Cyrus W. Field, His Life and Work [1819-1892]

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Title: Cyrus W. Field, His Life and Work [1819-1892]

Editor: Isabella Field Judson

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[Illustration: Portrait signed of Cyrus W. Field.]

CYRUS W. FIELD

HIS LIFE AND WORK

[1819-1892]

EDITED BY

ISABELLA FIELD JUDSON

ILLUSTRATED

[Illustration: colophon]

NEW YORK

HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS

1896

_All rights reserved._

[Illustration]

MY FATHER'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS

THESE PAGES

Are Dedicated

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. PARENTAGE AND EARLY HOME LIFE (1819-1835) 1

II. EARLY LIFE IN NEW YORK (1835-1840) 14

III. MARRIAGE AND BUSINESS LIFE (1840-1853) 27

IV. OUT OF DEBT--A VOYAGE TO SOUTH AMERICA
(1853) 42

V. THE FIRST CABLE (1853-1857) 59

VI. THE FIRST CABLE (CONTINUED) (1857) 74

VII. A FLEETING TRIUMPH (1858) 86

VIII. FAILURE ON ALL SIDES (1858-1861) 122

IX. THE CIVIL WAR (1861-1862) 131

X. CAPITAL RAISED FOR THE MAKING OF A NEW
CABLE--STEAMSHIP "GREAT EASTERN"
SECURED (1863-1864) 154

XI. THE FAILURE OF 1865 182

XII. THE CABLE LAID--CABLE OF 1865 GRAPPLED
FOR AND RECOVERED--PAYMENT OF DEBTS
(1866) 199

XIII. THE RECONSTRUCTION PERIOD (1867-1870) 232

XIV. INTERNATIONAL POLITICS--RAPID TRANSIT
(1870-1880) 267

XV. THE PACIFIC CABLE--THE GOLDEN WEDDING
(1880-1891) 303

XVI. LAST DAYS AND DEATH--IN MEMORIAM (1891-1892) 321

ILLUSTRATIONS

CYRUS W. FIELD _Frontispiece_

SUBMIT DICKINSON FIELD _Facing page_ 2

DAVID DUDLEY FIELD " 6

THE PARSONAGE, STOCKBRIDGE, MASS. " 10

VALENTIA: LANDING THE SHORE-END OF
THE CABLE, 1857 " 94

CYRUS W. FIELD, 1860 " 124

LAST TWO PAGES OF LETTER FROM MR.
GLADSTONE, DATED NOVEMBER 17, 1862 " 148

ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLE CHART, 1865 " 188

THE NIGHT-WATCH " 194

ARDSLEY, IRVINGTON-ON-HUDSON " 264

CERTIFICATE OF DISCHARGE FROM THE MERCANTILE
MARINE SERVICE " 296

THE ANDRÉ MONUMENT, TAPPAN, NEW YORK " 302

CYRUS W. FIELD

HIS LIFE AND WORK

CHAPTER I

PARENTAGE AND EARLY HOME LIFE

(1819-1835)

CYRUS WEST FIELD, the eighth child and seventh son of David Dudley
Field, was born in Stockbridge, Mass., November 30, 1819. He took his
double name from Cyrus Williams, President of the Housatonic Bank (in
Stockbridge), and from Dr. West, for sixty years his father's
predecessor in the pastorate of the old Church of Stockbridge. He was
the sixth in descent from Zachariah Field, the founder of the family in
this country, who was the grandson of John Field the astronomer.
Zachariah was born in the old home in Ardsley, Yorkshire, England. He
came over in 1630 or 1632, seemingly from Hadley, Suffolk, and settled
first in Dorchester, Mass., afterwards making his way through the
wilderness to Hartford, Conn. Then followed in the direct line his
oldest son Zachariah Junior, Ebenezer, David, and Captain Timothy, who
was born in the north part of Madison, Conn., in 1744. He served in the
Continental Army under Washington, and was in the battle of White
Plains.

David Dudley Field, Captain Timothy's youngest son, was born May 20,
1781. In 1802 he graduated from Yale, the next year was ordained a
minister of the Congregational Church, and a month later, October 31,
1803, was married to Submit Dickinson, daughter of Captain Noah
Dickinson, of Somers, Conn., who first served under Putnam in the French
War and afterwards in the War of the Revolution. Submit Dickinson was
called "The Somers Beauty."

[Illustration: SUBMIT DICKINSON FIELD

Born October 1, 1782

(From a Crayon by Lawrence)]

David Dudley Field was first settled in Haddam, Conn., and remained as
pastor of the Congregational Church for fourteen years. Seven of his
children were born while he lived there: David Dudley was the eldest;
then followed Emilia Ann, Timothy Beals, Matthew Dickinson, Jonathan
Edwards, Stephen Johnson 1st (who died when he was six months old), and
Stephen Johnson 2d. Cyrus West, Henry Martyn, and Mary Elizabeth were
the three children born in Stockbridge, Mass. Among the reminiscences of
his sojourn in Haddam is that it fell to him to preach the execution
sermon of Peter Long. The grim Puritanical custom still survived,
according to which a prisoner convicted of a capital crime, on the day
on which he was to be hanged was taken by a body-guard of soldiers to
church to be publicly prepared for his ending. He was placed in a
conspicuous pew, where he was obliged not only to listen to a long and
harrowing sermon, but when addressed by name to stand up facing the
preacher and receive the exhortation as he had received the sentence.
Dr. Field addressed the victim directly for some minutes, and closed
with these words: "Before yonder sun shall set in the west your
probationary state will be closed forever. This day you will either lift
up your eyes in hell, being in torment, or, through the rich,
overflowing, and sovereign grace of God, be carried by the angels to
Abraham's bosom. If in any doubt about your preparation, you may yet
find mercy. He who pardoned the penitent thief on the cross may pardon
you in the place of execution. Pray God, then, if perhaps your sins may
be forgiven you. Cry to Him, 'God be merciful to me, a sinner!' and
continue those cries till death shall remove you hence. May the Lord
Almighty support you in the trying scene before you, and through
infinite grace have mercy on your soul."

From the church the prisoner was led, clothed in a long, white robe, to
the scaffold. It is said that on this occasion the rope was cut by the
militiamen in attendance as a guard.

In May, 1819, Dr. Field accepted the call to the church in Stockbridge,
and on August 25th he was settled there as a pastor. In those days the
moving of a household from Haddam to Stockbridge was a formidable
undertaking. Teams were sent to Connecticut, a journey of several days,
to bring on the household furniture, and, most important of all, heavy
boxes piled with the volumes that comprised the pastor's library. The
clearest statement of the impression made upon the youth of his flock by
the ministry of Dr. Field is furnished in these words, written nearly
fifty years after his settlement in Stockbridge, and a fortnight after
his death, by the venerated president of Williams College:

"WILLIAMS COLLEGE, _April 30, 1867_.

"CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq.:

"_My dear Sir_,--On my return I comply at once with your request to
write out the remarks I made at your father's funeral. In writing
to me, Mr. Eggleston simply said he should like to have me take
some part in the services, but he did not say what, and under the
circumstances I did not think it best to attempt anything but a few
remarks bearing on my personal relation to him. I give them below
as well as I can.

"'On coming here I was not aware what the order of exercises was to
be, or what part I was expected to take in them; but as I am drawn
here by a deep personal regard to the departed, the few words that
I shall say will have reference to him chiefly in that relation
through which this regard was awakened.

"'It was under the ministry of Dr. Field that I first united with
the Christian Church. By him I was baptized in this place.

"'For a long period my mind was in a state of solicitude and
careful inquiry on the subject of religion, and during much of that
time I sat under his ministry. Well do I remember his sermons and
his prayers; we worshipped in the old church then, and the whole
town came together. His sermons were lucid, logical, effective, and
his prayers remarkably appropriate and comprehensive. One of his
texts I remember particularly. It was this: "Lord, to whom shall we
go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe and are
sure that Thou art that Christ, the son of the living God." From
these words he preached several discourses of great power showing
that Jesus was the Christ, and that there was no one else to whom
we could go. I regarded them then, and still do, as among the
ablest discourses I ever heard. They had a powerful effect upon my
mind.

"'In respect to feeling he was not demonstrative, and some thought
him cold. No mistake could have been greater. On sitting near him I
remember to have been struck by noticing the big tears rolling down
his cheeks when he came to the more touching parts of his
discourse, while there was scarcely a sign of emotion in his voice
or in the lines of his face. Perhaps intellect predominated.
Probably it did; but he was a man of deep feeling, and under the
impulse of it, as well as of principle, he was a faithful, earnest,
laborious pastor. It was in that relation that I feel that his
character and life and preaching and prayers were an important
formative influence with me for good, and I have never ceased to
regard him with affectionate veneration, and never shall.

"'And what he did for me he doubtless did for multitudes of others.
There is no higher educating power than that of a pastor thoroughly
educated and balanced, earnest by proclaiming God's truths from
Sabbath to Sabbath and dealing fairly with the minds of men. This
he did, and in doing it was eminent among a body of men who have
done more to make New England what it is than any other. In clear
thinking, in able sermons, and in earnest labors, he was altogether
a worthy successor of the eminent men who had preceded him.

"'I see some here who will remember those earlier times. I am sure,
my friends, you will verify all I have said, and that with me you
do now and will continue to cherish with respect and with love the
memory of our former pastor. It only remains to us now to emulate
all in him that was good, and in deep sympathy with these mourning
friends to aid in placing his dust where it will rest with so much
other precious dust that makes this a hallowed valley, and where it
will await the resurrection of the just.'

"In reading over what I have written I can only say that it seems
to me altogether inadequate as an expression of the sense I have of
your father's worth and of the benefit he was to me, but having
promised to do so I send it.

"With great regard, yours,
"MARK HOPKINS."

[Illustration: TABLET IN THE CHURCH IN STOCKBRIDGE]

[Illustration: DAVID DUDLEY FIELD

Born May 20, 1781

(From a Crayon by Lawrence)]

The recollection that his grandchildren have of him is of a quiet,
dignified old gentleman, who seemed quite lost when his call for "Mis'
Field" was not answered at once by his energetic wife, upon whom he was
very dependent. Occasionally he would gather his children's children
about him, and seemed to enjoy showing them how "the lady's horse goes,"
and the tumble that followed "and by-and-by comes old hobble-de-gee,"
was looked upon as great fun. He would also delight his youthful
audience by repeating a few of Mother Goose's Melodies, and they never
tired of hearing him.

Life in New England in those days, and especially the life of a pastor's
family, was earnest, with an earnestness that to the young, with the
eagerness of youth for enjoyment, may well have seemed repulsive. The
Puritanic rigor that has been so much relaxed during the past
half-century was then much what it had been in the earliest colonial
times.

Morning and evening the entire family gathered in the sitting-room for
prayers, each one with a Bible, and all were required to join in the
reading. A chapter was never divided, and in turn the verses were read;
often comments were made. Afterwards came the long prayer, when all,
except Dr. Field, knelt; he stood, with his hands on the back of his
chair, and one of his favorite expressions, and one which greatly
impressed the younger members of his family, the more because they did
not understand it, was that the Lord would "overturn, overturn, overturn
... until he come, whose right it is."

That the Puritanic atmosphere was no harsh and unmirthful thing in this
parsonage is shown by the story told by one who was a boy in Stockbridge
at the time. A hen was sitting in a box in the woodshed; each morning
Cyrus looked for the little chickens. One day in an adjoining box he
found the family cat with a number of kittens. These he placed with the
hen, and then with a very straight face asked his father to come and see
the chickens.

The controversy as to the scriptural limitation of the Sabbath, whether
it began at sunset on Saturday or at midnight, was then very active.
When Dr. Field was questioned as to which evening was the one to be
observed, he always advised those in doubt to keep both.

Once in speaking of the curious texts that he had known clergymen of his
generation to choose, he instanced: "Parbar westward, four at the
causeway and two at Parbar"; but he failed to give the lesson that was
drawn from the words.

In those old days in western Massachusetts cooking-stoves were unknown.
The pots were hung above the fire, the meats were broiled over the
coals or before them, and the baking was done in a brick oven. Neither
were there ice-closets nor travelling butchers. The winter's stock of
meat was laid in with the first cold weather; the chickens were killed
and packed in snow in the cellar, to be brought out as they were needed;
and pies were made in large quantities, and frozen and put away for
future use; and the foot-stove was taken down from the shelf. This was a
small iron box with holes in the top, and into it were put live coals.
The box was carried in the hand, and used in place of a footstool in
"meeting"; but even with this mitigation the cold was felt intensely.

The conflict in a conscientious pastor's mind between his sense of duty
and his kindness of heart was often severe and painful. Mrs. Field used
to say that the most difficult act her husband was ever called upon to
perform was to refuse church membership to those who had accepted Dr.
Channing's views. She was naturally more pitiful than he. A revivalist
who had come to the village in the course of his mission took occasion
at a service publicly to arraign one of the prominent men of the town
for drunkenness. Mrs. Field strongly disapproved of the time and place
chosen for the rebuke, and on her way home from the meeting expressed
her disapproval, and when she reached her gate said, "Wait, Cyrus, and
when Mr. ---- passes bring him to me and I will pick his bones for him"
(Micah iii. 2). She would not have approved of the method adopted,
according to a story current in her son Cyrus's family, by a pious man
in Connecticut who, when he thought himself imposed upon by his
neighbors, would say, with a long drawl, "Leave them to the Lord, leave
them to the Lord--he'll smite them hip and thigh."

Her son always remembered, as one of the strongest impressions of his
childhood, the deep and lasting grief of his mother at parting with her
eldest daughter, who married and went to Smyrna, Asia Minor, as a
missionary, when he was but ten years old.

An old lady in Stockbridge tells to his niece this story of him at about
the same age. "Your grandmother had been very ill. I watched with her;
many of us watched. I thought to keep her from talking by coming up
behind her to give her medicine, but she found out who I was and talked
a great deal. After she was better she still needed some one to sleep in
her room, keep up the fire and give her medicine. Your uncle Cyrus did
this one whole winter when he was a little boy, I should think not ten.
It was lovely of him." And it was just like him. He always remembered
that during this same illness his mother called him to her and said,
"Cyrus, the doctor says I am very ill, but I shall be up to-morrow." And
he would add, "She was."

By all Stockbridge tradition he was the hero of another tale, although
he himself always gave the credit of it to one of his brothers. A
certain rat-trap (perhaps of new and efficient style) had been lost.
After much search and questioning the minister gave orders that whenever
found it should be brought at once to him. So one day at a service, when
the sermon was in full progress, there came a clanging noise up the
aisle, and the missing article was set down in front of the pulpit with
the words, "Father, here is your rat-trap!"

Another laughable reminiscence occurred at the burning of the parsonage,
which took place about 1830. In 1822 or 1823 Dr. Field had bought a
small house in the village and had moved there. The fire was first seen
as the children were coming from school, and very soon after it was
discovered all hope of subduing it was given up, and the first thought
was to save the study furniture and books, and the study table was
thrown from the window. Imagine the surprise of the crowd and the
consternation of their pastor as the drawers of this, his private
repository, came open, and a shower of playing-cards fluttered forth and
whitened the grass. They had been found in the possession of his
children and confiscated.

It is remembered of Cyrus Field as a child that his dealings with his
playmates were most exact. He paid punctually all that he owed, and
required the same punctuality in return. He was the chosen leader in all
the games, and he was the victor in a race around the village green, one
of the stipulations being that a certain amount of crackers should be
eaten on the way.

His half-holidays were passed in roaming over the country-side, and he
has often said that the meal he enjoyed the most in his life was one
gotten on a Saturday afternoon when he had stopped, tired and hungry, at
a farm-house, and was given a plate of cold pork and potatoes. He was
obliged to be at home before sunset on Saturday, as every member of the
family was required to be in the house by that time, and all work to
cease; and as the children entered their father greeted them with the
words, "We are on the borders of holy time." Sunset on Sunday was
watched for most anxiously, for they were then again quite free to come
and go.

[Illustration: THE PARSONAGE, STOCKBRIDGE, MASS.

(As rebuilt after the fire)]

The simple life of the Massachusetts village was not without its
pleasures. There lies before me a yellow programme, printed sixty years
ago, which commemorates what was very likely at once the first
appearance of Cyrus W. Field on any stage and his last appearance in his
native village, and forms a fitting conclusion to the story of his
childhood.

=EXHIBITION.--STOCKBRIDGE ACADEMY=,

MARCH 26-27, 1835.

=THURSDAY EVENING.=

ORDER OF EXERCISES.

1. MUSIC.

2. Prologue.--United States Speaker. JOHN HENRY ADAMS

3. Burr and Blennerhasset.--Wirt. ESSEX WATTS

4. Bernardo Del Carpio.--Mrs. Hemans. RALPH K. JONES

5. Death of the Princess Charlotte.--Campbell. HENRY W. DWIGHT, JR.

6. MUSIC.

7. "Hail to the Land."--Author unknown. PHINEHAS LINCOLN

8. Extract from Robert Treat Paine
on French Aggressions. DAVID L. PERRY

9. Parody of "The Young Orator."--Anonymous. GEORGE W. KINGSLEY

10. A Dandy's----What?--Independent Balance. WILLIAM STUART

11. MUSIC.

12. Patriotic Stanzas.--Campbell. THOMAS WELLS

13. Injustice of Slavery. JAMES SEDGWICK

14. Question Answered.--Ladies' Magazine. GEORGE LESTER

15. Fall of Missolonghi.--E. Canning. THEODORE S. POMEROY, Jr.

16. MUSIC.

17. The Rich Man and the Poor Man.--Khemnitzen. LEWIS BURRALL

18. Man, the Artificer of His Own Fortune. EDWARD SELKIRK

19. Pleasures of Knowledge. MARSHALL WILLIAMS

20. Extract from an Oration by Wm. R. Smith. EDWIN WILLIAMS

21. Running Dover, a Boaster.--Anonymous. GEORGE W. KINGSLEY

22. MUSIC.

23. Influence of Intemperance
on our Government.--Sprague. BRADFORD DRESSER

24. Bunker Hill Monument.--Webster. GEORGE W. PARSONS

25. Extract from Webster on the Slave Trade. JOHN ELY

26. Parody of "Lochiel's Warning."--Edward Selkirk.
Advocate of Temperance, {EDWARD SELKIRK
Vender of Ardent Spirits, {THEODORE WILLIAMS

27. A Wife Wanted.--A Bachelor EDWARD CARTER

28. MUSIC.

29. The Instability of Human Government.--Rutledge. JOHN VALLET

30. Parody of "Brutus's Address to the
Roman Populace."--Anonymous. GEORGE W. BURRALL

31. Peter's Ride to the Wedding.--New Speaker. GEORGE LESTER

32. Tragical Dialogue.--Columbian Orator.

Indian Chief, CHARLES POMEROY
American Officer, LEWIS FENN
Son of the Chief, CYRUS FIELD
Soldiers, {CHARLES DEMING
{JOHN VALLET

33. Petition of Young Ladies.--United States Speaker JOHN HENRY ADAMS

34. MUSIC.

FRIDAY EVENING.

ORDER OF EXERCISES.

1. MUSIC.

2. _"SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER."--Goldsmith._

A COMEDY IN FIVE ACTS.

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.

Sir Charles Marlow, S. G. JONES
Hardcastle, H. C. FAY
Young Marlow, H. TREMAIN
Hastings, E. ROCKWELL
Tony Lumpkin, H. GARDNER
Diggory, C. POMEROY
Jeremy, T. WILLIAMS
Stings, L. FENN
Mrs. Hardcastle, C. W. FIELD
Miss Hardcastle, F. FOWLER
Miss Neville, J. STEPHENS
Maid, J. ELY
Fellows of the Ale-house, Servants, etc.

ACT THE FIRST.

Scene 1.--A Chamber in an Old-fashioned House.

MUSIC.

