This information about the "Atlantic Submarine Telegraph Line" was taken from an article that appeared in 1867 as part of a collection of articles that related to news events of 1866. It tells the fascinating story of America being connected to England via telegraph wire for the first time. —fadedpages.com

The original "New York, Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Company," its members all citizens of New York, and Mr. Peter Cooper president, was organized in 1854. The "Atlantic Telegraph Company" was formed in 1856; and of this, in 1858, the members were citizens of Great Britain, the United States, and the Canadas, its president at the time being Mr. Samuel Gurney, of London.

In the first attempt at the laying of a cable across the Atlantic, commenced August 5, 1857, the cable parted, with loss of the shore end, on the 11th of the same month, when 334 miles of it, starting at Valentia Bay on the western coast of Ireland, had been paid out. In the second attempt, begun in mid-ocean, June 26, 1858, after the cable had several times parted and been re-spliced, but still without success, the enterprise was for the time abandoned. In the third expedition, the paying-out being also commenced in mid-ocean, and on the 27th of the succeeding July, a cable was, successfully laid, its western end being landed on the 5th of August; but the transmission of signals by this, at best irregular, finally ceased about the 1st of September of the same year. A fourth expedition, and in which the steamship Great Eastern was for the first time employed, set out from Valentia Bay in July, 1865, laying the shore end of a cable of new and improved construction at that point on the 21st of the month named: after the paying-out of about 1,212 nautical miles' length of this, a fault became evident, and, the cable parting during the efforts made to recover the defective portion, and grappling for it proving unsuccessful, this attempt also was abandoned. It has been estimated that these (thus far) unavailing trials had already involved an outlay of not less than $6,000,000.

The electricians in charge, at Valentia, of the shore end. of the cable of 1865 continued to test daily, at the hours of 12 M. and 6 P. the conductivity of the core, this condition being determined in a case of the kind by comparison of the amount of resistance opposed by the wires to the passage of the current, as shown by the needle of a galvanometer placed in the circuit, with the accurately known number of "units" of resistance of another coil of given length, and charged in succession from the same battery. The general result being that the average resistance proper to the core at the moment of the rupture, although subject to marked fluctuations through the disturbing agency of magnetic storms, and even (it appeared) through that of changes of atmospheric pressure—a high barometer being attended with increased resistance, and v. v.—was still at other times steadily maintained, ranging in fact very close to 5,000,000,000 "units" of the standard employed, it followed that no fault or leakage of the current had supervened at any point nearer than the broken extremity; or, in other words, that the insulation and continuity, and hence the working condition, of the cable remained unimpaired. Prof. William Thomson, among others, maintained accordingly that the broken cable could still be completed to a perfect line; and under this assurance and the yet untiring efforts of Mr. Cyrus W. Field and others, in behalf of the general enterprise, it was determined to undertake in 1866 both the laying of a new cable, and the recovery and completion of the large portion remaining submerged from the previous year.

The newly-formed "Telegraph Construction Co.," composed substantially of the rnanufacturers, undertook to produce the additional amount of cable to make the 2,700 miles required for both the purposes just named, and at the mere estimated cost, £500,000; but on condition of receiving the further sum of £100,000 in case of the success of the enterprise. The sums so required were to be raised by the "Anglo-American Co.," which appears meantime to have taken the place of the "Atlantic Tel. Co.;" and the profits of the line, when realized, were to be divided in certain stipulated proportions between the shareholders in the new and those in the former companies.

The cable required in addition to the somewhat more than 1,000 miles in length remaining from that of 1865, was completed early in May, 1866. The sailing qualities of the Great Eastern and her capability of being readily manœuvred, had been greatly improved by the clearing from the bottom of the ship of the thick coating of muscles and other marine growths, and by arranging the paddle-wheels so that either could be cast loose, the other, and aided by the screw, alone rotating. The three tanks of the great steamer admitting only 2,200 miles of cable, the screw-steamer Medway was chartered to receive the remaining 500 miles (part of the old cable); while the screw-steamer Albany and the government war steamer Terrible, completed the cable fleet.

The new cable was, in the main, similar to that of the year before; but the iron wire used in it had been galvanized, the better to resist rusting, and also in part annealed; and the construction was such as to throw upon the Manila yarn its proportion of the total strain. The cable was thus at once more pliable and stronger; and the yarn in it not being saturated with the tar solution before used, it was less liable to slip, when, in paying out, it might become necessary to check it with the rope-stoppers. The picking-up machinery in the bow of the Great Eastern was of great dimensions and strength; and this and the paying-out machine (also stronger than before, and which could now be made also to haul in,) were each connected with a 40-horse-power engine, independent of those propelling the vessel.

Cut showing a section and an exterior view of each cable drawn to the full size, so that comparisons may be readily made.

