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The Cable that Changed the World

By Søren Frilander
Ever since Samuel Morse invented the telegraph, his dream was that one day the entire world would be connected telegraphically. The depths of the Atlantic Ocean lay between the dream and reality. If it was possible to lay an underwater cable between Europe and America, the world would lie open to the telegraph.

In 1851 a submarine cable had been laid under the English Channel for the first time. This milestone within telegraphy instigated a fierce debate in the western world: When it was possible to telegraph under water over short distances, would it then also be possible to make it work over long distances? Would it for instance be possible in the near future to lay down a cable between America and Europe? In practice this would mean that a cable weighing many tons should be transported and laid down all the way across the Atlantic without breaking or being damaged in any other way. People with experience of electric telegraphy were in general sceptical and many considered it inconceivably to realize such a project.

Of this reason it was Cyrus Field, an American with no knowledge of telegraphy worth mentioning who set out to solve the problem. Field compensated for his lack of technical insight by a catching enthusiasm and an iron will which several times proved crucial in the long, hard struggle to connect Europe and America.

Success and Failure
In 1857 Field put most of his own and many other people’s fortunes at stake, thus scraping together the monstrous amount of money necessary to construct and lay down a transatlantic cable. Had he known at that time how much blood, sweat, and tears the Atlantic cable would cost him during the next 10 years, he would probably never had started on the project. The sceptics were right. It was extremely difficult to lay down the very heavy and at the same time fragile cable over the enormous distances.

During the sail the pressure on the cable became so heavy that it broke and disappeared into the deep, dark sea. In just a moment the immense investment had been lost. But Field did not give up. Instead he convinced his investors to grant him money for another attempt, and already in 1858 a new expedition set out. The cable laying took place from two ships starting from Ireland and Newfoundland respectively. The ships met in the middle of the Atlantic where the cable was spliced and this way Europe and America were telegraphically connected to the joy of many more than just the involved parties.

The joy was, however, short-lived. Already a month later the cable ceased to function and disappointment was enormous. Huge sums of money had been invested, apparently for no use at all. The old sceptics received a fresh impetus. Maybe it was impossible to send electric signals that far through underwater cables after all.

Three-Four Times Lucky
Although Cyrus Field was practically ruined after the failure in 1858, he kept struggling indefatigably. After several years of grind he succeeded once again to convince a number of investors to make a new attempt. The mistakes which had destroyed the previous cables had been corrected. The armouring of the new cable was e.g. so staunch that only one ship in the world was large enough to transport it on its way across the Atlantic: The Great Eastern. In 1865 the enormous ship left Europe for America, but once again things went wrong. Shortly before reaching its destination the cable broke under mysterious circumstances. Rumours had it that a traitor onboard the ship had sabotaged the cable and thereby caused the accident. Field used this argument to convince his investors to grant money for a fourth and last attempt.

In 1866 The Great Eastern sailed again bound for America with a brand new cable for the entire distance. Finally the many preparations and costly experiences bore fruit. When the connection was established in July 1866, it worked faultlessly. Field had once again done the impossible, and this time the connection proved to be durable.

The significance of Field’s achievement can hardly be overestimated. Others copied his techniques and learned from the mistakes that had been made through a decade of struggling to establish a functioning Atlantic connection. As a direct consequence cable connections were established in all directions across the globe to the benefit of not least commerce and the press. The Atlantic cable had literally changed the notion of time and space in a world that suddenly seemed to become much smaller.

Post & Tele Museum published the thematic book "The Great Sea-Serpent – pictures from the infancy of telegraphy" based on unique material which was collected for the temporary exhibition "ONLINE – 150 Years on the Net". The book contains 90 richly illustrated pages and is available from the museum shop at the price of DKK 140 (+ postage).




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