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1
378
The Story of the Atlantic Telegraph
·
Henry M. Field
262
Said
the
Times:
"At
Valentia,
on
Wednesday
last,
the
signals,
up
to
nine
A.M.,
were
coming
with
wonderful
distinctness
and
regularity,
but
about
that
time
a
violent
magnetic
storm
set
in.
No
insulation
of
a
submarine
cable
is
ever
so
perfect
as
to
withstand
the
influence
of
these
electrical
phenomena,
which
correspond
in
some
particulars
to
storms
in
the
ordinary
atmosphere,
their
direction
generally
being
from
east
to
west.
Their
action
is
immediately
communicated
to
all
conductors
of
electricity,
and
a
struggle
set
up
between
the
natural
current
and
that
used
artificially
in
sending
messages.
This
magnetic
storm
affected
every
telegraphic
station
in
the
kingdom.
At
some
the
wires
were
utterly
useless;
and
between
Valentia
and
Killarney
the
natural
current
toward
the
west
was
so
strong
along
the
land
lines
that
it
required
an
addition
of
five
times
the
ordinary
battery
power
to
overcome
it.
This
magnetic
storm,
which
ceased
at
two
A.M.
on
Friday,
was
instantly
perceptible
in
the
Atlantic
cable."
But
these
explanations,
so
consoling
to
anxious
friends
on
land,
did
not
comfort
those
on
board
the
Great
Eastern.
They
knew,
alas!
that
the
cable
was
at
the
bottom
of
the
ocean,
and
the
only
question
was,
if
any
thing
could
be
done
to
recover
it.
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