CHAPTER VIII
FAILURE ON ALL SIDES
(1858-1861)
FROM the daily press and from Mr. Field’s papers the story of these years has been drawn.
“In the midst of all this rejoicing, intelligence came from Newfoundland that the cable, which it was fully anticipated would be open for public messages in a few days, had ceased working. The reaction was painful to witness, after the intense excitement of the past three weeks.”
That it had become impossible to send a message through the cable was definitely known in London through the letter given to the Times:
“September 6, 1858.
“Sir,—I am instructed by the directors to inform you that owing to some cause not at present ascertained, but believed to arise from a fault existing in the cable at a point hitherto undiscovered, there have been no intelligible signals from Newfoundland since one o’clock on Friday, the 3d inst. The directors are now at Valentia, and, aided by various scientific and practical electricians, are investigating the cause of the stoppage, with a view to remedying the existing difficulty. Under these circumstances no time can be named at present for opening the wire to the public.
“George Saward.”
Before the end of the month these telegrams were published in the New York papers:
“New York, September 24, 1858, 12 m.