submarine cables across the
Atlantic from the shores of Newfoundland.
When this work was begun the longest submarine cable in the world was
that between England and Holland, and one had never been laid in water
one hundred fathoms deep.
The party of three returned to New York early in May, and on Saturday
evening, the 6th, the charter was accepted, and the New York,
Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Company was organized; at six o'clock
in the morning, on May the 8th, the papers were signed and fifteen
hundred thousand dollars subscribed. This meeting lasted just fifteen
minutes.
Late in the spring of 1854 Mr. Field was obliged to take his old place
at the head of the firm of Cyrus W. Field & Co., his brother-in-law and
partner, Joseph F. Stone, having died on the 17th of May. The following
August his only son died, and it was with a heavy heart that he began
this double work.
On January 25, 1855, he sailed for England to order the cable to connect
Cape Ray and Cape Breton. And while he was away his children received
this letter:
"MORLEY'S HOTEL,
"LONDON, _February 25, 1855_.
"_My dear, dear Children,_--Many thanks for your affectionate
letters, which I received last week in Paris.
"I wish that you would tell your good uncle Henry that I am much
obliged for his letter of January 30th, and give my warmest love to
your dear grandfather and Aunt Mary, and thank them for writing to
me, and tell them that if I do not get time to answer their letters
I think a great deal about them, and hope that we shall soon all
meet in health, and that then I shall have much to tell them of
what I have seen and heard in the few weeks that I have been in
Europe.
"I hope at some future day to visit Europe again with your dear
mother, and then, perhaps, we shall take all of our children with
us.
"I am sure that you would be very happy to see the many beautiful
things that can be daily seen in London, Paris, and other parts of
Europe.
"When do you think it would be best for us to sail?
"I am sure that you will be very kind to your mother and
affectionate to each other, and do all in your power to make each
person in our house very happy.
"I hope that you will go very often to see your dear grandfather,
grandmother, Aunt Mary, and Cousin Emilia; and whenever you see
dear little Freddy kiss him many times for me.
"It is one month to-day since I left home, and on the 24th of March
I hope to leave Liverpool for New York.
"In Paris I purchased some things for you, and the one that has
been the best child during my absence shall have the first choice.
"Good-bye, and may God bless you all, is the constant prayer of
"Your affectionate father,
"CYRUS W. FIELD.
"The Misses Field, New York."
On the 7th of August, 1855, a party sailed from New York on the steamer
_James Adger_ to assist at the laying of the cable across the Gulf of
St. Lawrence. To quote again from Mr. Cooper's speech:
"We went along very pleasantly until we came to Port au Basque, and
there we waited several days for the arrival of the ship that
contained the cable, and when she came we directed the captain to
take her in tow. Unfortunately he had taken umbrage at the action
of Mr. Lowber, who, acting as a master of ceremonies, had placed
Rev. Dr. Spring at the head of the table instead of the captain. So
offended was he that he became as stubborn as a mule thereafter.
"Four several attempts were made to get hold of the ship having the
cable; and the darkness of night coming on, we had to go into Cape
Ray. There we got the end of the cable to the telegraph-house after
much labor; and when we had it fastened to the shore and properly
connected we gave the captain orders to tow the ship across the
gulf. In starting he managed to run into the ship, carrying away
her shrouds and quarter-rail and almost making a wreck, so that we
had to lay up, for in dragging the cable the connection was
destroyed. We joined it again, and after some delay departed,
directing the captain to take the ship in tow. We had taken the
precaution to bring two very long and thick cables to tow her
across the gulf. He started, and again had the misfortune to get
the larger line entangled with the wheel of his vessel. In the
confusion that followed the ship that had the cable by his orders
parted her anchor; the line was cut, and she drifted towards a reef
of rocks. We entreated the captain to get hold of her as quickly as
possible, but before he did so she was almost on the reef. It was
then found necessary to go back and have the machinery fixed, which
took several days before we were ready to start again. At length,
one beautiful day we got off. Before starting our engineer, who had
charge of laying the cable, gave the captain instructions to keep
constantly in view a flag placed upon the telegraph-house and bring
it in range with a white rock upon the mountain, which would give
him the exact lines upon which to steer. As soon, however, as we
got off, I saw the captain was going out of the way, and, as
president of the board, I told him so. The answer was, 'I know how
to steer my ship; I steer by my compass.' I said, 'Your
instructions were to steer for the flag and the rock on the
mountain.' 'I steer by my compass,' was all I could get out of him.
