The Atlantic Telegraph

To link North America and Europe across 1,750 miles of unfriendly ocean in the middle of the 19th century was an enormous feat of engineering.

This contemporary account of one of Victorian Britain’s greatest engineering achievements, written by the only journalist allowed on board, makes for a compelling read these many years later and is all the more interesting for its retention of the author’s original stylistic conventions.

The ship he sailed on wasn’t just any old workboat. Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s vast steamship, the Great Eastern, was the biggest ship in the world at the time and the only vessel in existence capable of carrying all the cable required. Apparently unsuited for other roles, the Great Eastern was purchased for this task after three earlier attempts undertaken by British and American warships had met with limited success. The third attempt had in fact appeared successful, with Queen Victoria and President James Buchanan sending each other congratulatory messages. This cable worked for a month before irreparably failing.

The man behind all these attempts was American financier Cyrus Field, the first person to seriously consider connecting the Old and New Worlds with a submarine telegraph cable. Such an ambitious undertaking required substantial preparation. Companies were formed, funds raised and technology developed to carry out the task.

A new design of copper core cable, insulated and protected by steel was produced which would be capable of withstanding the enormous pressures at water depths exceeding 12,000 feet.

Undaunted by the earlier failures, Field formed the Telegraph Construction & Maintenance Company, raised new capital, strengthened the cable, and purchased the Great Eastern. With William Howard Russell on board in 1865 to chronicle every detail, more than 1,000 miles was laid before the cable broke. Even this did not deter Field and the following year Great Eastern steamed into Trinity Bay, Newfoundland on 27 July to successfully complete a project which revolutionised communications between Europe and North America.

This illustrated modern edition provides a fascinating eyewitness account of an immense maritime feat which heralded the dawn of mass communication.

The Atlantic Telegraph
By W H Russell.
Published by Nonsuch Publishing
ISBN: 1 84588 074 9.
Paperback, 128 pages.
Price £16