Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images available at The Internet Archive) [Illustration: H.M.S. Agamemnon entering Valentia Bay with first Atlantic Cable. _Frontispiece._] THE STORY OF THE ATLANTIC CABLE BY CHARLES BRIGHT F. R. S. E., A. M. INST. C. E., M. I. E. E. AUTHOR OF SUBMARINE TELEGRAPHS, SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING DURING THE VICTORIAN ERA, THE EVOLUTION OF THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH, 1837-1897, THE LIFE STORY OF SIR CHARLES TILSTON BRIGHT _WITH FIFTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS_ NEW YORK D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 1903 COPYRIGHT, 1903, BY D. APPLETON AND COMPANY _Published November, 1903_ PREFATORY NOTE The jubilee of Submarine Telegraphy having lately been achieved, and that connected with the Atlantic cable being somewhat close at hand, it has been thought a suitable moment for the appearance of this little volume. In these days when the substitution of submarine cables by wireless telegraphy systems is a subject of common talk, it may be well to pause for a moment and contemplate the period of time covered by the gradual evolution of old and existing methods which at length achieved the result we now enjoy--a practical commercial telegraphic system between all the nations of the world, and notably between the United Kingdom and America. By a somewhat curious coincidence the engineer of the first Atlantic cable accomplished his achievement at practically the same youthful age (twenty-six) as Mr. Marconi when first transmitting signals across the Atlantic without any intervening wires. C. B. 21 OLD QUEEN STREET, WESTMINSTER, S. W., _October, 1903_. CONTENTS _PART I_ PAGE INTRODUCTORY 13 _PART II_ THE PIONEER LINE CHAP. I. EVOLUTION OF ATLANTIC TELEGRAPHY IN AMERICA AND ENGLAND 27 II. THE MANUFACTURE OF THE LINE 46 III. THE FIRST START 61 IV. PREPARATIONS FOR ANOTHER ATTEMPT 74 V. THE TRIAL TRIP 84 VI. THE STORM 89 VII. THE RENEWED EFFORT 105 VIII. "FINIS CORONAT OPUS" 115 IX. THE CELEBRATION 137 X. WORKING THE LINE 144