Scene 2.--An Ale-house Room.

MUSIC.

ACT THE SECOND.

Scene 1.--A Room in Hardcastle's House, supposed by Marlow and
Hastings to be a Room in an Inn.

MUSIC.

ACT THE THIRD.

Scene 1.--A Room in Hardcastle's House.

MUSIC.

ACT THE FOURTH.

Scene 1.--The same Room.

MUSIC.

ACT THE FIFTH.

Scene 1.--The same Room.

MUSIC.

Scene 2.--The back of the Garden.

MUSIC.

Scene 3.--A Room in Hardcastle's House.

MUSIC.

3. Epilogue.--United States Speaker. THEODORE S. POMEROY, Jr.

MUSIC.

CHAPTER II

EARLY LIFE IN NEW YORK

(1835-1840)

It was on Wednesday, April 29, 1835, and only a few weeks after "She
Stoops to Conquer" had been performed in the village academy at
Stockbridge, that Cyrus Field, having persuaded his parents that he was
old enough to go out into the world and seek his fortune, left his home.
For three years before he had kept the family accounts, and had most
carefully entered every item of expense in a small paper book, and he
was well aware that it was only with strict economy that the eight
dollars given to him by his father at parting could be spared from the
family purse. Stockbridge in April lies bare and brown in the valley of
the Housatonic, and the tops of the mountains that are near are at that
season often still white with snow, and his heart was in harmony with
the scene as he looked back for the last sight of his beloved mother's
face. His first letter is dated

"NEW YORK, _May 12, 1835_.

"_Dear Father_,--I received yours, Henry's, and Mary's kind letters
of the 7th on the 9th by Jonathan, and I assure you that it did me
good to hear from sweet home.

"I stopped at Mr. Moore's, in Hudson, and they had not seen
mother's handkerchief.

"Your account of the Field family I was glad to receive, but I
wish to know also from whom we are descended on my mother's side.

"Tell Stephen, Henry, and Mary that I intended to write them all a
long letter, but as I have not been very well for the last two
days, and have a good deal to do to-day, it is impossible.

"The purse which Mary mentioned in her letter Jonathan says that he
did not bring.

"I have seen R. Maclaughlin, and he sends his love to Henry. Tell
George Whitney that the store boy sends his love to him. I do the
same, and also to Edwin Williams, Mr. Fay, S. and A. Hawkings, and
all the good people of old Stockbridge.

"Uncle Beales and his daughter arrived here last night.

"Mr. Mark Hopkins came from Stockbridge this morning. No letters.

"Take good care of mother, and tell her she must not get overdone.

"All send their love. Love to all.

"From your affectionate son,
"CYRUS."

He does not speak of his loneliness, although we know that it was great,
for his mother's last words to another son, who was going to New York a
few weeks later, were, "Bring Cyrus home if he is still so homesick."

It was on one of his first Sundays in New York that, after he had been
to church, and gone to his brother David's for dinner, his unhappiness
was apparent to the family and also to Dr. Mark Hopkins, their guest,
whose sympathy was never forgotten, nor his words, "I would not give
much for a boy if he were not homesick on leaving home." He has said
that many of the evenings during the long summer that followed his
coming to New York were passed on the banks of the Hudson watching the
boats as they sailed northward, and as he lay by the riverside he
pictured himself as on board of one of the vessels, and the welcome
that he would receive on reaching Stockbridge.

Towards the end of his life Mr. Field began the preparation of his
autobiography. From so much of this as serves the purpose of this
narrative, extracts will be made from time to time without express
credit.

In 1835 it took twenty-four hours to go from Stockbridge to New York,
and first there was a drive of fifty miles to Hudson on the river, and
then a long sail by boat.

Almost immediately on reaching the city he entered as an errand-boy the
store of A. T. Stewart, which had already a more commanding reputation
than any mercantile establishment possesses or perhaps can attain at
present.

His home was in a boarding-house in Murray Street near Greenwich, where
he had board and lodging for two dollars a week, a fact which is in
itself eloquent of the difference between life now in New York and life
sixty years ago. Stewart's was then at 257 Broadway, between Murray and
Warren streets. There the young clerk received for his services the
first year $50, and the second the sum was doubled. Even so, and with
what would now be the incredible frugality of his living, it is plain
that he could not have supported himself by his earnings. Of his life at
that time he said in after-years, "My oldest brother lent me money,
which, just as soon as I was able, and before I was twenty-one, I
returned to him with interest." The letter that follows tells how his
first money was spent:

"NEW YORK, _June 12, 1835_.

"_Dear Father_,--I received by Mr. Baldwin five nightcaps, a
pin-cushion, and some wedding-cake, for which I am very much
obliged to mother and Mary.

"Mary wrote to me to know of what color I would have my frock-coat;
tell mother instead of having a linen frock-coat that I would
prefer another linen roundabout, as they are much better in a
store; I am not particular about the color.

"When you write to me, direct your letters to Cyrus W. Field, at A.
T. Stewart & Co., No. 257 Broadway, New York; if you do so, they
will come to me quicker than in any other way. There is in the
store besides the firm twenty-four clerks, including two
book-keepers, one of whom is Mr. Smith, of Haddam; he says that he
remembers you, mother, David, Timothy, and Matthew very well. Give
my love to mother, brothers, sister, Mr. Fay, George Whitney, and
other friends.

"From your affectionate son,
"CYRUS.

"P.S.--On the other side you will find a list of my expenses.

From the 29th of April to the 12th of June.--Cyrus W. Field,
expenses.

From Stockbridge to New York $2 00

Paid to David for Penny Magazines 2 00
(I am not agoing to take them any longer.)

To hair cutting 12½

To one vial of spirits of turpentine (used to
get some spots out of coat) 6¼

To get shoes mended 18¾

To one pair of shoe-brushes 25

To one box of blacking 12½

To get trunks carried from David's to my
boarding-house 25

To two papers of tobacco to put in trunks to
prevent moths getting in 12½

To one straw hat (the one that I brought from
home got burned and was so dirty that David
thought I had better get me a new one.) 1 00

To one steel pen 12½

To small expenses, from time to time, such as
riding in an omnibus, going to Brooklyn,
etc., etc., etc. 1 25
------
Total, $7 50

"When I left home I had $8, $7 50 of which is expended, leaving in
my hands 50 cents. I do not know of anything that I want, but I
think you had better send to me $4 more."

In all his letters of this period he calls his eldest brother by his
first name, David, and it was not until many years later that his second
name, Dudley, is added.

At first Mr. Field was obliged to be at his work between six and seven
in the morning, and after he was promoted from errand-boy to clerk the
hours for attendance at the store were from a quarter-past eight in the
morning until into the evening. "I always made it a point to be there
before the partners came and never to leave before the partners left.
Mr. Stewart was the leading dry-goods merchant at that time. My ambition
was to make myself a thoroughly good merchant. I tried to learn in every
department all I possibly could, knowing I had to depend entirely on
myself."

In his simple country home a theatre had always been thought of and
spoken of as an entrance to hell, but being of an inquiring mind he
determined, as so many country lads have done before and since, upon
giving one of his first evenings in the city to finding out for himself
what hell was like. The kindred desire to see a large fire was also soon
gratified, and the ardor of his curiosity on this subject was at once
cooled, for, as he stood watching the blaze, the hose was turned for a
moment in the wrong direction, and he was drenched.

The subject of the next letter is the "great fire of 1835," which took
place on December 16th, and destroyed 600 warehouses and $20,000,000 of
property.

"NEW YORK, _December 25, 1835_.

"_Dear Father_,--Last week, on Wednesday night, a fire broke out in
a store in Merchant Street which proved to be the largest that was
ever known in this country. It burned about 674 buildings, most of
which were wholesale stores, and laid waste all of thirty acres of
the richest part of this city.

"I was up all night to the fire, and last Sunday was on duty with
David as a guard to prevent people from going to the ruins to steal
property that was saved from the fire and laying in heaps in the
streets.

"The awful state that the city was in can be better imagined than
described.

"Mr. Brewer has arrived, and will take to Stockbridge some parcels,
one of which is for Mrs. Ashburner.

"In haste, from your affectionate son,
"CYRUS.

"P.S.--I wish mother would make for me a black frock-coat (she
knows the kind that I want) and a plain black stock.

"Perhaps you had better send me the $6 that you were to let me
have.

"C. W. FIELD."

On July 25, 1836, he writes to his father:

"I shall leave New York on Thursday evening the 11th of August, in
the steamboat _Westchester_, which goes no further up the river
than Hudson, and be at that place on Friday morning, the 12th,
where I shall want to have some one to meet me and Mr. Goodrich
with a good horse and wagon to take us immediately to
Stockbridge.... I want to have some one be at Hudson rain or shine,
and I would like to have you write to me and let me know who is
coming, and where I shall find him if he is not at the wharf....
Mr. G. and myself will pay the expense of coming to Hudson."

And in another letter:

"The fare in the steamboat to Hudson is only 50 cents."

A month later, in a letter to his mother, dated New York, August 29th,
he says:

"I arrived here on Thursday morning with Goodrich, in good health
and fine spirits. I have sent to you by Mr. Platner, of Lee,

10 yds. of fine long cloth, at 25 cents per yd. $2 50
15 yds. not fine long cloth, at 12½ cents per yd. 1 87½
1 muslin collar -----
1 remnant of merino, 4½ yds., for 4 00
------
Total, $8 37½

"If Mary should like the merino for a cloak I will obtain another
remnant for a dress.

"Father has let me have $25 00 since I have been in New York, and
if he wishes me I will pay the above amount, and then I shall be
indebted to him $16 62½. I will send the balance in money or obtain
that amount worth of goods for him here at any time....

"I wish you would all write to me by every opportunity, and tell me
of anything and all things that happen at home and in good old
Stockbridge.

"Give my love to all friends. In haste.

"From your affectionate son,
"CYRUS.

"_To my dear mother._"

He wrote to his mother again on October 31, 1836, and in the postscript
says:

"Tell father that I have read through the _Pilgrim's Progress_
which he gave me when at home, and that I like it very much; and
also that Goodrich and myself take turns in reading a chapter in
the Bible every night before we go to bed, and that we have got as
far as the 25th chapter of Genesis."

His indebtedness to his father seems to have weighed heavily upon him,
for on November 25th he again alludes to it:

"I am now in debt to you $4 75, which I will pay to you at any time
you wish, or will obtain things for you here."

The thought that his home in Stockbridge is to be given up causes him
pain. On January 24, 1837, in a letter to his mother, he says:

"I am sorry that father is going to leave that beautiful place
Stockbridge, but when you do move to Haddam I hope that you will
take everything, even the old and good dog Rover."

In a letter written to his father on April 15, 1837, he mentions various
articles he has sent to him, and then adds:

"And also a silk handkerchief, which I wish you to accept for the
interest on the $25 you lent me."

Towards the end of the letter is this sentence:

"The election has closed and the Whigs have elected Aaron Clark
their candidate for Mayor by a majority of nearly 5000 votes.
Good."

His clothes were all of home manufacture. On May 1, 1837, in a letter to
his mother, he writes:

"I wish you would make for me, as soon as convenient, a black
broadcloth _coat with skirts_, and covered buttons, and as I wish
it for a dress-coat the cloth must be _very fine and made extremely
nice_. You cannot be too particular about it."

In his letter written from New York on July 15, 1837, he says:

"David arrived on Monday, July 10th, in the packet ship _Oxford_,
from Liverpool. He had a passage of thirty-seven days. He is in
very good health. The Ladies' Greek Association of Stockbridge held
their fair the 4th of July on Little Hill, and raised one hundred
and twenty-seven dollars ($127). Well done for old Stockbridge."

The Mercantile Library in Clinton Hall, at the southwest corner of
Nassau and Beekman streets, proved an attractive place to him, and
whenever it was possible he went there in the evening to read; and he
also joined an "Eclectic Fraternity," to which Mr. Jackson S. Schultz
belonged. The Fraternity met for debate every Saturday evening in a
fourth-story room over a leather store in the Swamp.

Mr. Stewart's rules were strict. One of them was that every clerk must
enter in a book the minute that he came in the morning, left for dinner,
returned from dinner, went to supper and came back; and if he was late
in the morning, at dinner over an hour, or required more than
three-quarters of an hour for supper, he must pay twenty-five cents for
each offence. The fines thus collected, Mr. Stewart told his clerks,
would be kept and given to any charity that they should select. This
went on until September 30, 1837, and then this paper was drawn up:

"NEW YORK, _September 30, 1837_.

"We, the undersigned, hereby nominate and appoint Cyrus W. Field
treasurer to receive the fines of the young men _paid_ during the
month of September to Messrs. A. T. Stewart & Co.:

EDWARD K. SHED,
J. R. MCELROY,
JAMES SHOND,
H. T. SELDEN,
CHARLES ST. JOHN,
WEBSTER THOMPSON,
C. ZABRISKIE, JR.,
JNO. K. WALKER,
E. B. WILLIAMS,
HENRY RUTGERS PRALL,
THOMAS H. SELBY,
JAMES BECK,
J. B. SMITH,
GEO. HAYWOOD,
D. R. PARK,
M. GOODRICH,
JOHN WM. BYRON,
A. MATTHEW,
T. JONES,
S. H. MAYNARD,
C. AUSTIN,
PAUL BURDOCK,
P. FELLOWS,
EDMUND S. MILLS,
JAMES MACFARLAN,
A. SAHTLER,
R. WHYTE."

The clerks were paid at the beginning of each month, and on the 1st of
October the paper was presented, and the cashier was asked for the
money, which he declined to give. An appeal was taken to Mr. Stewart,
who ordered it to be given to the young men.

"I took the funds, and all of the clerks left the store that night in a
body and proceeded up Broadway to the corner of Chambers Street. We then
agreed to go into a large, well-known oyster-saloon in the basement. The
clerks at once voted unanimously that we should have an oyster supper,
and that the treasurer should pay from this fund the expense of the
supper, which was done. Then there was a long debate as to what charity
the balance should be given to. At last it was unanimously resolved that
there was no such charity in the city or State of New York as the clerks
of A. T. Stewart & Co., and that Mr. Field, the treasurer, should return
to each clerk the exact amount of his fines, less his proportion of the
supper. This occupied until nearly or quite daylight.

"Some one of the clerks or waiters told Mr. Stewart of what had
occurred, and we were all requested to remain at the store the next
evening after business hours, when Mr. Stewart called me up and asked me
to give him an account of what had been done with the funds paid to me
the previous evening. I told him the exact truth in regard to the
matter, when he dismissed us, saying that in the future he should be
very careful that the firm selected the object of charity that this fund
was given to."

At a dinner at the Union League Club on October 26, 1881, Jackson S.
Schultz, the beginning of whose acquaintance with Mr. Field has just
been referred to, related this incident: "Perhaps I cannot do better
than tell you an anecdote that was told me by Mr. Stewart at the great
celebration which we had at the Metropolitan Hotel after the laying of
the Atlantic cable. He said to me, 'Perhaps you don't know that I have
taught Mr. Field all the art of telegraphing he knows.' 'No, I am not
aware of that, Mr. Stewart.' He said, 'It is quite notorious in our
house.' Mr. Field was for a long time a clerk in that establishment, and
Mr. Stewart said Mr. Field was in the habit of watching the old
gentleman, and by a sort of tick, tick, giving notice to his
fellow-clerks of the fact that he was coming, so that every man was in
his place, and from that simple idea Mr. Field got the idea of
telegraphing, which had made his fortune."

The first intimation we find of his having decided to leave Mr. Stewart
is in a letter to his father, written on January 8, 1838:

"I expect to go to Lee to live with Matthew on the 1st of March. He
will give me two hundred and fifty dollars ($250) the first year,
and my board and washing."

And again, on February 25th, he refers to the proposed change that he
intends making:

"I have been very busy for the last five or six weeks in the
evening attending Mr. Wheeler's school to obtain a thorough
knowledge of book-keeping by double entry, so as to be able to keep
Matthew's books when I go to Lee.... I have made arrangements with
Matthew so that I shall not commence my year with him until the 1st
of April."

He arrived in Lee, Mass., on Friday evening, March 30th.

It was early in this year that Mr. Stewart, having heard that Mr. Field
intended giving up his place as clerk after his three years'
apprenticeship to business, sent for him and urged him to agree to
remain with him for several years, and made him a very liberal offer if
he would do so. On the 2d of March Mr. Bunours, one of Mr. Stewart's
partners, sent him this note:

"_Dear Field_,--You will accept the accompanying trifle as a token
of esteem and sincere friendship, and whatever be your future
pursuits, to know that they are successful will be a source of much
gratification to

WILLIAM H. BUNOURS.

_March 2, '38._"

"The trifle" was a small diamond pin that the recipient of it wore for
over twenty-five years. Upon the same occasion this invitation was
received:

"The undersigned, anxious to show their respect and esteem for
their fellow-clerk, Cyrus W. Field, do hereby agree to give him a
complimentary supper on Friday evening, March 2, 1838.

HENRY RUTGERS PRALL,
JAMES MACFARLAN,
RICHARD MCELROY,
JOHN WM. BYRON,
PAUL BURDOCK,
R. WHYTE,
P. V. MONDON,
JNO. K. WALKER,
CHARLES B. ST. JOHN,
JAMES BECK,
W. THOMPSON,
M. GOODRICH."

A letter written on March 6, 1838, by his brother David to his parents
ends with these words:

"Cyrus has, as you will see from his letters, etc., left Stewart's,
with the best testimonials of esteem from all his employers and
associates. He is a noble young man--and I am proud of him."

His father had said on parting from him in 1835: "Cyrus, I feel sure you
will succeed, for your playmates could never get you off to play until
all the work for which you were responsible was done."

These few words tell us briefly how the following eighteen months were
passed:

"On leaving New York I went as far west as Michigan on business for my
brother Dudley. I went up the Hudson in a boat to Albany, from thence
to, I think, Syracuse in the cars, thence by stage to Buffalo, from
Buffalo by steamer to Detroit, and from there to Ann Arbor. On my return
East I went to Lee, Mass., as an assistant to my brother, Matthew D.
Field. He was a large paper manufacturer; he often sent me on business
to Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, and New York."

From this account of Mr. Field's beginnings in New York it is evident
that his subsequent success was not a matter of chance; the foundations
of it were laid in the character which commanded the confidence of his
employer and of his associates. This will be shown even more strikingly
in the pages that are to follow. His own narration of his early
experiences has an additional interest in the incidental and almost
unconscious disclosure of the vast difference between the conditions of
beginning a business career in New York now and sixty years ago. It
seems worth while to secure an authentic memorial of a life that already
seems so remote and is wellnigh forgotten.

CHAPTER III

MARRIAGE AND BUSINESS LIFE

(1840-1853)

"In the spring of 1840 I went into business for myself in Westfield,
Mass., as a manufacturer of paper, and on October 1st of that year I was
invited to become a partner in the firm of E. Root & Co., of No. 85
Maiden Lane, New York. I was not yet of age when I entered as a junior
partner in this house; the business of the firm was managed chiefly by
my senior partner. My part was to attend to the sales and manage the
business, principally away from New York, in Philadelphia, Baltimore,
Boston, Washington, and other places, making contracts and attending to
the business generally. On November 30, 1840, I was twenty-one, and two
days afterwards I was married to Mary Bryan Stone, of Guilford, Conn."

Mrs. Field's father, Joseph Stone, died of yellow-fever at Savannah,
Ga., July 9, 1822. He left a widow and three little children. Mrs. Stone
returned to her home and lived with her parents, and it was from their
home that her daughter was married. Mr. and Mrs. Fowler had been married
in 1776, and their house was built in 1784, and it was on account of
their age and to avoid all excitement for them that Mr. and Mrs.
Field's wedding was very quiet. The invitations were informal.

"NEW YORK, _November_ 25, 1840.

"_My dear Parents_,--I have only time to write a few lines, and will
come to the point at once.

