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The Story of the Atlantic Telegraph
·
Henry M. Field
21
Mr.
Gisborne
left
Halifax
and
came
to
New
York
in
January,
1854.
Here
he
took
counsel
with
his
friend
Tebbets
and
others;
but
they
could
give
him
no
relief.
It
was
while
in
this
state
of
suspense
that
he
met,
at
the
Astor
House,
Mr.
Matthew
D.
Field,
an
engineer
who
had
been
engaged
in
building
railroads
and
suspension
bridges
at
the
South
and
West.
Mr.
Field
listened
to
his
story
with
interest,
and
engaged
to
speak
of
it
to
his
brother,
Cyrus
W.
Field,[A]
a
merchant
of
New
York,
who
had
retired
from
business
the
year
before,
and
had
spent
six
months
in
travelling
over
the
mountains
of
South
America,
from
which
he
had
lately
returned.
Accordingly,
he
introduced
the
subject,
but
found
his
brother
disinclined
to
embark
in
any
new
undertaking.
Though
still
a
young
man,
his
life
had
been
for
many
years
one
of
incessant
devotion
to
business.
He
had
accumulated
an
ample
fortune,
and
was
not
disposed
to
renew
the
cares,
the
anxieties,
and
the
fatigues
of
his
former
life.
But
listening
to
the
details
of
a
scheme
which
had
in
it
much
to
excite
interest,
and
which
by
its
very
difficulty
stimulated
the
spirit
of
enterprise,
he
at
length
consented
to
see
Mr.
Gisborne,
and
invited
him
to
his
house.
Accordingly
he
came,
and
spent
an
evening
describing
the
route
of
his
proposed
telegraph,
and
the
points
it
was
to
connect.
After
he
left,
Mr.
Field
took
the
globe
which
was
standing
in
the
library,
and
began
to
turn
it
over.
It
was
while
thus
studying
the
globe
that
the
idea
first
occurred
to
him,
that
the
telegraph
might
be
carried
further
still,
and
be
made
to
span
the
Atlantic
Ocean.
The
idea
was
not
original
with
him,
though
he
was
to
carry
it
out.
It
was
indeed
new
to
him;
but
it
had
long
been
a
matter
of
speculation
with
scientific
minds,
though
their
theories
had
never
attracted
his
attention.
But
once
he
had
grasped
the
idea,
it
took
strong
hold
of
his
imagination.
Had
the
Newfoundland
scheme
stood
alone,
he
would
never
have
undertaken
it.
He
cared
little
about
shortening
communication
with
Europe
by
a
day
or
two,
by
relays
of
boats
and
carrier-pigeons.
But
it
was
the
hope
of
further
and
grander
results
that
inspired
him
to
enter
on
a
work
of
which
no
man
could
foresee
the
end.
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