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378
The Story of the Atlantic Telegraph
·
Henry M. Field
147
Says
the
writer
on
the
Agamemnon:
"At
half-past
three
o'clock
[Sunday
morning]
forty
miles
had
gone,
and
nothing
could
be
more
perfect
and
regular
than
the
working
of
every
thing,
when
suddenly
Professor
Thomson
came
on
deck,
and
reported
a
total
break
of
continuity;
that
the
cable
in
fact
had
parted,
and,
as
was
believed
at
the
time,
from
the
Niagara.
In
another
instant
a
gun
and
a
blue-light
warned
the
Valorous
of
what
had
happened,
and
roused
all
on
board
the
Agamemnon
to
a
knowledge
that
the
machinery
was
silent,
and
that
the
first
part
of
the
Atlantic
Cable
had
been
laid
and
lost
effectually."
This
was
disheartening,
but
not
so
much
from
the
fact
of
a
fresh
breaking
of
the
cable,
as
from
the
mystery
as
to
its
cause.
The
fact,
of
course,
was
known
instantly
on
both
ships,
but
the
cause
was
unknown.
Those
on
each
ship
supposed
it
had
occurred
on
the
other.
With
this
impression
they
turned
about
to
beat
up
again
toward
the
rendezvous.
It
was
noon
of
Monday,
the
twenty-eighth,
before
the
Agamemnon
rejoined
the
Niagara;
and
then,
says
the
writer:
"While
all
were
waiting
with
impatience
for
her
explanation
of
how
they
broke
the
cable,
she
electrified
every
one
by
running
up
the
interrogatory:
'How
did
the
cable
part?'
This
was
astounding.
As
soon
as
the
boats
could
be
lowered,
Mr.
Cyrus
Field,
with
the
electricians
from
the
Niagara,
came
on
board,
and
a
comparison
of
logs
showed
the
painful
and
mysterious
fact
that,
at
the
same
second
of
time,
each
vessel
discovered
that
a
total
fracture
had
taken
place
at
a
distance
of
certainly
not
less
than
ten
miles
from
each
ship;
in
fact,
as
well
as
can
be
judged,
at
the
bottom
of
the
ocean.
That
of
all
the
many
mishaps
connected
with
the
Atlantic
Telegraph,
this
is
the
worst
and
most
disheartening
is
certain,
since
it
proves
that,
after
all
that
human
skill
and
science
can
effect
to
lay
the
wire
down
with
safety
has
been
accomplished,
there
may
be
some
fatal
obstacles
to
success
at
the
bottom
of
the
ocean,
which
can
never
be
guarded
against;
for
even
the
nature
of
the
peril
must
always
remain
as
secret
and
unknown
as
the
depths
in
which
it
is
to
be
encountered."
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