Determined Visionary

American promoter Cyrus Field staked his fortune and reputation on the laying of an Atlantic cable. In 1853, at age 33, Field had made a modest fortune in the paper business and was looking for new projects. He was asked to invest in a proposed telegraph line from New York to Newfoundland in Canada, where news could be relayed from European ships.

Cyrus Field's Globe National Museum of American History

Looking at his globe, Field saw that if telegraph lines could go to Newfoundland, they might as well go all the way to Britain. He persuaded his wealthy friends to contribute, but most of the money and expertise came from England, where others were already thinking about an Atlantic cable. For 13 years Field worked tirelessly to make his vision a reality.

News of the cable's (apparent) success in 1858 was greeted in the U.S. with widespread public rejoicing. The New York jeweler Tiffany bought up leftover cable and sold sections of it as umbrella handles and canes. Most popular were four-inch sections with a brass band marked "Tiffany." Accompanied by a certificate signed by Cyrus Field, they sold for 50 cents each.
Atlantic cable souvenir and certificate by Tiffany, 1858 National Museum of American History

	Chief engineer on the Atlantic cable project was 24-year-old Charles Bright of Britain, who was knighted for his efforts. He had already patented 24 inventions by the age of 20 and went on to lay many other cables, most notably in the Caribbean.
Charles Bright, with sample of 1858 Atlantic cable National Museum of American History, Gift of Bern Dibner

	Before the cable could be laid, the route had to be researched. Scrapings from the ocean floor showed that the North Atlantic seabed consisted mainly of microscopic shells. Such research was groundbreaking work for the new science of oceanography. It was also good news for Field and his team: it meant a soft-yet-firm base for a cable to lie on.
Ocean-floor samples on glass slides, 1856 (top) National Museum of American History, from Isabelle Field Judson Infusoria from slides (bottom) National Museum of American History

Letters from Cyrus Field, 1858 (left) and 1866 (right) National Museum of American History, from Isabelle Field Judson

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Sheet music: "The Ocean Telegraph March," 1858 National Museum of American History, from Isabelle Field Judson

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