He went on steering in that manner until I found he was going so
far out of the way that I told him I would hold him responsible for
all loss. This had no effect. I then got a lawyer who was on board
to draw up a paper warning the captain that if he did not change
his course we should hold him responsible for the loss of the
cable. He then turned his course, and went as far out of the way in
the other direction. We soon after encountered a gale, and had to
discontinue; and when we came to measure the cable, we found we had
laid twenty-four miles of cable, and had got only nine miles from
shore. That is only a sample of the trials we had to encounter in
this enterprise, and I mention it to say that it was in great
measure due to the indomitable courage and zeal of Mr. Field
inspiring us that we went on and on until we got another cable
across the gulf."
In July, 1856, a cable eighty-five miles in length was successfully laid
across the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting Newfoundland with Cape
Breton, and also one of eleven miles from Prince Edward Island to New
Brunswick. The lines, one hundred and forty miles in length, had also
been built across Cape Breton. The telegraph system of the United
States had thus been connected with the most eastern port of
Newfoundland.
How this work was done was told by Mr. Field on November 15, 1866.
"It was a very pretty plan on paper. There was New York and there
was St. John's, only about twelve hundred miles apart. It was easy
to draw a line from one point to the other, making no account of
the forests and mountains and swamps and rivers and gulfs that lay
in our way. Not one of us had ever seen the country or had any idea
of the obstacles to be overcome. We thought we could build the line
in a few months. It took two years and a half, yet we never asked
for help outside our own little circle. Indeed I fear we should not
have got it if we had, for few had any faith in our scheme. Every
dollar came out of our own pockets. Yet I am proud to say no man
drew back. No man proved a deserter; those who came first into the
work stood by it to the end....
"It was begun and for two years and a half was carried on solely by
American capital. Our brethren across the sea did not even know
what we were doing away in the forests of Newfoundland. Our little
company raised and expended over a quarter million pounds sterling
before an Englishman paid a single pound. Our only support outside
was in the liberal charter and steady friendship of the government
of Newfoundland."
But it was now thought wise to enlist English co-operation. For this
purpose Mr. Field left New York by the steamship _Baltic_ on Saturday,
July 19, 1856. His work in London was begun at once, and John Brett,
Michael Faraday, George Parker Bidder, Mr. Statham, of the London
Gutta-percha Works; Mr. Brunel; Mr. Glass, of Glass, Elliott & Co.;
Charles T. Bright, and Dr. Edward O. W. Whitehouse were soon among his
friends and strongly impressed with the idea that a cable could be
successfully laid across the Atlantic. It was at this time that in
response to a note from his wife, Mr. Glass wrote, "Mr. Field is in
London," and that showed that no longer was his time his own.
Once when with Faraday, Mr. Field asked him how long a time he thought
would be required for the electric current to pass between London and
New York. His answer was brief and to the point: "Possibly one second."
Brunel was also as clear-sighted; he pointed to the _Great Eastern_ that
he was then building, and said, "Mr. Field, there is the ship to lay the
cable." Eight years later it was used for that purpose.
Before a company was formed he addressed a letter to Lord Clarendon,
then Foreign Secretary, and the answer to it was a request for a
personal interview. Professor Morse was in London, and he went with Mr.
Field to the Foreign Office, where they remained for over an hour.
Lord Clarendon seemed to be at once interested, and among the questions
asked was, "But suppose you do not succeed, that you make the attempt
and fail, your cable lost at the bottom of the ocean, then what will you
do?" "Charge it to profit and loss and go to work to lay another," was
the answer. Lord Clarendon on parting desired that the requests made
should be put in writing, and spoke words of encouragement.
The Atlantic Telegraph Company was organized December 9, 1856. It was
decided that for this work $1,750,000 must be raised. Mr. Field put his
name down for $500,000 (100 shares). He counted upon aid from America,
and did not intend to hold this large amount of stock individually. As
more money was subscribed than had been called for, but eighty-eight
shares were allotted to him. This was fortunate, for on his return to
New York he was able to dispose of but twenty-one shares.