"The writer of this intends to be joined in the bands of matrimony to
Miss Mary B. Stone one week from this day, that is, on next Wednesday
morning, December 2, 1840, at 10 o'clock A.M., and requests the pleasure
of meeting you both, with sister Mary, at the house of Mr. A. S. Fowler
in Guilford, at the above-mentioned time. David and Stephen will be
there. We expect father will perform the ceremony. I shall leave here
Tuesday in the New Haven steamboat, and you will find me Wednesday
morning at Bradley's Hotel in Guilford, where you had better all stop.

"There will be _only a very_ few friends at the wedding. Shall leave
immediately after the ceremony is over for New Haven, and from there
come to this city.

"If Henry is at home bring him with you, and send to Middletown for
Mary.

"With much love to all at home,
"I remain your affectionate son,
"CYRUS W. FIELD."

A cousin writes: "It is a long time to remember what passed fifty years
ago. It was a lovely morning, the 2d of December, 1840. Your dear father
came to our old home in Guilford. My memory says ten o'clock was the
hour for the ceremony, and it took place in the north room, now the
parlor. Your grandfather, Dr. Field, was the clergyman. I was
bridesmaid. Your dear mother and I wore dresses made alike of gray
cashmere. Lunches were an unheard of arrangement in those days; the
refreshment was three kinds of cake and wine. Then we drove to New
Haven; your uncle, Joseph Stone, lived there. I went to visit some
cousins; your parents went to a hotel, and came and spent the evening
with us."

Mr. Justice Field of the United States Supreme Court was groomsman for
his brother. Fifty years after this same group stood once more together
at the Golden Wedding on December 2, 1890. The married life thus begun
was singularly happy. It is impossible for the children of this marriage
to recall a word of unkindness as having been spoken by either father or
mother. Their little son's death in 1854 drew them closer to one
another. He writes that during his business troubles his wife was
perfectly calm, and that she looked upon the loss of money as but slight
in comparison to the happiness that had been left to her.

On December 3d Mr. and Mrs. Field left New Haven and came to New York by
boat; immediately on their arrival they drove to the house of Mrs. Mason
in Bond Street, and it was there that they boarded for the next two
years.

"In six months" (that is, on April 2, 1841) "E. Root & Co. failed, with
large liabilities, and though I was not the principal of the firm, yet
on me fell the loss and the burden of paying its debts. Such was the
condition in which I started in life, without capital or credit or
business, and with a heavy load of debt upon me. We were for many months
afterwards getting the affairs settled. I dissolved the firm immediately
and started on my own account. Some of the creditors came to see me, and
those that did not come I went to see, and on the best terms I could
settled and compromised and got released.

"My office at this time was in Burling Slip, and it was in 1842 or 1843
that the partnership of Cyrus W. Field & Co. was formed, the company
being my brother-in-law, Joseph F. Stone."

With characteristic regularity the home life as well as the business
life went on. I have on the table before me two account-books, which
show both how methodical were the young merchant's habits and how simple
was his life at the outset of his career.

"No. 1, Cyrus W. Field, 1840, '41 and '42," and
"No. 2, Cyrus W. Field, 1843."

The following are extracts from No. 1:

"EXPENSES ACCOUNT

1840 Dr.
Dec. 2, to carriage to New Haven $ 7 00
" 2, to 50 newspapers 1 00
" 2, to gate fee 25
" 3, to expenses at the Pavillion 9 50
" 4, to porter 25
" 4, to New Haven to New York 4 00
" 4, to newspapers 12
" 4, to hack 1 00
" 4, to cartage 44

1841
Jan. 15, to bill for board for 2 months 120 00
" 29, to bill for vaccination 1 00
" 31, to figs and crackers 17
" 31, to oysters and laudanum 22
Feb. 7, to doctor's bill--one visit 1 00
" 18, to one box of pencil-leads 5
May 25, to one umbrella 1 00
" 28, to repairing silk hat 88
Sept. 8, to letter from Mrs. Field 13
Oct. 20, to paid Dr. Catlin in Haddam 5 00
Nov. 13, to Mrs. Nolan's bill 27 50
" 15, to one willow cradle 2 00
---------
Dec. 1 $1,467 12

"The above are our expenses for one year, from December 2, 1840, to
December 2, 1841.

"CYRUS W. FIELD."

From this time until 1842 the accounts were kept with the same
exactness; some of the items for this latter year are:

"1842
June 13, to cutting coat, vest, 2 pair pants $ 1 75
" 15, to soap, 8 cents; pepper, 5 cents; tobacco and linen 32
July 4, to Niblo's Garden, M. E. F., M. S., and C. W. F. 1 50
" 6, to Dr. Paine, $1; pill, 6 cents 1 06
Aug. 7, to letter to and one from Mrs. Field 25
Oct. 1, to W. H. Popham, 7 tons coal 37 75
Nov. 18, to shoestrings, 5 cents; tacks, 19 cents 24
" 22, to _Tribune_, 2 weeks 18
---------
Dec. 1 $1,482 79

"The above were our expenses for one year, December 2, 1841, to
December 2, 1842.

"CYRUS W. FIELD."

And on December 1, 1843, at the end of the book we read:

---------
"1843 $1,654 91

Less
Dec. 1, boarding ---- from October 8,
1842, to date, 59-6/7 weeks @
$3 $179 57
" 1, cash over to date[A] 6 30 185 87
---------
$1,469 04

[A] This amount is for sundries sold, and entered the past year in our
expenses, and for which I refund back the money.

"The above are our expenses for one year, from December 2, 1842, to
December 2, 1843.

"CYRUS W. FIELD."

In 1842 he rented a house in East Seventeenth Street, No. 87, and his
brother Dudley questioned the wisdom of his living so far up-town, and
said that he must not look for frequent visits from him, that he could
only go to him on Sunday. He lived in this house for ten years, and in
the interval his brother Dudley moved to one immediately in the rear,
and Mrs. Robert Sedgwick and Mrs. Caroline Kirkland were near neighbors
and dear friends.

For many years Mr. Field took his breakfast by lamplight, and his dinner
and supper down-town. His children saw him only on Sunday. At this time,
he wrote long afterwards, "I was an ardent admirer of Henry Clay, and in
politics a Whig," and accordingly he took a warm interest in the
election of 1844.

"In 1844 I was not worth a dollar. What money I had made had all gone to
pay the debts of the old firm. My business was conducted on long credit;
we did a general business all over the country. I built up a first-rate
credit everywhere. All business intrusted to me was done promptly and
quickly. I attended to every detail of the business, and made a point of
answering every letter on the day it was received."

Mr. Schultz said of him at the dinner already referred to:

"But, sir, I do recall the early days of Mr. Field. I remember him
when he was first a clerk and then a merchant.... He had
peculiarities then as he has always had. One I recollect was, he
had over his desk 'Are you insured?' For no one that was not
insured could get credit of him. He could not afford, he said, to
insure himself and others too. Thus in all his transactions he had
ideas and principles to carry out, but always good principles and
ideas. I well remember when he came into the Mercantile Library
Association; he had his own ideas, which did a great deal to add
to the dignity and usefulness of that institution. In all his early
life he was what he has been since--useful, practical."

It seems odd now to be reminded by the sight of old letters that at this
time envelopes were not in use. The sheets of paper were large, of
letter size; three sides were closely written on, and then it was folded
into nine, and it was not permitted to enclose even a slip of paper in
this sheet; the postage was usually thirteen cents. The currency was
puzzling; there was the short or "York" shilling of eight to the dollar
(that is, twelve and a half cents), and the New England or long shilling
of six to the dollar (sixteen and two-thirds cents). So rooted was each
kind of currency in its own section as often to cause travellers
annoyance and confusion.

The first and part of the second page of the New York _Tribune_ for
August 26, 1844, is most interesting. There is given an account of "The
Berkshire Jubilee," held at Pittsfield, Mass., on August 22d and 23d.
The paper mentions among those present, Dr. Orville Dewey, of New York,
William Cullen Bryant, Miss Catherine Sedgwick, Dr. Mark Hopkins, Mr.
Macready, the actor, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Mrs. Fanny Kemble, Dr.
D. D. Field, and David Dudley Field. This "Jubilee" lasted for two days.
There were forty-four vice-presidents appointed, and forty-four tables
were laid to accommodate the three thousand people who dined together.
On the first day, at two o'clock in the afternoon, Dr. Hopkins preached
a sermon on Jubilee Hill, west of the village, and Dr. D. D. Field
"offered up an eloquent prayer."

After dinner on the 23d there were speeches and singing.

"A young lady, as amiable as she is beautiful, and as intelligent as she
is both amiable and beautiful, gave the following sentiment by proxy:

"'You scarce can go through the world below
But you'll find the Berkshire men,
And when you rove the world above
You'll meet them there again.'

"At the close of Dr. Holmes's speech he read the poem that appears in
his works under the title of 'Lines recited at the Berkshire Festival,'
beginning:

"'Come back to your mother, ye children, for shame,
Who have wandered like truants for riches or fame;
With a smile on her face and a sprig on her cap
She calls you to feast from her bountiful lap."

And it appears from the report that "the recitation of this poem was the
most popular exercise of the day."

We have a book of French exercises with page after page written by Mr.
Field. They begin with "Avez vous le pain?" and the last sentence is,
"Votre ami a-t-il le miroir que vous avez ou celui que j'ai? Il n'a ni
celui que vous avez ni celui que j'ai, mais il a le sien." He never
spoke French, but one can fancy that these exercises were written before
he went to Europe, in April, 1849, and in preparation for the exigencies
of intercourse with the natives that might arise.

Mr. and Mrs. Field sailed for England in a packet-ship commanded by
Captain Hovey. They were eighteen days in crossing, and landed at
Plymouth, and posted through Cornwall. This journey was taken by the
advice of his physician. The excitement and work of the past fourteen
years had told very decidedly upon him, and perfect rest was imperative.
Their four little girls were left under the care of an aunt in New
Haven, Conn., and on arriving in England the parents' first thought was
of their children; and great was the joy with which these hailed the
advent of a box of toys, and in it was a blue-and-white tea-set which
gave unusual happiness. Here is one of the messages that came back
across the sea:

"_Precious Little Isabella_,--What are you about just now? Can
mother guess?

"Well, Belle is singing her German song.

"No. Does Belle say no? She is rocking her doll to sleep, and she
is making a nice dress for dolly.

"I have put up a little bundle of pieces for Grace, Alice, and
Isabelle, and now you can make a great many dresses. Mother wishes
much to see her little Belle and Fanny, and to give them a good
number of kisses. Mother always wished to kiss all her little girls
before she went to bed, but now she cannot reach them.

"Will Belle kiss her sister for her mother and will she kiss her
cousins, too?

"Mamma hopes Belle will always mind her aunt, Miss Oppenheim, her
cousins, and Anne.

"Anne loves Belle and is very kind to her and does all for little
Belle that she can.

"Now, dear little Belle, good-bye, and do not forget

"MAMMA.

"Mother sends Belle her bird in the cage."

Some of the reminiscences of this journey come back quite distinctly.
One of them was the indignation of an Irishman at being asked the name
of the river they were passing, which, unluckily for the questioner,
happened to be the Boyne. Another was of a service at a kirk in
Scotland, during which an old lady said to Mrs. Field, "Remember that
you are in the house of God." Her offence was that she had offered to
share her book of psalms with her husband. Indeed it must have seemed
impossible for those who did not know to believe that they were husband
and wife and that they had been married nine years, for both looked very
young at this time.

They travelled rapidly during the following five months. They visited
Manchester, York, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, and London,
Paris, Geneva, and from there to Milan over the Simplon, to Leghorn,
Florence, Rome, Naples, Venice, Vienna, Dresden, Berlin, from Frankfort
down the Rhine to Cologne, to Brussels, back to England and Liverpool,
and from there by the steamship _Europa_ to Boston, and to their home in
New York in September.

They had been interested spectators of the events succeeding the great
uprising of the people in France, Germany, and Italy, and of their
failure to free themselves and obtain self-government.

Mr. George Bancroft was a fellow-passenger on the voyage home. He had
made an engagement to dine in Boston on a certain day, and while at sea
was troubled lest he should not arrive in time; but as Mr. and Mrs.
Field drove to the train they passed Mr. Bancroft on his way to dinner,
and he waved his hand to them. On his return to New York, Mr. Field
amused his friends by stating the characteristic fact that the first
word he learned of each new language, as he crossed from one country to
another, was "faster."

Mr. and Mrs. Field lived simply. The summer outings were short,
sometimes for only a few weeks were they and their children away from
the city, but their children look back with pleasure to the drives that
they took, during the long summer days, to Hoboken (the Elysian Fields),
to Astoria, to Coney Island, all very different places from those of the
present time. And the family cow was driven each morning to pasture on
land that is now known as Madison Square.

January 24, 1850, a son was born. Dr. Field, supposing that he was to be
named Cyrus, addressed the following letter, superscribed:

"Master Cyrus W. Field, Jr.,
"Of the Firm of Cyrus W. Field & Co.,
"No. 11 Cliff Street,
"New York."
"HIGGANUM, _January 28, 1850_.

"MASTER CYRUS W. FIELD, Jr.:

"_Dear Grandson_,--We were happy in hearing of your safe arrival
last Thursday morning, and hope you will be a great honor and
blessing to your parents and to your delighted sisters. Your
grandmother sends you much love, and says she hopes you will make
as good a man as your father.

"Give our love to your parents, to Grace, etc., etc., and by-and-by
come up and see whether Higganum pleases you as well as New York.
The Lord bless you and all your friends. Tell them that we are well
and happy.

"Your affectionate grandfather,
"DAVID D. FIELD."

And Mrs. Kirkland sent a note beginning:

"A boy! a boy!
I wish you joy!"

She also wrote: "The pleasantest thing I have to tell you is that Miss
Bremer promises me a visit, and will probably be here in two or three
weeks." The visit was paid and gave great pleasure. Mrs. Field told of
one evening passed at Mrs. Kirkland's, when the Swedish novelist was
quite unconscious that from her cap hung a paper on which was written
2/6.

The autumn of 1850 was long remembered by parents and children. Early in
September the two-seated covered wagon and buggy were filled by the
entire family, who left New York for a drive of four weeks; first to
Guilford, Conn., then to Stockbridge, returning from Hudson to New York
by the night boat.

It was Mr. Field's custom to give an annual supper to his clerks. That
which took place in December, 1850, was signalized by the proceedings
thus officially recited:

A meeting of the salesmen in the employ of Messrs. Cyrus W. Field &
Co. was held December 20, 1850. S. Ahern was appointed to preside.
After the objects of the meeting were made known by the chairman in
a few brief and appropriate remarks, the following resolutions were
unanimously adopted:

_Resolved_, That in consideration of the innumerable acts of
kindness manifested towards us by Cyrus W. Field, Esq., we deem it
expedient to acknowledge them, not alone in expressions of
gratitude, but by tangible proof of our appreciation of them.

_Resolved_, That a committee of three be appointed to decide upon
an appropriate testimonial of our esteem, to be presented to Cyrus
W. Field; and that Augustus Waterman, John Seaman, and James Barry
be appointed said committee.

_Resolved_, That Augustus Waterman, in view of his long services to
Cyrus W. Field, be deputed in behalf of himself and fellow-salesmen
to make such presentation as the committee shall decide on.

_Resolved_, That a copy of the foregoing resolutions accompany the
presentation, and that said presentation and resolutions be
presented on the occasion of the annual supper given by Cyrus W.
Field to his employés, and that they be accepted by him as a faint
token of our esteem.

AUGUSTUS WATERMAN,
JAMES BARRY,
SIMEON J. AHERN,
ANDREW CAHILL,
JOHN CAHILL,
JOHN SEAMAN (per A. W.).

The testimonial took the form of a silver pitcher suitably inscribed.

Early in June, 1851, Mr. and Mrs. Field left New York, and made quite an
extended journey over the then Southern, Western, and Northern States.
First to Virginia, where they had the pleasure of staying with Mr. and
Mrs. Hill Carter at their plantation, Shirley, on the James River; then
to the Natural Bridge, and it was while there that Mr. Field asked Mr.
Church to make a sketch for a picture, and suggested that it would be
wise to take a small piece of the rock back to New York. This Mr. Church
did not think necessary, but Mr. Field was so intent upon having the
color exactly reproduced that he put a bit in his pocket. When the
oil-painting was sent to his house he found the piece, and there had
been no mistake made in the color. From Virginia the party went to the
Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. It was in the course of the trip either up or
down the Mississippi, on one of the famous high-pressure boats of those
days, that the stewardess coolly remarked, when some of the passengers
expressed alarm at the racing, that it made no difference whether or not
the boat they were on happened to blow up, since it was in any case her
last trip. In the ardor of the race the fires were fed with any fuel
available: even the hams that formed part of the cargo were sacrificed.
At St. Paul they heard that a treaty was to be made with the Indians,
and Mr. Field immediately hired a boat for $400 to take him to the
scene. As many others were anxious to go he allowed the captain to sell
tickets at $10 to as many people as the boat would accommodate, and the
captain made a handsome profit, as he was required merely to reimburse
Mr. Field for his outlay. The Indians were frightened at the advent of
the party and at the noise of the whistle, and the treaty had to come to
a standstill until the boat could be sent out of sight.

Mr. Field was again at St. Paul in 1884, when the changes he found
seemed to him marvellous. Mr. F. E. Church, the artist, who had
originally been of the party, but had left it before the arrival at St.
Paul, wrote early in August:

"I am delighted that you were able to be at the Indian treaty,
which, from the description in your letter and the numerous letters
published in the daily prints, convinces me that the occasion must
have been one of extraordinary interest....

"I am telling marvellous stories here of our adventures to gaping
audiences, and exhibiting my blind fishes with tremendous
effect....

"All accounts from the children in Stockbridge bring alarming
intelligence; it is said that they are getting fat, and nothing
which has been tried has succeeded in stopping the spread of the
complaint. I recommend a month on a Western steamboat in hot
weather."

One of the party, a lady, was not at all times a pleasant travelling
companion. The stage drive, one morning in Kentucky, began at four, and
by six o'clock the sun poured down against the side of the coach in
which the lady was seated. As the heat increased, in the same degree her
irritability was manifested. At last she asked a Southern gentlemen who
was by her to let down the curtain. His answer was: "With pleasure,
madam, if you won't look so damned sight cross." This proved to be the
remedy required; from that time she was good-natured.

From a letter written to a New York paper this is copied:

"NIAGARA FALLS, _August 11, 1851_.

"Among the recent arrivals at the Clifton House are Mlle. Jenny
Lind and Cyrus W. Field and family....

"Jenny Lind arrived yesterday from New York by way of Oswego. She
keeps strictly private, and has her meals served in her own room.
Last evening she was amusing herself by singing, accompanied by Mr.
Scharfenberg, in her own rooms, with closed doors. Soon a crowd of
a hundred had gathered round her door, without a whisper being
heard. She sang for about half an hour, when, suddenly opening her
door, she stepped in the hall for a candle, and then you would have
laughed outright to see the people scamper, she looking so
indignant."

When Mr. Field built the house on Gramercy Park, which was at first
numbered 84 East Twenty-first Street, that and the one next to it were
the only ones between Lexington and Third avenues, and the east side of
Gramercy Park was a large vacant lot. This house was afterwards known as
123 East Twenty-first Street, and there forty happy years were passed.