[Note that the images have been enlarged for clarity, and that the size of the images will also be different on different computers because of different monitor sizes and resolution settings. On the original pages, the first image depicts a cable that is 5/8 of inch in diameter, and the next two images each depict a cable that is 1 1/16 of an inch in diameter. —fadedpages.com]

The cable of 1858 had for a conductor a copper strand of 7 wires, 6 laid around 1; weight 107 lbs. per nautical mile. The insulator was of gutta-percha, laid on in three coverings; weight 261 lbs. per nautical mile. The outer coat was composed of 18 strands of charcoal iron wire, each strand made of 7 wires, twisted 6 around 1, laid equally around the core, which had previously been padded with a serving of tarred hemp. Breaking strain, 3 tons, 5 cwt. Capable of bearing its own weight in a trifle less than five miles' depth of water. Length of cable produced, 2,174 nautical miles.

In the cable of 1865 the conductor was a copper strand of 7 wires, 6 laid around 1; weight 300 lbs. per nautical mile. Embedded in Chatterton's compound. Insulation was effected with gutta-percha and Chatterton's compound. Weight 400 lbs. per nautical mile. The outer coat was 10 single wires, each wire surrounded with tarred Manila rope, and the whole laid spirally around the core, which had previously been padded with a serving of tarred jute yarn. Breaking strain, 7 tons, 15 cwt. Capable of bearing its own weight in 11 miles' depth of water. Length of cable, 2,300 nautical miles.

The present cable has for a conductor a copper strand of 7 wires, 6 laid around 1; weight 300 lbs. per nautical mile. Embedded for solidity in Chatterton's compound. The insulator is 4 layers of gutta-percha, laid on alternately with thinner layers of Chatterton's compound; weight 400 lbs. per nautical mile. The outer coat is 10 solid wires galvanized, each wire surrounded separately with 5 strands of white Manila yarn, and the whole laid spirally around the core, which had previously been padded with a serving of tarred hemp. The breaking strain is 8 tons, 2 cwt., and it is capable of bearing its own weight in 12 miles' depth of water. This length of cable is 2,730 nautical miles, part of which is used for completing the cable which parted in 1865.

Mr. Willoughby Smith, the inventor of an apparatus for securing continuous tests of the insulation of the core, had taken the place of Mr. De Sauty as electrician-in-chief; while the services of Prof. Thomson and Mr. C. F. Varley were, on this occasion, secured to the "Telegraph Construction Company." These three gentlemen agreed upon a system by which, with the aid of the instruments invented or improved by them respectively, while messages could at any time be transmitted in either direction over the cable, the tests for insulation and continuity could also be kept up at the same time, and constantly, unless perhaps at the mere moments of reversal of the current; whereas, in the preceding expedition, the insulation test was applied only every alternate half hour, the other half hour being devoted to tests expressly of the resistance of the conductor and of its continuity.

The signalling instrument, devised by Prof. Thomson in 1858, had since been brought by him to a still higher working perfection. The image of a divided scale, reflected from a suspended mirror and viewed with a telescope, was first employed by Gauss, of Germany, for showing the magnetic deflection caused by given currents, and so measuring their strength; and Mr. J. P. Joule, of Manchester, had employed, for galvanometers to give quick indications, light needles hung by single fibres of silk—their deflections visibly indicated by light glass bars attached to them. Prof. Thompson substituted for these plans that of indications by means of a fine ray (rather, beam) of light reflected from a minute mirror carried by the galvanometer needle, this ray accordingly being caused, during the deflections of the needle due to transmitting in any desired succession brief direct and reversed currents, to shift its place to the right and left along a horizontal scale fixed about three feet in front of the mirror. The latter, of microscopic glass silvered, the inventor has reduced to a diameter of three-eighths of an inch, and a weight of about one grain. The ray of light to serve as "index," is that admitted through a fine aperture in the middle of the scale, its movements being usually confined within about two feet in length on either side.

In using this plan with the cable or similar conductor, and before, during, or after submersion, one of these "reflecting" or "mirror galvanometers" is, by means of its helix wire, connected with each end of the former. The operating battery current at either end being thrown into the conductor in brief direct and reverse charges, as required, a corresponding succession of quick movements of the needle and mirror, and hence of the indicating ray, to right or left over the scale, is produced at the other end of the wire. The Morse alphabet, as in use in England, has been employed, the dashes being denoted by movements of the ray to one hand, and the dots by those to the opposite; the combinations of these required denoting the letters; and the reading of these "light signals" being of course directly by the eye. The instrument affords the means of comparatively rapid signalling over long submerged wires, or of signalling by feeble currents through wires of very great length or imperfect conducting power.

