Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
Share image
1
281
Heroes of the Telegraph
·
John Munro
81
The
Great
Eastern
steamed
back
to
England,
where
the
indomitable
Mr.
Field
issued
another
prospectus,
and
formed
the
Anglo-American
Telegraph
Company,
with
a
capital
of
L600,000,
to
lay
a
new
cable
and
complete
the
broken
one.
On
July
7,
1866,
the
William
Cory
laid
the
shore
end
at
Valentia,
and
on
Friday,
July
13,
about
3
p.m.,
the
Great
Eastern
started
paying-out
once
more.
[Friday
is
regarded
as
an
unlucky,
and
Sunday
as
a
lucky
day
by
sailors.
The
Great
Eastern
started
on
Sunday
before
and
failed;
she
succeeded
now.
Columbus
sailed
on
a
Friday,
and
discovered
America
on
a
Friday.]
A
private
service
of
prayer
was
held
at
Valentia
by
invitation
of
two
directors
of
the
company,
but
otherwise
there
was
no
celebration
of
the
event.
Professor
Thomson
was
on
board;
but
Dr.
W.
H.
Russell
had
gone
to
the
seat
of
the
Austro-Prussian
war,
from
which
telegrams
were
received
through
the
cable.
The
'big
ship'
was
attended
by
three
consorts,
the
Terrible,
to
act
as
a
spy
on
the
starboard
how,
and
warn
other
vessels
off
the
course,
the
Medway
on
the
port,
and
the
Albany
on
the
starboard
quarter,
to
drop
or
pick
up
buoys,
and
make
themselves
generally
useful.
Despite
the
fickleness
of
the
weather,
and
a
'foul
flake,'
or
clogging
of
the
line
as
it
ran
out
of
the
tank,
there
was
no
interruption
of
the
work.
The
'old
coffee
mill,'
as
the
sailors
dubbed
the
paying-out
gear,
kept
grinding
away.
'I
believe
we
shall
do
it
this
time,
Jack,'
said
one
of
the
crew
to
his
mate.
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