CHAPTER IV

OUT OF DEBT--A VOYAGE TO SOUTH AMERICA

(1853)

Although upon the failure for which he was not responsible of the firm
of which he was a member Mr. Field had effected a compromise with the
creditors of the firm which had procured his release from all legal
obligations, and which satisfied them as the best that they could hope
for, it did not satisfy him. He felt that in reality he was still their
debtor, and one of the chief incentives to his intense devotion to
business in the years following his fresh start was the hope of clearing
off the debt, so that no man should have lost by trusting him. In this
he succeeded. He himself says in the incomplete autobiography already
cited:

"There was no luck about my success, which was remarkable. It was not
due to the control or use of large capital, to the help of friends, to
speculations or to fortunate turns of events, it was by constant labor
and with the ambition to be a successful merchant; and I was rewarded by
seeing a steady, even growth of business. I had prospered so that on the
1st of January, 1853, I was worth over $250,000. I then turned to my
books for a list of the old claims which I had settled by compromising
ten years before, found the amount which my generous creditors had
deducted from their claims, added to each one interest for that time,
and sent to every man a check for the whole amount principal and with
seven per cent. interest, a sum amounting in all to many thousands of
dollars."

The letters that follow tell their own story and how the money was
received. Two of them indicate that he made use of his prosperity to
release his own debtors at the same time that he was paying in full his
creditors:

"HARTFORD, CONN., _2d March, 1853_.

"CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq., New York:

"_Dear Sir_,--Your favor of yesterday's date was duly received, and
we would now acknowledge the same, and with no ordinary feeling of
satisfaction, for in these degenerate days it is in truth a rare
occurrence to find men who like yourself--as is evidenced by this
act--are honest from principle, and who never consider themselves
morally quit of a just debt, even though legally released, until
the debt is paid in full. We would now express to you our thanks
for the sum enclosed, not so much for the value thereof in currency
as for the proof it affords that 'honesty still dwells among men.'
With our best wishes for your continued prosperity and an assurance
of our high regard,

"We are truly your friends,
"WOODRUFF & CO.,
"By Sam. Woodruff."

"LOWELL, _March 3, 1853_.

"C. W. FIELD, Esq.:

"_Dear Sir_,--Yours of the 1st inst. was duly received, with check
enclosed for $114 41, for which please accept my grateful
acknowledgments.

"I congratulate you upon the success of your business pursuits,
which has enabled you thus honorably to liquidate your by-gone
pecuniary obligations, and I hope your life and health may be long
continued in the enjoyment of the well-earned fruits of your
persevering enterprise.

"It will always give me great pleasure to see you at my house in
Lowell, and I hope to find opportunity during the coming season to
visit the Empire City and the World's Fair and to avail myself of
that occasion to call upon you.

"With much regard, I remain
"Yours truly,
"JOHN WRIGHT."

"PITTSFIELD, _March 3, 1853_.

"_My dear Friend_,--The many and various exhibitions of kindness
and good-feeling from you heretofore have placed me under very
great obligations.

"Language fails me to express my feelings on the receipt of your
letter of the 1st, and this morning with your check for $317 20 for
a claim amicably and satisfactorily adjusted about ten years since,
and for which I have no legal or moral claim on you, nor, indeed,
had it entered my mind for several years.

"This act, entirely voluntary on your part, exhibits moral honesty,
that all fair men approve, but few make known by their acts. I
value it the more because it exhibits in my friend a conscience
alive to right. You have made this present (for I have no claim)
not because you considered I needed it, but because the ability
that did not exist in 1843 does exist in 1853, and the act itself
would be carrying out the principles of the Golden Rule. Please
accept my warmest thanks for this token of love and friendship. May
peace, prosperity, and happiness attend you all your days.

"I am truly your friend,
"WALTER LAFLIN.

"To CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq., New York."

"SPRINGFIELD, MASS., _March 5, 1853_.

"CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq., New York City:

"_Dear Sir_,--Allow me hereby to acknowledge the receipt of yours
of March 1st with its contents.

"We are perfectly conscious that in a legal point of view we had no
claim upon you for this very unexpected document, but to your
personal high sense of honor we are indebted for it, and for this
act of honesty and fairness you have our very grateful
acknowledgments.

"With the best wishes for your future prosperity and good health,
we remain,

"Dear sir, very respectfully,
"Your obedient servants,
"PARKER, DOUGLASS & CO.
"Per O. O. Parker."

"P. S.--I shall be in your city soon and will be pleased to call
upon you.

"S. PARKER.
"Per O. O. Parker."

"HOUSATONIC BANK, _March 7, 1853_.

"CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq.:

"_Dear Sir_,--At the request of the Board of Directors of the
Housatonic Bank I enclose resolutions passed by them this day.

"Allow me to add, individually, my sincere thanks; and I am
requested to ask if you will allow us to make mention of it, to
show that such high moral principles in business have much to do
with a man's prosperity.

"With great respect I remain,
"Your obedient servant,
"J. D. ADAMS, Cashier."

"At a meeting of the directors of the Housatonic Bank, held at
their banking-house on the 7th day of March, 1853, the cashier laid
before the board a letter from Cyrus W. Field, Esq., dated 1st of
March instant, enclosing a check on the Union Bank, New York, for
seven hundred 62-100 dollars, being an unpaid balance and the
interest in full on a note against the late firm of E. Root & Co.,
due in 1841, which note had long since been given up to Mr. Field,
the firm having become insolvent. Whereupon it was unanimously

"_Resolved_, That the conduct of Mr. Field in voluntarily paying a
debt for which the bank had no claim evinces a high degree of moral
integrity, alike honorable to him as a merchant and gentleman.

"_Resolved_, That such an instance of high-minded magnanimity
should be held up as an example worthy of the more commendation
because of rare occurrence.

"_Resolved_, That we tender to Mr. Field our congratulations in
view of his present prosperity, and our best wishes for its
continuance.

"_Voted_, That the foregoing resolutions be entered on the records
of the board, and a copy signed by the president and cashier
transmitted to Mr. Field.

"C. M. OWEN, President.
"J. D. ADAMS, Cashier."

"LEE BANK, _March 7th, 1853_.

"CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq.:

"_Dear Sir_,--Your favor of 1st inst. was duly received, with draft
on Union Bank, $1142 49.

"I have been delaying acknowledging receipt of same, hoping to get
our directors together and lay the matter before them, that I might
communicate to you their feelings, but have not as yet been able to
do so; shall have an opportunity soon.

"Our stockholders will appreciate your generosity, and permit me to
thank you in their behalf, as well as my own, for your magnanimity
exercised towards us.

"I remain
"Truly yours,
"L. A. BLISS."

"LEE BANK, _March 8th, 1853_.

"At a meeting of the directors of the Lee Bank held at their
banking-house this day the following resolutions were unanimously
adopted:

"_Whereas_, During the last week, a draft was received by the
cashier of this bank from Cyrus W. Field, Esq., of New York,
amounting to eleven hundred forty two 49-100 dollars, it being the
balance with principal and interest due upon a draft given by E.
Root & Co. in 1841 of fifteen hundred dollars; and

"_Whereas_, The Lee Bank had given Mr. Field a full discharge of
the above debt by his paying the sum of nine hundred forty-two
7-100 dollars in the year 1845; therefore

"_Resolved_, That the full payment of a debt by the junior partner,
having been contracted in the commencement of his business life and
by misfortunes which rendered him unable to pay the same, is a
mark of strict honesty and integrity, and is worthy of all
commendation.

"_Resolved_, That the foregoing resolutions be entered upon the
records of this board, and a copy sent to Mr. Field.

"LEONARD CHURCH, President."

"HUDSON, _March 8th, 1853_.

"CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq.:

"_Sir_,--Yours of 7th February conveying your check on the Union
Bank for three hundred eleven 68-100 is received. The receipt of
the above is especially gratifying to me as an evidence that there
are some honorable exceptions to the rule that legal obligations
are the only ones binding on the community. If in the course of any
of your business transactions I can be of any service to you, it
will be a sincere gratification to me to render to you any personal
favors in my power.

"Truly your friend,
"SAM. R. MILLER."

"WESTFIELD, MASS., _April 4th, 1853_.

"_My dear Sir_,--Yours of the 1st inst. was received this morning.
The time is so short before you leave the country that I shall not
probably have time to see all the persons to whom your letters with
the checks were enclosed. There is to be a town meeting this
afternoon, when perhaps I may see them all. I understand, however,
on inquiry at the post-office, that all the letters have been
received and duly distributed, and that all of the persons
interested have felt very grateful to you for your kindness and
generosity, and the reason why they have not answered your letters
and acknowledged the receipt of the money was probably that they
have been consulting as to the best _mode_ of acknowledgment, and,
I believe, have been preparing a public acknowledgment to be
published in our Westfield papers, but which has not as yet been
quite matured.

"I think you may, however, leave the city with a full assurance
that your good intentions in regard to these persons have been
fully accomplished and gratefully received, so that in various ways
much good will thereby have been done. Captain S. S. Amory has been
dead about two years, and his only son is now in California, but
his widow, a very worthy woman, is still living, and, I am very
sure, feels deeply grateful for this act of kindness, which will
aid her very much in her lonely state.

"With my own and Mrs. Fowler's best regards to yourself and wife,
and many wishes for your safe and happy return to your family,

"Truly your friend,
"I. S. FOWLER."

"MILL RIVER, _April 17, 1853_.

"MR. CYRUS W. FIELD:

"_Dear Sir_,--Your kind favor of March 1st was duly received, also
yours of the 1st inst. within sixteen days from date, and my
apology for not answering and acknowledging your first, with the
enclosed check which it contained, is that I supposed Mr. Brett
would do so, or had done so. I need not tell you that it was
thankfully received, and that we feel truly grateful to you for the
favor, and also feel happy that prosperity has smiled upon you.

"Accept, dear sir, my best wishes for your prosperity and welfare,
and believe me ever

"Truly yours with respect,
"EDWIN ADAMS,
"One of the firm of E. C. Brett."

"SO. HADLEY FALLS, _March 7th, 1853_.

"CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq.:

"_My dear Sir_,--I have received your very kind favor of 1st inst.
Your offer to cancel the judgment which you hold against me is
conferring a favor which it is out of my power in any form to
reciprocate. Please accept my sincere thanks. Your untiring energy
and perseverance have been crowned with great success. You have an
ample estate, and no one deserves it more.

"In reply to some taunts of John Randolph, Henry Clay said his only
patrimony was a widowed mother with nine children.

"Your only inheritance was a load of debt, cast upon you at the
commencement of your business life, which was not caused by lack of
foresight or fault on your part. You bore up under this heavy
burden and paid it as not one in thousands could or would have
done, and by this very act you laid broad the basis of your
subsequent success. Should I ever again visit your city nothing
there will afford me so much pleasure as to meet your cordial
greeting and to accept your kind invitation.

"May your efforts be crowned with all the good-fortune you may
desire, even if it be to place you side by side with the biggest of
the big merchant princes of the Empire City, is the sincere prayer
of

"Your friend,
"WELLS LATHROP."

"SPRINGFIELD, MASS., _March 8, '53_.

"_My Dear Sir_,--Your very kind favor of the 7th is just received.

"I enclose a satisfaction or discharge of the judgment you hold
_vs._ H. & L., which, when you have dated and signed in presence of
a witness, will become perfect.

"If the pleasure of giving is greater than receiving then you are
far more happy than President Pierce or any of his Cabinet.

"Most sincerely, your friend,
"C. HOWARD.

"C. W. FIELD, Esq., New York."

"SPRINGFIELD, _March_ 10, '53.

"_My dear Sir_,--Your letter of the 9th with its highly prized
contents is received. I have no words to express my feelings for
your unsolicited gift and your kind offer to serve me in any way in
your power. This world is a wheel, and I rejoice that the spoke you
are on is so nearly at the highest point, though mine is nearly the
reverse. I hope that I shall never again be the direct or indirect,
innocent or guilty cause of loss to you; but most earnestly hope
that I may yet have it in my power to make some small return.

"There is no _legal_ claim against me of that enormous amount of
debt in which, seven years since, I most unexpectedly found myself
involved. Nevertheless, it is all as justly due as it was before
the Commissioner discharged me, and it would be the greatest
happiness I could enjoy in this world to pay every farthing. But
of this I have no hope. I have a small income from property
belonging to my wife, which, with great prudence and economy, will
just about pay for our bread and salt, and I can hardly expect to
ever earn another dollar.

* * * * *

"Pray pardon this long yarn of myself and accept the enclosed one
thousand dollars, being the same amount which I requested our
friend, Mr. Ashburner, to offer you three years ago, though he did
not, I believe, only _half_ do it. Accept also my most hearty good
wishes for your continued health and prosperity, a long life and a
glorious reward hereafter, and believe me,

"Most sincerely your friend,
"CHARLES HOWARD.

"CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq., Merchant, New York."

"I now wished," the autobiography goes on, "to retire from business
altogether, but at length I yielded to the solicitations of my junior
partner so far as to agree to leave my name at the head of the firm and
to leave in the business a capital of $100,000. But this was done with
the express understanding that I was not to be required to devote any
time to it."

His lot now seemed altogether enviable. He had retrieved the losses
incurred at the outset of his career; he could

"Look the whole world in the face,
For he owed not any man."

Not only this, but he was a rich man, as riches were counted forty years
ago. At all events, those who were dear to him seemed to be put beyond
the reach of want. His home life was, as it always had been and always
was to be, serene and untroubled. At the age of thirty-four, with his
energy and his faculties of enjoyment unimpaired, he found himself able
to retire from business, and to lead, if his nature had permitted him to
lead, a life of leisure. The first use he made of his release from the
cares of business was to project a long journey with his friend,
Frederick Church, the distinguished landscape-painter. He left New York
in April, 1853, for Central and South America. They took passage early
in the month in a sailing-vessel.

On the morning of the sailing he had said good-bye to his family, and
they were imagining him as already far down the bay, when a sudden ring
at the door was so like the one he was accustomed to give that one of
his children exclaimed, "There is papa!" and to the surprise of all he
walked into the room. The vessel had been detained in the harbor, and he
could not remain contentedly on board almost in sight of his home, and
so he came back to pass a few hours.

They sailed as far as Savanilla, New Granada (now Colombia), at the
mouth of the Magdalena, and from there up that river for six hundred
miles. Disembarking at the head of navigation, they passed four months
in mountain travel on mule-back, traversing the table-lands south to
Bogota, following the Andes to Quito, and crossing the equator and
Chimborazo, at last reaching the Pacific at Guayaquil. From Guayaquil
they were able to take steamers to Panama, but the railroad across the
isthmus was but partly built; for the rest of the crossing they had
again to resort to mules. This would be a difficult and toilsome journey
even now, and it was far more so forty years ago. But it had memorable
results, for it was at this time that Mr. Church made the sketches for
some of his most famous tropical landscapes. Before Mr. Field left New
York he had drawn the accompanying map and this paper, from which it
will be seen that he made most careful calculations of his expenses:

CYRUS W. FIELD'S ESTIMATE OF EXPENSES TO SOUTH AMERICA IN 1853.

Outfit $150 00
New York to Savanilla, per vessel 60 00
Savanilla to Barranquilla, per horse 10 00
Barranquilla to Honda, per steamer 90 00
Honda to Bogota, per mule 20 00
Bogota to Popayan, }
Popayan to Pasto, }
Pasto to Quito, } mule 200 00
Quito to Mount Chimborazo, }
M. C. to Volcano of Cotopaxi, }
Cotopaxi to Guayaquil, }
Guayaquil to Lima, per steamer 75 00
Lima to Valparaiso, per steamer 110 00
Valparaiso to Santiago, per carriage 20 00
Santiago to Valparaiso, per carriage 20 00
Valparaiso to Panama, per steamer 190 00
Panama to Aspinwall, per mule, railroad,
and steamer 30 00
Aspinwall to New York, per steamer 65 00
Sundries, say for 180 days @ $2 00 360 00
Extra premium on life-insurance 100 00
Sundries 100 00
---------
$1,600 00

On another paper was written:

PLACES OF INTEREST TO VISIT.

Emerald mines of Muzo.
Bogota 8,700 feet.
Falls of Tequendama 574 "
Bridges of Icononzo 320 "
Lake of Buga.
Gold mine.
Popayan.
Pasto.
Quito 9,500 feet.
Mount Chimborazo (Kun) 21,400 "
Volcano of Cotopaxi 18,900 "
Guayaquil.
Lima.
Potosi silver mines.
Valparaiso.
Santiago.
Panama.
Gold mines.

This page of directions was given to his family:

All letters to Cyrus W. Field by first steamer _via_ Aspinwall,
care of

1. Messrs. Hamburger Battis,
Barranquilla,
New Granada, S. A.
April 6th to 13th.

2. Hon. Yelvert P. King,
Chargé d'Affaires of the United States,
Bogota,
New Granada, S. A.
April 13th to 28th.

3. Chargé d'Affaires of the United States,
Quito,
Ecuador, S. A.
April 28th to May 20th.

4. United States Consul,
Guayaquil,
Ecuador, S. A.
May 20th to 28th.

5. Messrs. Alsop & Co.,
Lima,
Peru, S. A.
May 28th to June 20th.

6. Messrs. Alsop & Co.,
Valparaiso,
Chili, S. A.
June 20th to July 5th.

7. Messrs. Garrison & Fritz,
Panama,
New Granada, S. A.
July 5th to August 13th.

8. A. M. Hunkley, Esq.,
Agent Messrs. Adams & Co.,
Aspinwall, Navy Bay,
New Granada, S. A.
August 13th to September 5th.

These two sketches were made by Mr. Church and sent to Mrs. Field;
across the back of the larger one is written, "Mr. Field and Mr.
Church in the procession."

There is a Spanish proverb, "Never leave a river before you or your
baggage behind." One evening Mr. Field and Mr. Church forgot this, and
crossed, leaving the mules with their packs to follow in the morning.
During the night the river rose, and three weeks passed before it was
possible to bring over the baggage train, the weary travellers meanwhile
ruefully contemplating from day to day, from the opposite bank, their
inaccessible possessions.

In an Aspinwall paper of October, 1853, this was printed:

"Among the passengers arrived yesterday in the steamship _Bogota_
from Guayaquil are Messrs. Cyrus W. Field and F. E. Church, of New
York, who have been travelling for the last six months in South
America.

"They say that the scenery in some parts of the Andes is grand and
beautiful beyond description; and that words cannot express the
kindness and hospitality with which they have been treated; that
gold in large quantities can be obtained in Antioquia, and from the
beds of many of the small streams that run down the Andes into the
Pacific or the Amazon; and that the soil on the plains of Bogota
and in the valley of the Cauca is very rich; and that they have
been so much pleased with their journey that they intend soon to
return to the land of beautiful flowers and birds, and to the
continent for which the Almighty has done so much and man so
little.

"The following are some of the places of interest that they have
visited: Falls of Tequendama, Natural Bridge of Icononzo at Pandi;
silver mines of Santa Aña; emerald mines of Muzo; volcanoes of
Puracé, Pichincha, and Cotopaxi; cities of Mompox, Bogota, Ibaque,
Cartago, Buga, Cali, Popagan, Pasto, and Quito.

"They left Quito on the 9th of September. Stopped two days at
Cotopaxi, four at Chimborazo, and eight at Guayaquil, and will
leave in the next steamer for the United States."

Of the sail from Aspinwall to New York it was written:

"The voyage was pleasant, but every day's run was studied with
nervous anxiety by Mr. Field. He had hurried home in order to be in
Stockbridge on October 31st, the day on which his father and mother
were to celebrate their golden wedding; the steamer was delayed by
stormy weather, and he did not arrive in New York until late in the
afternoon of the 29th."

His family had watched almost as eagerly for his coming. Not only were
they anxious to see him, but their going to Stockbridge depended upon
it, and that could not be delayed beyond the morning of the 30th.

Mr. Field brought back a very miscellaneous assortment of the spoils of
travel; among them were some of the grass cloaks worn in South America.
He often amused his children by putting on these cloaks, and one day
they suggested that their father should show himself in this novel
costume to his sister, then living in the old home in Seventeenth
Street. Without thinking of the effect this might produce on the way, he
at once left his house, and had gone but a short distance when he found
that he was followed by a number of persons that soon swelled into a
crowd and gave chase, until at last he was obliged to take refuge in the
home of a friend.

