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378
The Story of the Atlantic Telegraph
·
Henry M. Field
167
"At
noon
on
Monday,
August
second,
had
made
good
one
hundred
and
twenty-seven
and
a
half
miles
since
noon
of
the
previous
day,
and
completed
more
than
the
half
way
to
our
ultimate
destination.
"During
the
afternoon
an
American
three-masted
schooner,
which
afterward
proved
to
be
the
Chieftain,
was
seen
standing
from
the
eastward
toward
us.
No
notice
was
taken
of
her
at
first,
but
when
she
was
within
about
half
a
mile
of
the
Agamemnon
she
altered
her
course,
and
bore
right
down
across
our
bows.
A
collision,
which
might
prove
fatal
to
the
cable,
now
seemed
inevitable,
or
could
only
be
avoided
by
the
equally
hazardous
expedient
of
altering
the
Agamemnon's
course.
The
Valorous
steamed
ahead,
and
fired
a
gun
for
her
to
heave
to,
which,
as
she
did
not
appear
to
take
much
notice
of,
was
quickly
followed
by
another
from
the
bows
of
the
Agamemnon,
and
a
second
and
third
from
the
Valorous,
but
still
the
vessel
held
on
her
course;
and
as
the
only
resource
left
to
avoid
a
collision,
the
course
of
the
Agamemnon
was
altered
just
in
time
to
pass
within
a
few
yards
of
her.
It
was
evident
that
our
proceedings
were
a
source
of
the
greatest
possible
astonishment
to
them,
for
all
her
crew
crowded
upon
her
deck
and
rigging.
At
length
they
evidently
discovered
who
we
were,
and
what
we
were
doing,
for
the
crew
manned
the
rigging,
and
dipping
the
ensign
several
times
they
gave
us
three
hearty
cheers.
Though
the
Agamemnon
was
obliged
to
acknowledge
these
congratulations
in
due
form,
the
feelings
of
annoyance
with
which
we
regarded
the
vessel
which,
either
by
the
stupidity
or
carelessness
of
those
on
board,
was
so
near
adding
a
fatal
and
unexpected
mishap
to
the
long
chapter
of
accidents
which
had
already
been
encountered,
may
easily
be
imagined.
To
those
below,
who
of
course
did
not
see
the
ship
approaching,
the
sound
of
the
first
gun
came
like
a
thunderbolt,
for
all
took
it
as
the
signal
of
the
breaking
of
the
cable.
The
dinner-tables
were
deserted
in
a
moment,
and
a
general
rush
made
up
the
hatches
to
the
deck;
but
before
reaching
it,
their
fears
were
quickly
banished
by
the
report
of
the
succeeding
gun,
which
all
knew
well
could
only
be
caused
by
a
ship
in
our
way
or
a
man
overboard.
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