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378
The Story of the Atlantic Telegraph
·
Henry M. Field
217
And
yet
one
incident
of
the
war
forcibly
recalled
public
attention
to
the
necessity
of
some
speedier
communication
with
Europe
than
by
steam.
The
unhappy
Trent
affair
aroused
an
angry
feeling
in
Great
Britain
which
nearly
resulted
in
hostilities,
all
of
which
might
have
been
prevented
by
a
single
word
of
explanation.
As
The
Times
said
truly:
"We
nearly
went
to
war
with
America
because
we
had
not
a
telegraph
across
the
Atlantic."
After
such
a
warning,
it
was
natural
that
both
countries
should
begin
to
think
seriously
of
the
means
of
preventing
future
misunderstanding.
Mr.
Field
went
to
Washington,
and
found
great
readiness
on
the
part
of
the
President
and
his
Cabinet
to
encourage
the
enterprise.
Mr.
Seward
wrote
to
our
Minister
in
London
that
the
American
Government
would
be
happy
to
join
with
that
of
Great
Britain
in
promoting
this
international
work.
With
this
encouragement,
Mr.
Field
went
to
England
to
urge
the
Company
to
renew
the
undertaking.
While
in
London,
he
endeavored
to
obtain
from
some
responsible
parties
an
offer
to
construct
and
lay
down
a
cable.
Messrs.
Glass,
Elliot
&
Co.,
replied,
declaring
their
willingness
to
undertake
the
work,
without
at
first
naming
the
precise
terms.
They
wrote
to
him
under
date
of
February
seventeenth:
"Sir:
In
reply
to
your
inquiries,
we
beg
to
state
that
we
should
not
be
willing
to
manufacture
and
lay
a
Submarine
Telegraph
Cable
across
the
Atlantic,
from
Ireland
to
Newfoundland,
assuming
the
entire
risk,
as
we
consider
that
would
be
too
great
a
responsibility
for
any
single
firm
to
undertake;
but
we
are
so
confident
that
these
points
can
be
connected
by
a
good
and
durable
cable,
that
we
are
willing
to
contract
to
do
the
work,
and
stake
a
large
sum
upon
its
successful
laying
and
working.
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