He brought back also a live jaguar, specimen of a South American tiger,
and twenty-four living parroquets. The most interesting of all, however,
was an Indian boy of fourteen, whom he intended to have taught in the
United States, with the view of ultimately sending him back to his
native land as a missionary. The idea was good, but to carry it out was
quite impossible. Marcus was an imp. It was with almost magical rapidity
that he could plan and execute mischief. He succeeded in breaking the
collar-bone of the cook living in the family of Mr. David Dudley Field,
and his delight was to lay snares in dark halls and passages, and if he
was opposed he did not hesitate to seize a carving-knife and flourish it
frantically about. A civilized life was not attractive to him; and while
Mr. Field was in England in 1856, his relations, who had tried in vain
to Christianize the boy, decided to return him to his father, a
bull-fighter in South America.

But Mr. Field's special desire for returning home by an appointed day
was gratified. On October 31, 1853, all the descendants of Dr. and Mrs.
Field excepting their son Stephen and one grandson met in Stockbridge.
Thirty-nine of the family dined together in the old home, and that
afternoon all the friends and neighbors came to congratulate the former
minister and his wife. The house had, the year before, been bought by
their sons David Dudley and Cyrus, and had been put in perfect order,
and the younger son had had it completely furnished for his parents.

In writing to his mother on October 31, 1835, Mr. Field said: "Brother
Timothy sailed the day that I got back from Southwick; I received a
letter from him a few days ago. He sent his love to you, father, and all
friends, but had time to write only a few words as they passed a vessel.
He says the captain is a pious man, and that they have prayers morning
and evening." Later in the year came the news that Timothy had sailed
from New Orleans in the ship _Two Brothers_, and that vessel was never
heard from. For many years the family entertained the hope that he would
return, and his brother Cyrus spent "hundreds of dollars" advertising in
newspapers and offering a reward for tidings of him. About 1847 or 1848
a captain reported that he had had a shipmate named Field, whose father
was a clergyman, and who had many brothers who were not sailors. He also
said that his shipmate had married in South America, and was living
there a very wealthy planter. He gave these particulars to relieve the
anxiety felt by the family, and refused to take any reward. The news
caused great excitement among the brothers, and had a steamer sailed
that day one of them would probably have gone in her. But, failing that,
they consulted together and agreed to write. They not only sent letters
to their brother, but to the officials of the place. The letters were
returned, and the officials made answer that no such person lived there.
It was, however, with the same end in view that when rest was ordered
for Mr. Field, South America was chosen to be the country visited. The
search was a fruitless one, and no tidings were obtained. His mother did
not give up all hope of hearing from her son Timothy until she was told
that her son Cyrus had come home and had brought no news of him.

After Mr. Field's return to New York in November, 1853, he tried to
interest himself in work outside of his old business, and for one week
succeeded in staying away from his office in Cliff Street.

It was of this time that one of his brother's wrote, "I never saw Cyrus
so uneasy as when he was trying to keep still."

CHAPTER V

THE FIRST CABLE

(1853-1857)

The last sentence of the last chapter is a true indication of character.
Mr. Field had doubtless expected, when he retired from business, to
retire permanently, and to spend in ease not only the evening and the
afternoon but the meridian of his life. But it was not to be, and one
may well imagine that his previous experiences had been a providential
preparation for the great work of his life, the great work of his time.
It matters little who first conceived as a dream the notion of electric
communication across the Atlantic. To realize that dream there was
needed precisely the qualities and the circumstances of Cyrus W. Field.
Here was a man whose restless energy had not yet begun to be impaired by
time, but who was already a successful man. In virtue of his success he
was able not only to devote himself to a work which he was convinced was
as practical as it was beneficent--he was able also to enlist the
co-operation of wealthy men, whom the project of an Atlantic cable would
have left quite cold if it had been propounded to them by a mere
electrician. They could not have helped regarding the scheme as
chimerical and fantastic if a purely scientific man had approached them
with it, even with the most plausible figures to prove its
practicability and profitableness. To give it a chance of success with
them, it must be presented and believed in by one whose previous life
and whose personal success forbade them to regard him as a visionary,
and who by force of his position as well as of his qualities was able to
infect them with some part of his own confidence and enthusiasm. Mr.
Field was that unique man, and hence it is that he must be regarded as
the one indispensable factor in the execution of a transatlantic system
of telegraphic communication, inevitably soon to become a world-wide
system, and far to outrun in actual fact the poet's daring dream of
putting "a girdle round about the earth in forty minutes."

It was on Mr. Field's return from Washington late in the month of
January, 1854, that his brother Matthew asked him to have a talk with
Mr. Frederick N. Gisborne, who was stopping at the Astor House. Mr.
Gisborne was an engineer and telegraph operator, and his desire had been
to connect St. John's, Newfoundland, with the telegraphic system of the
United States.

In the spring of 1852 the Legislature of Newfoundland had passed an act
incorporating the Newfoundland Electric Telegraph Company, and had given
to Mr. Gisborne the exclusive right to erect telegraphs in Newfoundland
for thirty years, with certain concessions of land by way of
encouragement to be granted upon the completion of the telegraph from
St. John's to Cape Ray, and on his return to New York he formed a
company, and in the spring of 1853 set vigorously to work to build the
line. He had successfully completed some thirty or forty miles when his
work was suddenly brought to a standstill by the failure of the company
to furnish the means to carry it on.

"He returned to New York from his difficult and unaccomplished task
utterly disappointed and beggared, and at this time was waiting for
something to turn up." Mr. Field saw Mr. Gisborne, heard what he had
done and what he had failed to do, and became at once interested in the
work. This meeting was followed by many others, and after they had
parted late one evening, as Mr. Field stood studying intently the large
globe that was in his library, it flashed across his mind that, if it
were possible to connect Newfoundland with the United States, why not
Ireland with Newfoundland?

The idea once conceived, he lost no time in putting it into execution,
and the next morning's mail took letters to Professor Maury at
Washington and Professor Morse at Poughkeepsie. He also consulted his
brother, Mr. David Dudley Field, and his neighbor, Mr. Peter Cooper.

More than twenty-five years after Mr. Cooper told of the meeting:

"It fell to my lot to be one of the first, if not the first, to
whom Mr. Field applied to join him in the enterprise which has so
much interested us this evening. It was an enterprise which struck
me very forcibly the moment he mentioned it. I thought I saw in it,
if it was possible, a means by which we could communicate between
the two continents, and send knowledge broadcast over all parts of
the world. It seemed to strike me as though it were the
consummation of that great prophecy, that "knowledge shall cover
the earth, as waters cover the deep," and with that feeling I
joined him and my esteemed friends, Wilson G. Hunt, Moses Taylor,
and Marshall O. Roberts, in what then appeared to most men a wild
and visionary scheme; a scheme that many people thought fitted
those who engaged in it for an asylum where they might be taken
care of as little short of lunatics. But believing, as I did, that
it offered the possibility of a mighty power for the good of the
world, I embarked in it."

As soon as he obtained the co-operation of the men mentioned by Mr.
Cooper, Mr. Field asked them to meet in the dining-room of his house,
and for four nights they sat around the table examining the records of
the old company, studying maps, and making estimates. On the 10th of
March, 1854, the Electric Telegraph Company formally surrendered its
charter, and it was decided that if the government of Newfoundland would
give the new company a liberal charter they would carry forward the
work, and, if possible, extend it. On the 14th of March Mr. Cyrus Field
and Mr. Chandler White, and Mr. David Dudley Field as legal adviser,
left for Newfoundland; they took the steamer at Boston for Halifax, and
on the 18th left Halifax in the steamer _Merlin_ for St. John's. In his
speech at the Cable Celebration in the Crystal Palace on September 1,
1858, Mr. David Dudley Field said:

"Three more disagreeable days voyagers scarcely ever passed than we
spent in that smallest of steamers. It seemed as if all the storms
of winter had been reserved for the first month of spring. A
frost-bound coast, an icy sea, rain, hail, snow, and tempest were
the greetings of the telegraph adventurers in their first movement
towards Europe. In the darkest night, through which no man could
see the ship's length, with snow filling the air and flying into
the eyes of the sailors, with ice in the water, and a heavy sea
rolling and moaning about us, the captain felt his way around Cape
Race with his lead, as a blind man feels his way with his staff,
but as confidently and safely as if the sky had been clear and the
sea calm. And the light of the morning dawned upon deck and mast
and spar coated with glittering ice, but floating securely between
the mountains which formed the gates of the harbor of St. John's."

The little party was welcomed warmly by Mr. Edward M. Archibald, then
attorney-general of the colony, and for many years afterwards British
consul-general in New York, and by the governor, Ker Barley Hamilton;
Bishop Field, of Newfoundland, and the Roman Catholic bishop, John
Mullock, were among their entertainers, and became their warm friends.

On November 8, 1850, Bishop Mullock had written to the editor of the St.
John's _Courier_:

_"Sir,_--I regret to find that in every plan for transatlantic
communication Halifax is always mentioned and the natural
capabilities of Newfoundland entirely overlooked.

"This has been deeply impressed on my mind by the communication I
read in your paper of Saturday last, regarding telegraphic
communication between England and America, in which it is said that
the nearest telegraphic station on the American side is Halifax,
2155 miles from the coast of Ireland. Now, would it not be well to
call the attention of Europe and America to St. John's as the
nearest telegraphic point?

"It is an Atlantic port, lying, I may say, in the track of the
ocean steamers, and by establishing it as the American telegraph
station, news could be communicated to the whole American continent
forty-eight hours sooner than by any other route. But how will this
be accomplished? Just look at the map of Newfoundland and Cape
Breton. From St. John's to Cape Ray there is no difficulty in
establishing a line, passing near Holy Rood, along the neck of land
connecting Trinity and Placentia bays, and thence in a direction
due west to the cape. You have then about 41 to 45 miles of sea to
St. Paul's Island, with deep soundings of 100 fathoms, so that the
electric cable will be perfectly secure from icebergs; thence to
Cape North in Cape Breton is little more than 12 miles. Thus it is
not only practicable to bring America two days nearer to Europe by
this route, but should the telegraphic communication between
England and Ireland, 62 miles, be realized, it presents not the
slightest difficulty. Of course we in Newfoundland will have
nothing to do with the erection, working, and maintenance of the
telegraph, but I suppose our government will give every facility to
the company, either English or American, who will undertake it, as
it will be of incalculable advantage to this country. I hope the
day is not far distant when St. John's will be the first link in
the electric chain which will unite the Old World to the New.

"I remain, etc.,
"J. I. M."

_November_ 8, 1850.

Shortly after the arrival of the gentlemen from New York the Legislature
of Newfoundland repealed the charter of the Electric Telegraph Company,
in which it had been expressly stated that the line of this company is
designed to be strictly an "inter-continental telegraph," and a charter
was given to the "New York, Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Company."
Not only was the title of the new company suggestive, but the first
sentence expressly stated, "It is deemed advisable to establish a line
of telegraphic communication between New York and London by the way of
Newfoundland." And at the same time there was granted to the company an
exclusive monopoly for fifty years to lay submarine cables across the
Atlantic from the shores of Newfoundland.

When this work was begun the longest submarine cable in the world was
that between England and Holland, and one had never been laid in water
one hundred fathoms deep.

The party of three returned to New York early in May, and on Saturday
evening, the 6th, the charter was accepted, and the New York,
Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Company was organized; at six o'clock
in the morning, on May the 8th, the papers were signed and fifteen
hundred thousand dollars subscribed. This meeting lasted just fifteen
minutes.

Late in the spring of 1854 Mr. Field was obliged to take his old place
at the head of the firm of Cyrus W. Field & Co., his brother-in-law and
partner, Joseph F. Stone, having died on the 17th of May. The following
August his only son died, and it was with a heavy heart that he began
this double work.

On January 25, 1855, he sailed for England to order the cable to connect
Cape Ray and Cape Breton. And while he was away his children received
this letter:

"MORLEY'S HOTEL,
"LONDON, _February 25, 1855_.

"_My dear, dear Children,_--Many thanks for your affectionate
letters, which I received last week in Paris.

"I wish that you would tell your good uncle Henry that I am much
obliged for his letter of January 30th, and give my warmest love to
your dear grandfather and Aunt Mary, and thank them for writing to
me, and tell them that if I do not get time to answer their letters
I think a great deal about them, and hope that we shall soon all
meet in health, and that then I shall have much to tell them of
what I have seen and heard in the few weeks that I have been in
Europe.

"I hope at some future day to visit Europe again with your dear
mother, and then, perhaps, we shall take all of our children with
us.

"I am sure that you would be very happy to see the many beautiful
things that can be daily seen in London, Paris, and other parts of
Europe.

"When do you think it would be best for us to sail?

"I am sure that you will be very kind to your mother and
affectionate to each other, and do all in your power to make each
person in our house very happy.

"I hope that you will go very often to see your dear grandfather,
grandmother, Aunt Mary, and Cousin Emilia; and whenever you see
dear little Freddy kiss him many times for me.

"It is one month to-day since I left home, and on the 24th of March
I hope to leave Liverpool for New York.

"In Paris I purchased some things for you, and the one that has
been the best child during my absence shall have the first choice.

"Good-bye, and may God bless you all, is the constant prayer of

"Your affectionate father,
"CYRUS W. FIELD.

"The Misses Field, New York."

On the 7th of August, 1855, a party sailed from New York on the steamer
_James Adger_ to assist at the laying of the cable across the Gulf of
St. Lawrence. To quote again from Mr. Cooper's speech:

"We went along very pleasantly until we came to Port au Basque, and
there we waited several days for the arrival of the ship that
contained the cable, and when she came we directed the captain to
take her in tow. Unfortunately he had taken umbrage at the action
of Mr. Lowber, who, acting as a master of ceremonies, had placed
Rev. Dr. Spring at the head of the table instead of the captain. So
offended was he that he became as stubborn as a mule thereafter.

"Four several attempts were made to get hold of the ship having the
cable; and the darkness of night coming on, we had to go into Cape
Ray. There we got the end of the cable to the telegraph-house after
much labor; and when we had it fastened to the shore and properly
connected we gave the captain orders to tow the ship across the
gulf. In starting he managed to run into the ship, carrying away
her shrouds and quarter-rail and almost making a wreck, so that we
had to lay up, for in dragging the cable the connection was
destroyed. We joined it again, and after some delay departed,
directing the captain to take the ship in tow. We had taken the
precaution to bring two very long and thick cables to tow her
across the gulf. He started, and again had the misfortune to get
the larger line entangled with the wheel of his vessel. In the
confusion that followed the ship that had the cable by his orders
parted her anchor; the line was cut, and she drifted towards a reef
of rocks. We entreated the captain to get hold of her as quickly as
possible, but before he did so she was almost on the reef. It was
then found necessary to go back and have the machinery fixed, which
took several days before we were ready to start again. At length,
one beautiful day we got off. Before starting our engineer, who had
charge of laying the cable, gave the captain instructions to keep
constantly in view a flag placed upon the telegraph-house and bring
it in range with a white rock upon the mountain, which would give
him the exact lines upon which to steer. As soon, however, as we
got off, I saw the captain was going out of the way, and, as
president of the board, I told him so. The answer was, 'I know how
to steer my ship; I steer by my compass.' I said, 'Your
instructions were to steer for the flag and the rock on the
mountain.' 'I steer by my compass,' was all I could get out of him.
He went on steering in that manner until I found he was going so
far out of the way that I told him I would hold him responsible for
all loss. This had no effect. I then got a lawyer who was on board
to draw up a paper warning the captain that if he did not change
his course we should hold him responsible for the loss of the
cable. He then turned his course, and went as far out of the way in
the other direction. We soon after encountered a gale, and had to
discontinue; and when we came to measure the cable, we found we had
laid twenty-four miles of cable, and had got only nine miles from
shore. That is only a sample of the trials we had to encounter in
this enterprise, and I mention it to say that it was in great
measure due to the indomitable courage and zeal of Mr. Field
inspiring us that we went on and on until we got another cable
across the gulf."

In July, 1856, a cable eighty-five miles in length was successfully laid
across the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting Newfoundland with Cape
Breton, and also one of eleven miles from Prince Edward Island to New
Brunswick. The lines, one hundred and forty miles in length, had also
been built across Cape Breton. The telegraph system of the United
States had thus been connected with the most eastern port of
Newfoundland.

How this work was done was told by Mr. Field on November 15, 1866.

"It was a very pretty plan on paper. There was New York and there
was St. John's, only about twelve hundred miles apart. It was easy
to draw a line from one point to the other, making no account of
the forests and mountains and swamps and rivers and gulfs that lay
in our way. Not one of us had ever seen the country or had any idea
of the obstacles to be overcome. We thought we could build the line
in a few months. It took two years and a half, yet we never asked
for help outside our own little circle. Indeed I fear we should not
have got it if we had, for few had any faith in our scheme. Every
dollar came out of our own pockets. Yet I am proud to say no man
drew back. No man proved a deserter; those who came first into the
work stood by it to the end....

"It was begun and for two years and a half was carried on solely by
American capital. Our brethren across the sea did not even know
what we were doing away in the forests of Newfoundland. Our little
company raised and expended over a quarter million pounds sterling
before an Englishman paid a single pound. Our only support outside
was in the liberal charter and steady friendship of the government
of Newfoundland."

But it was now thought wise to enlist English co-operation. For this
purpose Mr. Field left New York by the steamship _Baltic_ on Saturday,
July 19, 1856. His work in London was begun at once, and John Brett,
Michael Faraday, George Parker Bidder, Mr. Statham, of the London
Gutta-percha Works; Mr. Brunel; Mr. Glass, of Glass, Elliott & Co.;
Charles T. Bright, and Dr. Edward O. W. Whitehouse were soon among his
friends and strongly impressed with the idea that a cable could be
successfully laid across the Atlantic. It was at this time that in
response to a note from his wife, Mr. Glass wrote, "Mr. Field is in
London," and that showed that no longer was his time his own.

Once when with Faraday, Mr. Field asked him how long a time he thought
would be required for the electric current to pass between London and
New York. His answer was brief and to the point: "Possibly one second."

Brunel was also as clear-sighted; he pointed to the _Great Eastern_ that
he was then building, and said, "Mr. Field, there is the ship to lay the
cable." Eight years later it was used for that purpose.

Before a company was formed he addressed a letter to Lord Clarendon,
then Foreign Secretary, and the answer to it was a request for a
personal interview. Professor Morse was in London, and he went with Mr.
Field to the Foreign Office, where they remained for over an hour.

Lord Clarendon seemed to be at once interested, and among the questions
asked was, "But suppose you do not succeed, that you make the attempt
and fail, your cable lost at the bottom of the ocean, then what will you
do?" "Charge it to profit and loss and go to work to lay another," was
the answer. Lord Clarendon on parting desired that the requests made
should be put in writing, and spoke words of encouragement.

The Atlantic Telegraph Company was organized December 9, 1856. It was
decided that for this work $1,750,000 must be raised. Mr. Field put his
name down for $500,000 (100 shares). He counted upon aid from America,
and did not intend to hold this large amount of stock individually. As
more money was subscribed than had been called for, but eighty-eight
shares were allotted to him. This was fortunate, for on his return to
New York he was able to dispose of but twenty-one shares.

Mr. George Saward wrote to _The Electrician_ on the 28th of March, 1862:
"Mr. Field in starting the Atlantic Telegraph Company took upon his own
account eighty-eight shares of £1000 each. Upon all of these he paid
into the coffers of the company in cash the first deposit of £17,600,
and upon sixty-seven of them he paid the entire amount of calls,
amounting to £67,000. This I am in a position to verify. A great number
of these have been sold at a loss; but Mr. Field is still the largest
holder of shares in the company paid up in cash." Among the original
subscribers in England were Lady Byron and Thackeray, and in America
Archbishop Hughes.