The "resistance" coils used for comparison in determining the insulation of the core were of great total length, and capable of subdivision into small quantities, so as to measure the resistance of the conducting wires of the cable with great accuracy. These appear to have been constructed in accordance with plans of Professor Thomson, Mr. Jenkin, and Mr. Varley; while the continuity test was made at intervals of a few minutes by means of a small condenser devised by Mr. W. Smith. Meanwhile, by use of a battery, and Mr. Varley's large condenser, equivalent to 85 miles of the cable, impulses of definite magnitude could be sent to and from the ship without interrupting the insulation test; and these being transmitted according to any understood code of signals, the shore could speak the ship, or the reverse, at any time when desired.

On the 7th of July, the steamer William Corry landed at Foilhommerum Bay, opening into Valentia Bay, the shore end of the new cable, laid the shoal-water portion of it, 27 1/2 miles in length, and buoyed the submerged end. The Great Eastern, from Sheerness on June 30, and, with the other steamers of the fleet and the Raccoon, which had on board a party of visitors, from Berehaven, Bantry Bay, on the 12th of July, raised the buoyed end of the shore cable on the 13th, spliced it to that on board, and at 3:20 P. M., Greenwich time, began the paying out of fresh cable; the fleet then setting forth across the Atlantic, while the Raccoon returned with her passengers to Valentia.

By the programme arranged by Mr. Samuel Canning, chief engineer of the expedition, and approved by Mr. R. A. Glass, the managing director, the Terrible was to maintain a position ahead of the Great Eastern, on the starboard bow, to warn passing vessels out of the course, the Medway to follow on the port, and the Albany on the starboard quarter, in readiness to let go or take up a buoy, or do other required work; and between the great ship and the other vessels communication was kept up by means of Maryatt's and Coulomb's marine signals. The course of the fleet was such as to deposit the new cable about 30 miles to the south of that of 1865; the average speed of the ship was a little less than 5, and length of cable paid out about 5 1/2 nautical miles per hour; and the strain on the cable, July 16, is stated at a little over 10 1/2 cwt., the depth of water being then from 1,900 to 2,100 fathoms. July 18, at 2:20 A. M., a foul occurred in the after tank, some 500 feet of the rope becoming caught up and badly tangled; but the paying-out being stopped in time, the snarl disentangled, and the tests showing the conductor uninjured, the work was resumed without loss.

On Friday, July 27, at 8 A.M., the squadron arrived off Heart's Content, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, the distance run being 1,669 miles, and the cable payed out 1,864 miles, showing a total "slack" of about 11 per cent. On the same day the end of the cable was brought to shore by the Medway; and Mr. Field telegraphed intelligence of the completion of this part of the work to President Johnson, and others—to the former in these words:

The fleet, having again taken in coal, proceeded to search for the cable of 1865, the Albany and Terrible succeeding, August 10, in grappling and buoying it in latitude 51° 27' 30" N., longitude 35° 50' W., and the Great Eastern and Medway arriving on the 12th and taking part. The cable, which was here in a little more than 2 1/6 miles of water, was caught with the grapnels ten times in all, being twice brought to the surface, and on other occasions buoyed. Finally, September 1, the Great Eastern having partly raised and buoyed the cable, and then caught it again three miles to westward, the Medway also caught it two miles farther on, and the Great Eastern brought the "bight" on board. A splice being effected, in latitude 51° 52' 20", longitude 36° 5' 20", on the 2d, at 6:45 A. M., the work of paying out was cornmenced; and the laying of the remaining portion, completing a second cable, was successfully accomplished.

Communication having been made by the American lines to the eastern shore of Nova Scotia, a cable was, in 1856, laid thence across the Gut of Canso, one and one-half miles, to Cape Breton Island. From this, land lines extended northward on that island to Port Hood, and thence to Aspy Bay, on its northeastern coast. In the year just named, also, a cable was laid from Aspy Bay, eighty-five miles, across the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to Port au Basque, on the western coast of Newfoundland; while a land line connected this point again with Heart's Content. On the landing, therefore, of the first Atlantic cable, uninterrupted communication with Europe would at once have existed, but for the giving-out of the St. Lawrence Gulf cable in 1865. After the second Atlantic cable had been completed, the broken cable from Newfoundland to Cape Breton was also repaired, and a second cable laid between the same points.

In the careful working of either Atlantic cable, from ten to twelve or fifteen words per minute can be transmitted; the number, in case of less strictness, rising to twenty or twenty-four. The charges are £10 in gold for a message of twenty words, all numerals to be written out, and, with date and address of sender, counted; messages in cipher at double the same rate.

Warning - This information has been transcribed from a source that is well over 100 years old. It may be incorrect or outdated in some cases. It is also possible that errors were made during the transcription process. This information is being made available for entertainment purposes only.