Mr. George Saward wrote to _The Electrician_ on the 28th of March, 1862:
"Mr. Field in starting the Atlantic Telegraph Company took upon his own
account eighty-eight shares of £1000 each. Upon all of these he paid
into the coffers of the company in cash the first deposit of £17,600,
and upon sixty-seven of them he paid the entire amount of calls,
amounting to £67,000. This I am in a position to verify. A great number
of these have been sold at a loss; but Mr. Field is still the largest
holder of shares in the company paid up in cash." Among the original
subscribers in England were Lady Byron and Thackeray, and in America
Archbishop Hughes.
Mr. Field sailed for America on December 10th, and arrived in New York
on Christmas Day.
On December 23d the Senate had requested President Pierce, "if not
incompatible with the public interest, to communicate such information
as he may have concerning the present condition and prospects of a
proposed plan for connecting by submarine wires the magnetic telegraph
lines on this continent and Europe," and on December 29th Mr. Pierce
sent to the Senate the letter that had been addressed to him on December
15th by the New York, Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Company. The
substance of this letter was that "The contracts have been made for the
manufacture of a submarine telegraphic cable to connect the continents
of Europe and America." ... That "it is the desire of the directors to
secure to the government of the United States equal privileges with
those stipulated for by the British government." ... That "the British
government shall have priority in the conveyance of their messages over
all others, subject to the exception only of the government of the
United States, in the event of their entering into an arrangement with
the telegraph company similar in principle to that of the British
government, in which case the messages of the two governments shall have
priority in the order in which they arrive at the station." ...
"Her Majesty's government engages to furnish the aid of ships to make
what soundings may still be considered needful, or to verify those
already taken, and favorably to consider any request that may be made to
furnish aid by their vessels in laying down the cable." ... "To avoid
failure in laying the cable, it is desirable to use every precaution,
and we therefore have the honor to request that you will make such
recommendation to Congress as will secure authority to detail a
steamship for this purpose, so that the glory of accomplishing what has
been justly styled 'the crowning enterprise of the age' may be divided
between the greatest and freest governments on the face of the globe."
The bill was drawn by Mr. Seward, and was "An act to expedite
telegraphic communication for the uses of the government in its foreign
intercourse." The great contest over its passage was not until early in
the next year, 1857.
The suggestion made to the St. John's _Courier_ in 1850 by Bishop
Mullock, and which Mr. Gisborne had tried to carry out, had not been
lost sight of, as the following letter shows:
"TREASURY CHAMBERS, _19th November, 1856_.
"_Sir,_--With reference to your letter of the 6th instant
requesting that directions should be given for permitting British
mail packets between Liverpool and the United Stales to receive and
throw overboard off Cape Race and off Queenstown cases containing
telegraphic dispatches, to be picked up by the telegraph company's
own vessels, I am commanded by the Lords Commissioners of her
Majesty's Treasury to acquaint you that their lordships have stated
to the Lords of the Admiralty that after communicating with Mr.
Cunard as to the feasibility of the plan, and receiving from him an
assurance that it might be carried into effect without in any way
retarding the regular mail service, they are of the opinion that
the necessary directions may be given for this purpose, subject to
the following conditions:
"1. That the mail steamers shall not be delayed.
"2. That they shall not be required to alter the course they would
otherwise have taken.
"3. That no responsibility shall attach to their ship or to the
government.
"4. That the companies shall make such arrangements in reference to
the receipt and dispatch of messages as shall be satisfactory to
the Treasury, in order to secure equal advantages to all persons
using the telegraph.
"I am, sir,
"Your obedient servant,
"C. L. TREVELYAN."
In a New York paper of July 12, 1857, is this telegram:
"From the steamship _Persia_,
"OFF CAPE RACE, NEWFOUNDLAND,
"_Saturday_, July 11th, P.M.
"We have thus far had a very pleasant passage and expect to reach
Liverpool next Friday. All well and all in good spirits.
"CYRUS W. FIELD."
And below the telegram this was added:
"This feat would seem to demonstrate the entire practicability of
obtaining news from the Atlantic steamers as they pass Cape Race,
and should the Atlantic telegraph cable fail from any cause, we
understand that the telegraph company will make effective
arrangements to carry something of this kind into operation."