Mr. Field sailed for America on December 10th, and arrived in New York
on Christmas Day.

On December 23d the Senate had requested President Pierce, "if not
incompatible with the public interest, to communicate such information
as he may have concerning the present condition and prospects of a
proposed plan for connecting by submarine wires the magnetic telegraph
lines on this continent and Europe," and on December 29th Mr. Pierce
sent to the Senate the letter that had been addressed to him on December
15th by the New York, Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Company. The
substance of this letter was that "The contracts have been made for the
manufacture of a submarine telegraphic cable to connect the continents
of Europe and America." ... That "it is the desire of the directors to
secure to the government of the United States equal privileges with
those stipulated for by the British government." ... That "the British
government shall have priority in the conveyance of their messages over
all others, subject to the exception only of the government of the
United States, in the event of their entering into an arrangement with
the telegraph company similar in principle to that of the British
government, in which case the messages of the two governments shall have
priority in the order in which they arrive at the station." ...

"Her Majesty's government engages to furnish the aid of ships to make
what soundings may still be considered needful, or to verify those
already taken, and favorably to consider any request that may be made to
furnish aid by their vessels in laying down the cable." ... "To avoid
failure in laying the cable, it is desirable to use every precaution,
and we therefore have the honor to request that you will make such
recommendation to Congress as will secure authority to detail a
steamship for this purpose, so that the glory of accomplishing what has
been justly styled 'the crowning enterprise of the age' may be divided
between the greatest and freest governments on the face of the globe."

The bill was drawn by Mr. Seward, and was "An act to expedite
telegraphic communication for the uses of the government in its foreign
intercourse." The great contest over its passage was not until early in
the next year, 1857.

The suggestion made to the St. John's _Courier_ in 1850 by Bishop
Mullock, and which Mr. Gisborne had tried to carry out, had not been
lost sight of, as the following letter shows:

"TREASURY CHAMBERS, _19th November, 1856_.

"_Sir,_--With reference to your letter of the 6th instant
requesting that directions should be given for permitting British
mail packets between Liverpool and the United Stales to receive and
throw overboard off Cape Race and off Queenstown cases containing
telegraphic dispatches, to be picked up by the telegraph company's
own vessels, I am commanded by the Lords Commissioners of her
Majesty's Treasury to acquaint you that their lordships have stated
to the Lords of the Admiralty that after communicating with Mr.
Cunard as to the feasibility of the plan, and receiving from him an
assurance that it might be carried into effect without in any way
retarding the regular mail service, they are of the opinion that
the necessary directions may be given for this purpose, subject to
the following conditions:

"1. That the mail steamers shall not be delayed.

"2. That they shall not be required to alter the course they would
otherwise have taken.

"3. That no responsibility shall attach to their ship or to the
government.

"4. That the companies shall make such arrangements in reference to
the receipt and dispatch of messages as shall be satisfactory to
the Treasury, in order to secure equal advantages to all persons
using the telegraph.

"I am, sir,
"Your obedient servant,
"C. L. TREVELYAN."

In a New York paper of July 12, 1857, is this telegram:

"From the steamship _Persia_,
"OFF CAPE RACE, NEWFOUNDLAND,
"_Saturday_, July 11th, P.M.

"We have thus far had a very pleasant passage and expect to reach
Liverpool next Friday. All well and all in good spirits.

"CYRUS W. FIELD."

And below the telegram this was added:

"This feat would seem to demonstrate the entire practicability of
obtaining news from the Atlantic steamers as they pass Cape Race,
and should the Atlantic telegraph cable fail from any cause, we
understand that the telegraph company will make effective
arrangements to carry something of this kind into operation."

CHAPTER VI

THE FIRST CABLE (CONTINUED)

(1857)

The following cable message was sent to Mr. Field by Sir James Anderson
on March 10, 1879, the twenty-fifth anniversary of "ocean telegraphy":

"It cannot fail to gratify you, and should astonish your guests, to
realize the amazing growth of your ocean child; sixty thousand
miles of cable, costing about twenty million pounds sterling,
having been laid since your energy initiated the first long cable.
Distance has no longer anything to do with commerce. The foreign
trade of all civilized nations is now becoming only an extended
home trade; all the old ways of commerce are changed or changing,
creating amongst all nations a common interest in the welfare of
each other. To have been the pioneer _par excellence_ in this great
work should be most gratifying to yourself and your family, and no
one can take from you this proud position."

It would have seemed a strange prophecy if the above had been predicted
in 1856, when it was declared that the object of the Atlantic Telegraph
Company was "To continue the existing line of the New York,
Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Company to Ireland, by making or
causing to be made a submarine telegraph cable for the Atlantic." At the
close of the year the contracts for the manufacture of the cable were
signed. Messrs. Glass, Elliott & Co. agreed to make one-half, and R. S.
Newall & Co., of Liverpool, the other. Both sections were to be finished
and ready to be laid on June 1, 1857, although the time fixed upon for
the sailing of the fleet was to be as nearly as possible at the end of
July, in accordance with the advice contained in a letter written in
March, 1857:

"Perhaps it would be wise for the steamers not to join cables until
after the 20th of July. I think between that time and the 10th of
August the state of both sea and air is usually in the most
favorable condition possible; and that is the time which my
investigations indicate as the most favorable for laying down the
wire. I recommend it and wish you good-luck.

Yours,
M. F. MAURY."

The English government had responded at once to the request of the
Atlantic Telegraph Company, and a ship was promised with which to help
lay the cable, and on Mr. Field's return home he asked the American
government for the same aid.

He landed from the steamship _Baltic_ on the 25th of December; on the
26th he went to Washington; next we hear of him in Newfoundland, and
then back in Washington early in the new year.

Mr. Seward referred to this time in his speech at Auburn in August,
1858:

"It remained to engage the consent and the activity of the
governments of Great Britain and the United States. That was all
that remained. Such consent and activity on the part of some one
great nation of Europe was all that remained needful for Columbus
when he stood ready to bring a new continent forward as a theatre
of the world's civilization. But in each case the effort was the
most difficult of all."

The more liberal men in both Houses at Washington were from the
beginning in favor of the cable bill, and worked untiringly for its
passage. The President and Secretary of State, desiring to remain
friendly to both sides, took no active part in the discussion.

Mr. Field talked with almost every member of Congress, and tried to
persuade those who were opposed to him to drop their petty objections
and think only of the greatness of the work.

Extracts from a Washington newspaper of January 31, 1857, give some idea
of other trials to which he was subjected. On the arrival of the
steamship _Arago_ it was published that "great dissatisfaction exists in
London at the manner in which the Atlantic Telegraph Company has been
gotten up," and that "a new company has been formed to construct a
submarine telegraph direct to the shores of the United States."

He answered:

"To this I may add that the object of this movement at this time is
well understood by those who know the parties promoting it. I
believe no such company can have been really organized in London as
represented, because none of my letters by the same steamer from
directors and parties largely interested even allude to such a
movement, which must of necessity have been made public and well
known to them if true. It cannot be believed that capitalists in
London or elsewhere can now be found to take stock in a submarine
line of telegraph of over three thousand miles in length, passing
over the banks of Newfoundland or across the deep waters of the
Gulf Stream, when it was by great exertion that subscriptions were
obtained to a line of little more than one-half of that length, and
that, too, upon a route the practicability of which had already
been fully demonstrated by actual survey to be possible.

CYRUS W. FIELD."

On the 19th of February the Atlantic telegraph bill passed the House by
a majority of nineteen; but it was not until the 3d of March that it
passed the Senate, by a majority of but one, and then it was said to be
unconstitutional. Mr. Field sought Caleb Cushing, the Attorney-General,
and begged him to examine the bill and give his opinion. It was
favorable.

The date affixed to the bill is the 3d of March, but it was not until
the morning of the 4th at ten o'clock that the President put his name to
it as Mr. Field stood by his side. This was, therefore, one of the last
official acts of President Pierce.

The government at Washington had now united with that of Great Britain
in agreeing to give all that was asked. The frigate _Niagara_, the
largest and finest ship of our navy, was ordered to England. The New
York _Herald_ of Saturday, April 25th, says:

"The performance of the vessel and of her machinery has fully come
up to the most sanguine expectations. She is now on her way to
London. By the recent news from England we learn that the British
authorities have detailed three steamers to assist in laying the
submarine cable and make soundings along the route. The
_Agamemnon_, a ninety-gun ship, in connection with the Niagara will
take the cable on board."

Very little rest was allowed him on his return from Washington--but two
weeks at his home. He sailed for Liverpool on the 18th of March, leaving
his wife with a baby four days old. He remained in England barely a
fortnight; he was at home on the 22d of April, and on the 8th of July he
was a passenger on the steamship _Persia_, once more bound for England.

Early in July the _Niagara_ had received her share of the cable from the
manufactory of Messrs. Newall & Co., and the _Agamemnon_ hers from the
works of Messrs. Glass, Elliott & Co.

Almost immediately on his arrival he was a guest at a _fête champêtre_
given by Sir Culling Eardley, at Belvidere, near Erith. Following is the
card of invitation:

_Sir Culling Eardley requests the Company of_

=Cyrus W. Field, Esq.,=

_at Belvidere, on Thursday, July the 23d, on the occasion of the
departure of The Electrical Telegraph Cable for the Atlantic Ocean.

Messrs. Glass, Elliott & Co., the Contractors for the Cable, also
request the honor of_ =Cyrus W. Field, Esq.'s= _Company at Dinner
with the Directors and Friends of the Atlantic Telegraph Company,
the Officers and Crew of H.M.S._ Agamemnon,_ and the Artisans of
the Cable_.

_An early answer is requested to Sir Culling Eardley, Belvidere,
Erith._

It was at this _fête_ that he read this note:

"WASHINGTON, _3d July, 1857_.

"_My dear Sir,_--Accidental circumstances which I need not detail
prevented your kind letter of the 19th ultimo from being brought to
my notice until this morning. I now hasten to say in reply that I
shall feel myself much honored should the first message (as you
propose) sent across the Atlantic by the submarine telegraph be
from Queen Victoria to the President of the United States, and I
need not assure you he will endeavor to answer it in a spirit and
manner becoming the great occasion.

"Yours very respectfully,
"JAMES BUCHANAN.

"TO CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq."

The following account is copied from a letter written to the London
_Times_ on August 3, 1857:

"During the progress of the _Agamemnon_ to the Downs the mechanical
appliances for regulating the delivery of the cable into the sea
were kept continually in motion by the small engine on board, which
is connected with them; the sheaves and gearing worked with great
facility and precision, and so quietly that at a short distance
from them their motion could scarcely be heard.

"The strength of the girders which carry the bearing of the entire
apparatus, and which to the eye of a person unskilled in the
practical working of this description of machinery may seem at
first to be unduly ponderous, was found to contribute greatly to
the easy motion and satisfactory steadiness of this most important
agent in the success of the undertaking. So soon as the _Agamemnon_
had passed the track of the Submarine Company's cable between Dover
and Calais in order to avoid the possibility of its being injured
by the laying or hauling up of another line at right angles to it,
the experiments commenced. A 13-inch shell was attached to the end
of a spare coil of the Atlantic cable for the purpose of sinking it
rapidly with a strain upon it to the bottom, and was then cast into
the sea, drawing after it a sufficient quantity of slack to enable
it to take hold of the ground, and so set the machinery in motion.

"The paying out then commenced at the rate of two, three, and four
knots an hour respectively. The ship was then stopped, and the
cable was hauled up from the bottom of the sea with great facility
by connecting the small engine to the driving pinion geared to the
sheaves. When the end was brought up to the surface it was found
that the shell had broken away from the loop by which it had been
fastened for the purpose of lowering it.

"The exterior coating of tar had been completely rubbed off by
being drawn through the sandy bottom of the sea, and attached to
the iron coating of the cable were some weeds and several small
crabs which came up with it to the surface.

"On the following day a length of cable was run out and hauled in
with perfect success opposite the Isle of Wight.

"The speed was increased in this case to four knots. During the
afternoon of the same day a length was run out, having fastened to
the end of it a log of timber, and having been towed with a mile
and a half of cable, was coiled in again with success.

"On Wednesday about half-way between the Land's End and the coast
of Ireland another length was run out at the rate of six and a half
knots per hour, and subsequently hauled in. The _Agamemnon_ then
steered for Cork, and reached Queenstown Harbor at four o'clock on
Thursday morning, all on board being more than ever satisfied at
the success of the enterprise."

The New York _Herald_ of August 28th published a letter from its
special correspondent on board the _Niagara_, and from it these extracts
are made:

"From the deck of our ship we can see a small, sandy cove which has
been selected as the place for the landing of the shore end of the
cable, and a hundred yards from which a temporary tent has been
erected for the batteries and other telegraphic instruments. In
front of it is displayed an attempt at the Stars and Stripes; but
it is only an attempt, and it would require one of the most
shrewd-guessing Yankees that ever lived in or came out of
Connecticut to tell what it was intended for. It will soon be
replaced by another of a more unmistakable kind, however, and that
ought to be sufficient to satisfy the most exacting patriot....

"We arrived and anchored in Valentia Bay on the evening of the 4th,
but at too late an hour to commence operations other than I have
described. The work of landing the shore part of the cable was
deferred, therefore, until the following morning at eight
o'clock....

"On the shore there were about two thousand persons, the whole
population of the place and large contributions from miles around,
waiting there from seven in the morning till seven in the evening
for the arrival of the fleet of cable boats whose progress they had
watched with so much anxiety and impatience. It was five o'clock
when we started, and never before was such a scene presented in
Valentia Bay, and the poorest spectator there, though he could not
tell what strange agency it was that lay in the cable, understood
what it was intended to effect, and his face beamed with joy as he
heard his comrades say that it brought them nearer to that great
land that had so generously stretched out the helping hand to their
starving countrymen.... Among those on shore are the Lord
Lieutenant of Ireland; Lord Morpeth, of anti-slavery proclivities;
Lord Hillsborough; the Knight of Kerry; and nearly all the
gentlemen connected with the enterprise. But here comes the cable
in the hands of the crew of the _Niagara's_ boat, who rush up the
beach with it dripping with water, for in their haste to carry it
ashore they have to wade knee-deep through the water. Mr. Cyrus W.
Field is there beside Lord Morpeth, or, as he is now called, Lord
Carlisle, and as Captain Pennock comes up in advance of his men
with the cable he introduces him. There is no time for the passage
of formalities, and the introduction and the meeting are therefore
free from them.

"'I am most happy to see you, captain,' says Lord Morpeth, and the
captain most appropriately replies: 'This, sir, is the betrothal of
England and America, and I hope in twenty days the marriage will be
consummated.'

"The crowd now press around, all eagerness to help in pulling up
the cable; and when the work is through those who have been
fortunate enough to put their hands to it show the marks of the tar
to those who have failed in the attempt, as a proof of their
success. By dint of pulling and hauling they get it into the trench
in which it is to be laid, and take up the end to the top of a
little hill, where they secure it by running it around a number of
strong stakes driven fast into the earth and placed in the form of
a circle. This is the centre of the site marked out for a house in
which the batteries and instruments are to be put, and which will
be used as a temporary station till a better and more substantial
one can be erected. When the cable was placed here and the
enthusiasm of the people had somewhat subsided, the rector of the
parish made a prayer....

"The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland closed his speech with these words:
'And now, my friends, as there can be no project or undertaking
which ought not to receive the approbation and applause of all
people, all join with me in giving three hearty cheers.'

"Three cheers were given with a will; but it was not enough, and
they cheered and cheered until they were obliged to give up from
exhaustion. 'Three cheers,' said Lord Carlisle, 'are not
enough--they are what they give on common occasions. Now, for the
success of the Atlantic cable, I must have at least one dozen.' The
crowd responded with the full number, and cheered the following:
'The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland'; 'The United States of America';
'Mr. Cyrus W. Field.' Mr. Field spoke as follows: 'Ladies and
gentlemen, Words cannot express to you the feelings within this
heart. It beats with affection towards every man, woman, and child
that hears me; and if ever, on the other side of the water, one of
you present yourself at my door and say you had a hand in this, I
promise you an American welcome. What God hath joined together let
no man put asunder.'

"And more cheers were given for the following: For 'the sailor';
for 'Yankee Doodle'; for 'the officers and sailors on board the
ships that are intended to lay the cable'; 'the Queen'; 'the
President of the United States'; 'the American Navy.'"

The sun set on the evening of August 5th with the shore end of the cable
safely landed, but the ships' anchors were not weighed until early the
next morning.

Five miles from shore a slight fault occurred, which was soon remedied.

The Knight of Kerry sent this note to Mr. Field.

"VALENTIA, _6th August, 1857_.

"_My dear Sir,_--Fearing I may not be able to get on board the
_Niagara_, I write a line to thank you for the most valuable gift
you made me of the piece of cable, as I have just learned from my
friend Crosby.

"Yet I must say you owed me some compensation for having stolen the
hearts of my wife and children and of every friend whom I was
guilty of bringing into contact with you. I believe if you were
obliged to make similar compensation for all the delinquencies you
have been guilty of in this way, your whole cable, great as it is,
would scarcely suffice. I know the inroad you have made into the
Lord Lieutenant's affections would require a long bit of it. I was
sincerely sorry to hear from Crosby that you were again suffering,
but I reflect with satisfaction that probably the voyage, even with
its accompanying excitement, is the best remedy within your reach.

"Yours most sincerely,
"FITZGERALD, Knight of Kerry."

All went most successfully, and although the excitement was still at
fever heat on board the _Niagara_, the probability of soon meeting the
_Agamemnon_ in mid-ocean and following her to the shores of Newfoundland
was most hopefully discussed, and this message was given to the press:

"VALENTIA, _Monday_, _August 10_, 4 P.M.

"The work of laying down the Atlantic telegraph cable is going on
up to the present time as satisfactorily as its best friends can
desire. Nearly 360 miles have now been successfully laid down into
the sea.

"The depth of water into which the cable is now being submerged is
about 1700 fathoms, or about two miles. The transition from the
shallow to the greater depth was effected without difficulty. The
signals are everything an electrician could desire. The ships are
sailing with a moderate fair breeze, and paying out at the rate of
five miles per hour. Messages are being instantly interchanged
between the ships and the shore.

"All are well on board, in excellent spirits, and hourly becoming
more and more trustful of success.

"WILLIAM WHITEHOUSE, Electrician.
"GEORGE SAWARD, Secretary."

At nine o'clock the same evening, without any apparent cause, the cable
ceased working. At twelve o'clock the electric current returned, and it
was with a feeling of intense relief that all went to their berths. This
satisfaction was short lived. At a quarter before four came the cry,
"Stop her! back her!" and then the words, "The cable has parted."

The flags of the ship were put at half-mast, and the fleet returned to
Valentia.

This expedition had cost the Atlantic Telegraph Company $500,000, and on
August 25th Robert Stephenson wrote: "The Atlantic cable question is a
far more difficult matter than those who have undertaken it are disposed
to believe. The subject has occupied much of my thoughts, and as yet I
must confess I do not see my way through it. Before the ships left this
country with the cable I publicly predicted as soon as they got into
deep water a signal failure. It was in fact inevitable." The first
words of greeting were more cheering:

"VALENTIA, _14th August, 1857_.

"_My dear Sir_,--In all our disappointment at the temporary check
of the cable, our first thought has been about you. But I was very
glad to hear yesterday from the officers of the _Cyclops_ that you
were, as indeed I might have judged from your character, plucky and
well. It is a great comfort to think that the experience that has
been obtained in this, the first attempt, must immensely improve
the chances of success on the next occasion. All here desire to be
affectionately remembered to you.

"Ever yours, very sincerely,
"FITZGERALD, Knight of Kerry."

It was not proposed to abandon the enterprise, but to postpone work for
a year. The ships discharged their freight of cable, and the _Niagara_
returned to America, and before Mr. Field left England the directors
voted to increase the capital of the company and to order seven hundred
miles of new cable.

