"Try, try and try again" must have been Cyrus Field's motto. Born in Massachusetts in 1819, Field is credited for the success of the first transatlantic telecommunication cable. At the age of 33, after "retiring" from his successful paper business, Field immersed himself in the project of constructing a telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean. Knowing little about either cables or ocean travel, but convinced of the commercial merits of his idea, he consulted Samuel Morse and other experts of the period. In 1854, after obtaining charters from British and American governments and support from British cable companies, he founded the New York, Newfoundland and London Telegraph Company. Two years later, he helped organize a British Company - The Atlantic Telegraphy Company. He obtained British and American ships - Agamemnon and Niagara - to begin laying the cable. Field's first four attempts ended in failure, but finally, on August 16, 1858, his dream was realized. Queen Victoria and President James Buchanan exchanged brief congratulatory messages over the cable. There were great celebrations on both continents, but the project continued to be plagued with problems. The cable signals were weak and after only 26 days, the cable stopped working. It took Field great determination, additional financing and another 8 years until he finally achieved success. At the time, his cable was referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." Field's persistence in developing a transatlantic telecommunication cable changed the world. Even after the advent of wireless technology and satellite communications, a large percentage of transoceanic communication is still transmitted by cable. The 1857 London Daily News illustration above depicts machines covering the cable with gutta percha (an inelastic substance based on a latex extracted from Far Eastern trees) insulation. The second illustration, from an August 12, 1865, Harper’s Weekly, includes images of Samuel Morse, Cyrus Field, Queen Victoria and other scenes depicting this memorable event. "Try, try and try again" must have been Cyrus Field's motto. Born in Massachusetts in 1819, Field is credited for the success of the first transatlantic telecommunication cable. At the age of 33, after "retiring" from his successful paper business, Field immersed himself in the project of constructing a telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean. Knowing little about either cables or ocean travel, but convinced of the commercial merits of his idea, he consulted Samuel Morse and other experts of the period. In 1854, after obtaining charters from British and American governments and support from British cable companies, he founded the New York, Newfoundland and London Telegraph Company. Two years later, he helped organize a British Company - The Atlantic Telegraphy Company. He obtained British and American ships - Agamemnon and Niagara - to begin laying the cable. Field's first four attempts ended in failure, but finally, on August 16, 1858, his dream was realized. Queen Victoria and President James Buchanan exchanged brief congratulatory messages over the cable. There were great celebrations on both continents, but the project continued to be plagued with problems. The cable signals were weak and after only 26 days, the cable stopped working. It took Field great determination, additional financing and another 8 years until he finally achieved success. At the time, his cable was referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." Field's persistence in developing a transatlantic telecommunication cable changed the world. Even after the advent of wireless technology and satellite communications, a large percentage of transoceanic communication is still transmitted by cable. The 1857 London Daily News illustration above depicts machines covering the cable with gutta percha (an inelastic substance based on a latex extracted from Far Eastern trees) insulation. The second illustration, from an August 12, 1865, Harper’s Weekly, includes images of Samuel Morse, Cyrus Field, Queen Victoria and other scenes depicting this memorable event.
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