Bold and Cautious

Atlantic Adventure

Dibner, Bern. Atlantic Cable. 1959
Bern Dibner, The Atlantic Cable, 1959
Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Laying a cable across the Atlantic was an epic feat, as impressive in its day as a moon landing - and just as tricky.

The North Atlantic was the favored route. It was the shortest path between Europe and North America (1,600 miles / 2,500 km), the sea floor was relatively level, and an underwater plateau made the water relatively shallow. Nevertheless, it took four tries before success was achieved.

1857: First Try
Cable snaps 30 miles off Irish coast. No one had ever laid cable in water so deep before, so no one knew what problems to expect.

1858: Second Try, Momentary Success
Using improved machinery, two ships lay cable from mid-ocean to Ireland and Newfoundland. North America and Europe are linked for instant communication.

Unfortunately, the cable fails within a month.

1865: Third Try
Two-thirds of the way across the Atlantic, the cable breaks.

1866: Success!
Cable successfully connects Europe (Ireland) and North America (Newfoundland).


Chart of Atlantic cable expeditions, 1857-66
Chart of Atlantic cable expeditions, 1857-66
from Bern Dibner, The Atlantic Cable, 1959
Smithsonian Institution Libraries


Cable-laying ships prepare for a second attempt, 1858
Cable-laying ships prepare for a second attempt, 1858
From Bern dibner, The Atlantic Cable, 1959
Smithsonian Institution Libraries


Below deck on the cable-laying ship Great Eastern, 1865
Immense coils of cable, thousands of miles long, were carried in tanks inside the ship. The crew had to be careful to uncoil the cable smoothly, as kinks could lead to breakage.

(above) Below deck on the cable-laying ship Great Eastern, 1865
Drawing by Robert Dudley, from W.H. Russell, The Atlantic Telegraph, 1865
Smithsonian Institution Libraries


Aboard the cable-laying ship Great Eastern
The 1866 cable has been laid, and the ship has returned to mid-ocean to pick up the abandoned 1865 cable. In the electrician's room, all eyes - including those of William Thomson (standing, center) - watch for a flicker of light from Thomson's mirror galvanometer, representing a signal from Valentia, Ireland.

Aboard the cable-laying ship Great Eastern
From a painting by Robert Dudley, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Cyrus W. Field, 1892

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