The news that met him upon his arrival at New York was most depressing.

The panic of 1857 had just swept over the country, and while he was at
sea his firm suspended, owing over six hundred thousand dollars, and
with debts due to it, from firms which had already suspended, of between
three and four hundred thousand dollars. He settled at once with his
creditors, by giving them goods from his store, or notes for the amount
in full at twelve, eighteen, or twenty-four months, with seven per cent.
interest added. The first notes were paid at maturity and the other two
some months before they were due, the holders discounting the interest.

On the 21st of November, 1857, Professor Francis Lieber wrote:

"I wish to possess all the materials I can procure regarding the
history and statistics of the subatlantic telegraph. It will be the
most striking illustration of the increasing tendency of all
civilization, that of uniting what was separate, and of the
pervading principle in the household of humanity, that of mutual
dependence. May Heaven bless your undertaking, and may the next
months of June or July bring us the first message from old England,
outrunning the sun by five hours and a half."

The Secretary of the Navy said to him in parting on the 30th of
December, "There, I have given you all you asked." This was that the
_Niagara_ and the _Susquehanna_ might form part of the cable expedition
of 1858, and that Mr. William E. Everett might again fill the position
of chief engineer.

On the evening of December 31st Professor Lieber wrote: "This may be the
last letter or note I write in the old year, and I cannot conclude it
without wishing from all my heart that

MDCCCLVIII

may be called in the future school chronologies the telegraph year."

CHAPTER VII

A FLEETING TRIUMPH

(1858)

In the fall of 1857 the directors of the Atlantic Telegraph Company,
realizing that it would be to their advantage to have Mr. Field take
general charge and supervision of all the arrangements and preparations
for the next laying of the cable, sent him an earnest request to come to
England. It was in response to this that he sailed on the 6th of
January, 1858, in the steamship _Persia_, arriving in England on the
16th. On the 27th the company passed resolutions offering him one
thousand pounds besides his travelling expenses. This he declined,
accepting only his expenses.

At a meeting of the board on the 18th of February the following
resolution was passed; it was offered by Mr. Samuel Gurney:

"That the warm and hearty thanks of this company be tendered to Mr.
Cyrus W. Field, of New York, for the great services he has rendered
to the Atlantic Telegraph Company, his untiring zeal, energy, and
devotion from its first formation, and for the great personal
talent which he has ever displayed and exerted to the utmost in the
advancement of its interests."

In seconding this resolution, which was unanimously passed, Mr. Brooking
told from his own knowledge of what "Mr. Field's most determined
perseverance, coupled with an amount of fortitude that has seldom been
equalled," had done for the company in Newfoundland in securing to it
the exclusive right to land on the shores of that island.

The report ends with these words:

"The directors cannot close their observations to the shareholders
without bearing their warm and cordial testimony to the untiring
zeal, talent, and energy that have been displayed on behalf of this
enterprise by Mr. Cyrus W. Field, of New York, to whom mainly
belongs the honor of having practically developed the possibility
and of having brought together the material means for carrying out
the great idea of connecting Europe and America by a submarine
telegraph.

"He has crossed the Atlantic Ocean no less than six times since
December, 1856, for the sole purpose of rendering most valuable aid
to this undertaking. He has also visited the British North American
colonies on several occasions, and obtained concessions and
advantages that are highly appreciated by the directors, and he has
successfully supported the efforts of the directors in obtaining an
annual subsidy for twenty-five years from the government of the
United States of America, the grant of the use of their national
ships in assisting to lay the cable in 1857, and also to assist in
the same service this year, and his constant and assiduous
attention to everything that could contribute to the welfare of the
company from its first formation has materially contributed to
promote many of its most necessary and important arrangements. He
is now again in England, his energy and confidence in the
undertaking entirely unabated; and, at the earnest request of the
board, he has consented to remain in this country for the purpose
of affording to the directors the benefit of his great experience
and judgment as general manager of the business of the company
connected with the next expedition.

"This arrangement will doubtless prove as pleasing to the
shareholders as it is agreeable and satisfactory to the directors.

"By order of the directors.
"GEORGE SAWARD, Secretary."

His friend and pastor, the Rev. William Adams, D.D., wrote to him on the
10th of March:

"_My dear Friend_,--I do not know whether your homeward thoughts
ever include your minister, but mine very frequently traverse the
sea towards you and your noble enterprise.... We have all watched
with great interest the noble bearing of your good wife in all the
sacrifices which she makes for you and the cause you so gallantly
represent. These are things not so much thought of by the great
world; but after all they are the chief elements in that great
price which we are compelled to pay for everything good and
great....

"The _Niagara_ has sailed, and now all eyes are on you and on her.
By-the-way, we all made a visit to the noble ship a week ago, and
filled her full with a cargo of blessings and good wishes....

"We watch the papers with great interest to find anything which
bears on the success of your undertaking; and feel a personal and
national pride at every mention which reflects honor on you and
your laudable exertions....

"With every good wish for you personally and for your great
undertaking, I am,

"Yours very sincerely,
"W. ADAMS."

The difficulties encountered by the Newfoundland and the Atlantic Cable
Companies will be best understood by giving part of a letter from Mr.
(later known as Sir) Edward Archibald:

"NEW YORK, _March 30, 1858_.

"_My dear Mr. Field_,--I am in receipt of yours of the 11th. I did
not write you by last mail, as I had no further intelligence to
communicate.

"Since I last wrote Hyde has been here and returned again to Nova
Scotia. I conferred with him, and have been in correspondence with
our friends at Halifax as to what was best to be done to avert the
threatened loss of our exclusive privileges; for the bill is not
_finally_ disallowed, and I do think that if a deputation of your
directors waited on Lord Stanley and brought the matter under the
reconsideration of Her Majesty's government we might yet succeed
in inducing them to confirm the act. The ground on which I based
our claim to the exclusive right in Nova Scotia was that our
project, being in the nature of an _invention_ (for its
practicability is not yet fully tested), an invention of a most
costly nature, in perfecting which an expenditure exceeding perhaps
twice or thrice the _estimated_ cost might have to be incurred, we
were justly entitled to such protection in the nature of a patent
right, for a limited period, as would secure to us the
reimbursement of the outlay and a fair remuneration for risk
incurred, and that others who might lie by until we had, after
repeated failures, achieved success, ought not (availing themselves
of all our experience and expenditure) to be allowed _for a certain
period_ to come into competition with us. Such a privilege as this,
moreover, could not be abused, inasmuch as the public who are to
use the telegraph (represented by the governments of Great Britain
and the United States) reserve to themselves the right to regulate
the tolls.

"A telegraph under the Atlantic Ocean is vastly different from a
submarine telegraph between England and the Continent. It is _in
effect_ an invention (if it succeeds) and entitled to the same
protection, at least, as would be granted to the invention of a new
mode of propelling ships, or as is granted every day to the
fabrication of such trifles as patent boot-jacks or corkscrews.

"I really think that, as there is a _locus penitentiæ_ and a new
administration, it may be well to have an interview with the
colonial secretary on the subject....

"My wife and family are fairly well. They unite in kind regards to
you and ardent wishes for your success.

"Most truly yours,
"E. M. ARCHIBALD."

This subject seems to have been often agitated during the years that
follow. On April 25th, 1862, Mr. Field writes to Mr. Saward:

"Allow me to introduce to you my esteemed friend, E. M. Archibald,
Esq., H.M. consul for New York. Mr. Archibald was one of the
earliest, and has proved himself one of the best friends of the
Atlantic telegraph.... Mr. Archibald can give you much valuable
information in regard to Newfoundland and all the British North
American provinces, and be of great service to you in your
negotiations with the English government.

"Mr. Jesse Hoyt telegraphs me from Halifax that fifty memorials to
Lord Palmerston in favor of government giving aid to the Atlantic
Telegraph Company have already been forwarded from Nova Scotia, and
that more will go. I have been writing yesterday and to-day to my
friends in Canada, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova
Scotia, and Newfoundland, urging them to get up and send petitions
to the English government in our favor.... We can and we will
succeed in connecting Ireland and Newfoundland by means of a good
submarine telegraph cable."

Shortly after the United States frigate _Niagara_ sailed for England a
New York paper published this short notice:

"She goes not to assist in the assertion of resisted claims, in the
vindication of outraged rights. Her task is a more peaceful and a
more glorious one. She leaves our shores on a mission of fraternity
and good-will--the harbinger of union and brotherhood amongst
nations, and one of the chief agents in an enterprise which is
destined to do more towards the realization of a millennium of love
amongst men than the efforts of all the diplomatists and
missionaries are ever likely to accomplish."

April and part of May were spent in preparation and putting the cable on
board the two ships. On May 29th the fleet left for a trial trip in the
Bay of Biscay, and on the 10th of June set sail from Plymouth to meet
again in mid-ocean.

On November 1, 1856, Mr. Field had suggested:

"The two ends of the cable having been carefully joined together,
the vessels will start in opposite directions, one towards Ireland
and the other towards Newfoundland, uncoiling the cable and
exchanging signals through it from ship to ship as they proceed. By
this means the period ordinarily required for traversing the
distance between the two coasts will be lessened by one-half, each
vessel having only to cover eight hundred and twenty nautical
miles in order to finish the task assigned to it. It is expected
that the operation of laying the cable will be completed in about
eight days from the time of its commencement."

On Friday the 25th of June, after encountering gales that at one time
amounted almost to a cyclone, the two ships came together at their
strange trysting place; but the splice was not made nor the parting said
until the afternoon of Saturday, July 26th. In making a splice the ships
were connected by a hawser and lay one hundred fathoms apart; the time
required for the work was usually two hours.

Three miles only were laid when the cable caught in the machinery of the
_Niagara_ and broke; a new splice was made, and again the ships parted.
Then forty miles were laid and the cable became suddenly lifeless and
was reported broken. On Monday, June 28th, the ships met for the third
time in mid-ocean, and without waiting for any useless discussion they
spliced the cable and once more set sail.

One hundred, two hundred miles of cable went safely down into the sea,
when again came a break, this time twenty feet from the stern of the
_Agamemnon_. It had been agreed that if after a hundred miles had been
paid out a new mishap should occur, no further splice should be made,
but that both ships should go back to Ireland; and without loss of time
the _Niagara_ turned her head to the east and arrived at Valentia on
July 5th. This agreement had been made on June 28th, and it was a formal
one, and was on account of the small amount of coal carried by the
_Agamemnon_.

The Board of Directors met in London, and word was sent to Ireland that
it was proposed to "abandon the enterprise." A meeting was called for
July 12th; Mr. Brown (afterwards Sir William), of Liverpool, would not
attend, and sent this note:

"TRENTON'S HOTEL, _July 12, 1858_.

"_Dear Sir_,--We must all deeply regret our misfortune in not being
able to lay the cable. I think there is nothing to be done but to
dispose of what is left on the best terms we can.

"Yours very truly,
"WM. BROWN.

"The Committee of the Atlantic Telegraph, Broad Street."

Mr. Brooking, who had so warmly upheld Mr. Field at the meeting in
February, resigned his office as vice-chairman, and left the room rather
than listen to the request that another attempt be made. But the counsel
of the majority prevailed, and on the 17th of July, without a parting
cheer or a word of encouragement from those on shore, the expedition
left Ireland.

On Thursday, July 29th, in latitude 52°9' north, longitude 32°27' west,
with a cloudy sky and a southeast wind, the splice was made at one P.M.,
and perfect signals passed through the whole length of the cable.

Five weeks later Mr. Field described this scene just before the splice
was made:

"I was standing on the deck of the _Niagara_ in mid-ocean. The day
was cold and cheerless, the air was misty, and the wind roughened
the sea; and when I thought of all that we had passed through, of
the hopes thus far disappointed, of the friends saddened by our
reverses, of the few that remained to sustain us, I felt a load at
my heart almost too heavy to bear, though my confidence was firm
and my determination fixed."

On the evening of the 29th the _Niagara_ was fairly under way, and
already the 5th of August was the day determined upon for her arrival at
Trinity Bay. Signals alone were used; they were constantly passed from
ship to ship, and were understood by the electricians on board. The
expression "the continuity is perfect" relieved the minds of the
officers and those interested in the enterprise, but not the sailors.
The _Herald's_ special correspondent tells of this conversation:

"'Darn the continuity,' said an old sailor at the end of a
scientific but rather foggy discussion which a number of his
messmates had on the subject--'darn the continuity; I wish they
would get rid of it altogether. It has caused a darned sight more
trouble than the hull thing is worth. I say they ought to do
without it and let it go. I believe they'd get the cable down if
they didn't pay any attention to it. You see,' he went on, 'I was
on the last exhibition' (expedition, he meant, but it was all the
same, his messmates did not misapprehend his meaning), 'and I
thought I'd never hear the end of it. They were always talking
about it, and one night when we were out last year it was gone for
two hours, and we thought that was the end of the affair and we
would never hear of it again. But it came back, and soon after the
cable busted. Now, I tell you what, men, I'll never forget the
night, I tell ye! We all felt we had lost our best friend, and I
never heard the word continuity or contiguity mentioned but I was
always afraid something was going to happen. And that's a fact.'"

At twenty-one minutes past two on the afternoon of July 30th the
_Agamemnon_ signalled that she had passed her one-hundred-and-fifty-mile
limit, and at twenty-four minutes of three the same was reported on the
_Niagara_. After this there could be no return for another splice; it
must be either Trinity Bay or Valentia for the _Niagara_. A new
complication was reported. The compasses were playing false. So soon as
the _Gorgon_ was told of this she offered to pilot the _Niagara_, and
she did so unfalteringly to the end, Captain Dayman remaining day and
night on deck.

At half-past five o'clock on the afternoon of July 31st the forward coil
of cables on the main deck was exhausted and the coil below was
attached. The quiet was intense while this change was made. Only Mr.
Everett, the chief engineer, was heard to speak.

At other times it was not so: games were played, sales of stocks were
made, and the telegraph stock rose and fell, varying with the reports
received from the electrician's room. At seven A.M. on the morning of
Wednesday, August 4th, came the glad cry, "Land ho!" and at half-past
two in the afternoon the ships entered the "haven where they would be."

That evening at eight Mr. Field left the _Niagara_ to make arrangements
for the landing that was to take place the next day. At half-past two on
the morning of August 5th he waked the sleeping operators waiting in the
telegraph-house, Bay of Bull's Arms, with the words, "The cable is
laid." This at first the men were unwilling to believe, but when they
saw the lights on the vessels in the distance they dressed and came back
with him to the shore, and two walked fifteen miles with the messages
that were to be telegraphed to the unbelieving world.

The paying out of the cable from the two ships had been carried on with
such regularity that the one arrived at Valentia and the other at
Trinity Bay on the same day; by noon on the 5th of August this
country was plunged into the wildest excitement.

[Illustration: VALENTIA: LANDING THE SHORE END OF THE CABLE, 1857

(From a Lithograph)]

These messages were sent to his wife and to his father:

"TRINITY BAY, NEWFOUNDLAND, _August 5, 1858_.

"Mrs. CYRUS W. FIELD, 84 East Twenty-first Street, New York:

"Arrived here yesterday. All well. The Atlantic telegraph cable
successfully laid. Please telegraph me here immediately.

CYRUS W. FIELD."

"Rev. Dr. FIELD, Stockbridge, Mass., _via_ Pittsfield:

"Cable successfully laid. All well.

"CYRUS W. FIELD."

It may interest some readers to follow this message to Stockbridge and
see his family at the time of its delivery. His wife and children were
passing the afternoon quietly, when all were startled by the appearance
of his mother. Almost breathless with excitement she exclaimed,

"Mary, the cable is laid. Thomas, believest thou this?"

Not a word was spoken, but a silent prayer was the response.

"To CYRUS W. FIELD:

"Your family is all at Stockbridge and well. The joyful news
arrived there Thursday, and almost overwhelmed your wife. Father
rejoiced like a boy. Mother was wild with delight. Brothers,
sisters, all were overjoyed. Bells were rung, guns fired; children,
let out of school, shouted, 'The cable is laid! the cable is laid!'
The village was in a tumult of joy. My dear brother, I congratulate
you. God bless you.

DAVID DUDLEY FIELD."

The _Evening Post_ announced:

SUCCESS OF THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLE.

ARRIVAL OF THE _NIAGARA_ AND _GORGON_ AT
TRINITY BAY.

1950 STATUTE MILES LONG.

NOT A SINGLE BREAK!

THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLE IS LANDING.

And its leading editorial of the same day said:

"Such is the startling intelligence which reaches us just as we are
going to press. We find it difficult to believe the report, for
recent events have prepared us for a very different result, and yet
the despatch comes to us through our regular agent, who would not
deceive us. He may have been imposed upon, but that is quite
unlikely. If the few coming hours shall confirm the inspiring
tidings and the cable is landed and in working condition, all other
events that may happen through the world on this day will be
trifles.

"To-morrow the hearts of the civilized world will beat to a single
pulse, and from that time forth forevermore the continental
divisions of the earth will in a measure lose those conditions of
time and distance which now mark their relations one to the other.
But such an event, like a dispensation of Providence, should be
first contemplated in silence."

The message for the Associated Press was:

"TRINITY BAY, _August 5, 1858_.

"The Atlantic telegraph fleet sailed from Queenstown on Saturday,
July 17th.

"They met in mid-ocean on Wednesday, the 28th, and made the splice
at 1 P.M. on Thursday, the 29th. They then separated, the
_Agamemnon_ and _Valorous_ bound to Valentia, Ireland, and the
_Niagara_ and _Gorgon_ for this place, where they arrived
yesterday.

"This morning the end of the cable will be landed.

"It is sixteen hundred and ninety-eight nautical or nineteen
hundred and fifty statute miles from the telegraph-house at the
head of Valentia Harbor to the telegraph-house, Bay of Bull's Arms,
Trinity Bay.

"For more than two-thirds of the distance the water is over two
miles in depth.

"The cable has been paid out from the _Agamemnon_ at about the same
speed as from the _Niagara_. The electrical signals sent and
received through the whole cable are perfect. The machinery for
paying out the cable worked in the most satisfactory manner, and
was not stopped for a single moment from the time the splice was
made until we arrived here.

"Captain Hudson, Messrs. Everett and Woodhouse, the engineers, the
electricians and officers of the ships, and in fact every man on
board the telegraph fleet has exerted himself to the utmost to make
the expedition successful. By the blessing of Divine Providence it
has succeeded.

"After the end of the cable is landed and connected with the land
line of telegraph, and the _Niagara_ has discharged some cargo
belonging to the telegraph company, she will go to St. John's for
coals, and then proceed at once to New York.

CYRUS W. FIELD."

Next in order were the message to President Buchanan and his reply:

"U.S.S.F. 'NIAGARA,'
"TRINITY BAY, NEWFOUNDLAND, _August 5, 1858_.

"To the President of the United States, Washington, D.C.:

"_Dear Sir_,--The Atlantic telegraph cable on board the U.S.S.F.
_Niagara_ and H.M. steamer _Agamemnon_ was joined in mid-ocean,
Thursday, July 29th, and has been successfully laid.

"As soon as the two ends are connected with the land lines Queen
Victoria will send a message to you, and the cable will be kept
free until after your reply has been transmitted.

"With great respect, I remain,
"Your obedient servant,
"CYRUS W. FIELD."

"BEDFORD SPRINGS, PA., _August 6, 1858_.

"To CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq., Trinity Bay:

"_My dear Sir_,--I congratulate you with all my heart upon the
success of the great enterprise with which your name is so
honorably connected.

"Under the blessing of Divine Providence I trust it may prove
instrumental in promoting perpetual peace and friendship between
kings and nations. I have not yet received the Queen's despatch.

"Yours very respectfully,
"JAMES BUCHANAN."

Captain Hudson's telegram is given as it was written; it shows his
simplicity of character and warm heart:

"U. S. STEAM FRIGATE 'NIAGARA,'
"BAY OF BULL'S ARMS,
"TRINITY BAY, NEWFOUNDLAND, _August 5, 1858_.

"_My dear Eliza_,--God has been with us. The telegraphic cable is
laid without accident, and to Him be all the glory.

"We are all well.

"Your ever-affectionate husband,
"WM. L. HUDSON.

"Mrs. Captain WM. L. HUDSON, Mansion House, Brooklyn, New York."

Mr. Saward wrote from England immediately on the receipt of the news:

"ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH COMPANY,
"22 OLD BROAD STREET, LONDON, _August 6, 1858_.

"_My dear Sir_,--At last the great work is done. I rejoice at it
for the sake of humanity at large. I rejoice at it for the sake of
our common nationalities, and last, but not least, for your
personal sake I most heartily and sincerely rejoice with you, and
congratulate you upon this happy termination to the fearful
anxiety, the continuous and oppressive labor, and the
never-ceasing, sleepless energy which the successful accomplishment
of this vast and noble enterprise has entailed on you. Never was
man more devoted, never did man's energies better deserve success
than yours have done. May you in the bosom of your family reap
those rewards of repose and affection which will be doubly sweet
from the reflection that you return to them after having been
(under Providence) the main and leading principle in conferring a
vast and enduring benefit on mankind.

"If the contemplation of future fame has a charm for you, you may
well indulge in the reflection, for the name of Cyrus Field will
now go onward to immortality as long as that of the Atlantic
telegraph shall be known to mankind.

"It has been such a shock to us here that we have hardly realized
it at present.

"I really think some of the people who come here don't believe it
yet....

"In haste, yours truly,
"GEORGE SAWARD.

"CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq., Gramercy Park, New York."

Dr. Adams wrote:

"MEDFORD, _August 7, 1858_.

"_My dear Mrs. Field_,--What shall I say to you? Words can give no
idea of my enthusiasm. As your pastor I have known somewhat of your
own private griefs and trials, and the sacrifices which you have
made for the success of your noble husband. Now the hour of reward
and coronation has come for him and for you. I wrote to him
yesterday, directing to New York, to be ready for him when he came.
I was at Andover when the news came, in company with several
hundred clergymen. We cheered, and we sang praises to God. I was so
glad that your husband inserted in his first despatch a recognition
of Divine Providence in his success.

"I sprang to my feet; I told the company that I was the pastor of
Mr. Field, and that the last thing which he had said to me before
starting was in request that we should _pray for him_; and then I
had an opportunity to pay a tribute to his perseverance, his
energy, and his genius, which I did, you may be sure, in no
measured terms.

"Many doubted the truth of the news. I hastened to Boston, and saw
the superintendent of the telegraph wire, who told me the
despatches had passed from Mr. Field to you and to your father.
This satisfied me that all was right....

"We think of nothing else and speak of nothing else. While the
_public_ are rejoicing over the national aspects of this great
success, our joyful thoughts are most of all with those private
delights which are playing through the heart of your husband, his
wife, and her children.

"Tell Grace that I wish I had been with the boys when they ran to
ring the bell. I would have swung it lustily, and thrown up my hat
with them, as happy a boy as the best of them.

"Please tell your good father and mother that they are not
forgotten by me in this general rejoicing. Your husband's name will
live in universal honor and gratitude. God bless you and yours in
all times and in all ways; so prays

"Your affectionate friend and pastor,
"W. ADAMS.

"A letter I have just received from Professor Smith, in New York,
says: 'Genius has again triumphed over Science in the success of
the Telegraph.'"

These extracts are made from a speech delivered at
Fishkill-on-the-Hudson, New York, on the evening of August 9th, by the
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. This meeting was said to have been the first
public celebration of the laying of the cable across the Atlantic:

" ...We are gathered to express our joy at the apparent
consummation of one of those enterprises which are peculiar, I had
almost said to our generation--certainly to the century in which we
live. Do you reflect that there are men among you to-night, men
here, who lived and were not very young before there was a
steamboat on our waters? Ever since I can remember steamboats have
always been at hand. There are men here who lived before they beat
the waters with their wheels. And since my day railroads have been
invented. I remember the first one on this land very distinctly. It
was after I had graduated from college, and I am not a patriarch
yet. It is within our remembrance that the telegraph itself was
invented, and by a mere citizen of ours in this vicinity. All these
pre-eminent methods of civilization and commerce and economy have
been within the remembrance of young men--all but one within the
remembrance of quite young men. Now this is not so much an
invention as an enlarged application....

"I thought all the way in riding down here to-night how strange it
will seem to have that silent cord lying in the sea, perfectly
noiseless, perfectly undisturbed by war or by storm, by the paddles
of steamers, by the thunders of navies above it, far down beyond
all anchors' reach, beyond all plumbing interference. There will be
earthquakes that will shake the other world, and the tidings of
them will come under the silent sea, and we shall know them upon
the hither side, but the cord will be undisturbed, though it bears
earthquakes to us. Markets will go up and fortunes will be made
down in the depths of the sea. The silent highway will carry it
without noise to us. Fortunes will go down and bankruptcies spread
dismay, and the silent road will bear this message without a jar
and without disturbance. Without voice or speech it will
communicate thunders and earthquakes and tidings of war and
revolutions, and all those things that fill the air with clamor.
They will come quick as thought from the scene of their first fever
and excitement, flash quick as thought and silent on their passage,
and then break out on this side with fresh tremor and anxiety. To
me the functions of that wire seem, in some sense, sublime. Itself
impassive, quiet, still, moving either hemisphere at its
extremities by the tidings that are to issue out from it....

"We are called, and shall be increasingly so, to mark the
advantages which are to be derived from the connection of these
continents by this telegraphic wire. To my mind the prominent
advantage is this: it is bringing mankind close together, it is
bringing nations nearer together. And I augur the best results to
humanity from this. The more intercourse nations have with each
other, other things being equal, the greater the tendency to
establish between them peace and good-will, and just as they are
brought together will they contribute to advance the day of
universal brotherhood.

" ...That which is spoken at 12 o'clock in London will be known by
us at 8 o'clock in the morning here, according to our time.... It
is no longer in her own bosom that France can keep her secrets. It
is no longer in her own race that Russia can keep her thoughts and
her plans. It is no longer in the glorious old British Islands that
their commercial intelligence can be confined. It is wafted round
and round the globe. In less than an hour, whenever this system
shall be completed, the world will be enlightened quicker than by
the sun; quicker than by the meteor's flash. What is known in one
place will be known in all places; the globe will have but one ear,
and that ear will be everywhere....

"I scarcely dare any longer think what shall be. I remember the
derision with which Whitney's plan for a railroad to the
Mississippi was hailed. I remember there was scarce a paper in the
country that did not feel called upon to talk of the advisability
of sending him to the lunatic asylum. I remember the time when the
project of a steamer crossing the Atlantic was scientifically
declared to be impracticable.... I remember when the first steamer
crossed the Atlantic, and I have been told, though the story may be
too good to be true, that the first steamer that made the passage
to New York carried with her the newspaper containing the news of
the impossibility of making the voyage, by Dr. Lardner....

"While thus we are enlarging the facilities of action, let us see
to it that we maintain, at home, domestic virtue, individual
intelligence--that we spread our common schools, that we multiply
our newspapers throughout the land, that we make books more plenty
than the leaves of the forest trees. Let every man among us be a
reader and thinker and owner, and so he will be an actor. And when
all men through the globe are readers, when all men through the
globe are thinkers, when all men through the globe are actors--are
actors because they think right--when they speak nation to nation,
when from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same there
is not alone a free intercourse of thought but one current of
heart, virtue, religion, love--then the earth will have blossomed
and consummated its history."

Archbishop Hughes sent this note:

"LONG BRANCH, _August 26, 1858_.

"_My dear Mr. Field_,--Under the blessing of Almighty God you have
accomplished the work. But your merit, if not your human glory,
would have been the same in my estimation if you had returned to us
what they would call a disappointed man in whose scales of judgment
enthusiasm had preponderated over 'common-sense.'

"Yours faithfully,
"JOHN, Archbishop of New York."

The letters which follow do not require explanation; the one from George
Peabody & Co. shows that Mr. Field did not profit largely by the success
of the cable:

"ST. JOHN'S, _August 9, 1858_.

"_My dear Sir,_--Allow me, among many more worthy, to offer you my
very sincere congratulations on the successful completion of the
great enterprise which you have labored with so much and such
admirable perseverance to carry through, in the midst of so many
hinderances and discouragements.

"It would give me very great pleasure if you would, during your
stay in St. John's, make my house your home or place of abode. I am
aware that you have many friends and engagements, but as I have no
family you could have two rooms entirely at your disposal, and I
would make my hours suit your convenience....

"I am, my dear sir,
"Very truly yours,
"EDWARD FIELD,
"Bishop of Newfoundland."

"ST. JOHN'S, _August 18, 1858_.

"_My dear Mr. Field,_--Allow me to congratulate you most sincerely
on the accomplishment of the wonderful work you so nobly carried
out in the midst of almost insurmountable difficulties.

"God from time to time sends men like you and Columbus for the good
of humanity, men with the head to conceive and the heart to execute
the grand ideas with which He inspires them. Human energies alone
never could surmount the difficulties and disappointments you
encountered in the projection and execution of this gigantic
enterprise. God destined you for the work and made you the
instrument. You have now completed what Columbus commenced, and
posterity will link your names together. That God may grant you
many happy years to witness the benefits you have conferred on the
great human family is the sincere prayer of your humble servant and
friend,

"+JOHN I. MULLOCK."

"LONDON, _10th August, 1858_.

"_My dear Sir,_--I wrote you by last mail, since when all continues
favorable, and I expect, long ere you receive this, messages will
be regularly sent through the cable. Many things remain to be done,
and there is a great want of efficient, practical workingmen, as
you know, in the board, but Lampson still keeps at it, and all
will, I hope, come right in the end.

"I have a letter from Mr. Peabody, who says: 'I sincerely
congratulate all parties interested in the great project, and very
particularly our friends Lampson and Field. In the accomplishment
of his grand object I can only compare the feelings of the latter
to Columbus in the discovery of the new world.'

"I hope the reaction from the desponding state in which we parted
will not be too great for your health, and now I beg of you not to
forget our conversation when last here.

"The market for shares is weaker; several have been on the market.
I sold one for you at £900, but could not go on. To-day they have
sold at £840 to £850, and later they were firmer at £875; but
seeing how the market was I withdrew and would not offer at any
price. If I am able to go on at £900 or more I shall feel it for
your interest to do so to a moderate extent, for I feel that you
should embrace the opportunity to reduce your interest, which is
too large. I still hope to sail on the 21st, but it must depend
upon Mr. Peabody's health.

"Most truly,
"J. S. MORGAN."

_Ariel._

"LONDON, _10th August, 1858_.

"CYRUS W. FIELD, Esq., New York,

"_Dear Sir,_--We beg to advise by the present the sale of three of
your Atlantic Telegraph Company shares, _viz._, two at £350 each
prior to the successful laying of the cable, and one subsequent
thereto at £900, less brokerage. The first cash 3d August, and the
remaining two cash 13th inst., which please note.

"Yours truly,
"GEO. PEABODY & CO."

In the life of Longfellow, at page 323, is given this entry from his
diary:

"August 6th. Go to town with the boys. Flags flying and bells
ringing to celebrate the laying of the telegraph."

And on the 12th, in writing to Mr. Sumner, he says:

"You have already rejoiced at the success of the Atlantic
telegraph--the great news of the hour, the year, the century. The
papers call Field 'Cyrus the Great.'"

These words express the feeling that pervaded the whole country: and in
order to contrast it with the days and months that had just passed, this
article, published in the New York _Herald_ of August 9th, is given:

"SUCCESS OR FAILURE--A CONTRAST

"Many terse and witty things have been said and written in all ages
to show the difference with which the same enterprise is viewed
when it results in success and when it results in failure. We have
never had any better illustration of this than we now have in
connection with the great enterprise of the age. After the first
and second attempts to lay the Atlantic cable had failed, wiseacres
shook their heads in sympathetic disapprobation of Mr. Field, and
said, 'What a fool he was!' It was evident to them all along that
the thing could never succeed, and they could not understand why a
sensible, clear-headed man like Field would risk his whole fortune
in such a railroad-to-the-moon undertaking. If he had ventured a
third of it or a half, there might be some excuse for him, but to
have placed it all on the hazard of a die where the chances were a
hundred to one against him--worse even than the Wall Street lottery
conducted under the name of the Stock Exchange--was an evidence of
folly and absurdity which they could not overlook and for which he
deserved to suffer.

"Now all that is changed. Midnight has given place to noon. The sun
shines brightly in the heavens and the shadows of the night have
passed away and are forgotten. Failures have been only the
stepping-stones to success the most brilliant. The cable is laid;
and now the most honored name in the world is that of Cyrus W.
Field, although but yesterday there were

"'None so poor to do him reverence.'

"The wiseacres who shook their heads the other day and pitied while
they condemned him are now among the foremost in his praise, and
help to make his name a household word. Bells are rung and guns are
fired and buildings are illuminated in his honor throughout the
length and breadth of his land; and prominent among all devices and
first on every tongue and uppermost in every heart is his name. Had
he not, like the great Bruce, persevered in the face of repeated
failures until his efforts were at length crowned with success, he
would have been held up to the growing generation as an
illustration of the danger of allowing our minds to be absorbed by
an impracticable idea, and his history would have been served up in
play and romance, and used

"'To point a moral or adorn a tale.'

"As it is, the nation is proud of him, the world knows him, and all
mankind is his debtor."

The ship _Niagara_ left Trinity Bay for St. John's, where she was
obliged to stop for coal, on August 8th. Immediately upon her arrival
the Executive Council of Newfoundland and the Chamber of Commerce of St.
John's presented congratulatory addresses to Mr. Field, and the governor
entertained him, together with his friends, at dinner, and a ball was
given at the Colonial Building. On the 11th of August the _Niagara_
sailed for New York.

The country was impatient; twelve days had passed and not a message had
been received. No one seemed to understand that a wilderness had to be
opened and instruments adjusted before it was possible to use the cable
as a means of communication between the two continents.

It had been decided to have a great celebration on the receipt of the
Queen's message; on the 16th that was reported as coming over the
submarine wire, and early on the 17th the firing commenced and the
excitement continued until the 18th, when the City Hall caught fire.

Churches rang their bells, factories blew their whistles, and in the
evening the river front blazed with bonfires and fireworks flashed
across the sky; the buildings were illuminated; one thousand lights were
said to have shone from the windows of the Everett House, and the
transparencies were striking. That on the front of the International
Hotel, on the corner of Broadway and Franklin Street, was eighteen feet
by thirty-one; the centre was white, with fancy letters, and the border
blue, with white letters, and the words were:

These placards were in the windows of Bowen & McNamee's, corner of
Broadway and Pearl Street:

In the window of Anson Randolph, corner of Amity Street, was displayed
the following:

+-------------------------------------+
| |
| The Old CYRUS and the New. |
| One |
| Conquered the World for Himself, |
| The Other |
| The Ocean for the World. |
+-------------------------------------+

The Manhattan Hotel was splendidly decorated with colored lights and
flags of all nations. On a transparency was the following inscription:

+--------------------------------------+
| Married, August, 1858, |
| by |
| CYRUS W. FIELD, |
| OLD IRELAND AND MISS YOUNG AMERICA. |
| "May their honeymoon last forever." |
+--------------------------------------+

The _Tribune_ describes this procession:

"The workmen upon the Central Park and the workmen on the new
Croton reservoir made a novel parade, and after marching through
the principal streets were reviewed by Mayor Tiemann in front of
the City Hall.

"The procession was headed by a squad of the Central Park police in
full uniform; then came a full brass band and a standard-bearer
with a white muslin banner on which was inscribed:

+--------------------------+
| |
| The Central Park People. |
| |
+--------------------------+

"The workmen, attired in their every-day clothes, with evergreens
in their hats, next marched in squads of four, each gang carrying a
banner with the name of their boss-workmen inscribed thereon. In
the line of the procession were several four-horse teams drawing
wagons in which were the workmen in the engineer's department. On
the sides of the vehicles were muslin banners with the words:

+-------------------+
| |
| Engineer Corps. |
| |
+-------------------+

"The reservoir workmen were a hardy-looking set of men, and were
fair specimens of the laborers of New York.

"The procession filled Broadway from Union Square to the Park, and,
as it was altogether unexpected, it created no little excitement
and inquiry. If all the men and teams in this turnout are kept at
the city's work we shall soon see great improvement in the new
park....

"The procession was composed of eleven hundred laborers and eight
hundred carts from the Central Park, under the marshalship of
Messrs. Olmsted, Miller, Waring, and Grant, and seven hundred
laborers and carts from the new reservoir under the marshalship of
Mr. Walker, forming a procession over three miles in length."

These same workmen presented to Mr. Field, the December following, a
pitcher made from wood of the Charter Oak.

Before the _Niagara_ arrived at New York on the morning of August 18th
Mr. Field prepared his report for the Atlantic Telegraph Company, and he
had it at once posted, and with it his resignation as general manager of
the company.

"How Cyrus Laid the Cable" was written by John G. Saxe for _Harper's
Weekly_, and was published on September 11th:

"Come listen all unto my song,
It is no silly fable;
'Tis all about the mighty cord
They call the Atlantic cable.

"Bold Cyrus Field he said, says he,
'I have a pretty notion
That I can run a telegraph
Across the Atlantic Ocean.'

"Then all the people laughed, and said
They'd like to see him do it;
He might get half-seas-over, but
He never could go through it;

"To carry out his foolish plan
He never would be able;
He might as well go hang himself
With his Atlantic cable.

"But Cyrus was a valiant man,
A fellow of decision;
And heeded not their mocking words,
Their laughter and derision.

"Twice did his bravest efforts fail,
And yet his mind was stable;
He wa'n't the man to break his heart
Because he broke his cable.

"'Once more, my gallant boys!' he cried;
'Three times!--you know the fable--'
('I'll make it thirty,' muttered he,
'But I will lay the cable!')

"Once more they tried--hurrah! hurrah!
What means this great commotion?
The Lord be praised! the cable's laid
Across the Atlantic Ocean!

"Loud ring the bells--for, flashing through
Six hundred leagues of water,
Old Mother England's benison
Salutes her eldest daughter.

"O'er all the land the tidings speed,
And soon in every nation
They'll hear about the cable with
Profoundest admiration!

"Now long live James, and long live Vic,
And long live gallant Cyrus;
And may his courage, faith, and zeal
With emulation fire us;

"And may we honor evermore
The manly, bold, and stable,
And tell our sons, to make them brave,
How Cyrus laid the cable."

On the 20th of August Captain Hudson, Mr. Everett, and the officers of
the _Niagara_, were entertained by Mr. Field, and from the balcony of
his house he read this message to the crowd assembled in the street:

"VALENTIA BAY, _August 19, 1858_.

"To CYRUS W. FIELD, N. Y.:

"The directors have just met. They heartily congratulate you on
your success.

"The _Agamemnon_ arrived at Valentia Bay on Thursday, August 5, at
6 A.M.

"We are just on the point of chartering a ship to lay the shore
end. No time will be lost in sending them out. Please write me more
fully about tariff and other working arrangements.

SAWARD."

He did not forget the sailors, as the following invitation shows:

+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| COMPLIMENTARY RECEPTION |
| |
| OF THE |
| |
| CREW OF THE U.S. SHIP "NIAGARA." |
| |
|_Mr. Cyrus W. Field requests the pleasure of your Company |
| at his Entertainment of the Crew of the_ Niagara, _to |
|be given at the Palace Gardens, at 10 o'clock, this Evening._ |
|

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